THP Lesson Thread
arydolphin
GTHC!
I had a really encouraging lesson earlier today. I was able to play 3 rounds last week while on vacation, and got some videos of my swing during those rounds, so my instructor was able to look at those. I have always had a big overswing, I can go past-parallel even with short irons, so we've been working on trying to make my swing shorter and tighter, with less hand action at impact (aka flipping). The videos from last week showed that I'm getting better with my lower body stability, but it still can improve. For me, the reason that it's important is that my overswinging comes from over-rotating my hips in the backswing, so I can't really load up well into my rear leg on the backswing. When that happens, my arms just keep going and going, and then it's a struggle to get everything back in sequence on the downswing to hit the ball well.
The interesting part of working on my swing this winter is that it's really been trial-and-error to figure out what drills/feelings I have to focus on in order to make the changes that I want. Trying to feel like I'm loading into my rear leg hasn't worked all that well because I still rotate my hips too much when trying to do that. Focusing on keeping knee flex in the rear knee also wasn't the complete answer. What clicked today was feeling like my belt buckle points towards the ball the entire time during my backswing, to the point where it FEELS like I never move my lower body. Obviously, there is some lower body movement that occurs, but keeping the belt buckle pointing at the ball really makes me feel restricted, which is what I need to feel to shorten my swing. My instructor also wanted me to feel at setup like I was tilting my upper body away from the target a little bit more, so that was achieved by bumping my hips a slight bit towards the target at setup (think reverse-K setup). Making that setup change allowed me to load into my rear leg better on the downswing. Then the drill was being really deliberate on the takeaway to keep the lower body stable, and stop my arms when my shoulders stopped, then pause at the top before hitting the ball. When I did that, it was pretty difficult at first, but as the lesson went along, I started hitting shots with very little sidespin and solid contact. My carry average on good shots with my 8 iron with the changes was in the 155-160 yard range. With these swings, it feels like I'm putting in less effort and I'm still hitting the ball further than my "old" swing, it was awesome.
I'm really going to commit to this drill over the next month or so before the golf season really gets kicked off here. I've been trying to shorten my swing for years, and after today, I really feel like I'm headed in the right direction. My instructor even told me today that he feels like we're "really close" to getting to where he wants me to be with my swing, that's the most exciting part. What's cool is that through trying a lot of different things, I've figured out what works best for me and also learned why certain things have to happen in the swing. It's been frustrating at times, but the learning part of it has been fun this winter.
The interesting part of working on my swing this winter is that it's really been trial-and-error to figure out what drills/feelings I have to focus on in order to make the changes that I want. Trying to feel like I'm loading into my rear leg hasn't worked all that well because I still rotate my hips too much when trying to do that. Focusing on keeping knee flex in the rear knee also wasn't the complete answer. What clicked today was feeling like my belt buckle points towards the ball the entire time during my backswing, to the point where it FEELS like I never move my lower body. Obviously, there is some lower body movement that occurs, but keeping the belt buckle pointing at the ball really makes me feel restricted, which is what I need to feel to shorten my swing. My instructor also wanted me to feel at setup like I was tilting my upper body away from the target a little bit more, so that was achieved by bumping my hips a slight bit towards the target at setup (think reverse-K setup). Making that setup change allowed me to load into my rear leg better on the downswing. Then the drill was being really deliberate on the takeaway to keep the lower body stable, and stop my arms when my shoulders stopped, then pause at the top before hitting the ball. When I did that, it was pretty difficult at first, but as the lesson went along, I started hitting shots with very little sidespin and solid contact. My carry average on good shots with my 8 iron with the changes was in the 155-160 yard range. With these swings, it feels like I'm putting in less effort and I'm still hitting the ball further than my "old" swing, it was awesome.
I'm really going to commit to this drill over the next month or so before the golf season really gets kicked off here. I've been trying to shorten my swing for years, and after today, I really feel like I'm headed in the right direction. My instructor even told me today that he feels like we're "really close" to getting to where he wants me to be with my swing, that's the most exciting part. What's cool is that through trying a lot of different things, I've figured out what works best for me and also learned why certain things have to happen in the swing. It's been frustrating at times, but the learning part of it has been fun this winter.
Boston_golfer
Active member
I need to continue working on hip turn. I'm pretty much quitting on my swing as soon as I make contact, with no hip rotation. I've got a couple drills to work on proper weight shift, clearing hips and coming to a good finish, with the club shaft more parallel to the ground, rather than perpendicular.
I'm not booking any other lessons until I've got this movement.
My next lessons are putting/chipping. I took one lesson last year and it paid off in me having the best rounds. I have a feeling that once I get these movements down, along with my putting improvements it's gonna be a good season.
I'm not booking any other lessons until I've got this movement.
My next lessons are putting/chipping. I took one lesson last year and it paid off in me having the best rounds. I have a feeling that once I get these movements down, along with my putting improvements it's gonna be a good season.
golfinFF
Active member
I need to get in this week or first of next for another lesson.
