Finding that natural feel

[The Dansome]

File this one under random thoughts... Wanted to throw it out there for the sake of conversation and how other people maintain their natural feel to the game.

 

Over the last few months I've done very little short game practice. Golf's been pretty much a small bucket of balls a week at the range and then play on weekends. Problem is I'm never 100% comfortable over any shot, mainly because it so to speak, just 'feels' wrong. Well yesterday after hitting balls I went to the chipping green and after trying to hit chips to a hole in frustration I just started fiddling around, flopping and chipping shots all around the green. 70% of my shots were just to random spots off the green, but what I realized was I don't do enough of this anymore.

 

Thinking back to when I was a kid I'd spend hours at the course just just screwing around and what this did was help me to feel the shots. This truly was what would build the confidence to just swing away and understand what my body was capable of. After an hour of this I realized the importance of this natural feel and how re-convincing myself and my body how much easier things seemed. In retrospect, I guess I have not been trusting my base mechanics and letting go. Hell I only had a 50* Rocketbladez GW with me and by the end I was flopping 12 footers next to a hole.

 

After this I headed to the putting green. Once again I focused a little less on mechanics and more so on just looking at the distance and feeling the ball to the hole. Bingo, 30 minutes later everything's right next to the cup.

 

So what does all this rambling mean? I guess I'm just trying to point out to anyone else struggling to just go screw around, have some fun with it and find your natural feel. This will go a long ways in the long run I'm sure.

[RoverRick]

I would much rather tell you my secrets week after next and keep them to myself for the next week or so.

 

However, since you asked, I was just telling some friends that I was helping a buddy and got to having swing thoughts about what he should do and how I could improve and took it to the course as a playing lesson and triple bogied the first three holes (first triple bogey in a year) and doubled the next. I told him we were done. Not only was he not listening to me, but I was fixing his faults in my swing. So no swing thoughts.

 

Lots of swing feel. Especially in the short game. Hell, if you were going to throw the ball at the hole with your hand you would not skip it off the other side of the green. You would not throw it down by your foot. You would probably get it somewhere near the hole. Same feel with the clubs.

 

I often imagine throwing the ball at the flag using by body turn to get the speed, then imagine chipping with the same speed. Then try to do it again with the ball in the way this time.

[RoverRick]

One more thing, when I am playing my best golf, I feel as though it takes the same amount of time to swing the driver as it does the putter.

 

It may not even be close, but we are talking feel.

[hckymeyer]

MBP that's great advice for anyone trying to work on getting close to the pin from around the greens. I took a short game clinic two years ago and this is one of the drills that stuck in my head for helping to create feel for specific distances and shots.

 

It doesn't matter what distances you choose, but for me it worked best to pick 10, 20 & 30yds to start out. Take three clubs and lay them across your ball flight path at those yardages. Then grab a bunch of balls and practice different types of shots and try to land the ball on the clubs. It's an easy way to feel how much swing you need to hit a 10yd, 20yd and 30yd shot, and how much harder you have to swing for each 10yds you add in.

[Paul S]

I know that I need to break this habit that I've fallen into this month, but what I've done is gotten incredibly comfortable with my 60* wedge. From maybe 50 yds to the fringe, regardless of how much green I have to work with, I'll use my 60*. My feel for the club has almost single-handedly saved a lot of holes for me lately. I have not been happy with my GIR numbers, but I can count on my 60* to save the day. I know that I should spend some time with my other wedges getting comfortable with trying new things, and I'm getting there with the 50* around the green, but it's just not as exact.

 

It's just all about feel.

[Blade]

"Finding that natural feel"...Hmmm...I thought you were about to talk about golfing in the nude!

[Blade]

Actually, for me, the short game is either on or off. No in between. What makes the difference is my focus. If I'm thinking mechanically at all, it turns to crap...bad distance, blade or chunked shots. My focus is kind of like Rick said. Burn the image of my landing spot into my head. All I'm thinking of is tossing the ball there with the club. I get crisp contact, make good backspin and the ball stops quick. As long as I don't rush my process or lose a nice smooth tempo, I am far better at flying the ball close and stopping it than I am with bump and run shots.

 

My problem comes from being with a group having fun, and not getting into that focused state. Also, after last weekend, I think the people I play with can rub off on me. If it's someone with a smooth solid swing, I do better. If I'm watching someone with a herky jerky bash the ball "swing", like my playing partner on Monday, I swear it's contagious. Next time I play with him, I'm going to close my eyes when he HITS. I say HITS cuz it sure as heck ain't a swing.

[Paul S]

If it's someone with a smooth solid swing, I do better. If I'm watching someone with a herky jerky bash the ball "swing", like my playing partner on Monday, I swear it's contagious. Next time I play with him, I'm going to close my eyes when he HITS. I say HITS cuz it sure as heck ain't a swing.

 

I agree 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000%

[mudfish]

The best I've hit the ball in a long time was last weekend on a fun round at a par 3 course with my son on his first outing to a golf course... I only brought 3 clubs, felt no pressure, and had the most fun I've had in a long time...

 

I just went out and hit the ball, no mechanics, no swing thoughts, and no pressure. my shots were all clean and crisp, and pretty much , the ball went where I wanted...

 

What did I learn from this? I need to get out of my own way... stop over thinking and have fun... it's just a game afterall...

[wbealsd]

THIS is exactly what I need to do!! I KNOW I've been over thinking my short game, largely because it's one of the areas that's really tough to practice indoors over the winter (and THIS year, most of our Spring...). The more I focus on the target and not "everything else," the better I play, but it's been easier to know I need to do it than actually STOP ALL THE SWING THOUGHTS...