5 things (now checkpoints) that made a huge difference to my swing.

[Mjr. D]

I'm not a great golfer, i have a lot of ability but i am not a great golfer by any means. I went to the range today and for the first time in my life, I felt like I choose the wrong sport as a child (baseball instead of golf). I came away pretty impressed with myself if i do say so. I'm usually my toughest critic. Quickly, here are some problems i usually find myself having while swinging the club. I fade everything......every club. I catch a fair amount of balls thin. I hit the ball too high. With that being said, i found these 5 things to make an infinite amount of difference to my golf game today. I'm not saying these are "absolutes" or even correct, i'm just writing this because they made such an incredible difference to my game it's ridiculous.

I don't like to get too mechanical in sports, i've been there in pitching way way way too many times. I find it takes away what's natural to the individual. Key word being individual. I think it's good to have basics but i think it's just as important to have rhythm and flow and personal checkpoints. Anyway, i've never had a lesson and i don't have any formal understanding of the golf swing, but i've read a little, tinkered a little, and after today, realized what makes my swing tick. I found these 5 things to be my personal check points. 90% of the balls i hit today were dead straight with more distance than i've ever had and slightly lower trajectory. I kid you not.

1) Loose grip. As loose as possible without loosing control of the club. This primarily improved my distance... A relaxed muscle fires faster than a tight muscle. as well, it took less toll on my hands after swinging for hours at a time.

2) Athletic posture. Weight on the balls of my feet, not the heals or midsole. Golf's an athletic movement, why wouldn't an athletic stance be optimal for a golf swing? Helped with my balance and consistency. I still bent over from the hips, not the back.

3) Take away (this more than anything changed everything). I used to take the club back a little too far behind my body. Now, all i think of is taking the club on a straight line from the ball, similar to how one while putting. I can't tell you how much this made a difference. I instantly got rid of my fade/slice, and it isn't a difficult adjustment at all, since it's during the backswing and not the downswing.

4) Posture. All i do now is focus on keeping my initial posture (mainly knee flex and spine angle) It's especially important when i'm swinging aggressive such as with my driver. I have a tendency to pull up (i think it's fairly natural to want to.....especially when u swing very hard.........it was 144mph today when i gave it my all) and top the ball. Focusing on this has made a huge difference to my ball contact and therefore distance.

5) Lastly, my head. I used to be a guy who would sway slightly from my front foot to my back foot in order to transfer my weight. Now i tried doing that again today and i compared it with focusing on keeping my head extremely still during the entire swing. Like i said, i don't typically like to fight against what i feel is natural movement in sports, but i did find keeping my head dead still and i do mean dead still, made a big difference to consistent ball striking and therefore, ball control. Instead of the slight sway, i now just let my arms (during the takeaway) be the catalyst for my weight transfer. I don't even think of weight transfer anymore. I also felt torque in my mid section for the first time because of this. The result??? I was hitting range balls consistently, believe it or not, 360-375yrds today. I don't mean to write this to brag or whatever, but i was extremely excited and pleased with just how much focusing on these five things changed my ball striking.

Like i said, this is just what i find makes a huge difference to me. I don't know if it's textbook or complete horse s**t, i just know these are now my 5 keys to to swinging. Give them a shot, it might make a big difference to you as well.

P.S. I've done countless mechanical analysis' for myself and other pitchers and although it's not golf, it's still the human body transferring energy. I have very good proprioception and having gone to hell and back with pitching mechanics, i feel i'm pretty decent at narrowing down mechanics so i'm only focusing on things that truly make a difference and tossing out the complications. Al la, checkpoints. Thanks.

[charlatan]

Thanks for the tips!

I have recently seen video of my swing, and the take away I am accustom to is waaaayyy off the mark. Working on changing that first.

Keeping the right knee 'in' seems to make a very nice improvement in my consistancy, but my ball striking is now off again :)

Charlatan

Edited July 2, 2007 by charlatan

[Augusta Golf]

A straight plane line for takeaway and a steady head, good job of finding those critical points!

I'm not a great golfer, i have a lot of ability but i am not a great golfer by any means. I went to the range today and for the first time in my life, I felt like I choose the wrong sport as a child (baseball instead of golf). I came away pretty impressed with myself if i do say so. I'm usually my toughest critic. Quickly, here are some problems i usually find myself having while swinging the club. I fade everything......every club. I catch a fair amount of balls thin. I hit the ball too high. With that being said, i found these 5 things to make an infinite amount of difference to my golf game today. I'm not saying these are "absolutes" or even correct, i'm just writing this because they made such an incredible difference to my game it's ridiculous.

