Thursday, August 13, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Some thoughts on tennis and golf
I haven't posted for a while and need to catch up while things are still somewhat fresh in my mind.
Since my last post about our round at Gross National, we've played at Brigadoon (or "Bring a dozen") in Michigan, Bluff Creek (Chaska), and the Summit golf course in Cannon Falls .
But I've been thinking lately that this blog has become more of a travelogue of the courses we've played than a record of my "golf experiment". And I've been meaning to collect and post some thoughts about the evolution of my swing (I know those following this blog have been patently waiting for my next revelation).
I'm currently trying a new swing - the "Trahan Swing" - which I'll write more about later.
But today I've got something else on my mind...
I've got 2 things on my mind this morning; actually they've been on my mind for several days now.
One is my serve.
I've been thinking about this for at least a couple of weeks.
During the last service game of our family doubles match, on my final serve, just as the ball reached its apex, I decided to hit the ball up the tee.
And that's just what I did.
And the ball landed, with good pace, just where I wanted it to.
What had I been "trying" to do on the previous serve? For that matter, what had I been trying to do during my serves of the last 20 years? I can't say because I don't know.
But I do know exactly what I was thinking and trying to do on that last serve.
I was staring right at the ball as it hung in the air before starting it's descent, and at that exact instant *decided* to hit the ball up the tee.
The ball went just where I wanted it to, and it really wasn't that difficult.
Had I just discovered the "secret" of the tennis serve?
That's what I was thinking as we started picking up the balls and getting ready to leave for home. And that thought stuck with me, at least for a while.
About a week later, I ended a tennis session by hitting about 25 serves.
And I as I stood there with a pocket full of balls, I thought about that last serve.
All I had done was throw the ball up and tried to hit it to a specific spot.
Could I do it again?
I started my motion, tossed the ball, and as I started my swing I stared at the ball and tried to hit it up the tee.
And that's just where it went.
After that first serve I hit about 22 good serves out of 25 tries.
I was even able to adjust to the occasional bad toss and still end up with a good serve.
It was working, and I hadn't really changed anything.
Same setup, same toss, wind-up, swing, follow-through.
Same everything that I'd always done.
Except.
Except that during the swing I was looking at the ball and trying to hit it to a specific spot.
It was just a matter of focus.
Now when I say I was trying to hit the ball to a specific spot, it's not like I was aiming at a 4 inch square on my opponent's service box.
It was more of a general target, like "out wide", "up the middle" or "down the tee".
And I didn't always hit my target. But almost all my serves landed in.
I couldn't wait for our Tuesday night doubles match! I had great confidence in my serve, and was looking forward to one great service game after another. Unfortunately, things did not work out as I'd planned. With the pressure on, I missed several serves during my first service game, lost my confidence, and reverted back to my heavy spin slice serve.
Mary & I hit again yesterday, and I tried about 20 serves at the end of our session. Probably got about 70% in, and started to become more aware of what's happening.
A big part of the success comes from just watching the ball as you're hitting it, as a lot of my problems are a result of dropping my head and left shoulder as I start my swing.
Another part of the "success formula" is that when I'm trying to hit the ball at a target my mind is completely free of any distracting thoughts.
I think, that at least for me, hitting a good serve boils down to watching the ball with nothing on my mind but hitting the ball at a target.
Although the proceeding sentence is completely accurate it doesn't come close to describing what it feels like, and what I'm seeing as I focus my attention on hitting the ball at a target.
Now, the second thing on my mind this morning actually has something to with golf, but I'm out of time and will have to write about that later.
Since my last post about our round at Gross National, we've played at Brigadoon (or "Bring a dozen") in Michigan, Bluff Creek (Chaska), and the Summit golf course in Cannon Falls .
But I've been thinking lately that this blog has become more of a travelogue of the courses we've played than a record of my "golf experiment". And I've been meaning to collect and post some thoughts about the evolution of my swing (I know those following this blog have been patently waiting for my next revelation).
I'm currently trying a new swing - the "Trahan Swing" - which I'll write more about later.
But today I've got something else on my mind...
I've got 2 things on my mind this morning; actually they've been on my mind for several days now.
One is my serve.
I've been thinking about this for at least a couple of weeks.
During the last service game of our family doubles match, on my final serve, just as the ball reached its apex, I decided to hit the ball up the tee.
And that's just what I did.
And the ball landed, with good pace, just where I wanted it to.
What had I been "trying" to do on the previous serve? For that matter, what had I been trying to do during my serves of the last 20 years? I can't say because I don't know.
But I do know exactly what I was thinking and trying to do on that last serve.
I was staring right at the ball as it hung in the air before starting it's descent, and at that exact instant *decided* to hit the ball up the tee.
The ball went just where I wanted it to, and it really wasn't that difficult.
Had I just discovered the "secret" of the tennis serve?
That's what I was thinking as we started picking up the balls and getting ready to leave for home. And that thought stuck with me, at least for a while.
About a week later, I ended a tennis session by hitting about 25 serves.
And I as I stood there with a pocket full of balls, I thought about that last serve.
All I had done was throw the ball up and tried to hit it to a specific spot.
Could I do it again?
I started my motion, tossed the ball, and as I started my swing I stared at the ball and tried to hit it up the tee.
And that's just where it went.
After that first serve I hit about 22 good serves out of 25 tries.
I was even able to adjust to the occasional bad toss and still end up with a good serve.
It was working, and I hadn't really changed anything.
Same setup, same toss, wind-up, swing, follow-through.
Same everything that I'd always done.
Except.
Except that during the swing I was looking at the ball and trying to hit it to a specific spot.
It was just a matter of focus.
Now when I say I was trying to hit the ball to a specific spot, it's not like I was aiming at a 4 inch square on my opponent's service box.
It was more of a general target, like "out wide", "up the middle" or "down the tee".
And I didn't always hit my target. But almost all my serves landed in.
I couldn't wait for our Tuesday night doubles match! I had great confidence in my serve, and was looking forward to one great service game after another. Unfortunately, things did not work out as I'd planned. With the pressure on, I missed several serves during my first service game, lost my confidence, and reverted back to my heavy spin slice serve.
Mary & I hit again yesterday, and I tried about 20 serves at the end of our session. Probably got about 70% in, and started to become more aware of what's happening.
A big part of the success comes from just watching the ball as you're hitting it, as a lot of my problems are a result of dropping my head and left shoulder as I start my swing.
Another part of the "success formula" is that when I'm trying to hit the ball at a target my mind is completely free of any distracting thoughts.
I think, that at least for me, hitting a good serve boils down to watching the ball with nothing on my mind but hitting the ball at a target.
Although the proceeding sentence is completely accurate it doesn't come close to describing what it feels like, and what I'm seeing as I focus my attention on hitting the ball at a target.
Now, the second thing on my mind this morning actually has something to with golf, but I'm out of time and will have to write about that later.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Round No. 3 Gross National Golf Club
Last Saturday we played a very enjoyable round at Gross National.
This was the third city golf course of our summer tour.
Here's the official description of the course:
Gross National Golf Club opened in 1925. It has gently rolling hills with elevated tees and greens. We rent riding carts, although many golfers enjoy walking the course. There are three sets of tee-markers on each hole to challenge all skill levels. It is a mature course with lots of old trees.
It hosted the 1964 USGA National Publinks Championship. The course’s location makes it readily accessible from Minneapolis or St. Paul with Interstate 35W marking the southern boundary.
A “great layout” is how most customers describe the course; another reason Gross has been considered “The People’s Choice'' for years.
