Blew It Up, Trying To Piece it Back Together Again

[alistaird]

I need reps. I need to get my net up once the weather allows (and chores allow), and just start doing a lot of half and partial swings, and work up to full swings. I need to find that damn face again.

This is what my new coach encourages - the 1/2 swings at 70% help to promote the right sequencing around your weight, hips etc as you are working much less about distance etc. He is one to focus on getting the sequence and weight transfer correct and the rest will follow.

Keep in there - we'e all been in that place where the face and the ball are magnetically opposed

A

 

[WoodroweBones]

Have you ever done a mobility assessment? I never had and just assumed anything I needed to do was a training issue... then I did a mobility assessment and discovered that my early extension is something that no amount of training could ever fix. Its because my internal hip rotation and shoulder rotation is not good enough to support my swing speed.



Their program is VERY expensive but I've managed to find basically all the info on the stretches/workouts needed. I would bet that if I had gone to take lessons they wouldnt have mentioned anything about this and just tried to fix my early extension via drills, etc.

When spring came around I was determined that I needed to do some swing speed training and came across an 18 Strong podcast with Chris Finn (from par4success). I found the assessment there and have now completely changed my golf goals to be increasing my mobility (which will also increase my speed).

To be honest its actually a big relief knowing that my mobility was holding me back because I felt like I was doing every drill and exaggerating like crazy to get some shaft lean and stop my early extension when in reality, it was just not really possible for my body with its current mobility

 

[BH 43]

Today was lesson #1 of 3 with a new instructor I am trying out. Working out of the facility I am currently practicing in, I figured it was time to look into some instruction that had the ability to look more precisely at what I am doing wrong, with cameras, club data, simulators.

To put it bluntly, I figure I have been wasting my time for the past year, trying to work with an instructor using old methods.

Where we left off last time, I had taken a lesson to fix my setup and change my grip (that I had used for 20ish years). Well we changed the grip, but with no guidance on what to do outside of that. I was frustrated, pretty let down, and I figured that this year was going to be a loss. Not something you want to think with a new set of gear from The Grandaddy to use and talk about.

We got right into it today, starting with a wedge combine to assess short game. It didn't go well. From 25 yds I thought I was ok, garnering 9 points through 3 shots.... and then not tallying a point at all for the rest of the session. 50 yd pitch? 3 straight shanks. 75 yd pitch? 3 more shanks. Embarassed, I finished up and was reassured we won't score a 9 again.

Next up, 7 iron was stickered up, and made some swings. Hook/Pull Hook over and over again. When I did finally hit a good one, if was swiftly followed by more mishits. Not what I wanted to put out there, but probably more helpful in diagnosing what was wrong than anything else I could do.

So super quick, what was good, what was bad?
Setup overall was good. The new grip, good. Stance, ball position, also good.
Bad? Head moving all over the place, putting me off balance.
Out to In path, with an impact position that was creating a double cross.
Does that make sense? I am terrible, but not completely terrible.
Is it affecting everything? Top to Bottom in the bag? Yes.

So what did we do?
A couple drills to work on a better turn, sequencing, and weight transfer. Stop the head movement.
Impact Bag, Swings working to correct the path while avoiding a pool noodle.
Path got better, impact got better, distances and accuracy crept back up to where I thought they should be again.

I have things to work on, and another lesson in 9 days.
More importantly? Optimism that what we are working on isn't completely starting from scratch but adequately addressing issues.

Great @Just_Brad , keep at it you got this.

 

[Stryker]

Been through same struggles. I think switching instructors was a good move. Honestly, that was my first thought with your first post. Just my opinion, but the change of grip to me is just a lazy attempted fix many instructors do. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes a grip change is needed. I truly would not go to an instructor that does not use video to closely examine the full mechanics of the entire swing to see where the true issues lie. It is beneficial to both the instructor, and to the student to see it.

I found learning to shallow out was one of if not the hardest changes to make. It feels so awkward and backwards when first learning but eventually just becomes natural. I haven’t had much free time to practice or play over the last 2 years but I did an iron fitting last weekend and it was all just there and felt better then I have ever felt swinging a club. My ball speeds were pretty close to yours a couple years ago. At my fitting, I was getting around 94mph club head speeds and my best ball speed was just over 130 on a Trackman with a 7i. Never did I think at almost 45 years ago old I would see those numbers.

I guess what I am saying was a I like what you are doing and think you are making good choices. Keep at it because it will all come together and blow your mind eventually.