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The Rebuild

Went for a lesson yesterday, and wasn't sure what we would work on. We started with some chipping work, gave me some details on the low checking shot, and wants me to work on that. Then moved into some full swing stuff, and it was mostly fine tuning and keeping me from reverting to old habits (overswinging with the arms, straightening the right leg, etc).

Nothing of a breakthrough, but my goal for the winter is to keep progressing, even if it is very gradual/subtle and not go backwards as I have done in the past. Every 2-3 weeks with some work in between hopefully will get that done.
 
I did a rebuild, completely broke apart my swing (which was more like a baseball swing from my high school days).

It was expensive and extremely frustrating..... and worth every penny. I went from regularly shooting in the 110-120 range to breaking 100, then 90 this year. My goal next year is to break 80, which I think is a definite possibility if I can shore up my putting and short game.
 
JB said:
Ever wanted to rebuild the swing? I don’t necessarily mean start over from scratch, but basically doing so, without erasing any natural athleticism you might have?

Any reason you have or have not?
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This is something I've been working on since I started playing again a year ago and it's incredibly frustrating.

I stopped playing in my late teens and started up again when I was 30. Before I stopped I had a massive looping over the top swing resulting in a big slice, but I knew exactly how to play it and played to single figures.
Starting up again I could still hit the ball fairly well with the swing I remembered but decided I'd try to correct the big flaw and see how good I could get.

It's been a much bigger learning curve than I expected and tough to work through, especially knowing I could revert back to old and score better right away.

I started with a couple of lessons and got lucky with a good coach and within a couple of months practice my shot shape had changed dramatically. I'm probably playing irons (which were always my strength) better than I ever have but the longer sticks are still very much a work in progress. So much so that I often play nothing but irons for a full 18. In the new year I plan on getting some more lessons in and really working on the long game.

It's definitely been more work than I initially thought and it's so easy to slip back into bad habits.
 
Did Golftec for a couple of years but still lacking consistency. Down to a 13. My swing is heavy on the arm and hand action.
Buddy of mine is down to a single handicap from a 12 using the rotary swing DEAD drill bootcamp. I signed up and and did the first webinar last night. RST is all about body movement which I lack in my swing. I like the concept and I’ve started the reps on the setup and backswing with no club.

At 48 we’ll see if I can make the necessary changes to rebuild my swing and get the consistency to get me down to a single.
 
The good thing about rebuilds is it only takes about 1.5 seconds to see if the rebuild worked! :)
 
I am kinda shocked by all those willing to completely rebuild. I would be scared to do that. How many amazing golfers have wrecked good careers with rebuild attempts??
 
NVGOLFER80 said:
I am kinda shocked by all those willing to completely rebuild. I would be scared to do that. How many amazing golfers have wrecked good careers with rebuild attempts??
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well, not many would call my golfing career good, so figure it can't get much worse. I am of the mind that doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity, so trying something new might yield better results.
 
NVGOLFER80 said:
I am kinda shocked by all those willing to completely rebuild. I would be scared to do that. How many amazing golfers have wrecked good careers with rebuild attempts??
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At the pro level Nick Faldo is a good example of someone who did it successfully. Took him 2 years but he was desperate to go from the best in Europe to the best in the world. Must have taken some serious dedication.
 
NVGOLFER80 said:
I am kinda shocked by all those willing to completely rebuild. I would be scared to do that. How many amazing golfers have wrecked good careers with rebuild attempts??
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I think the term "rebuild" sounds overly punitive. In the past I spent far too much time trying to get some perfect back swing. I found my body wants to swing the club back in a certain way, and while I might try, fighting my anatomy or how my body likes to perform that task was a fruitless gambit. Of course there are wildly incorrect back swings, but in general I've seen very few terrible back swings. My only back swing check is to stand about 18 inches away from a wall and take the club back without hitting the wall. If the club misses the wall I'm on a decent plane back. Let's face it, if being good at golf only required a decent back swing we'd all be pro's. Thus in my opinion, the start of the down swing is key, and even the pro's constantly practice their down swing sequencing.

