What/How Did You Practice Today?

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

17 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

I would say go the Adam Young route and play what you've got, especially if the ball flight is good. There's plenty of time to work on getting the swing to look better. 

 

15 hours ago, russtopherb said:

So much this. The ball doesn’t care what your swing looks like. If it gets the ball close to where you’re aiming, you’re in good shape. 

Couldn’t help myself. Had to swing today and video. Ugh golf is a cruel game. I just need to accept who I am. 
 

 

[russtopherb]

2 minutes ago, rbsiedsc said:

 

Couldn’t help myself. Had to swing today and video. Ugh golf is a cruel game. I just need to accept who I am. 

 

Do you video yourself on the range or on the course when you're swinging to send a ball to a target, or just the practice swings without a ball?

I know I'm a high handicap with plenty of flaws, so take everything I say with a grain of salt here - swinging on camera just to see how you look doesn't seem to me to be the best use of practice time, unless you have very specific things you are attempting to do that a pro or coach told you to work on. Forgive me if you've mentioned this before or in your breaking 100/90 thread, but are there specific things you were told to work on that you're looking at when you video?

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

5 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

Do you video yourself on the range or on the course when you're swinging to send a ball to a target, or just the practice swings without a ball?

I know I'm a high handicap with plenty of flaws, so take everything I say with a grain of salt here - swinging on camera just to see how you look doesn't seem to me to be the best use of practice time, unless you have very specific things you are attempting to do that a pro or coach told you to work on. Forgive me if you've mentioned this before or in your breaking 100/90 thread, but are there specific things you were told to work on that you're looking at when you video?

I am self taught. Following Martin Chuck/Monte on some technique stuff and Adam young on feels and concepts. I sometimes film at the range. Mostly i film without a ball at home to check positions. Am i too high in the hands, over rotating, that sort of thing. Then i view them and try to take away what i like and did well and try to bring that to the range. I likely will get to the range this weekend since i ended my club picking up hiatus   and see how my swing looks with a ball in front of me. usually it doesnt turn out like i hope.

[russtopherb]

5 minutes ago, rbsiedsc said:

I am self taught. Following Martin Chuck/Monte on some technique stuff and Adam young on feels and concepts. I sometimes film at the range. Mostly i film without a ball at home to check positions. Am i too high in the hands, over rotating, that sort of thing. Then i view them and try to take away what i like and did well and try to bring that to the range. I likely will get to the range this weekend since i ended my club picking up hiatus   and see how my swing looks with a ball in front of me. usually it doesnt turn out like i hope.

Ok that's cool. I follow a lot of Monte's stuff because it aligns with a lot of concepts and feels my pro had me working on to build a repeatable swing. 

Sometimes I think some golfers (not saying this is the case with you) focus a lot on how they look vs how they hit the ball. I've seen some ugly, nasty looking swings that put the ball in the fairway or close to the pin. In the end, that's what matters. I personally very rarely video my swing, I work more on feels and ballflight results. I did have my son video me with my driver a little while back when I was suffering from the pop ups and had worked on my swing with someone at the range. But aside from that, it's more about what the ball is doing than anything else when I'm practicing. When I'm at home with no ball, it's either just backswing practice to work on not overswinging, or it's Orange Whip time to stay loose. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

1 minute ago, russtopherb said:

Ok that's cool. I follow a lot of Monte's stuff because it aligns with a lot of concepts and feels my pro had me working on to build a repeatable swing. 

Sometimes I think some golfers (not saying this is the case with you) focus a lot on how they look vs how they hit the ball. I've seen some ugly, nasty looking swings that put the ball in the fairway or close to the pin. In the end, that's what matters. I personally very rarely video my swing, I work more on feels and ballflight results. I did have my son video me with my driver a little while back when I was suffering from the pop ups and had worked on my swing with someone at the range. But aside from that, it's more about what the ball is doing than anything else when I'm practicing. When I'm at home with no ball, it's either just backswing practice to work on not overswinging, or it's Orange Whip time to stay loose. 

