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Swing Thoughts for Different Shots

Nikhil

Nikhil

Natural Born Slicer
Albatross 2024 Club
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Dec 4, 2015
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Location
Hyderabad India
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Swing Thoughts: Useful? Do you use them? Care to share them?

My experience with swing thoughts has been very positive ever since I picked up a great swing thought for my hybrids. They help me simplify things in my mind. Before every shot I take a little time to visualize the shot, pick my swing thought, get into my setup, aim and fire.

Here are two swing thoughts I'd like to share ... will share more later on.

For Hybrids: "Swing it like a 7 iron"

For Wedges from Sand traps: "Use the bounce"


Anyone else care to share your favorite swing thoughts?
 
Low, slow and smooth for the takeaway is about the only swing thought I have. My issues on the course usually come from tempo so if I can be smooth on the takeaway usually leads to good things
 
I don't think, I just hit. I've played long enough that the swing just happens without over thinking.
 
Ive started thinking more about the bounce when chipping. I swing every club like a 7 iron but its not a conscience thought
Nikhil said:
Swing Thoughts: Useful? Do you use them? Care to share them?

My experience with swing thoughts has been very positive ever since I picked up a great swing thought for my hybrids. They help me simplify things in my mind. Before every shot I take a little time to visualize the shot, pick my swing thought, get into my setup, aim and fire.

Here are two swing thoughts I'd like to share ... will share more later on.

For Hybrids: "Swing it like a 7 iron"

For Wedges from Sand traps: "Use the bounce"


Anyone else care to share your favorite swing thoughts?
Click to expand...
 
Tadashi70 said:
Ive started thinking more about the bounce when chipping. I swing every club like a 7 iron but its not a conscience thought
Click to expand...


That's interesting! I guess all swings are fundamentally the same.
 
IME if you start playing golf swing instead of golf, you're doomed.

I may tell myself the shot I'm trying to execute and to remember something small (speed, line, accelerate, shorter backswing) but I don't go too crazy. Your mind needs to be free and relaxed. Trust your swing and let it rip
 
Nikhil said:
That's interesting! I guess all swings are fundamentally the same.
Click to expand...

IMO and some other top teaching pros, the swing doesn't change. The length of the clubs and impact position change. The arms travel to the same space on every swing.

As I always say, there are exception to every rule. But if you watch consistent ball strikers, the swing doesn't change.
 
My usual swing thought is "ball to the target". Sometimes I have to remind myself to use the ground correctly so I'll use "pressure the ground" when I start my swing.
 
"When it's breezy, swing easy!"
 
Nikhil said:
Swing Thoughts: Useful? Do you use them? Care to share them?

My experience with swing thoughts has been very positive ever since I picked up a great swing thought for my hybrids. They help me simplify things in my mind. Before every shot I take a little time to visualize the shot, pick my swing thought, get into my setup, aim and fire.

Here are two swing thoughts I'd like to share ... will share more later on.

For Hybrids: "Swing it like a 7 iron"

For Wedges from Sand traps: "Use the bounce"


Anyone else care to share your favorite swing thoughts?
Click to expand...

I do the same with my 3,4 hybrids. I treat them with a mindset like I am swinging my 7,8,9 irons and is usually when I hit them best.

Another thought I learned quite a time ago is something not always easily done but imo is too important not to do it. Its when hitting longer irons like the 6, 5, 4 or for that matter also the longer hybrids like my 3,4. That thought is "to let the club do the work". Often times (more so in the past) but still have to remind myself to do this.

Most people (I think) tend to think we have to hit the ball harder for longer shots but we forget this is what the longer irons/clubs will do for us anyway. There is a misguided logic by nature that if we are 190 out we tend to feel like we need to hit the ball 190 yards but fail to remember that its the 190 yard club that will do this for us with the same swing used with the 140 yard club. Its why we have different clubs. But yet still there tends to be this natural feeling that we somehow need to do more work and of course we really don't have to at all. So when I have a long iron like my 5 I remind myself just make like I am only hitting a 140 yard 9iron and to allow the 5iron to take care of the rest of the distance. When I do that with longer clubs is when I am most successful. Sure I can still screw up the swing but its far less often and also may hit left or right. But when left or right I still get the right distance. If I try to intentionally make the distance myself instead of letting the club do it is when the fails happen much more often. the misses are greater and more amount of them and rarely is the distance obtained even when the miss isn't so bad. Treating the 5iron like a shorter iron and letting the club do its job has a much higher rate of success.
 
wide narrow wide
 
"Die, ball!!!! DIE!!!!"
 
Tadashi70 said:
IMO and some other top teaching pros, the swing doesn't change. The length of the clubs and impact position change. The arms travel to the same space on every swing.

As I always say, there are exception to every rule. But if you watch consistent ball strikers, the swing doesn't change.
Click to expand...

If I'm reading and understanding this right for example the arms would reach hip high with a 7i at the same spot as a driver vice added extension in the swing with driver?
 
emart2173 said:
If I'm reading and understanding this right for example the arms would reach hip high with a 7i at the same spot as a driver vice added extension in the swing with driver?
Click to expand...

All you need to understand is that the arms stay the same length, hang from the same shoulders and there fore move away from the ball the same way.
 
I just check the posture. Focus on where I want to hit the ball and swing
 
I can understand the swing being the same and is party why in my post I talked of hitting a long iron with the mindset that its a short one. But even with that said, my point was more about one not having to give anything extra just because distance is longer. As for the swing being exactly the same - is something we often hear many times for just about ever. And while in one sense I wouldn't argue it , swinging different clubs does feel very different. Its like my pw,9i,8i and perhaps 7 feel the same, yet the 6, 5, and certainly 4irons feel different, then fwoods feel deifferent from those , then driver different too. Evem when playing my best golf and having good ball striking day throughout the bag each section of clubs (short, mid, long. longest) sort of feel very different. Its like each section has its own sweatspot feel different from the other. I guess the change in shaft length, swing plane, point of contact, ball position, swing weight, etc.....are different even if the swing itself is basically the same. So its imo a very strange topic and logic that some will and have debated. Different feel mean different to many people. I am not dictating anything here except that I can understand the logic but also understand the debate (if any) one thinks is worth mentioning. I often think about this a lot through the years. Not to the point that it gest in my head but just more from curiosity.
 
Nice and smooth. Don't overswing.
 
Tadashi70 said:
All you need to understand is that the arms stay the same length, hang from the same shoulders and there fore move away from the ball the same way.
Click to expand...

Thanks...time for ,e to,stop overthinking and get back to just swinging the club
 
With everything - tempo & smooth.

If I am flighting higher or lower I'll think about high or low finish

With driver I remind myself to be patient so to avoid over the top.
 
Swing Thoughts for Different Shots

For all shots it's tempo - Smooth slow takeaway, pause, uncoil and release the club.

I am trying to get rid of hitting the ball from the top of the swing, the "pause" is very brief but I don't try to hit the ball from the top with it. It has changed my ball flight and consistency dramatically.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
"Turn the shoulders". Sometimes I don't complete my turn, and this helps me with that.

The only other thing I'll do is tell myself "finish high" or "finish low" if I want to flight the ball. I don't do this much anymore though, because finishing high is tough physically on me it seems.
 
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