I watched the below video several times. It's a compilation of many pro's swings. It's clear there's no single back swing, takeaway, wrist set, lift or not lift the club, hip turn more vs. less, etc. I've watched Couples back swing many times and it's amazing how he appears to lift the club to the top with minimal hip turn, but his impact position is near perfection. Thus, I see my back swing nuances as being an "is what it is" aspect of my swing. I accept it and remove it from the "rebuild" checklist. The trick is how to gather whatever nuanced position I might have at the top and figure out a way to sequence in a manner to have a path that mimics a pro-like impact position.

m
 
GolfLivesMatter said:
I think the term "rebuild" sounds overly punitive. In the past I spent far too much time trying to get some perfect back swing. I found my body wants to swing the club back in a certain way, and while I might try, fighting my anatomy or how my body likes to perform that task was a fruitless gambit. Of course there are wildly incorrect back swings, but in general I've seen very few terrible back swings. My only back swing check is to stand about 18 inches away from a wall and take the club back without hitting the wall. If the club misses the wall I'm on a decent plane back. Let's face it, if being good at golf only required a decent back swing we'd all be pro's. Thus in my opinion, the start of the down swing is key, and even the pro's constantly practice their down swing sequencing.

I watched the below video several times. It's a compilation of many pro's swings. It's clear there's no single back swing, takeaway, wrist set, lift or not lift the club, hip turn more vs. less, etc. I've watched Couples back swing many times and it's amazing how he appears to lift the club to the top with minimal hip turn, but his impact position is near perfection. Thus, I see my back swing nuances as being an "is what it is" aspect of my swing. I accept it and remove it from the "rebuild" checklist. The trick is how to gather whatever nuanced position I might have at the top and figure out a way to sequence in a manner to have a path that mimics a pro-like impact position.

m
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All very good points.
 
NVGOLFER80 said:
I am kinda shocked by all those willing to completely rebuild. I would be scared to do that. How many amazing golfers have wrecked good careers with rebuild attempts??
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Yet that’s starting at a different level than THPers. Then addthe passion that exists.
 
JB said:
Yet that’s starting at a different level than THPers. Then addthe passion that exists.
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That's a good point - I think I was basically at the point where without major changes, I'd gotten the most out of what I could from a full swing. With the changes I made this year - which did add some bumps in the road, I'd say contact/ball flight are qualitatively different, and things have been more consistent to end the year. And even with the "growing pains" my cap only increased something like 0.3 points - my "bad" days weren't nearly as bad as they could be in the past.

It's the first time I'm entering an offseason without feeling like there are huge question marks. I'm feeling good about the direction of my swing, and I couldn't be happier with the equipment Callaway fit me for. And that has me more optimistic than I've ever been.
 
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JB said:
Yet that’s starting at a different level than THPers. Then addthe passion that exists.
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I am not sure if you are agreeing with me or not, but You are correct, and it is still extremely difficult. For those that are not starting at such a good place, I am not sure if it is easier or harder.
 
NVGOLFER80 said:
I am not sure if you are agreeing with me or not, but You are correct, and it is still extremely difficult. For those that are not starting at such a good place, I am not sure if it is easier or harder.
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Just a thought. If you're not starting in a good place, then why would refinements to a faulty baseline be preferable? We all get out of whack over time because we often apply too many supplemental "fixes" that ultimately create more confusion. I watch pro's on the range running through some of the most basic steps like alignment, folding their arms over their chest to check rotation, slo-motion dropping the arms into position, etc. I think they rarely have to "rebuild" because they consistently attend to the basics.
 
GolfLivesMatter said:
Just a thought. If you're not starting in a good place, then why would refinements to a faulty baseline be preferable? We all get out of whack over time because we often apply too many supplemental "fixes" that ultimately create more confusion. I watch pro's on the range running through some of the most basic steps like alignment, folding their arms over their chest to check rotation, slo-motion dropping the arms into position, etc. I think they rarely have to "rebuild" because they consistently attend to the basics.
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I agree. I guess it all comes down to perspective right? It is always always always good when struggling to check the simple things first. Grip, stance, alignment. I guess, my thought is if you are rebuilding, that you currently have some sort of repeat ability in your swing. You may not like it, but it is repeatable. But you do not like hitting a fade, or you want more distance, or you want to change this or that. So you decide to rebuild something currently repeatable to try and get to a different place.

If you are not able to produce a repeatable swing, I guess "I" would not call that rebuilding. Because, have you really" built" anything to begin with? Maybe I am completely off base and I am OK with being told I am wrong. Those is just my thoughts, and why I said what I said earlier.

Improvement has always been the name of the game. I always tell people that golf is not really fun in the traditional sense of the word. But, it is very challenging and rewarding. If you want to take on the challenge to rebuild, and you are able to do it and be rewarded. Then you are getting every bit of the enjoyment that this game has to offer. I will never tell you that you did it wrong.

I would just be scared, that even though my swing is far from perfect. That an attempted rebuild would completely ruin the game for me.