Ya my iron play is actually pretty good. I mainly video my driver since that is my most inconsistent club and I know it comes down to technique. I have since switched to the max ls to buy some margin off the tee. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

17 minutes ago, rbsiedsc said:

 

Couldn’t help myself. Had to swing today and video. Ugh golf is a cruel game. I just need to accept who I am. 
 

 

You need to figure out whether you want to use the Martin Chuck’s method for takeaway aka a one piece or if you want to use Monte’s method. As of right now you aren’t doing either of them correctly. Until you fix this part of the swing you are going to continue to see the same swing issues and ball flight inconsistencies. Everything in your swing is a compensation for your takeaway.

In the first pic you have noticeable open shoulders. In the second pic we can see flat shoulder and hip turn along with some forearm roll. If you were using Martin’s method your hands would be even with your thigh and the clubhead would be barely off the ground in the first 2’ or so. If you were using Monte’ the clubhead would be working up and higher than the hands. In the 3rd pic your flat turn and arm rotation leads to a flat swing with the butt of your club pointing way outside the ball. Neither Martin or Monte’s method would look like that. 
 

In the 4th pic we see the shaft steepen because you can’t go any flatter and the club has no choice but to steepen, you are also spinning out of the shot as a result of all this and we see the clubhead get way outside the imaginary ball in pic 5. In pic 6 we can see that you would hit the ball on the heel based on where your clubhead is in pic 1 and you are going to start the ball left based on club path. 
 

in pic 7 this is the start of your second swing in the video which is even more of a disconnected swing and over rotation of the arms and flat swing.

If you are going to use Martins method then take a sleeve of balls and place them behind your clubhead and feel like your chest rotates or your left shoulder starts and makes the club push the box away this will drill the one piece takeaway and get less flat of a swing. Then once your hands pass your thigh hinge them with the start of the right elbow bending. The butt of the club should point at the imaginary ball line (line from the ball straight back) or inside of it but no more than about 6”.

If you are going to use Monte’s method feel the same movement but hinge the wrists sooner and feel the right hip go back then around. 
 

Drill the takeaway and to hands about belt high over and over. Practice hitting balls from that position. Then after numerous sessions of that start working to left arm parallel and drill that over and over and hitting balls from that position. 

12 minutes ago, russtopherb said:

Do you video yourself on the range or on the course when you're swinging to send a ball to a target, or just the practice swings without a ball?

I know I'm a high handicap with plenty of flaws, so take everything I say with a grain of salt here - swinging on camera just to see how you look doesn't seem to me to be the best use of practice time, unless you have very specific things you are attempting to do that a pro or coach told you to work on. Forgive me if you've mentioned this before or in your breaking 100/90 thread, but are there specific things you were told to work on that you're looking at when you video?

Taking video to make sure a drill is being done right is a good use of video at the range or at home. On the range filing a swing to see the real because we know it’s not the same as feel is also a good thing

[Kenny B]

2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

You need to figure out whether you want to use the Martin Chuck’s method for takeaway aka a one piece or if you want to use Monte’s method. As of right now you aren’t doing either of them correctly. Until you fix this part of the swing you are going to continue to see the same swing issues and ball flight inconsistencies. Everything in your swing is a compensation for your takeaway.

In the first pic you have noticeable open shoulders. In the second pic we can see flat shoulder and hip turn along with some forearm roll. If you were using Martin’s method your hands would be even with your thigh and the clubhead would be barely off the ground in the first 2’ or so. If you were using Monte’ the clubhead would be working up and higher than the hands. In the 3rd pic your flat turn and arm rotation leads to a flat swing with the butt of your club pointing way outside the ball. Neither Martin or Monte’s method would look like that. 
 

In the 4th pic we see the shaft steepen because you can’t go any flatter and the club has no choice but to steepen, you are also spinning out of the shot as a result of all this and we see the clubhead get way outside the imaginary ball in pic 5. In pic 6 we can see that you would hit the ball on the heel based on where your clubhead is in pic 1 and you are going to start the ball left based on club path. 
 

in pic 7 this is the start of your second swing in the video which is even more of a disconnected swing and over rotation of the arms and flat swing.

