Well there hasn't been much to post about over the winter (if you would call it that this year). I played a bit but the swing has been stuck in something of a rut.
Handicap is stuck at 4.5 and for the last month I have been striking it like a dog for want of a better term. However, as always it seems to be cyclical and I am beginning to hit it better. The keys that have helped me turn it round this time are:
- trying to stay as wide as possible with the left arm (in effect pushing the left arm as far away from my chest as possible in the backswing.)
- keeping the right elbow close to my side on the backswing
The net effect of this is that my forearms stay very close to each other on the backswing. This gives me much more width and hence more speed. This move also seems to require less compensation on the downswing and as a result I'm striking it better. Here's hoping this is not another false dawn.
I'm left with 5 months to get to scratch. I need some sort of breakthrough if I am to realize this goal. Watch this space.
Showing posts with label how to get to scratch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to get to scratch. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Sunday, April 17, 2011
April 2011
Well its been a long time since I had anything to say about my quest to get to scratch. In all honesty I feel less and less convinced that it is a realistically achievable goal, however I'm going to push on.
I started hitting balls again about 6 weeks ago. The elbow is better but a long way from being fully recovered. I doubt it will ever be fully right however it is manageable - I just wont be able to hit a lot of range balls. This means the quality of my practice will have to improve.
I got fitted for and purchased a new set of irons - Titleist AP2s, 2 degrees flat with Dynamic Gold S300 shafts. They are great clubs. I am struggling to adjust to how high they flight the ball but thats an adjustment I am willing to make.
Since I started back, I have played 4 rounds. I only broke 80 once, however I am starting to feel it is coming round. My hiatus seems to have helped eradicate the driving problems that plagued last year. In relation to improved practice quality - I have made one commitment to myself. I refuse to hit a single range ball without making sure my ball position is right. To do this, I will use alignment poles. I played a round lately with my teaching pro and was shocked when he said my ball position was terrible but sure enough he was right. How frustrating that I can't even get the simplest of concepts such as ball position right!!!
One other development - over the years I have had two particular swing flaws the I struggled to eliminate - the bent left elbow and the club getting behind me on the backswing. Well, I think I have finally settled on the key to eliminating this problem - I need to keep both elbows and forearms much closer together on the backswing. Essentially instead of relying on the left arm to keep the left arm straight, I can get a little help from the right arm!
Handicap is at 3.9 now and rising. Hopefully that will change a little over the next few months.
I started hitting balls again about 6 weeks ago. The elbow is better but a long way from being fully recovered. I doubt it will ever be fully right however it is manageable - I just wont be able to hit a lot of range balls. This means the quality of my practice will have to improve.
I got fitted for and purchased a new set of irons - Titleist AP2s, 2 degrees flat with Dynamic Gold S300 shafts. They are great clubs. I am struggling to adjust to how high they flight the ball but thats an adjustment I am willing to make.
Since I started back, I have played 4 rounds. I only broke 80 once, however I am starting to feel it is coming round. My hiatus seems to have helped eradicate the driving problems that plagued last year. In relation to improved practice quality - I have made one commitment to myself. I refuse to hit a single range ball without making sure my ball position is right. To do this, I will use alignment poles. I played a round lately with my teaching pro and was shocked when he said my ball position was terrible but sure enough he was right. How frustrating that I can't even get the simplest of concepts such as ball position right!!!
One other development - over the years I have had two particular swing flaws the I struggled to eliminate - the bent left elbow and the club getting behind me on the backswing. Well, I think I have finally settled on the key to eliminating this problem - I need to keep both elbows and forearms much closer together on the backswing. Essentially instead of relying on the left arm to keep the left arm straight, I can get a little help from the right arm!
Handicap is at 3.9 now and rising. Hopefully that will change a little over the next few months.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Pivot and Hinge
When I had my first lesson with TW, I asked about his teaching philosophy. He told me that from a technical standpoint we would work on 5 main keys - Grip, Posture, Stance, Pivot and Hinge.
The Grip, Posture and Stance elements have been reasonably easy to consume (although I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have them spot on).
The 'dynamic' elements of the swing - pivot and hinge, have been much more of a challenge. Essentially the body (torso and hips) make a pivot (backswing and downswing) while the elbow and wrist hinge and unhinge.
I feel that I have consumed the hinge quite well. However, to this point, I am still struggling with the pivot. I have this tendency to drop the right shoulder on the downswing and for some reason, I am having an incredibly difficult time eradicating this move. By all accounts it is a killer. Without getting too technical, I think I have always done it because I am conscious at the top of the backswing that the club has to move along way downwards to get to strike the ball. Incorrectly, I have been accomplishing this by dropping my right shoulder and throwing the hands down at the club.
This downward motion of the clubhead needs to be achieved by unhinging the right elbow and uncocking of the wrists at impact while making a level turn/pivot.
This is something that I need to work on a lot over the next couple of weeks.
On a side note, I got my hands on a copy of Homer Kelley's The Golfing Machine. Seems interesting but an extremely difficult read, so much so that I had to order another book that breaks it down into more simple terms.
The Grip, Posture and Stance elements have been reasonably easy to consume (although I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have them spot on).
The 'dynamic' elements of the swing - pivot and hinge, have been much more of a challenge. Essentially the body (torso and hips) make a pivot (backswing and downswing) while the elbow and wrist hinge and unhinge.
I feel that I have consumed the hinge quite well. However, to this point, I am still struggling with the pivot. I have this tendency to drop the right shoulder on the downswing and for some reason, I am having an incredibly difficult time eradicating this move. By all accounts it is a killer. Without getting too technical, I think I have always done it because I am conscious at the top of the backswing that the club has to move along way downwards to get to strike the ball. Incorrectly, I have been accomplishing this by dropping my right shoulder and throwing the hands down at the club.
This downward motion of the clubhead needs to be achieved by unhinging the right elbow and uncocking of the wrists at impact while making a level turn/pivot.
This is something that I need to work on a lot over the next couple of weeks.
On a side note, I got my hands on a copy of Homer Kelley's The Golfing Machine. Seems interesting but an extremely difficult read, so much so that I had to order another book that breaks it down into more simple terms.
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