It does have a "great layout" and I can see why it's considered the "People's Choice".
The course was in excellent shape. The greens were soft, smooth and fast. The "soft" and "fast" might seem like a contradiction in terms, but both were true because of the "smooth". Patrick, the guy who rounded out our foursome, said that the greens were rolled every time they were cut.
After our last outing at Ft. Snelling, I especially liked Gross' layout. On most of the 18 holes you could see the flag from the tee, and hit your drive as far as you wanted. In other words, there weren't any "hit the ball 150 yds then make a 90 degree turn to the right for the final 200 yds" holes.
There was not much sand, and there were only a couple of holes where water came into play. The course was plenty challenging by virtue of the mature trees lining the fairways.
My inability to hit a golf ball straight is enough to make most courses challenging.
When I see "challenging" used to describe a course I picture balls landing in water, hitting from sand instead of grass, and spending the day looking for balls instead of enjoying golf.
How was my play? In a word "crappy", I shot a 127. I was partially successful with my new method of sacrificing distance for the sake of accuracy. I've become very adept at sacrificing distance. I did hit about 10 out of 18 fairways, maybe more if you count the ladies tee as part of the fairway.
My short game remained short except for the times when it was long enough to carry the green. But then it usually went back to being short on the return trip.
My putting also let me down. That sounds better than "I putted poorly".
I should mention that my youngest son made an eagle on the par 5 10th by hitting a 5-wood 260 yds off the tee, and then a 6-iron 240 yds to about 3 ft from the cup. Ah, to be young, flexible and coordinated!
Although our weather limits the amount of golf we can play in Minnesota, I think we are a bit spoiled by the golfing value available to us. The cost for 18 holes was $32 - which, for the quality of the course I think is a real bargain.
We're on vacation next week. Next on the city course list is Theodor Wirth.
I'm also trying to learn a new swing, I'll have more to say about that on my next post.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Round No. 3 - Ft. Snelling
Last weekend we played our third city course: Ft Snelling. I've included some extra pictures to try to give you a feeling for how strange this place is.
Fort Snelling dates back to 1820. The original fort still stands on a bluff above the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. There is a large, active Vet's hospital on the general property as well as an enormous cemetery. The complex was active during the Civil War as well as WWI and WWII. There are acres of boarded up buildings that once served as barracks, housing for officers, and even stables.
This "unorganized territory" has a total area of 6.7 mi².
The Fort Snelling Golf Course sits in the middle of all o f these abandoned buildings. One edge of the course is bordered by the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
There are some weird vistas. At times I felt like we were on the set of sci-fi movie.
The course itself was in decent but not great condition. On several holes you can't see the green from the tee because of a major (90 degree) dogleg. I hit five fairways and shot 47. (course is only 9 holes). First and last holes were disasters.
Overall my putting was OK. I hit a lot of poor first puts but made several long 2nd putts, with only one 3-putt. My problem (again) this week was getting the ball on the green from 100 yards in.
I've still got a way to go before breaking 90, let alone 80.
I hope to get out to the driving range before we play next week.
Next week is "Gross National" , home of the 1964 USGA National Publinks Championship.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Long Putter
Last Saturday's round at Dwan was my first chance to try out my long putter.
I've never felt that comfortable bending over a putt, and for the last several years, because of my back, I've found it more comfortable to stand as erect as possible.
It also seemed more natural to face the hole, so I tried that, too.
I felt that these changes had improved my putting. Maybe it was just that the stance was more comfortable and I felt more confident facing the target.
Anyway, I thought that one of those long putters would be just the ticket to take my putting to the next level. The problem turned out to be finding one. It seemed to me that they were everywhere a couple of years ago, but now none of the golf shops (Golf Galaxy, Sports Mart, etc) were carrying them. So I ended up building one myself.
I was happy with the way it turned out and with the results I had using it at Dwan.
I only had one 3-putt green, and made a couple of long ones.
I've never felt that comfortable bending over a putt, and for the last several years, because of my back, I've found it more comfortable to stand as erect as possible.
It also seemed more natural to face the hole, so I tried that, too.
I felt that these changes had improved my putting. Maybe it was just that the stance was more comfortable and I felt more confident facing the target.
Anyway, I thought that one of those long putters would be just the ticket to take my putting to the next level. The problem turned out to be finding one. It seemed to me that they were everywhere a couple of years ago, but now none of the golf shops (Golf Galaxy, Sports Mart, etc) were carrying them. So I ended up building one myself.
I was happy with the way it turned out and with the results I had using it at Dwan.
I only had one 3-putt green, and made a couple of long ones.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Round No. 2 - Dwan
Played my second round last Saturday at course in Bloomington called Dwan.
Only played 9 holes and shot 47.
I was hoping to play bogey golf, which, since par is 34, would have meant a score of 42.
Here are some of the other stats I recorded:
Fairways hit: 6 (includes greens hit on par 3's)
Puts: 17
Although it might make sense for good golfers to keep track of putts, I feel is a somewhat dubious stat for hackers.
For example on one par 3 I had zero putts.
It took me 4 strokes to make it to the fringe and I ended up putting it in from there.
Even though I used my putter I wasn't on the green so in my book it wasn't a putt.
I made a trip to the driving range on Wednesday to test a new strategy.
After playing my first round from the right rough, I was determined to play this round from the fairway.
To this end I wanted to find out how far I could hit my 3-iron straight (I've given up on the driver for the time being).
Turned out to be about 175 yards.
I figured two consecutive 175 yard 3-irons would get me 350 yards at which point I'd be hitting a short iron to the green. Which should give me a pretty good chance to play bogey golf.
Unfortunately, golf being golf, there were holes where I needed four shots to cover the last 20 yards to the cup.
I really enjoyed playing from the fairway, though.
It was nice to walk off the tee with my ball sitting right there in plain sight. Instead of searching for my ball I was able to take a pleasant walk and enjoy the scenary.
The whole course seemed different.
Golf can be a relaxing sport when you avoid the rough.
An added bonus was that I played the entire round with the same ball.
I can't remember the last time I've managed 9 holes without losing at least a couple of balls.
If I could have chipped the ball onto the green once I got within about 50-60 yards I would have had a decent round.
Maybe, instead of breaking 80 by improving my swing, I should change my focus to breaking 80 by playing from the fairway and enjoying golf.
This was also the first chance I had to use my new "long putter".
It worked out pretty well. I'll write more about that later.
Next week, Theodor Wirth.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Round No. 1 - Hiawatha
I Played Hiawatha with my two boys two weeks ago.
This was my first round of the summer.
Shot about 120.
I have to say "about" because I lost count
on a couple of the holes.
Actually started out with a par.
As a matter of fact our threesome was 1-under after that first hole.
Despite my attempt to use that first par as "something to build on" things went south in a hurry.
It was a nice day, and it was an enjoyable round the poor score not withstanding.
Most disappointing was how quickly I reverted back to my old game.
Not only was I hitting everything right, but the same old thoughts were running through my head.
At one point I realized that by always being in the rough I was limiting my chances to improve. I was never hitting a normal 5-iron to the green, but was always trying to avoid some obstacle.
So I'm never taking a normal swing, but alway trying to hit balls that stay low for the first 20 yards before turning sharply to the right to make it the remaining 180 yards to the green.
If my goal had been to improve a lot during the summer I'd be able to say that I'd gotten off to a good start as I think I'll shoot lower than 120 on my next round.
Anyway, we've got a tee time at Dwan for Saturday, and I'm going to try a different tack.
