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When does the pursuit of a swing change become detrimental?

mr.hicksta

mr.hicksta

Golf->Tacos->Gainz
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I've been working with a swing coach online now for over a year and we've made great progress. I enjoy his teaching style, drills and feedback on the videos I post, but we've reached a point where I'm starting to wonder if the pursuit of the current change is doing more harm than good. What's frustrating me the most is it seems so minor, but I find myself almost obsessing about it. So much so that I'm overthinking the most basic shots. As a result, my game feels like it's in limbo and I'm not sure what to do. I'm confident I can fully commit to the change, but the last month has been really frustrating. At what point should my efforts be considered a bust? Or is my frustration a sign that I'm close? Thanks for the feedback!
 
This is my one true fear in pursuing a swing change and / or a lessons.

Yes I want to get better, because I have more fun when I am scoring lower BUT I have had some lessons before that when I get out on the course I just want to go with what feels right rather than stressing over some small tweaks that may get me to over complicate things. I think that since you have put so much time, energy and funds into the process you should see it out to the point where you know the answer. It's a process that I do not think I could complete start to finish but that's because I don't have the hicksta motivation to get me though the difficult times! You will because you always do!
 
I had a swing that worked for me very well but I wanted a little more from it. I worked with a few people to make it "prettier" because they did not like how flat I would bring the club back. I was incredibly consistent but I wanted to hit the ball longer. At the time I was 5'10 and 120lbs. I was never going to hit the ball longer than I was but they all said the could fix it. In those 2 years, my handicap went from scratch to an 8. I hit my 7 iron 170 yards and it dropped to 160 with the new swing. Driver went from 260 to 240. I was no longer hitting fairways and greens.

If you are seeing more consistency then it is working. If you are seeing that you are less consistent I would say it is not working. Swing changes take a while but you will notice if they are working little bits at a time. My advice is trust the process and yourself.
 
This is one of the biggest reasons I've never bothered with lessons.

I'm sure having a set of professional eyes on my swing would help, but I'm more of the "dig it out of the dirt" type of personality.

For me personally, I'd say that if you can take a look at your own swing on video and know what corrections will be brought up at a lesson you're probably at a point where you need to just play golf instead of playing golf swing.
 
Ups and downs are natural no matter what the change. If you are seeing positive results from the work, then continue with it. It seems that you might need to focus more on getting out of your own head than anything physical. Any change, especially a major one, requires mechanical focus which is a difficult mindset to get out of. At some point, you have to find the trust that what you have changed is ingrained and that you can let go of the uncertainty and swing without being encumbered by the fear of screwing up or falling into old habits.
 
mr.hicksta said:
I've been working with a swing coach online now for over a year and we've made great progress. I enjoy his teaching style, drills and feedback on the videos I post, but we've reached a point where I'm starting to wonder if the pursuit of the current change is doing more harm than good. What's frustrating me the most is it seems so minor, but I find myself almost obsessing about it. So much so that I'm overthinking the most basic shots. As a result, my game feels like it's in limbo and I'm not sure what to do. I'm confident I can fully commit to the change, but the last month has been really frustrating. At what point should my efforts be considered a bust? Or is my frustration a sign that I'm close? Thanks for the feedback!
Click to expand...

You aren't breathing through your eyelids, are you?
 
Good question mr.hicksta. For me the time to stop having lessons was when my handicap went from 9 to 14. I just couldn't get into the positions various swing coaches with various methods wanted me to be in.

So I decided to go with the swing I had and stop banging balls on the range. At the same time I concentrated my practice on the short game. That was 3yrs ago handicap was 14 now it's 5.

Probably need to go back to banging a few balls on the range now as driver accuracy has drifted down a bit. But generally through that 3yrs it has been around 70% fairways. Mostly because I just trusted it and didn't think about what position someone else told me I had to be in.

I have accepted my swing is not perfect and would probably make Johnny Miller puke. But hey I'm enjoying my golf more than ever and at the end of the day that is what I want from playing golf.
 
Interesting question. I know I can improve my swing, and lessons would certainly be helpful. I also know my game is improving simply by swinging more intuitively. So I get the dilemma. If I was confident an instructor would help me improve MY SWING and not just try make me develop A SWING, I would be less hesitant to take more lessons.
 