My takeaway is looking good and I'm beginning to get behind the ball better and staying there through impact and then getting to my front leg.
I was working at the range the other day and my instructor said I was dead handing the shot and I was.
So tonight I was working on slow swings with no ball just feeling the swing and it clicked that I was completely swinging the club with my shoulders through impact. There was zero arm involvement besides them attaching the club to my shoulders. So I started working on getting the shoulders back to impact position and then letting the arms and club go through impact. I feel like I'm on the right path to have a solid game and consistency.
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My takeaway is looking good and I'm beginning to get behind the ball better and staying there through impact and then getting to my front leg.
I was working at the range the other day and my instructor said I was dead handing the shot and I was.
So tonight I was working on slow swings with no ball just feeling the swing and it clicked that I was completely swinging the club with my shoulders through impact. There was zero arm involvement besides them attaching the club to my shoulders. So I started working on getting the shoulders back to impact position and then letting the arms and club go through impact. I feel like I'm on the right path to have a solid game and consistency.
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mike1950
New member
I was referred to a local pro. He charges $50/hr. 1st lesson was on basics. Alignment, grip and ball position. Who knew that forearms, shoulders and hips could all point in a different direction? 2nd lesson was on chipping and putting. When I tried to pay for second lesson, pro said he wanted to see how I managed the course before he accepted my money. So we got a tee time for later in the week. We were paired up with 2 other golfers. We played 18 and he offered help only when asked and even gave a mini lesson (free of charge) to one of our playing partners. After the round, he accepted my money and we will play again soon. How kewl is that?
Been working with my pro every Thursday. Ball striking is just awesome. Hitting more faiways and greens then ever. Really like this guy. He is in his late 60's and just an old school guy. He is all about feel and ball flight and not overly concerned with the numbers (which fits me perfectly) we are now starting the short game lessons. Will be doing 3 lessons a month now on short game and one on the course doing managment amd making sure the swing translates from range to course. Looking forward to this summer.
golfinFF
Active member
Sound like you found a good instructor
mike1950
New member
Very good guy. A lot of help. I have an OTT move and not much of a turn (old age + arthritis). He gave me some drills and a lot of positive reinforcement. Never critical. Has not been a pro but a few years. Mid- 60s. Retired from regular job. Went to golf school and started teaching. Will work with him for awhile.
Boston_golfer
Active member
What do you do about "just not getting it"... I've gotten my swing to a decent place, but there a couple trouble spots that I just cant fix. I've seen 2 different instructors, and I'm just not getting my body to do what needs to be done. A couple times when I thought I was getting it, I got on camera, and still nothing. Very frustrating.
Do I see a 3rd person, MAYBE they have a different approach that'll click?
Do I see a 3rd person, MAYBE they have a different approach that'll click?
First lesson of 2016 is in the books!
We focused on setup/posture, weight shift, and trying to find a feel/thought that worked for me to trigger the downswing. On the backswing, he wants me to continue to feel like I'm loading into my inner right thigh, which stops the sway and also helps start transfer my weight forward when I start the downswing. We did some exaggerated shifts from back to front, he also had me stand in various positions as he nudged me in different directions so I could feel what body parts were feeling the shift.
I talked to him about how much shorter I am than everyone and he pointed out that I'm still tensing up with a hit impulse and that's robbing me of a lot of clubhead speed in addition to leaking my shots right. Trying to hit harder makes it go shorter. We did a few drills where he moved the clubhead around as I felt what my arms and hands were doing.
Turns out that I'm completely holding off on the release since my arms and hands are so tense, which is causing my two main issues (distance/height and the rights). He had me stand up and swing the club at chest height, watching and feeling my arms rotate and then hitting some slow relaxed swings where we didn't care about distance, just feeling my arms and hands rotating through the hitting area together but without consciously turning them over. Then he had me actively rolling them in the swing which led to big nasty hooks, which was the expected result. The goal was to feel what they should be doing, but not actively make them do that.
We tried a few different things & feels to see what worked, he had me slowly swinging down to about hip high and then feeling like I'm whipping the clubhead out to the ball as I rotate, that one seemed to click and give my arms the right rotation and I was pounding 7i after 7i. The key though is being able to hold onto that feel and make it repeatable. I was able to move it to the driver OK and then back to irons, but it's going to be my big work in progress over the next month. I just have to spend some time at the range allowing the clubhead to get back to square without steering it or actively forcing the arm/wrist rotation. Relaxing and not tensing up have been issues for me from the beginning.
We focused on setup/posture, weight shift, and trying to find a feel/thought that worked for me to trigger the downswing. On the backswing, he wants me to continue to feel like I'm loading into my inner right thigh, which stops the sway and also helps start transfer my weight forward when I start the downswing. We did some exaggerated shifts from back to front, he also had me stand in various positions as he nudged me in different directions so I could feel what body parts were feeling the shift.