Even though my stated goal is to break 80, I've been working on my swing rather than my score.
Next round I'm going to be trying keep the ball on the fairway. And I'll be trying out my new putter.
Stay tuned.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Disappointment
It's been a while since I've posted - I've been too discouraged.
I went to an outdoor driving range for the first time a couple of weeks ago.
To say the results were bad would be an understatement.
I hit most of a large bucket without a single good drive.
Just about every shot went about 150 yds straight and then took a 90 degree right hand turn for another 50 or 60 yards.
I say "almost" because on the occasions I was able to come around on the ball I would catch it on the heel of the club and almost hit the guy on the neighboring tee to my left.
Anxious to prove to myself that this session was some kind of fluke, I went again a week later and experienced the same results.
To summarize the results of my winter experiment: I've gone from inconsistent slicing off the tee to consistently slicing off the tee. Where previously I'd hit an occasional good shot, now I feel like I've got my slice grooved in.
However, all is not lost.
I've decided to continue this blog (and my experiment) for two reasons.
1. This was supposed to be a record of my attempt to break 80 once during the upcoming summer and since I've yet to play a round of golf it seems premature to be giving up.
2. Trying to take a positive from all of this, I have been able to develop a grooved swing that produces consistent results.
Weather permitting, I'm planning on another range session sometime this weekend.
I went to an outdoor driving range for the first time a couple of weeks ago.
To say the results were bad would be an understatement.
I hit most of a large bucket without a single good drive.
Just about every shot went about 150 yds straight and then took a 90 degree right hand turn for another 50 or 60 yards.
I say "almost" because on the occasions I was able to come around on the ball I would catch it on the heel of the club and almost hit the guy on the neighboring tee to my left.
Anxious to prove to myself that this session was some kind of fluke, I went again a week later and experienced the same results.
To summarize the results of my winter experiment: I've gone from inconsistent slicing off the tee to consistently slicing off the tee. Where previously I'd hit an occasional good shot, now I feel like I've got my slice grooved in.
However, all is not lost.
I've decided to continue this blog (and my experiment) for two reasons.
1. This was supposed to be a record of my attempt to break 80 once during the upcoming summer and since I've yet to play a round of golf it seems premature to be giving up.
2. Trying to take a positive from all of this, I have been able to develop a grooved swing that produces consistent results.
Weather permitting, I'm planning on another range session sometime this weekend.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
More on the No Backswing
4-01-09:
Worked w/ the NBS a bit this morning.
There's always the fear that I've somehow lost the swing I've discovered during the last session. And it seems my first several swings are not that good.
I've found that it helps to get into a baseball frame of mind; to stand erect and take a few baseball swings to refamilarize myself with the right motion.
After going through this startup proceedure I'm soon in the groove and able to concentrate on the back of the ball/coin with the thought of driving it the target.
I'm also trying to keep my arms relaxed and experimenting with snapping my wrists. It probably takes about 20 swings to get grooved in, but after that I think I'd be hitting about 2/3 shots the way I want to.
I think I'm making steady progess keeping my eye on the ball as well. I'm going to need to figure out a routine to get into the groove on the course before hitting my first drive.
One of these days I'll have to take a few swings with the six iron.
Worked w/ the NBS a bit this morning.
There's always the fear that I've somehow lost the swing I've discovered during the last session. And it seems my first several swings are not that good.
I've found that it helps to get into a baseball frame of mind; to stand erect and take a few baseball swings to refamilarize myself with the right motion.
After going through this startup proceedure I'm soon in the groove and able to concentrate on the back of the ball/coin with the thought of driving it the target.
I'm also trying to keep my arms relaxed and experimenting with snapping my wrists. It probably takes about 20 swings to get grooved in, but after that I think I'd be hitting about 2/3 shots the way I want to.
I think I'm making steady progess keeping my eye on the ball as well. I'm going to need to figure out a routine to get into the groove on the course before hitting my first drive.
One of these days I'll have to take a few swings with the six iron.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
No Backswing Golf Revisited
3-27-09:
I've decided to give the no-backswing golf swing a serious try.
One of the nice things about this winter session has been that I've got plenty of time to experiment.
I've learned a lot about my swing just by virtue of the number of swings I've made.
There's a certain mindless pleasure in just swinging my driver.
Anyway, at my last range session during a stretch when things weren't going particularly well, I started using a no-backswing swing as a method of simplifying things.
Here's some video of me trying the no-backswing-swing:
http//www.youtube.com/my_videos_timedtext?video_id=vFzD_SycsMU
All of a sudden there were a hundred thoughts going through my head as to what I should be doing, and I had completely lost my concentration.
My backswing felt extremely awkward: "have I taken the club back far enough?", "it doesn't feel right", etc.
I started using the no-backswing w/out really thinking about it, and I did start hitting the ball better, mainly because it cleared all the backswing thoughts out of my mind.
Once I started hitting better I did go back to a normal backswing, but the fact that the no-backswing helped stuck in my mind.
I looked for the website I had originally visited to refresh my memory as to the "correct" technique, and I used it exclusively during my swings this morning.
After some experimentation, I found it particularly helpful to twist my torso back in preparation for my downswing instead of "pumping" my arms.
I read somewhere to think of the No Back Swing (NBS) like a baseball swing. You're like the batter at the plate, the bat in the ready position. As the pitcher releases you twist back just a bit before swinging.
To get another perspective on the NBS I decided to stand upright, hold my driver like a bat and take a few swings. The first thing I noticed was that my swing naturally started from my thighs and hips - exactly what I had been working on. Except with this swing I didn't need to work on it, it just happened.
I tried to keep that basesball feeling as when I addressed the ball in the normal manner. Once I got into the "set" position I started my swing by twisting away from the target. This worked really well. By starting the swing with a twist, the natural impulse is to straighten back - starting with the lower body.
After two sessions where I was trying to start my swing with my legs and come in behind the ball it was happening naturally, effortlessly, by using the NBS technique!
Now I could concentrate all my efforts on focusing on the back of the ball.
I feel like this is a big step in the right direction.
Here's the link to the site I used as a guide to my swing:
http://www.golf.com/golf/instruction/article/0,28136,1652866,00.html
I've decided to give the no-backswing golf swing a serious try.
One of the nice things about this winter session has been that I've got plenty of time to experiment.
I've learned a lot about my swing just by virtue of the number of swings I've made.
There's a certain mindless pleasure in just swinging my driver.
Anyway, at my last range session during a stretch when things weren't going particularly well, I started using a no-backswing swing as a method of simplifying things.
Here's some video of me trying the no-backswing-swing:
http//www.youtube.com/my_videos_timedtext?video_id=vFzD_SycsMU
All of a sudden there were a hundred thoughts going through my head as to what I should be doing, and I had completely lost my concentration.
My backswing felt extremely awkward: "have I taken the club back far enough?", "it doesn't feel right", etc.
I started using the no-backswing w/out really thinking about it, and I did start hitting the ball better, mainly because it cleared all the backswing thoughts out of my mind.
Once I started hitting better I did go back to a normal backswing, but the fact that the no-backswing helped stuck in my mind.
I looked for the website I had originally visited to refresh my memory as to the "correct" technique, and I used it exclusively during my swings this morning.
After some experimentation, I found it particularly helpful to twist my torso back in preparation for my downswing instead of "pumping" my arms.
I read somewhere to think of the No Back Swing (NBS) like a baseball swing. You're like the batter at the plate, the bat in the ready position. As the pitcher releases you twist back just a bit before swinging.