When does the pursuit of a swing change become detrimental?

Ask Luke Donald
 
itsOpeningDay said:
This is my one true fear in pursuing a swing change and / or a lessons.

Yes I want to get better, because I have more fun when I am scoring lower BUT I have had some lessons before that when I get out on the course I just want to go with what feels right rather than stressing over some small tweaks that may get me to over complicate things. I think that since you have put so much time, energy and funds into the process you should see it out to the point where you know the answer. It's a process that I do not think I could complete start to finish but that's because I don't have the hicksta motivation to get me though the difficult times! You will because you always do!
Click to expand...

Thanks, brotha!!!

c0ncept said:
I had a swing that worked for me very well but I wanted a little more from it. I worked with a few people to make it "prettier" because they did not like how flat I would bring the club back. I was incredibly consistent but I wanted to hit the ball longer. At the time I was 5'10 and 120lbs. I was never going to hit the ball longer than I was but they all said the could fix it. In those 2 years, my handicap went from scratch to an 8. I hit my 7 iron 170 yards and it dropped to 160 with the new swing. Driver went from 260 to 240. I was no longer hitting fairways and greens.

If you are seeing more consistency then it is working. If you are seeing that you are less consistent I would say it is not working. Swing changes take a while but you will notice if they are working little bits at a time. My advice is trust the process and yourself.
Click to expand...

It's funny, I'm working on bowing my left wrist to flatten out on the downswing. Aside from that I think my swing looks pretty as is :wink:.

blakehall said:
This is one of the biggest reasons I've never bothered with lessons.

I'm sure having a set of professional eyes on my swing would help, but I'm more of the "dig it out of the dirt" type of personality.

For me personally, I'd say that if you can take a look at your own swing on video and know what corrections will be brought up at a lesson you're probably at a point where you need to just play golf instead of playing golf swing.
Click to expand...

For whatever reason, I've always gravitated towards working with a pro. I video myself just about every range session so I know exactly what we're working towards, but it's been really frustrating lately.

EaglevsFalcon said:
Ups and downs are natural no matter what the change. If you are seeing positive results from the work, then continue with it. It seems that you might need to focus more on getting out of your own head than anything physical. Any change, especially a major one, requires mechanical focus which is a difficult mindset to get out of. At some point, you have to find the trust that what you have changed is ingrained and that you can let go of the uncertainty and swing without being encumbered by the fear of screwing up or falling into old habits.
Click to expand...

Well said, and I agree 100%!

Parrot said:
You aren't breathing through your eyelids, are you?
Click to expand...

Ha, I had to Google the phrase :bulgy-eyes:

Willrobonsin said:
Good question mr.hicksta. For me the time to stop having lessons was when my handicap went from 9 to 14. I just couldn't get into the positions various swing coaches with various methods wanted me to be in.

So I decided to go with the swing I had and stop banging balls on the range. At the same time I concentrated my practice on the short game. That was 3yrs ago handicap was 14 now it's 5.

Probably need to go back to banging a few balls on the range now as driver accuracy has drifted down a bit. But generally through that 3yrs it has been around 70% fairways. Mostly because I just trusted it and didn't think about what position someone else told me I had to be in.

I have accepted my swing is not perfect and would probably make Johnny Miller puke. But hey I'm enjoying my golf more than ever and at the end of the day that is what I want from playing golf.
Click to expand...

Interestingly enough, my handicap has stayed about the same over the last year. I'd have to double check, but I've been hanging in the 10-12 range for quite awhile now. My brief dip into the single digits was more a product of going from playing difficult courses to playing significantly easier courses. And I am quite a bit more consistent in some regards, so that may actually be making the not so good moments seem worse than they are.
 
Maybe you’ve got to the point where it’s the short game that needs working on?


#FiberLaunch
 
Will respond back later. Currently starting a swing change


Sent from HTX
 
Mark_UK said:
Maybe you’ve got to the point where it’s the short game that needs working on?


#FiberLaunch
Click to expand...

I was thinking similarly; I'd be curious to see a break down of your handicap per game area. (After using Arccos I look at handicaps much differently)

Do you use any sort of data tracking/analysis?
 