If you are going to use Martins method then take a sleeve of balls and place them behind your clubhead and feel like your chest rotates or your left shoulder starts and makes the club push the box away this will drill the one piece takeaway and get less flat of a swing. Then once your hands pass your thigh hinge them with the start of the right elbow bending. The butt of the club should point at the imaginary ball line (line from the ball straight back) or inside of it but no more than about 6”.

If you are going to use Monte’s method feel the same movement but hinge the wrists sooner and feel the right hip go back then around. 
 

Drill the takeaway and to hands about belt high over and over. Practice hitting balls from that position. Then after numerous sessions of that start working to left arm parallel and drill that over and over and hitting balls from that position. 

Taking video to make sure a drill is being done right is a good use of video at the range or at home. On the range filing a swing to see the real because we know it’s not the same as feel is also a good thing

Totally agree with this.  I also think it would be helpful if you could feel what coming from the inside "feels like".  Sometimes we think we are, but the videos don't lie. 

I've been working with Monte for a couple of years, so I have been using his takeaway.  When I got the PlaneMate, I used Martin's one-piece takeaway as they showed.  I could do it, but it was messing me up.  I don't get much wrist hinge, and the one-piece takeaway made it worse.  I need to get my wrists started early, so I use the PM with Monte's takeaway.  

I've said this before and people push back, but making a major swing change while still playing rounds on the course makes the change take a lot longer.  All the practice... correct practice that is, is wasted IMO when we go out to play when we try to post our best scores.  

Randy, you can play with the swing you have; I've seen it!  Maybe play while the weather is decent, then spend the rainy days of winter focusing on making the change.  Next spring you will have a much improved swing.  Yes, golf is hard; don't make it harder by mixing in incorrect movements.

[chisag]

7 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

've said this before and people push back, but making a major swing change while still playing rounds on the course makes the change take a lot longer.  All the practice... correct practice that is, is wasted IMO when we go out to play when we try to post our best scores.

 

... Kenny maybe just semantics but I think correct practice is never a waste. You are correct about a major change. Practicing a new move is concentrating all your focus on just that, so a bad shot is irrelevant. Playing golf is the opposite, because you are more concerned with the shot than the swing. Or at least you should be.   Anyone that has instituted a major swing change knows that feeling of being between your new swing and your old swing, seemingly doing both poorly. Repetition is the key so the more you practice correctly, the better. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, Kenny B said:

I've been working with Monte for a couple of years, so I have been using his takeaway.  When I got the PlaneMate, I used Martin's one-piece takeaway as they showed.  I could do it, but it was messing me up.  I don't get much wrist hinge, and the one-piece takeaway made it worse.  I need to get my wrists started early, so I use the PM with Monte's takeaway.  

The wrist set is something that had me messed up for a long time especially the thought of setting it naturally even if it happens late in the swing. It was one of the biggest causes of my overswinging.

It wasn’t until I started watching AMG, GG’s website, Monte’s videos and a video of two from Alex Riggs and even lately Adam Porzak that I learned the movements and feels for setting the wrist with out over setting and cupping the wrist trying to get to much hinge.

It was also an eye opener learning how little wrist set is actually needed and that by p2 aka shaft parallel it’s pretty much set and at the blares between that position and p3 aka lead arm parallel. This has gone a long way into helping my swing 

[cnosil]

17 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The wrist set is something that had me messed up for a long time especially the thought of setting it naturally even if it happens late in the swing. It was one of the biggest causes of my overswinging.

It wasn’t until I started watching AMG, GG’s website, Monte’s videos and a video of two from Alex Riggs and even lately Adam Porzak that I learned the movements and feels for setting the wrist with out over setting and cupping the wrist trying to get to much hinge.