I don't like to get too mechanical in sports, i've been there in pitching way way way too many times. I find it takes away what's natural to the individual. Key word being individual. I think it's good to have basics but i think it's just as important to have rhythm and flow and personal checkpoints. Anyway, i've never had a lesson and i don't have any formal understanding of the golf swing, but i've read a little, tinkered a little, and after today, realized what makes my swing tick. I found these 5 things to be my personal check points. 90% of the balls i hit today were dead straight with more distance than i've ever had and slightly lower trajectory. I kid you not.

1) Loose grip. As loose as possible without loosing control of the club. This primarily improved my distance... A relaxed muscle fires faster than a tight muscle. as well, it took less toll on my hands after swinging for hours at a time.

2) Athletic posture. Weight on the balls of my feet, not the heals or midsole. Golf's an athletic movement, why wouldn't an athletic stance be optimal for a golf swing? Helped with my balance and consistency. I still bent over from the hips, not the back.

3) Take away (this more than anything changed everything). I used to take the club back a little too far behind my body. Now, all i think of is taking the club on a straight line from the ball, similar to how one while putting. I can't tell you how much this made a difference. I instantly got rid of my fade/slice, and it isn't a difficult adjustment at all, since it's during the backswing and not the downswing.

4) Posture. All i do now is focus on keeping my initial posture (mainly knee flex and spine angle) It's especially important when i'm swinging aggressive such as with my driver. I have a tendency to pull up (i think it's fairly natural to want to.....especially when u swing very hard.........it was 144mph today when i gave it my all) and top the ball. Focusing on this has made a huge difference to my ball contact and therefore distance.

5) Lastly, my head. I used to be a guy who would sway slightly from my front foot to my back foot in order to transfer my weight. Now i tried doing that again today and i compared it with focusing on keeping my head extremely still during the entire swing. Like i said, i don't typically like to fight against what i feel is natural movement in sports, but i did find keeping my head dead still and i do mean dead still, made a big difference to consistent ball striking and therefore, ball control. Instead of the slight sway, i now just let my arms (during the takeaway) be the catalyst for my weight transfer. I don't even think of weight transfer anymore. I also felt torque in my mid section for the first time because of this. The result??? I was hitting range balls consistently, believe it or not, 360-375yrds today. I don't mean to write this to brag or whatever, but i was extremely excited and pleased with just how much focusing on these five things changed my ball striking.

Like i said, this is just what i find makes a huge difference to me. I don't know if it's textbook or complete horse s**t, i just know these are now my 5 keys to to swinging. Give them a shot, it might make a big difference to you as well.

P.S. I've done countless mechanical analysis' for myself and other pitchers and although it's not golf, it's still the human body transferring energy. I have very good proprioception and having gone to hell and back with pitching mechanics, i feel i'm pretty decent at narrowing down mechanics so i'm only focusing on things that truly make a difference and tossing out the complications. Al la, checkpoints. Thanks.

[bigvivec]

I'm not a great golfer, i have a lot of ability but i am not a great golfer by any means. I went to the range today and for the first time in my life, I felt like I choose the wrong sport as a child (baseball instead of golf). I came away pretty impressed with myself if i do say so. I'm usually my toughest critic. Quickly, here are some problems i usually find myself having while swinging the club. I fade everything......every club. I catch a fair amount of balls thin. I hit the ball too high. With that being said, i found these 5 things to make an infinite amount of difference to my golf game today. I'm not saying these are "absolutes" or even correct, i'm just writing this because they made such an incredible difference to my game it's ridiculous.

I don't like to get too mechanical in sports, i've been there in pitching way way way too many times. I find it takes away what's natural to the individual. Key word being individual. I think it's good to have basics but i think it's just as important to have rhythm and flow and personal checkpoints. Anyway, i've never had a lesson and i don't have any formal understanding of the golf swing, but i've read a little, tinkered a little, and after today, realized what makes my swing tick. I found these 5 things to be my personal check points. 90% of the balls i hit today were dead straight with more distance than i've ever had and slightly lower trajectory. I kid you not.

1) Loose grip. As loose as possible without loosing control of the club. This primarily improved my distance... A relaxed muscle fires faster than a tight muscle. as well, it took less toll on my hands after swinging for hours at a time.

2) Athletic posture. Weight on the balls of my feet, not the heals or midsole. Golf's an athletic movement, why wouldn't an athletic stance be optimal for a golf swing? Helped with my balance and consistency. I still bent over from the hips, not the back.