To get another perspective on the NBS I decided to stand upright, hold my driver like a bat and take a few swings. The first thing I noticed was that my swing naturally started from my thighs and hips - exactly what I had been working on. Except with this swing I didn't need to work on it, it just happened.
I tried to keep that basesball feeling as when I addressed the ball in the normal manner. Once I got into the "set" position I started my swing by twisting away from the target. This worked really well. By starting the swing with a twist, the natural impulse is to straighten back - starting with the lower body.
After two sessions where I was trying to start my swing with my legs and come in behind the ball it was happening naturally, effortlessly, by using the NBS technique!
Now I could concentrate all my efforts on focusing on the back of the ball.
I feel like this is a big step in the right direction.
Here's the link to the site I used as a guide to my swing:
http://www.golf.com/golf/instruction/article/0,28136,1652866,00.html
More work in the lab...
3-25-09:
Still working on eye on ball, starting swing w/ hips.
I'm getting better at keeping my eye on the ball.
If I'm thinking of driving through the edge of the coin I end up "driving" the coin at least once in a while.
I'm not sure why I can't do this every time.
I'm having a harder time with the start of my swing.
I still have an overwhelming tendency to start each swing by swinging my arms.
Thinking of throwing the club helps.
I need to compare the TS with the Hogan start.
Maybe they are the same.
Also, I need to relax my arms.
A big problem is tensing my arms when I start my swing, and then swinging hard with my arms.
I've learned in tennis that to serve hard you need to relax your muscles.
The same must be true in golf.
The muscles in my arms must be relaxed as I swing - and don't try to swing fast.
This may be what I've done in the past at the range when my first shots are good - I swing w/out thinking or trying, which means that I don't tense my arms at the start of the downswing.
Something else to work on.
I'd like to get to the point where I'm just swinging rhythmically while focusing on the back of the ball.
Still working on eye on ball, starting swing w/ hips.
I'm getting better at keeping my eye on the ball.
If I'm thinking of driving through the edge of the coin I end up "driving" the coin at least once in a while.
I'm not sure why I can't do this every time.
I'm having a harder time with the start of my swing.
I still have an overwhelming tendency to start each swing by swinging my arms.
Thinking of throwing the club helps.
I need to compare the TS with the Hogan start.
Maybe they are the same.
Also, I need to relax my arms.
A big problem is tensing my arms when I start my swing, and then swinging hard with my arms.
I've learned in tennis that to serve hard you need to relax your muscles.
The same must be true in golf.
The muscles in my arms must be relaxed as I swing - and don't try to swing fast.
This may be what I've done in the past at the range when my first shots are good - I swing w/out thinking or trying, which means that I don't tense my arms at the start of the downswing.
Something else to work on.
I'd like to get to the point where I'm just swinging rhythmically while focusing on the back of the ball.
Some Reflections
3-23-09:
I felt like my last trip to the range was a milestone but ended my last entry w/out being able to clearly explain why.
After ruminating about it over the weekend I'm left with the thought that instead of trying to improve my swing in general, I've discovered two things to work on.
Enough progress has been made that I can now narrow my focus.
I've gone from trying to find my golf swing to trying to improve just two aspects of my swing.
And "improve" is probably not the correct word.
I don't need to improve keeping my eye on the ball, I just need to do it.
And I don't need to improve starting my golf swing with my legs, again, I just need to do it.
When I do both of the above I hit the ball straight, when I don't I slice.
Neither of these things would seem to be that difficult, but I do have a problem doing them both consistently.
I think that one of the reasons for this is that I swing too hard. So I'm going to add slowing down my swing to my list of things to work on.
BTW, I saw a program on the golf channel over the weekend that had Hank Haney trying to improve Charles Barkley's swing.
At the end of the episode, Barkley's swing had improved - but, it seemed to me that he had adopted a "no backswing" backswing.
Not a classic NBS, but he just brought the club straight up, not back or around. And he was able to hit an effective shot from this position by making a "normal" downswing.
I felt like my last trip to the range was a milestone but ended my last entry w/out being able to clearly explain why.
After ruminating about it over the weekend I'm left with the thought that instead of trying to improve my swing in general, I've discovered two things to work on.
Enough progress has been made that I can now narrow my focus.
I've gone from trying to find my golf swing to trying to improve just two aspects of my swing.
And "improve" is probably not the correct word.
I don't need to improve keeping my eye on the ball, I just need to do it.
And I don't need to improve starting my golf swing with my legs, again, I just need to do it.
When I do both of the above I hit the ball straight, when I don't I slice.
Neither of these things would seem to be that difficult, but I do have a problem doing them both consistently.
I think that one of the reasons for this is that I swing too hard. So I'm going to add slowing down my swing to my list of things to work on.
BTW, I saw a program on the golf channel over the weekend that had Hank Haney trying to improve Charles Barkley's swing.
At the end of the episode, Barkley's swing had improved - but, it seemed to me that he had adopted a "no backswing" backswing.
Not a classic NBS, but he just brought the club straight up, not back or around. And he was able to hit an effective shot from this position by making a "normal" downswing.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
More lab work...
3-16-09:
This post is out of order - I wish there was a way to reorder the posts I've made.
Took a few swings this morning. I'm becoming more and more convinced that I need to
a) start my swing with my hips & come in behind the ball -and-
b) keep my eyes on the contact point.
I'm still having some difficulty keeping eye contact with my contact point, but I'm improving. I am going to start keeping records of each session: 20 swings. Eye contact. Swing path. This way I can see if I'm actually making any progress.
Also worth mentioning: I think that trying to keep my left arm straight is the main factor in my slice.
The muscular effort required to keep the left arm straight causes me to lock my arm into it's final position at the top of my backswing so that I end up keeping my left arm and wrists stiff during my down swing.
For now I'm not going to be concerned with the way my swing looks, but just try for some rhythm, and concentrate on getting my hips out of the way and coming in behind the ball w/ my eyes focused on the contact point.
This post is out of order - I wish there was a way to reorder the posts I've made.
Took a few swings this morning. I'm becoming more and more convinced that I need to
a) start my swing with my hips & come in behind the ball -and-
b) keep my eyes on the contact point.
I'm still having some difficulty keeping eye contact with my contact point, but I'm improving. I am going to start keeping records of each session: 20 swings. Eye contact. Swing path. This way I can see if I'm actually making any progress.
Also worth mentioning: I think that trying to keep my left arm straight is the main factor in my slice.
The muscular effort required to keep the left arm straight causes me to lock my arm into it's final position at the top of my backswing so that I end up keeping my left arm and wrists stiff during my down swing.
For now I'm not going to be concerned with the way my swing looks, but just try for some rhythm, and concentrate on getting my hips out of the way and coming in behind the ball w/ my eyes focused on the contact point.
Another trip to the range...
3-20-09:
Went to the range w/ Steven yesterday afternoon.
I thought things went pretty well. That's the first time I've been able to say that in a while.
At the beginning of the session we took turns each hitting four balls.
I was "successful" about half the time.
During the middle 3/5 of the session I regressed to my old slice swing and my old remedies to try and fix it.
For the last dozen balls or so I got back to what I had been working on for the last two weeks: starting my swing with my legs and keeping my eye on the ball.
I did pretty well at the end, and I felt that I had "proved" my swing.
Through my observation and experimentation over the last two weeks I feel like I've discovered the fundamentals of a swing that works for me.
In other words I think I know what I have to do to hit the ball straight, and, just as important, I feel like I'm capable of do it.