It was also an eye opener learning how little wrist set is actually needed and that by p2 aka shaft parallel it’s pretty much set and at the blares between that position and p3 aka lead arm parallel. This has gone a long way into helping my swing 

I think wrist set is a very confusing topic and that most players trying to get lag really overdo their "wrist set" and end up really messing up there swing. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

46 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I think wrist set is a very confusing topic and that most players trying to get lag really overdo their "wrist set" and end up really messing up there swing. 

Totally agree and even more so the lag part especially when the see a Sergio type swing from the face on. Monte does some good videos on sergios swing and the illusion of lag. 

proper wrist movement in the thing I’m working on most in my swing. Golf just have been a priority so haven’t done a lot of swing work. The difference in quality of strike is noticeable when the wrists are working right. 

[revkev]

Got to the range today, first time hitting balls this week. 
 

It’s been about a month since I had my video lesson. I will be sending in a new video soon but I can tell that I’ve made improvements and am truly implementing what my teacher recommended for me. The grip is starting to feel natural as is starting my swing from my core.

 

I’m not entirely sure that I’ve got my weight and distance from the ball right at set up. We did video a couple of swings during my round last Sunday and they really looked good. 
 

I’m playing again this Sunday. Can’t wait 

[Kenny B]

3 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... Kenny maybe just semantics but I think correct practice is never a waste. You are correct about a major change. Practicing a new move is concentrating all your focus on just that, so a bad shot is irrelevant. Playing golf is the opposite, because you are more concerned with the shot than the swing. Or at least you should be.   Anyone that has instituted a major swing change knows that feeling of being between your new swing and your old swing, seemingly doing both poorly. Repetition is the key so the more you practice correctly, the better. 

I think there are differences between how the mind and body respond to a new swing for a player of your caliber and someone who struggles just to make reasonable contact with the ball.  I agree that if you are practicing correctly, the more you do it, the better.  The problem is that many of us don't make correct practice swings.  We may get better at it over time, but I don't think a "correct swing" is immediately recognized and probably not repeatable, unless we have a golf instructor watching over us all the time.  I can't afford that!!

When we go out and play, I don't think many of us are stuck between our new swing and our old swing.  We don't have a new swing... yet.  We have new movements, and we haven't put them together to make a correct new swing.  As a result, our brain tells us the only thing it knows what to do on the course... our old swing.  

If you've read Daniel Coyle's "The Talent Code", you know that old habits are not forgotten; they must be replaced by new habits, so repetition of good habits is necessary.  Playing golf without the new habits reinforces the old habits that we are trying to change... makes change harder.  

[Kenny B]

2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

The wrist set is something that had me messed up for a long time especially the thought of setting it naturally even if it happens late in the swing. It was one of the biggest causes of my overswinging.

It wasn’t until I started watching AMG, GG’s website, Monte’s videos and a video of two from Alex Riggs and even lately Adam Porzak that I learned the movements and feels for setting the wrist with out over setting and cupping the wrist trying to get to much hinge.

It was also an eye opener learning how little wrist set is actually needed and that by p2 aka shaft parallel it’s pretty much set and at the blares between that position and p3 aka lead arm parallel. This has gone a long way into helping my swing 

I have a wrist problem; 25 years ago I hyperextended both wrists.  Arthritis set in over the past few years.  I can get my wrists set, but it doesn't happen naturally.  When I was a student of the single plane swing, the one-piece takeaway killed my swing speed.  It fixed my wild slice, but my wrists set very late and not totally.  Working with Monte I focused on getting my wrists set much earlier.  It's still an issue for me and my swing can easily get out of sync.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

26 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

I have a wrist problem; 25 years ago I hyperextended both wrists.  Arthritis set in over the past few years.  I can get my wrists set, but it doesn't happen naturally.  When I was a student of the single plane swing, the one-piece takeaway killed my swing speed.  It fixed my wild slice, but my wrists set very late and not totally.  Working with Monte I focused on getting my wrists set much earlier.  It's still an issue for me and my swing can easily get out of sync.  