Play well friends.
 
NVGOLFER80 said:
I agree. I guess it all comes down to perspective right? It is always always always good when struggling to check the simple things first. Grip, stance, alignment. I guess, my thought is if you are rebuilding, that you currently have some sort of repeat ability in your swing. You may not like it, but it is repeatable. But you do not like hitting a fade, or you want more distance, or you want to change this or that. So you decide to rebuild something currently repeatable to try and get to a different place.

If you are not able to produce a repeatable swing, I guess "I" would not call that rebuilding. Because, have you really" built" anything to begin with? Maybe I am completely off base and I am OK with being told I am wrong. Those is just my thoughts, and why I said what I said earlier.

Improvement has always been the name of the game. I always tell people that golf is not really fun in the traditional sense of the word. But, it is very challenging and rewarding. If you want to take on the challenge to rebuild, and you are able to do it and be rewarded. Then you are getting every bit of the enjoyment that this game has to offer. I will never tell you that you did it wrong.

I would just be scared, that even though my swing is far from perfect. That an attempted rebuild would completely ruin the game for me.

Play well friends.
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Good post. Sometimes having a natural fade is perfectly fine. I've played with guys who nearly "demand" that I must hit a draw. I beat them nearly every time. So what if my fade loses 10 yards on a drive, or 5 yards on an approach? It's because I know where the ball will be. The old adage of "better is the enemy of good" is very true sometimes.
 
I'm about halfway through my rebuild. Backswing is now in good shape. Working on the downswing, specifically with my lower body. Have a very bad habit of early extension, and not keeping my trail foot on the ground until impact. So fa its been much harder for me to fix than the backswing was. Gonna keep grinding away at it.
 
i recently have rebuilt my swing from the ground up over the past year and a half after a multitude of knee/ankle injuries. Slowly starting to see reap the rewards of the change and it helps that I can now walk after a round and don't have to look for the closest place to sit down.
 
xhail said:
i recently have rebuilt my swing from the ground up over the past year and a half after a multitude of knee/ankle injuries. Slowly starting to see reap the rewards of the change and it helps that I can now walk after a round and don't have to look for the closest place to sit down.
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Great news!
 
After my last sim round I've decided I'm going to make some changes to my swing. I wouldn't say it's a complete overhaul but some minor improvements. I am super flat on the takeaway and need to work on that.
 
I've committed to changing my predominant shot shape from a fade to a draw and already have seen some great benefits (more distance, more solid contact, better wind play and less stress on my back). I'd like to explore new technology to get the most out of my new swing though. During this last trip to Houston, I put a bunch of lead tape out on the toe of the PING G-400 driver I borrowed from my friend - it helped me make an aggressive right-to left swing without too much fear of over-hooking my drives. I'd like to explore something similar throughout my bag too (i.e. more weight on the toe to soften the right-to-left movement; hooks are easy for me to hit, draws are much harder...).
 
Had my 3rd lesson today in my re-build. The first 20 minutes were very discouraging. The final 10 minutes were very promising. Had a problem with my takeaway that was leading to all sorts of issues in the rest of my swing. Once we started focusing on that, a lot of things improved. The jigsaw puzzle continues but I remain encouraged.
 
Lions81 said:
Had my 3rd lesson today in my re-build. The first 20 minutes were very discouraging. The final 10 minutes were very promising. Had a problem with my takeaway that was leading to all sorts of issues in the rest of my swing. Once we started focusing on that, a lot of things improved. The jigsaw puzzle continues but I remain encouraged.
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Most of my "rebuild" focus has been on set up and takeway. Seems so simple, but if you get out of position early, you have to compensate at some point... Most of my work right now is in front of a mirror trying to get these things down. Hopefully the winter treats you right and you get where you want to be when the snow thaws.
 
mancest said:
Most of my "rebuild" focus has been on set up and takeway. Seems so simple, but if you get out of position early, you have to compensate at some point... Most of my work right now is in front of a mirror trying to get these things down. Hopefully the winter treats you right and you get where you want to be when the snow thaws.
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Thanks, ya that's the hope/plan. Don't really care where the ball is going at this point, just trying to get in the right positions. Was letting the club get behind my hands on the takeaway = no bueno.
 
It's interesting to see what folks are working on. I've actually greatly decreased focus on the back swing and instead am working on the moment of transition into the down swing. I have a tendency to swing too early which traps my hands/club behind me. I found that whether my back swing is slightly outside, inside, etc, none of the paths helped because of my defective down swing sequencing.
 
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