3) Take away (this more than anything changed everything). I used to take the club back a little too far behind my body. Now, all i think of is taking the club on a straight line from the ball, similar to how one while putting. I can't tell you how much this made a difference. I instantly got rid of my fade/slice, and it isn't a difficult adjustment at all, since it's during the backswing and not the downswing.

4) Posture. All i do now is focus on keeping my initial posture (mainly knee flex and spine angle) It's especially important when i'm swinging aggressive such as with my driver. I have a tendency to pull up (i think it's fairly natural to want to.....especially when u swing very hard.........it was 144mph today when i gave it my all) and top the ball. Focusing on this has made a huge difference to my ball contact and therefore distance.

5) Lastly, my head. I used to be a guy who would sway slightly from my front foot to my back foot in order to transfer my weight. Now i tried doing that again today and i compared it with focusing on keeping my head extremely still during the entire swing. Like i said, i don't typically like to fight against what i feel is natural movement in sports, but i did find keeping my head dead still and i do mean dead still, made a big difference to consistent ball striking and therefore, ball control. Instead of the slight sway, i now just let my arms (during the takeaway) be the catalyst for my weight transfer. I don't even think of weight transfer anymore. I also felt torque in my mid section for the first time because of this. The result??? I was hitting range balls consistently, believe it or not, 360-375yrds today. I don't mean to write this to brag or whatever, but i was extremely excited and pleased with just how much focusing on these five things changed my ball striking.

Like i said, this is just what i find makes a huge difference to me. I don't know if it's textbook or complete horse s**t, i just know these are now my 5 keys to to swinging. Give them a shot, it might make a big difference to you as well.

P.S. I've done countless mechanical analysis' for myself and other pitchers and although it's not golf, it's still the human body transferring energy. I have very good proprioception and having gone to hell and back with pitching mechanics, i feel i'm pretty decent at narrowing down mechanics so i'm only focusing on things that truly make a difference and tossing out the complications. Al la, checkpoints. Thanks.

I'm with you on everything but the head...personally I think the swing is freed up and more natural (leading to more accurate) when the head is allowed to slide a bit...the rest is bang on...

[Richmond Golfer]

If your hitting range ball 375 yards you must be fairly good even if you will not admit it.

[BrettSmith]

Hola Major.

Like what you had to say- many people relate to the intuitive approach you outlined. Sight unseen, you should probably consider watching video and swing sequences of Fred Couples for the next 10 years....lol In fact, in the last 5 issues of the digest, you can find such a sequence.

He's emblematic of your profile- SUPER soft in the hands, forearms and upper torso and he creates crazy dimension in his move from the measurements he establishes at address. If you look closely, notice that he couldn't possibly stand any taller (the vertical limit is way beyond what most people even think about- being so hunched over) AND note how far he is away from the ball. He allows his true arc to collect the ball instead of trying to hit at it.

Like what you had to say about the take-away. If you can find a safe spot to do so- consider actually letting the club fly out of your hands- SMOOTHLY. This sounds crazy, but it helps.

Cheers,

Brett

[+TourSpecGolfer]

Hola Major.

Like what you had to say- many people relate to the intuitive approach you outlined. Sight unseen, you should probably consider watching video and swing sequences of Fred Couples for the next 10 years....lol In fact, in the last 5 issues of the digest, you can find such a sequence.

He's emblematic of your profile- SUPER soft in the hands, forearms and upper torso and he creates crazy dimension in his move from the measurements he establishes at address. If you look closely, notice that he couldn't possibly stand any taller (the vertical limit is way beyond what most people even think about- being so hunched over) AND note how far he is away from the ball. He allows his true arc to collect the ball instead of trying to hit at it.

Like what you had to say about the take-away. If you can find a safe spot to do so- consider actually letting the club fly out of your hands- SMOOTHLY. This sounds crazy, but it helps.

Cheers,

Brett

That does sound crazy but I am going to give it a try. What am i looking for when letting the club fly out of my hands?

[migoi]

Fred Shoemaker is a big proponent of throwing the golf club, and devoted several pages to this in his book "Extraordinary Golf."

[BrettSmith]

BADA BING!

Shoemaker actually emphasizes the club fling down the target line, which i am also a fan of btw- but the soft fling of the club down the line in the take away does several REALLY nice things:

1. Automatic engagement of the rotary core

2. Softens the extremities of the hands and arms... a less static and more fluid initiation of motion.

3. It really helps bridge that awkward gap many people have with linking together the drawing back of the club and transitioning to coil- a smoother passing of the baton ....if you will.

With my advanced players, this also helps get the body stacked more underneath the shaft in the early stages of movement- a greater storing of torso coil earlier in the rotary stack.

BTW, actually flight distance of the fling should be several yards