I've mentally graded each swing I've made over the last two weeks: did I swing the way I intended? Did I start the swing with my legs? Did I keep my eye on the ball (coin)?
When I did both of these things I felt I had made a good swing, but I wondered whether my "good" swings would actually produce good shots.
I proved at the range yesterday that they did, and I consider this at least a minor milestone.
Let me take a few minutes to review my goals and the progress I've made.
One of my goals was to develop a swing that would result in a consistent, straight shot off the tee. While I don't have a such a swing yet I now feel like I'm making steady progress.
Another major goal was to see if I could, by experimentation, find a method to develop a good swing. I think I've have found that method and hope to refine and improve it as I continue to work on my swing.
Went to the range w/ Steven yesterday afternoon.
I thought things went pretty well. That's the first time I've been able to say that in a while.
At the beginning of the session we took turns each hitting four balls.
I was "successful" about half the time.
During the middle 3/5 of the session I regressed to my old slice swing and my old remedies to try and fix it.
For the last dozen balls or so I got back to what I had been working on for the last two weeks: starting my swing with my legs and keeping my eye on the ball.
I did pretty well at the end, and I felt that I had "proved" my swing.
Through my observation and experimentation over the last two weeks I feel like I've discovered the fundamentals of a swing that works for me.
In other words I think I know what I have to do to hit the ball straight, and, just as important, I feel like I'm capable of do it.
I've mentally graded each swing I've made over the last two weeks: did I swing the way I intended? Did I start the swing with my legs? Did I keep my eye on the ball (coin)?
When I did both of these things I felt I had made a good swing, but I wondered whether my "good" swings would actually produce good shots.
I proved at the range yesterday that they did, and I consider this at least a minor milestone.
Let me take a few minutes to review my goals and the progress I've made.
One of my goals was to develop a swing that would result in a consistent, straight shot off the tee. While I don't have a such a swing yet I now feel like I'm making steady progress.
Another major goal was to see if I could, by experimentation, find a method to develop a good swing. I think I've have found that method and hope to refine and improve it as I continue to work on my swing.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I discovered what Ben Hogan already knew
3-18-09
I've been keeping golf diary up to date, but not this blog - so I occasionally have some issues with the chronology of events.
As no one seems to be following this blog, it can not be considered a serious issue.
Anyway, one of the things I've been working on is starting my downswing with my legs, hips, and midsection.
Actually, I like to think of the swing starting at the soles of my feet and travelling up through my body so that by the time the impulse of force gets to my hands I've achieved a sort of "crack the whip" effect.
That's the idea anyway, but my natural impulse is to start the downswing by swinging my arms.
So what I've been working on for the last couple of weeks is to really concentrate on starting my swing by twisting (uncoiling) my knees, thighs, and midsection so that I can come in behind the ball with my hands.
While doing some "research" on the Internet I came across this short instruction video by Ben Hogan that illustrates exactly what I've been trying to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_6M_xZvq0
I found it helpful and informative.
I've been keeping golf diary up to date, but not this blog - so I occasionally have some issues with the chronology of events.
As no one seems to be following this blog, it can not be considered a serious issue.
Anyway, one of the things I've been working on is starting my downswing with my legs, hips, and midsection.
Actually, I like to think of the swing starting at the soles of my feet and travelling up through my body so that by the time the impulse of force gets to my hands I've achieved a sort of "crack the whip" effect.
That's the idea anyway, but my natural impulse is to start the downswing by swinging my arms.
So what I've been working on for the last couple of weeks is to really concentrate on starting my swing by twisting (uncoiling) my knees, thighs, and midsection so that I can come in behind the ball with my hands.
While doing some "research" on the Internet I came across this short instruction video by Ben Hogan that illustrates exactly what I've been trying to do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_6M_xZvq0
I found it helpful and informative.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Some background information
How I started down this path.
About three years ago I had an epiphany. I was walking back to my office, muttering to myself, thinking about what I was going to do next. A thought popped into my head that made me stop in my tracks - "what I was going to do next...". The realization came to me that that was all I had been thinking about all day - what I was going to do next. I mentally reviewed what I had done that morning: the emails, the faxes, the quotes I had put together, and during each task I was always thinking about what I needed to get done next. It was like I was a step out of sync, never giving any attention to what I was currently doing. No wonder I had to check to see if I'd locked the door three times before I left work each night. Now I could see why I was always losing pens and misplacing folders - I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. What good does it do to focus your attention on what your going to do next instead of what you're doing right now? And how long had I been doing this? I knew it was longer that just this morning - but surely not my entire life. That evening, while these thoughts were still on my mind, I happened upon an article in the paper about "Mindfulness".
Mindfulness. Paying attention to what you're doing. I became interested in intention, attention, mindfulness and awareness. I read a book on meditation. I meditated. While meditating, as I focused on my breathing, I became aware of the thoughts that were constantly going through my mind. It was amazing how many thoughts there were, and how easy it was to "jump on the train" as one thought led to another. How random these thoughts were. Sometimes the train of thought led in a circle, one thought leading to another until I was finally back to the first thought - and then around the circle again (and again, and again). There was another mode I noticed myself going into from time to time where it was like I was explaining to someone else what was happening to me. Kind of a running commentary. This happened a lot during my drive home from work. "Some guy pulled in front of me and then stopped" "Oh, and then I got behind a guy who had his blinker on, at first I thought he was going to turn, then I tried to get around him but every time I switched lanes the car in that lane wanted to turn right..." I could spend a twenty minute drive home in this mode. Without realizing what I was doing. I wondered if it was possible to live your entire life in this unconscious state.
What does any of this have to do with golf? Well, while I was searching for information on awareness and mindfulness I came across an article by a golf pro who said that most players would be better off without instruction, that their play would improve if they just went out and swung the club. I remembered this article as I started thinking about my upcoming summer of golf and I wondered what really happened during my swing. What thoughts were going through my mind? Where was my attention? After my fiirst trip to the driving range it occurred to me that I did not need to be on a golf course to answer these questions, all I needed was enough room to swing a golf club. And as I searched for awareness, golf, mental, etc. I came across some other ideas that I thought might be interesting to try - and so the idea of the golf lab was born.
About three years ago I had an epiphany. I was walking back to my office, muttering to myself, thinking about what I was going to do next. A thought popped into my head that made me stop in my tracks - "what I was going to do next...". The realization came to me that that was all I had been thinking about all day - what I was going to do next. I mentally reviewed what I had done that morning: the emails, the faxes, the quotes I had put together, and during each task I was always thinking about what I needed to get done next. It was like I was a step out of sync, never giving any attention to what I was currently doing. No wonder I had to check to see if I'd locked the door three times before I left work each night. Now I could see why I was always losing pens and misplacing folders - I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. What good does it do to focus your attention on what your going to do next instead of what you're doing right now? And how long had I been doing this? I knew it was longer that just this morning - but surely not my entire life. That evening, while these thoughts were still on my mind, I happened upon an article in the paper about "Mindfulness".
Mindfulness. Paying attention to what you're doing. I became interested in intention, attention, mindfulness and awareness. I read a book on meditation. I meditated. While meditating, as I focused on my breathing, I became aware of the thoughts that were constantly going through my mind. It was amazing how many thoughts there were, and how easy it was to "jump on the train" as one thought led to another. How random these thoughts were. Sometimes the train of thought led in a circle, one thought leading to another until I was finally back to the first thought - and then around the circle again (and again, and again). There was another mode I noticed myself going into from time to time where it was like I was explaining to someone else what was happening to me. Kind of a running commentary. This happened a lot during my drive home from work. "Some guy pulled in front of me and then stopped" "Oh, and then I got behind a guy who had his blinker on, at first I thought he was going to turn, then I tried to get around him but every time I switched lanes the car in that lane wanted to turn right..." I could spend a twenty minute drive home in this mode. Without realizing what I was doing. I wondered if it was possible to live your entire life in this unconscious state.