I talked to him about how much shorter I am than everyone and he pointed out that I'm still tensing up with a hit impulse and that's robbing me of a lot of clubhead speed in addition to leaking my shots right. Trying to hit harder makes it go shorter. We did a few drills where he moved the clubhead around as I felt what my arms and hands were doing.
Turns out that I'm completely holding off on the release since my arms and hands are so tense, which is causing my two main issues (distance/height and the rights). He had me stand up and swing the club at chest height, watching and feeling my arms rotate and then hitting some slow relaxed swings where we didn't care about distance, just feeling my arms and hands rotating through the hitting area together but without consciously turning them over. Then he had me actively rolling them in the swing which led to big nasty hooks, which was the expected result. The goal was to feel what they should be doing, but not actively make them do that.
We tried a few different things & feels to see what worked, he had me slowly swinging down to about hip high and then feeling like I'm whipping the clubhead out to the ball as I rotate, that one seemed to click and give my arms the right rotation and I was pounding 7i after 7i. The key though is being able to hold onto that feel and make it repeatable. I was able to move it to the driver OK and then back to irons, but it's going to be my big work in progress over the next month. I just have to spend some time at the range allowing the clubhead to get back to square without steering it or actively forcing the arm/wrist rotation. Relaxing and not tensing up have been issues for me from the beginning.
golfinFF
Active member
Impromptu lesson today I've got to get the grip in front of the ball and then release the head through the ball.
Keep working, work at less than full swing speed exaggerating the move till I figure out how to make it happen.
Post a video for Freddie!
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Keep working, work at less than full swing speed exaggerating the move till I figure out how to make it happen.
Post a video for Freddie!
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I'm really thrilled with where my swing is progressing to and I can finally say I'm starting to get at least a few of the fundamentals right...I think. I haven't had a lesson in the last few weeks but tonight I went back to the notes I made during my last successful lesson. Grip change is much weaker than it used to be and I think pretty close to neutral, also my hands are tighter together. Takeaway is much more vertical, and I'm stopping the backswing shorter than I used to. Most of all I'm really trying to keep my spine angle from collapsing on the take away...it's a work in progress. Compared to some of you guys this swing is trash but anyone who's seen me swing a couple years ago or even a few months ago might appreciate the progress I've made.
- Thread starter
- #113
It looks really solid man. Ball go straight!
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If you know what you are supposed to do but can't get your body to do it you may want to find isolated drills to give you repetitions for those specific moves. That creates muscle memory and trains your body to do the thing(s) you want it to.
Straight is good. When I do what I'm supposed to do the results are so good, it's just tough to re-learn all the habits.
moosejaa
Mr. Inconsistent
M2 is my driver, R15 is set to 16* loft and is my "3 wood" right now.
Your swings looks great. Good job!
Count me in the group that has been humbled by how hard it is to put big swing changes in place. And I don't even know that my change is "huge", i.e. It's not all my body mainly my arms on downswing not coming OTT.
I understood from Lesson 1 what was wrong and what needed to happen. But even after 6 lessons and video practice in between, I struggle to execute it. It really humbles me and makes me realize how powerful your muscle memory is.
I am a bit anxious to see if I can still play decent this year while trying to focus on the changes. This is just a hard game, man.
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I understood from Lesson 1 what was wrong and what needed to happen. But even after 6 lessons and video practice in between, I struggle to execute it. It really humbles me and makes me realize how powerful your muscle memory is.
I am a bit anxious to see if I can still play decent this year while trying to focus on the changes. This is just a hard game, man.
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Thanks Frank! I think you had the displeasure of seeing my swing when it was at its absolute wonkiest at Chambers Bay lol.
Still working on getting more upright it's very different for me as I have been really flat for a long time but I am not giving up
Up and Atom
New member
I had a lesson last week and this is one of the things I need to work on too. I've had shoulder issues in the past and tend to get lazy and bring the club back too far inside. I've been standing a foot or two away from my deck (or any wall) and doing easy swings with an old club. Whenever I get too flat I'll knock the wall. I'm working on this and lightening up my grip pressure first. There's a couple other things he said could use some attention, but I want to just work on a couple of things at a time for now. For me, trying to make a bunch of changes at once doesn't work.
lightningbolt44
Well-known member
Curtis this is amazing progress in such a short time. The scores you are shooting seem to be dropping by the day and this swing looks nothing like your swing 8 months ago.
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moosejaa
Mr. Inconsistent
I've had a similar swing issue and there is no quick fix as much as everyone wants one. You need lots of practice and reps and excellent focus when you're out on the course to help stop you from resorting to old ingrained habits. I'm struggling to find the practice time and my mental game stinks. Golf is hard.
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Thanks Ron!
I still have lots of work to do because I do tend to relapse a little when under pressure but I believe that if I can nail this move down I will open new doors and move my "ceiling" higher.