I've taken lessons from a couple of good teachers, both of them had different techniques and styles which I had to adapt to when making changes. Bottom line, I was getting messed up with my swing. what I had acquired naturally was changed to something that I really couldn't get comfortable with no matter what the results were. I then thought to myself what am I trying to accomplish? I know that I'm not going on tour, this is supposed to be a recreational hobby something fun and relaxing with my buddies. I'm a very competitive guy but there comes a point in time where you say enough. Bottom line to me at least, I play to have a good time. I know my limitations and my strengths and I try to play to the strengths. My biggest takeaway from my lessons were not swing related but course management. My instructors gave me good direction but the practice and dedication to those techniques was something more than I wanted to put into.
 
Mark_UK said:
Maybe you’ve got to the point where it’s the short game that needs working on?


#FiberLaunch
Click to expand...

It definitely needs some work!

phoffer said:
I was thinking similarly; I'd be curious to see a break down of your handicap per game area. (After using Arccos I look at handicaps much differently)

Do you use any sort of data tracking/analysis?
Click to expand...

I've primarily used The Grint the last 3ish years so I have access to plenty of round data. I have a pretty good idea where I'm losing strokes, but I'm going to check the stats to try and get a better picture.
 
buckeyewalt said:
I've taken lessons from a couple of good teachers, both of them had different techniques and styles which I had to adapt to when making changes. Bottom line, I was getting messed up with my swing. what I had acquired naturally was changed to something that I really couldn't get comfortable with no matter what the results were. I then thought to myself what am I trying to accomplish? I know that I'm not going on tour, this is supposed to be a recreational hobby something fun and relaxing with my buddies. I'm a very competitive guy but there comes a point in time where you say enough. Bottom line to me at least, I play to have a good time. I know my limitations and my strengths and I try to play to the strengths. My biggest takeaway from my lessons were not swing related but course management. My instructors gave me good direction but the practice and dedication to those techniques was something more than I wanted to put into.
Click to expand...

That's a very good outlook to have, and one that I try to follow myself. As for what I'm trying to accomplish, I'm working to be the best golfer I can be. I'll never be on tour, but I would like to maximize my ability to play the game. It's not about have a swing like <enter PGA player here> or any of that. I am certain that getting over the hump will result in more consistency and that's why I'm sticking with it!
 
mr.hicksta said:
I've been working with a swing coach online now for over a year and we've made great progress. I enjoy his teaching style, drills and feedback on the videos I post, but we've reached a point where I'm starting to wonder if the pursuit of the current change is doing more harm than good. What's frustrating me the most is it seems so minor, but I find myself almost obsessing about it. So much so that I'm overthinking the most basic shots. As a result, my game feels like it's in limbo and I'm not sure what to do. I'm confident I can fully commit to the change, but the last month has been really frustrating. At what point should my efforts be considered a bust? Or is my frustration a sign that I'm close? Thanks for the feedback!
Click to expand...

I’ve followed your progress and you’ve made great strides. Stop over thinking and just play. Except the good with the bad. You are now at the point that you just need to play. Your guy has gotten you dialed in so go execute.
 
Tadashi70 said:
I’ve followed your progress and you’ve made great strides. Stop over thinking and just play. Except the good with the bad. You are now at the point that you just need to play. Your guy has gotten you dialed in so go execute.
Click to expand...

Welcome back :D

I appreciate that, and you're right. This is more of a mental thing that is compounded by the fact I don't have more time to practice. I'm going to stay on the grind and I know my swing will get where I want it to be!
 
mr.hicksta said:
Welcome back :D

I appreciate that, and you're right. This is more of a mental thing that is compounded by the fact I don't have more time to practice. I'm going to stay on the grind and I know my swing will get where I want it to be!
Click to expand...

Thank you!!

Pick your target, the shot needed and execute. If you maintain the basics in your setup, you’ll be just fine.
 
I battled a lot of this and still do. I guess the main question is are the swing changes for the sake of changes or is there a purpose? Sure we all want a swing that looks great and performs great, but Arnie said swing your swing. I was down to about 2 index with my swing and I went through swing work in search more "consistency" and now I'm probably much closer to a 10 index due to swing limbo and lack of reps. It's ok, just gotta remember I'm not trying to make the next tour stop lol
 
I'll let you know after we play in August! :D
 
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