What does any of this have to do with golf? Well, while I was searching for information on awareness and mindfulness I came across an article by a golf pro who said that most players would be better off without instruction, that their play would improve if they just went out and swung the club. I remembered this article as I started thinking about my upcoming summer of golf and I wondered what really happened during my swing. What thoughts were going through my mind? Where was my attention? After my fiirst trip to the driving range it occurred to me that I did not need to be on a golf course to answer these questions, all I needed was enough room to swing a golf club. And as I searched for awareness, golf, mental, etc. I came across some other ideas that I thought might be interesting to try - and so the idea of the golf lab was born.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
2-16-09:
Another disappointing visit to the range over the weekend. Almost nothing went well. Scott did take some video and stills for me to look at and post on my blog.
I need to figure out how to make the throwing motion, throwing swing, throwing it (ie: swing hitting ball).
Also I notice that every swing is as hard and fast as I can make it. I need to develop and easy swing.
Also I need to go to the range with the idea of working on only 1 or 2 things.
It seems like once I start my swing it just goes on it's own, and its my old awkward feeling swing - so, as far as awareness goes, well there is no awareness, that's the problem, or at least part of the problem, all awareness just goes out the window.
Maybe this is the time I should just try to be aware of what I'm doing as things go to hell.
The "no backswing" method at least gives me chance to stop this from happening.
Also worth considering is Gladwell's 10,000 hours of practice rule.
Well, I'll try some swings before I leave tonight.
Monday, February 16, 2009
2-11-09:
Feel good today.
Swung a 8 lb medicine ball at the club this morning to loosen and stretch my back muscles.
My swings at the lab this morning really felt good!
After having a cappuccino and recovering from my morning work-out for about 20 min. I tried some swings in front of the bathroom mirror.
I was happy with what I saw, which is a good thing, because, in spite of everything, I need my swing to look good, to look right.
I have been thinking that all my swing experimentation is leading me nowhere, and that maybe the fundamentals of my swing are so far off that no matter what I do I don't have a chance of developing a smooth, consistent swing.
This morning my thoughts were that I wish I was starting to refine my swing instead of wondering if I needed to start over again from ground zero.
I think, I hope, that I've put all that behind me now and can start working the kinks out of my swing.
Also thought of a name for my blog - "breakin 80" or "breakingeighty". I need to get video of some swings, including my old crazy swing to show that I've made some progress.
Speaking of progress, that reminds me of what it was I was so excited about as I sat down to write this morning, my first two swings I hit the quarter!
Not the ground and the quarter, but just the quarter.
And you (whoever you are) have to realize that when I say I hit the quarter, I'm talking about hitting the edge of the quarter. Six out of ten times no less!
Anyway, I do feel good about my swing.
I wish that instead of just swinging the driver at a quarter this morning I was connecting with a teed up golf ball and watching it fly straight and true down the fairway.
I am certainly hopeful that my next driving range experience will prove out my swing.
Random thoughts:
It's not just that I want to improve, I feel compelled to post mortem, discuss everything I'm working on, and this discussing, obsessing does not seem to be of interest to many people, so I'm hoping the blog will turn out to be therapeutic as well as entertaining.
Feel good today.
Swung a 8 lb medicine ball at the club this morning to loosen and stretch my back muscles.
My swings at the lab this morning really felt good!
After having a cappuccino and recovering from my morning work-out for about 20 min. I tried some swings in front of the bathroom mirror.
I was happy with what I saw, which is a good thing, because, in spite of everything, I need my swing to look good, to look right.
I have been thinking that all my swing experimentation is leading me nowhere, and that maybe the fundamentals of my swing are so far off that no matter what I do I don't have a chance of developing a smooth, consistent swing.
This morning my thoughts were that I wish I was starting to refine my swing instead of wondering if I needed to start over again from ground zero.
I think, I hope, that I've put all that behind me now and can start working the kinks out of my swing.
Also thought of a name for my blog - "breakin 80" or "breakingeighty". I need to get video of some swings, including my old crazy swing to show that I've made some progress.
Speaking of progress, that reminds me of what it was I was so excited about as I sat down to write this morning, my first two swings I hit the quarter!
Not the ground and the quarter, but just the quarter.
And you (whoever you are) have to realize that when I say I hit the quarter, I'm talking about hitting the edge of the quarter. Six out of ten times no less!
Anyway, I do feel good about my swing.
I wish that instead of just swinging the driver at a quarter this morning I was connecting with a teed up golf ball and watching it fly straight and true down the fairway.
I am certainly hopeful that my next driving range experience will prove out my swing.
Random thoughts:
It's not just that I want to improve, I feel compelled to post mortem, discuss everything I'm working on, and this discussing, obsessing does not seem to be of interest to many people, so I'm hoping the blog will turn out to be therapeutic as well as entertaining.
2-9-09:
Went to the indoor range on Sat.
Wish I could say that things went swimmingly, that all my work in the "lab" came to fruition, but such was not the case. Things did not go well.
I hit a few good drives, but no more than I would have in any random session.
Why does having a golf ball teed up change everything?
I could not find my swing, could not keep my head still, and most definitely could not keep my eye on the ball.
Focus went completely from swinging the club to hitting the ball.
And, could not seem to make up my mind on what to focus on.
Had this happened during the "season" I would be ready to give up - it was that bad.
Felt like negative progress.
However, now that I'm a couple of days removed, and my emotions have settled, I can see I must change my course a bit.
First of all, I did notice a few things.
In all my range sessions my first or second drive is perfect.
It's like I check my position at the top of my backswing, and then swing with a completely blank mind - like my swing starts while I'm still checking my position and continues on before my awareness can catch up with it and the club hits the ball and the ball sails away straight and true and it's a perfect drive.
But this only happens once.
After that I'm careful that nothing gets under the radar.
And I don't try to duplicate the blank state because it seems to be just the opposite of what I'm trying to accomplish; instead of being totally aware during this swing I'm completely blank - aware of nothing. I'm not quite sure how I could duplicate this state even if I wanted to, but maybe, just for the hell of it, I should try.
Anyway, what were the positives?
Well, right at the end I decide to hit a few drives taking a big wind-up - but not my normal wind up (the term "backswing" doesn't really describe what I was doing).
I took the throwing swing to the max.
I tried to twist my upper body all the way around and just unleash it and my swing.
It was kind of a frustrated, "oh, what the hell" kind of swing.
I remember thinking as the impulse to do this entered my mind that I'm sure it will be impossible to even see the ball with my body twisted around so severely - but surprisingly it wasn't.
I could still keep my head relatively still and my eye on the ball - at least to the extent that I'm ever capable of doing so.
And I hit the ball pretty well.
Not perfect.
Not wonderful.
Not "Eureka, I've found it".
But pretty well.
If I had tried this at the beginning or even the middle of the session I might have played around with it a bit, but the way things had gone I decided to leave before I ruined this one glimmer of hope - plus I was already running late.
And, I thought this will give me something new to work on in the lab.
In the lab...
Just took about 40 swings.
Just doesn't feel natural.
Without the club I'm fine, but I can't seem to find the same rhythm once I've got the club in my hands.