It’s amazing how the wrist set it lack of it can cause sync issues. Monte’s videos are good because he teaches how to set them. I haven’t watch tons on martins stuff but I don’t recall seeing teach feeling or how to set. AMG does a little. GG teaches similar to what Monte has in efficient swing. Alex Riggs and Adam Porzak talk about pressure into the grip and how to do it. This is one thing in the YouTube/social media instructors don’t do enough of IMO. They talk about setting but don’t teach how to fit. Adam for example talks about left shoulder pushing the swing and as a result pressure into the left hand sets the wrist around p2. Iirc Alex Riggs teaches push with lead hand and pull with trail. 
 

Learning this movement would go a long way for most ams

[RickyBobby_PR]

51 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

The problem is that many of us don't make correct practice swings.  We may get better at it over time, but I don't think a "correct swing" is immediately recognized and probably not repeatable, unless we have a golf instructor watching over us all the time.  I can't afford that!!

Agree. I’ve been guilty of it and still am sometimes. We don’t want to take the time to learn and practice the short swings and the slow speed swings to let the body learn and we want to see it work in the full swing at full speed. Even if we spend sometime working drills and shorter swings we are eager to move on to the next one or to swings. In my experience doing the drills then take some swings then rinse and repeat helps that urge while still working the changes into the swing. This worked well for me in 2016 when working with a local pro. We spent time on the same drills in each lesson while adding in some new stuff but kept the other drills in place and using 5-6 balls for the drill then 5-6 swings and so on.

[russtopherb]

Hit the lighted range with my son tonight. Half the bucket was spent hitting my 54 and 58 to different targets, the rest was driver and irons. Irons started really badly but evened out. Spent a lot of time chatting with my son who was using my dad’s Cobras for the first time. He is in love with the 5w and likes the heavier shafts but overall likes the D200s better. We’ll get in some more range time and maybe play a few par 3 courses to see how he makes out. 

[Haro]

My iron play sucks. Whatever I work on the driving range doesn’t translate to the course   I m decent with my other clubs Today went outside the range to the turf and looked for side hill to practice rather than flat mats and something clicked.  I also find ball above the feet to be more natural for my iron swing and develop some feedback for balance and less upright swing Made drastic changes to my grip and posture   Super strong grip where I don’t feel the clubhead just the shaft seems work today 

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Hit some foam balls in my park focusing on left arm parallel swings with 8i. Hit it really well. Flying almost 40 yards. Question about foam balls, I have Callaway. When they shape, is that indicative of what a real golf ball will do or just chance?

[sirchunksalot]

10 hours ago, rbsiedsc said:

Hit some foam balls in my park focusing on left arm parallel swings with 8i. Hit it really well. Flying almost 40 yards. Question about foam balls, I have Callaway. When they shape, is that indicative of what a real golf ball will do or just chance?

Foam balls should shape in whatever direction you'd be hitting a real ball. I would think they might overcook it a bit, but you should be able to tell if you're hitting right to left or vice versa.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

2 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

Foam balls should shape in whatever direction you'd be hitting a real ball. I would think they might overcook it a bit, but you should be able to tell if you're hitting right to left or vice versa.

Foam balls are OK but any little breeze will exaggerate the results. The best practice without a real ball I found to be the birdie ball.  I got a three pack as a give away at a trade show and they work great. It is weird at first hitting something that looks like a napkin ring holder. But I like them.  They probably only go about 40 yards. 

[Haro]

Went out today at practise green which is two tier and had fantastic session 

went above the hole and below the hole with a GW and tried “H&H method” and finally works.  What made it work was that I ground the wedge behind the ball then took my grip    If I take my grip first then tried to hinge if was blade/thin city   Also felt that I aim with the leading edge or top edge and ball was either back or middle depending if the tier was up or down 

Most of the practise green are flat and I use 5 iron on the toe for stress free chipping 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

No golf until labor day with 10 straight days of work then a camping trip. Gonna really focus on NTC and getting my hand to 7:00 with the wrist set. Feels strange, like ringing out a rang. Hopefully I can make that consistent. 

