My Tip Of The Day - 4

chisag · March 28, 2019

... I have been struggling with my full swing lately. I just seemed out of sync and had to grind it our for almost a week. Things fell into place yesterday and today with 9 birdies and a few more missed putts, I would have added 3 more. My swing felt really good and I just knew I could hit every fairway and every green. Of course I didn't as I hit some bad shots but I didn't really take any bad swings or at least swings where I knew I was gonna miss my target before even looking up. Just a little fat or thin or maybe slightly on the toe. How can I have played for over 35 years, shoot under par and be out of sync for an entire week where every swing felt a little off?

... The truth is hitting a golf ball perfectly with a full swing is dammed near unattainable. Moving your weight to your back foot, turning your hips and your shoulders even more, keeping the club on plane while holding the grip with the exact amount of pressure to allow the club to swing with maximum speed but remain under control only covers the back swing. Now you have to move the weight to your front side, unwind your hips and shoulders while not releasing the club or holding it back from releasing, making contact in the middle of the club face with your hips open to the target and your shoulders square is impossible to time exactly the same way with every swing. And for many, some days that timing is just much easier than other days. If one piece of that chain is too fast or too slow, too long or too short, too tight or too loose, you have to subconsciously make minor adjustments in the middle of that swing. Some days it seems like you aren't making any adjustments and other days it seems you are adjusting with every swing. I am not talking about changing anything, just maybe instinctively rotating the face a hair faster because you know your body has turned too quickly and your hands/arms didn't keep up.

... This would all be difficult enough under optimum circumstances but every day is different. Maybe you didn't get enough sleep last night. Didn't eat food with optimal nutritional value. Got in an argument with your wife/husband/girl-boy friend. Your kid is sick. Your job is stressful. The list goes on and on. As an actor on stage, every performance is different and colored by the same things that color my golf swing. Every day is different. This is something good players know and take into account. Pro's warming up on the range are hitting tiny fades instead of the straight ball flight they normally have. They don't try and change any of it and play their round hitting that tiny fade. After the round they go to the range and try to figure out why their ball flight has changed. Amateurs should do the same thing. Never try and change your swing during a round. Just work with what you have that day and either grind out a score or enjoy that really good day when you seem to be able to hit any shot you attempt. The things I hear much too often is "But I was killing it at the range" or "Why do I suck so bad today? I shot an 85 yesterday and can't break 100 today!" and of course "I was hitting it so well last round and I am really a better gofer than this!" No, you are not. This is exactly how good a golfer you are ... today.

... So as tempting as it is to try and fix your swing in the middle of the round, down that road lies madness. I read about it on forums every day. And of course I do it myself from time to time even though I know better. If the wheels have come completely off, of course you have to try and find a way to get the ball around the course and changing your swing may be a necessity under those circumstances. But that should be the last resort. If you are out of sync, just accept it and try to hit your target with what you have that day. Focus on your short game and try to score the best you can. The worst thing you can do is compare todays bad round to yesterdays good round because every day is different. Golf is a game of confidence and you need to put yourself in the most positive frame of mind, even on your bad days. And when you are having one of those great days where the swing seems like you should be playing on the Champions Tour, enjoy it while it lasts. Because everyday is different.

revkev · March 28, 2019

Amen!

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cksurfdude · March 31, 2019

Love it .. what a great description of one of the core challenges of the game..!

Thanks for sharing your insights.

tony@CIC · March 31, 2019

... I have been struggling with my full swing lately. I just seemed out of sync and had to grind it our for almost a week. Things fell into place yesterday and today with 9 birdies and a few more missed putts, I would have added 3 more. My swing felt really good and I just knew I could hit every fairway and every green. Of course I didn't as I hit some bad shots but I didn't really take any bad swings or at least swings where I knew I was gonna miss my target before even looking up. Just a little fat or thin or maybe slightly on the toe. How can I have played for over 35 years, shoot under par and be out of sync for an entire week where every swing felt a little off?

... The truth is hitting a golf ball perfectly with a full swing is dammed near unattainable. Moving your weight to your back foot, turning your hips and your shoulders even more, keeping the club on plane while holding the grip with the exact amount of pressure to allow the club to swing with maximum speed but remain under control only covers the back swing. Now you have to move the weight to your front side, unwind your hips and shoulders while not releasing the club or holding it back from releasing, making contact in the middle of the club face with your hips open to the target and your shoulders square is impossible to time exactly the same way with every swing. And for many, some days that timing is just much easier than other days. If one piece of that chain is too fast or too slow, too long or too short, too tight or too loose, you have to subconsciously make minor adjustments in the middle of that swing. Some days it seems like you aren't making any adjustments and other days it seems you are adjusting with every swing. I am not talking about changing anything, just maybe instinctively rotating the face a hair faster because you know your body has turned too quickly and your hands/arms didn't keep up.

... This would all be difficult enough under optimum circumstances but every day is different. Maybe you didn't get enough sleep last night. Didn't eat food with optimal nutritional value. Got in an argument with your wife/husband/girl-boy friend. Your kid is sick. Your job is stressful. The list goes on and on. As an actor on stage, every performance is different and colored by the same things that color my golf swing. Every day is different. This is something good players know and take into account. Pro's warming up on the range are hitting tiny fades instead of the straight ball flight they normally have. They don't try and change any of it and play their round hitting that tiny fade. After the round they go to the range and try to figure out why their ball flight has changed. Amateurs should do the same thing. Never try and change your swing during a round. Just work with what you have that day and either grind out a score or enjoy that really good day when you seem to be able to hit any shot you attempt. The things I hear much too often is "But I was killing it at the range" or "Why do I suck so bad today? I shot an 85 yesterday and can't break 100 today!" and of course "I was hitting it so well last round and I am really a better gofer than this!" No, you are not. This is exactly how good a golfer you are ... today.

... So as tempting as it is to try and fix your swing in the middle of the round, down that road lies madness. I read about it on forums every day. And of course I do it myself from time to time even though I know better. If the wheels have come completely off, of course you have to try and find a way to get the ball around the course and changing your swing may be a necessity under those circumstances. But that should be the last resort. If you are out of sync, just accept it and try to hit your target with what you have that day. Focus on your short game and try to score the best you can. The worst thing you can do is compare todays bad round to yesterdays good round because every day is different. Golf is a game of confidence and you need to put yourself in the most positive frame of mind, even on your bad days. And when you are having one of those great days where the swing seems like you should be playing on the Champions Tour, enjoy it while it lasts. Because everyday is different.

Great advice - thanks.

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