OHgolfer2

That's a great point! For me (and most others), using the PM is undoing probably decades of bad swing habits. Like anything, I guess it is just a matter of time and practice. Thank you! Great points - you and Getoffmylawn are on the same wavelength! Out of curiosity, what did you think of the Smartball? In particular, did it help in correcting any of your swing faults?

Thank you for the response, goaliewales14 and Getoffmylawn! The flipping of the clubface and getting handsy at impact have been my issue for years. I've been using the PM since early June, and it has helped tremendously. With the PM strapped on, it's easy to keep my hands/arms passive on the downswing and let my body rotate to control the clubface. However, when I'm playing, it seems like I'll go through a 3-4 hole stretch in which I revert to old habits and get too handsy, which causes the pull and/or hook. For whatever reason, it has been a hard habit to break for me, and it seems to arise when I face a tougher or high-pressure shot (e.g., a long par 3 with trouble on both sides, or a tight drive). I almost need to remind myself "keep hands passive and focus on body rotation."

For those of you who are still using the PM, do you guys have a typical miss (e.g., pull, push, hook, slice)? Before PM, my miss was either a snap-hook (with a driver) or a slice (with everything else), and my usual ball-flight was a fade. Now, most of my shots are either straight or a slight draw. However, a handful of shots per round, I'll have a pull or pull-hook. I'd guess that of my misses, 75% are of the pull or pull-hook variety. This is obviously a lot better than where I was before, but I'm wondering if others have had this issue. Thanks!

Agreed. I bought mine off FB marketplace and was able to register (for free) on the PM website to access all of the other advanced protocols.

I agree with goaliewales14. You may want to take a week off so that you can exclusively practice with the PM. I received my PM in late May and started with 2-3 protocols per night. A couple of days after receiving mine, I went out and played. While my short irons showed great improvement, everything else was a mess. Basically, I was thinking about the PM motion way too much during the round. I continued to play during my first two weeks with the PM, and that was a mistake. A lot of ugly rounds. However, things are headed in the right direction now. In hindsight, I should've just stuck to the range for the first 10 days to supplement my at-home PM practice. My current home practice routine has been 2-3 PM protocols per night, wherein I cycle through the original, then the advanced, back to the original, etc.

Thank you for the reply, @Getoffmylawn! As to #1, you're correct that I should've avoided focusing on the swing mechanics while on the course. Just a bad habit of overthinking things on my part. For #2, that makes good sense regarding the PM being consistent with my true needs. My takeaway has been generally solid in the past, but a too steep downswing has been an issue. I would get too handsy in an effort to square the clubface at impact. This would lead to 8 or 9 holes when everything worked great, and then 4 or 5 holes when I was completely out of sync (slice, snap hook, etc.). I would have stretches of 2 over after 9 followed by a double or triple bogey stretch due to driver woes. Hip rotation also wasn't a focus. I plan on getting a lesson once the weather gets nicer here in OH. Out of curiosity, how often were you using the PM and how long did it take for you to trust your swing on the course? Did you notice a correlation between more PM practice and a better/more consistent swing?

Hello @TaketheCannoli, thank you for the kind words! I will get involved in the OH group. As for the extra distance, I believe that it's a combination of (1) better hip rotation; and (2) better contact. A good hip rotation was never something that I consciously focused on with my swing until the PM. Also, perhaps as a result of the better rotation, my iron contact was far more consistent last night. In past years, I'd often hit mid and long irons fat, thin, etc. and then swing a little slower to ensure better contact. So far, with the PM, I've been able to maintain higher clubhead speed while making good contact. Again, it's only been 5 days with the PM, so time will tell...

Longtime reader, first time poster. This has been a great thread! I received a PM last week and have been diligent with it due to bad weather. I’m up to protocol 5, and have been compounding the drills at home with foam balls (e.g., Sunday: protocol 1; Monday: protocols 1 and 2...this morning: protocols 1-5). I was invited to play today last second. I didn’t have time to hit the range, and haven’t hit a real ball in weeks. As you can imagine, the first few holes were horrific - pulls, shanks, and way too many swing thoughts. Toward the end of the round, I stopped trying to replicate the PM movements and just relaxed, with better results. Overall, my wedge play from 100 in was surprisingly great and I was hitting my irons 15-20 yards longer than usual. Driver and long irons were bad. After dinner, I went to the range to work things out. Oddly, something clicked and I was striking all of my irons as well as I have in years - very flush and with the same 15-20 yard distance gain (presumably due to better rotation and contact). With the start of warm weather upon us, do you guys have any suggestions as to how should I approach my PM usage? On one hand, I’m worried about this inconsistency lasting weeks/months as I continue to drill away with 2 to 4 protocols per day. On the other hand, my old swing was very inconsistent - flashes of brilliance mixed with mediocrity (I was about a ~10 hdcp last year thanks to a good short game but bad beyond ~150 yards). Basically, is the PM best left for the offseason or can it be used effectively and concurrently in-season? Thanks in advance!