[GolfSpy BOS]

Got a quick lunch break range session in today to open up my Rapsodo testing.

I was more focused on that aspect of my range session than actually practicing so I was a little inconsistent but it was still fun.  I'm working on my first impressions of the Rapsodo MLM  but I was impressed with how simple and responsive the unit and app were with my iPhone.  

We're getting close to having a winner in the Motore X vs Ventus competition in the Epic Max LS...

 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Day two of NTC. The wrist set feels a little more normal now. I don’t have to always look back to know I am going it. In fact, I seem to want to get to backswing B right away. When I look my angle look good to me, head would be touching the wall if it were behind me. Going to keep this feel until I can ingrain. Then work on the cast. The cast is going to be very hard for me since all my brain and body knows is to pull towards the ball, not fall away and rotate through. So far I also feel I can keep my front shoulder from lunging forward. Will see how things look by spring of next year. 

[revkev]

Had to cancel my Sunday round for several emergency meetings - just watch yourselves around people guys regardless of what you may think, please!

 

Did get to the range today and hit it pretty well again - very well with anything longer than 8 iron actually. I can feel my weight loading onto my right side for the first time in I don’t know how long.

 

I’ve got a Thursday tee time - our school won’t be offering live instruction until next Weds so I have some free time.

[sirchunksalot]

8 hours ago, rbsiedsc said:

Day two of NTC. The wrist set feels a little more normal now. I don’t have to always look back to know I am going it. In fact, I seem to want to get to backswing B right away. When I look my angle look good to me, head would be touching the wall if it were behind me. Going to keep this feel until I can ingrain. Then work on the cast. The cast is going to be very hard for me since all my brain and body knows is to pull towards the ball, not fall away and rotate through. So far I also feel I can keep my front shoulder from lunging forward. Will see how things look by spring of next year. 

Keep it up! The NTC stuff is gold. I haven't made it that far, yet. I'm still working on getting to A and working a lot on that. The flat left wrist is starting to come along nicely, but with things being crazy here it's been hard to do nothing other than grabbing a club and working on positioning. Like you, I hope by early next year to have it down. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

3 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

Keep it up! The NTC stuff is gold. I haven't made it that far, yet. I'm still working on getting to A and working a lot on that. The flat left wrist is starting to come along nicely, but with things being crazy here it's been hard to do nothing other than grabbing a club and working on positioning. Like you, I hope by early next year to have it down. 

 

you keep it up as well. I think it came to me easier as i worked on it prior this year. i just need to focus on that wrist feel everytime i swing. will see what happens with a ball in front of me

[sirchunksalot]

34 minutes ago, rbsiedsc said:

 

you keep it up as well. I think it came to me easier as i worked on it prior this year. i just need to focus on that wrist feel everytime i swing. will see what happens with a ball in front of me

Along with working on NTC, I've been working on trying to rid myself of the flying right elbow by using a small plastic ball between my forearms and working on the drill here. 

https://golfchannelvod-amd.akamaized.net/NBCU_Sports_Group_-_GolfChannel/95/979/011018_GCA_Casabella_ClubOnShoulderDrill1515712932845_7000k.mp4

I've noticed that I tend to get too much space between my forearms at the top and this drill is helping me get into proper position. 

[Haro]

missing a lot of greens in regulation as I was pulling or pushing my irons either right or left of the green

Pulls were stronger impact , clubface closed    . My pushes were weaker

I decided to go with the "pull"  swing and modified my set up

Went towards a super strong left hand grip and preturn my hips and short my swing to 1/2 and was able to keep the ball  :left" with a tighter dispersion

I know this sound strange but my 'left " shots flighty straighter as I readjustment my posture so I feel like Im swinging diagonally left  but I shoulders are align more along vertical plane than horizonal plan , so I feel like Im  "pulling  up" rather than  pulling around

 

Edited August 25, 2021 by Haro