It's like I twist my body back and then swing my arms forward.
I'm not sure what to try, I'm at a bit of a loss here.
2-6-09:
Took a few swings.
Felt weary this morning after arriving from the gym, muscles still tired.
Tried again after drinking my cappuccino - a little better.
I've found it helps to try to feel the motion while taking some throwing swings w/o the club.
I'm still trying to zero in on the difference between the 2 motions.
The Throwing Swing seems to start somewhere between my thighs and mid-section. Kind of reminds my of a swing I used to do just after college where I would start my swing by snapping my hips, opening them up so they faced the target. Might experiment with this - but - the TS is more flowing, and more toward the target.
Also, still working on my left arm.
In most sports some of your power comes from straightening out your bent arm (tennis serve, throwing, chopping wood to name a few), but for whatever reason golf does not seem to work that way.
I've always thought that the straight left arm had more to do with making your swing repeatable than generating power, but maybe that's not the case.
I noticed today that the first couple of times I tried to keep my left arm perfectly straight I felt my wrists snap or release at the contact point.
I have been trying to pay attention to my hands but until this morning haven't had much success. I've been concerned that although my swing is starting to feel pretty good that I'm still not releasing - which means I still might be slicing if I was actually hitting a ball.
I'll have to investigate the straight left arm - wrist snap connection next time I swing.
Also, no matter what else I'm working on, I need to be aware of my head - is it still?
Took a few swings.
Felt weary this morning after arriving from the gym, muscles still tired.
Tried again after drinking my cappuccino - a little better.
I've found it helps to try to feel the motion while taking some throwing swings w/o the club.
I'm still trying to zero in on the difference between the 2 motions.
The Throwing Swing seems to start somewhere between my thighs and mid-section. Kind of reminds my of a swing I used to do just after college where I would start my swing by snapping my hips, opening them up so they faced the target. Might experiment with this - but - the TS is more flowing, and more toward the target.
Also, still working on my left arm.
In most sports some of your power comes from straightening out your bent arm (tennis serve, throwing, chopping wood to name a few), but for whatever reason golf does not seem to work that way.
I've always thought that the straight left arm had more to do with making your swing repeatable than generating power, but maybe that's not the case.
I noticed today that the first couple of times I tried to keep my left arm perfectly straight I felt my wrists snap or release at the contact point.
I have been trying to pay attention to my hands but until this morning haven't had much success. I've been concerned that although my swing is starting to feel pretty good that I'm still not releasing - which means I still might be slicing if I was actually hitting a ball.
I'll have to investigate the straight left arm - wrist snap connection next time I swing.
Also, no matter what else I'm working on, I need to be aware of my head - is it still?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
2-5-09
Let me summarize my progress so far:
1. I'm starting to get more of a feel for the difference between the Throwing(TS) and Non-Throwing(NT) swings:
3. Progress does not happen as fast as I want it to. In fact, until I actually see how I'm hitting the ball, I can't be sure I've even made any progress. After reading or thinking about what I want to try in the "lab", I'm always expecting immediate results. They don't come that quick. But at the same time I'm kind of amazed at the progress I have made (or that I think I've made). My swing, esp with the driver, has never, ever felt natural, smooth or comfortable - now it's starting to. And I seem to be on a steady path of improvement and discovery - which is exactly what I was hoping for. I still haven't been able to come to any awareness of what my hands are doing - but I'm still hopeful that this will be my next breakthrough because I think the hands will prove to be very important.
4. Head still, eyes on the ball - I work on this every session with the hope that it will eventually become automatic.
Let me summarize my progress so far:
1. I'm starting to get more of a feel for the difference between the Throwing(TS) and Non-Throwing(NT) swings:
- (TS): much more of a body swing. torso rotates away from the target and downswing starts with the hips rotating and moving toward the target.
- (NT): more of an arm swing that goes up,down,up instead of back,around,through.
3. Progress does not happen as fast as I want it to. In fact, until I actually see how I'm hitting the ball, I can't be sure I've even made any progress. After reading or thinking about what I want to try in the "lab", I'm always expecting immediate results. They don't come that quick. But at the same time I'm kind of amazed at the progress I have made (or that I think I've made). My swing, esp with the driver, has never, ever felt natural, smooth or comfortable - now it's starting to. And I seem to be on a steady path of improvement and discovery - which is exactly what I was hoping for. I still haven't been able to come to any awareness of what my hands are doing - but I'm still hopeful that this will be my next breakthrough because I think the hands will prove to be very important.
4. Head still, eyes on the ball - I work on this every session with the hope that it will eventually become automatic.
I interviewed Scottish golf pro Kendal McWade for my tennis website www.AutomaticTennis.com about his unconventional methods of teaching. Kendal mentioned that he was influenced by Fred Shoemaker, and that he made the trip to America to learn his (Shoemaker's) methods.
With a little research I found that Shoemaker had written a book call "Extraordinary Golf". In this book Shoemaker describes an exercise that has his students throwing golf clubs, instead of swinging them.
His discussion of this exercise along with the "before" and "after" pictures is one of the things that inspired my own experiments.
The realization came to me that I was in a perfect position to experiment.
There was absolutely no part of my swing I was afraid of screwing up or losing.
I felt willing to try just about anything, even while out on the links.
But I was especially interesting in seeing what this club throwing actually felt like.
To this end I went to a local indoor driving range and tried to imagine I was throwing the club while still holding onto it.
I was surprised by both how much more natural swinging this way felt and how different is was from my normal swing.
I was hitting a 5-iron and was stunned when my first two shots were as close to perfect as I had ever come. Effortless. Smooth. Long, high shots with just a bit of draw.
Then things went to hell. Almost instantly.
I don't know why, but for the remaining 25 minutes we were at the range there were but a few jewels mixed in with the mud clods of my "normal" wild slices and sidewinding worm-burners.
Those few great shots were enough however to convince me that I was on to something.
I felt that this "throwing" swing was at least the right approach to the problem.
Throughout the week I found my thoughts returning to the driving range experience, and one morning threw my driver and six iron into the trunk of my car.
I thought that the ceilings at our store might be high enough to swing a club and that I didn't really need a range to get a feeling for what I had started thinking of as the "throwing swing".
After playing with the swing on a couple of mornings before work I decided to record my thoughts, feelings and progress in a diary.
The following posts will be those first diary entries.
With a little research I found that Shoemaker had written a book call "Extraordinary Golf". In this book Shoemaker describes an exercise that has his students throwing golf clubs, instead of swinging them.
His discussion of this exercise along with the "before" and "after" pictures is one of the things that inspired my own experiments.
The realization came to me that I was in a perfect position to experiment.
There was absolutely no part of my swing I was afraid of screwing up or losing.
I felt willing to try just about anything, even while out on the links.
But I was especially interesting in seeing what this club throwing actually felt like.
To this end I went to a local indoor driving range and tried to imagine I was throwing the club while still holding onto it.
I was surprised by both how much more natural swinging this way felt and how different is was from my normal swing.
I was hitting a 5-iron and was stunned when my first two shots were as close to perfect as I had ever come. Effortless. Smooth. Long, high shots with just a bit of draw.
Then things went to hell. Almost instantly.
I don't know why, but for the remaining 25 minutes we were at the range there were but a few jewels mixed in with the mud clods of my "normal" wild slices and sidewinding worm-burners.
Those few great shots were enough however to convince me that I was on to something.
I felt that this "throwing" swing was at least the right approach to the problem.
Throughout the week I found my thoughts returning to the driving range experience, and one morning threw my driver and six iron into the trunk of my car.
I thought that the ceilings at our store might be high enough to swing a club and that I didn't really need a range to get a feeling for what I had started thinking of as the "throwing swing".
After playing with the swing on a couple of mornings before work I decided to record my thoughts, feelings and progress in a diary.
The following posts will be those first diary entries.
2-4-09:
Just swung for about 5 min here in the office. Felt good.
Warmed up a bit with just a throwing motion - w/out club, I think this got me into the right frame of mind.
Don't know how this will translate to actually hitting the ball, but the throwing motion seems to be a winner.
And its a quite different motion then the one I'm used to.
Somehow I've had the idea that you swing should be like a pendulum - which might be fine for your short irons, but utterly and completely wrong for your driver.
I'm sure this is the reason why I've always had an outside-in swing, and also why I've never been able to keep my left arm even the slightest bit straight.
Also, now that I'm twisting my body in prep for the throw/swing I'm feeling something in my right arm I've never felt before. It's a kind of a tension, but not a bad tension, more like it's part of the loading process - and, it seems to be what helps keep my left arm straight (do I obsess about the left arm too much?).
A little off topic here, but reminds me of an article I saw in the Dr.'s waiting room the other day showing 3 different swing paths/planes depending on body type, basically:
slender build bring the club up high,
wide build bring the club more around -
So maybe this is another reason why the twisting motion seems to suite me.
Anyway, I feel like I'm making some progress in finding my swing - and - if this does end up improving my game, it would seem to be the best thing you could do.
If (big if) this does help, than I will have to conclude that this off the course, club only awareness practice is extremely useful.
Also, I think I'm making steady progress in keeping my head still and my eye on the ball (or quarter that I use when swinging at the office). Anyway, I'm anxious to get to the range and see if my imagined success will transfer at least that far.
Just swung for about 5 min here in the office. Felt good.
Warmed up a bit with just a throwing motion - w/out club, I think this got me into the right frame of mind.
Don't know how this will translate to actually hitting the ball, but the throwing motion seems to be a winner.
And its a quite different motion then the one I'm used to.
Somehow I've had the idea that you swing should be like a pendulum - which might be fine for your short irons, but utterly and completely wrong for your driver.
I'm sure this is the reason why I've always had an outside-in swing, and also why I've never been able to keep my left arm even the slightest bit straight.
Also, now that I'm twisting my body in prep for the throw/swing I'm feeling something in my right arm I've never felt before. It's a kind of a tension, but not a bad tension, more like it's part of the loading process - and, it seems to be what helps keep my left arm straight (do I obsess about the left arm too much?).
A little off topic here, but reminds me of an article I saw in the Dr.'s waiting room the other day showing 3 different swing paths/planes depending on body type, basically:
slender build bring the club up high,
wide build bring the club more around -
So maybe this is another reason why the twisting motion seems to suite me.
Anyway, I feel like I'm making some progress in finding my swing - and - if this does end up improving my game, it would seem to be the best thing you could do.
If (big if) this does help, than I will have to conclude that this off the course, club only awareness practice is extremely useful.
Also, I think I'm making steady progress in keeping my head still and my eye on the ball (or quarter that I use when swinging at the office). Anyway, I'm anxious to get to the range and see if my imagined success will transfer at least that far.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Here are the "ground rules" I've set up for this golf experiment.
3. 18 holes of golf every Saturday.
Now as far as my "Lab" goes, I found that if I move all the boxes out of the way in the back of our store there is just enough room to swing a driver. A quarter on the floor is my ersatz golf ball.
I live in Minnesota and it's winter here which means it's going to be a while before I'm able to get in my weekly 18.
This could be a good thing.
I'm hoping to develop a comfortable swing before being discouraged by the flight of the ball. After all, if the swing feels good I'm making progress, right?
Of course the flip side to this is that I'll end up perfecting a push slice swing.
That's where the weekly trip to the driving range comes in - as a real world proving ground for my discoveries in the lab.
Unfortunately, it's an indoor range, only about 50 or 60 yards long. So while it's easy to identify your terrible shots, you have to take what looks like a good shot with a grain of salt.
Edit Posts
1. Unlimited swing practice in the lab, but realistically I expect to spend about 15 minutes a day working on my swing.
2. Half an hour at the driving range once a week. This will be my chance to see if my lab work is bearing fruit.
3. 18 holes of golf every Saturday.
Now as far as my "Lab" goes, I found that if I move all the boxes out of the way in the back of our store there is just enough room to swing a driver. A quarter on the floor is my ersatz golf ball.
I live in Minnesota and it's winter here which means it's going to be a while before I'm able to get in my weekly 18.
This could be a good thing.
I'm hoping to develop a comfortable swing before being discouraged by the flight of the ball. After all, if the swing feels good I'm making progress, right?
Of course the flip side to this is that I'll end up perfecting a push slice swing.
That's where the weekly trip to the driving range comes in - as a real world proving ground for my discoveries in the lab.
Unfortunately, it's an indoor range, only about 50 or 60 yards long. So while it's easy to identify your terrible shots, you have to take what looks like a good shot with a grain of salt.
Edit Posts
Is it possible for a 55 year old man to go from the low 100's to the high 80's in one summer? And to make it more challenging, without taking any lessons?
At the beginning of February as I started down this path in earnest I started a diary to record my progress, thoughts, feelings and discoveries. Feeling there must be thousands of golfers trying to improve, I decided to make my efforts public in this blog with the hope of receiving advice, sympathy and criticism from anyone who cares to comment.
There are several reasons why 2009 seems like a good year to undertake this experiment, some of which I will get into at a later date. But for now let's just say it seems like it would be something interesting to try.
While researching information on the mental/psychological aspect of tennis I came across an incredible amount of information written about golf. Much of it was interesting, some of it was downright inspiring. The thought occurred to me that some of this stuff might actually work. "Sidesaddle putting" and "No Backswing golf swing" were two ideas that, for whatever reason, struck a chord. The idea of an experiment in golf also fit in well with some other ideas I become interested in over the last several years.
As far as my background goes, I'm a bad golfer.
I've played off and on for the last 40 years, but never with much regularity, and certainly without much "success". My youngest son videotaped me hitting golf balls into a net about seven years ago, and seeing my swing for the first time was so appalling that I gave up the game completely for the next couple of years. But, for various reasons, chief of which was the desire to spend some quality time with my boys, I came back into the fold - albeit reluctantly. My feelings toward golf can be summarized nicely by Mark Twain's quote:
"Golf is a good walk spoiled".
Also,
"Golf is a game that pits your skill and determination against the other guy's luck"
I think I read that in Reader's Digest.
And if I was to distill the one sure truth I've learned about golf over the last 40 years into a quote of my own it would be:
"No matter how well you're playing things can go to hell in an instant, and no matter how bad you're playing things can get worse"
Now if that hasn't scared off any golf purist who might have stumbled onto this blog, let me add the following.
I use the term "golf" loosely. Since I've gotten back into the game my play has been governed by a modified set of rules and regulations.
I make liberal and frequent use of my foot wedge. I refuse to let a good shot off the tee be ruined just because it lands in a fairway divot or behind some little piss ant tree.
If a ball flies so far off course so that it's out of bounds, lost in the woods, or lands in the water I usually walk where I estimate the ball left the fairway and play a new ball from there (in the fairway of course) without any penalty.
Balls landing in sand traps can be raked back onto the fairway.
I've probably made some other modifications that I can't think of right now, but you get the idea.
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