The Practice Swing and the Real Thing

Don, I think you might have missed what many of us really feel when we get set up to the ball. We are addressing the ball and aligning correctly until the downswing, then we tense up/grip a fraction tighter at impact!  I have been playing for 35+ years and carry a 12 handicap and even now I occasionally start to tense up on the downswing just before impact. That causes me to normally hit the ball toward the toe and sometimes thin in the sweet spot.

What's your thoughts on maintaining the same grip pressure through out the swing?

I'm back, sigh!

Don's natural excitement for golf gets him going pretty quickly. For better or worse, he is who he is and that's not likely to change. In the actual lesson videos he's a bit more metered in his delivery, but for these daily tips, it's pure, high-speed Surge. You just have to learn to listen faster. ;-)

Amos, which canal? At Kenny Mac? We should get together one day to challenge the local courses. saltriver @yahoo.com
Alex

It would be better to choke down rather than just have the club cut by someone who has no idea the correct way to do a cut down.

I so wanted to say something along those lines but went with the tale below instead.
*tips his cap at the T-man*

Gary, I've noticed that I need to keep my mind free from mechanics during the swing. So in  my practice swing I say to myself iether 'back..thru' or 'one and two'. This way I'm in rythym and tempo and that's all. That is why all the thinking and lining up and practice happens better(for me) behind the ball. Once I step into the "hitting zone" all I want to think about is a tempo rythym. This helps me avoid the blues.

They feel toe heavy because that's where they put the weight since most amateurs miss towards the toe.  But the missing towards the toe is not normally a swing issue as much as ball placement and too much toe down effect through the swing. (created by having a large club head with weight further out from the center of gravity producing the droop).

As far as to the shot patterns it becomes an alignment and swing issue since when you aim at the pin it misses left and when you play for it you miss right.  They may be come compensation having to be made for the clubs as well.  Without having you with me in person I can't give any more information.

If you like the heads, a good fitter can "fix" them where they fit you.

Try swinging with your eyes closed KK3! It takes all the 'hit at' the ball feelings out of the equation. I, like many others, changed with the wee white pill in front of me. Tensed up at impact, tried to steer the club with the right forefinger and thumb [two spoilers of a good swing]etc,etc.
When I closed my eyes [not a ball in sight] and went through the swing,it was much easier to be in tune with the swing.With eyes closed, the other senses kick in,ie, hearing and touch particularly. I found it was MUCH easier to feel the swing and nice 'whooshing' sound as the clubhead burned the grass. It became MUCH easier to identify, hitting from the top or lack of weight transfer. Find a nice tempo song you like and swing the club at that tempo. The biggest plus for me, was probably with my eyes closed I was able to sense the 'weightlessness' of the club at the top of the backswing, triggering the hip bump and it all just happened. BUS-FUS!
Hitting balls with my eyes closed was and still is a breeze. I would use it on the course without hesitation, once GBSAPS [Grip/Ball posn/Stance/ALIGNMENT/Posture and finally Swing away. Why Not? If everything else is taken care of what is left, but completing the swing and admire the result?

Maybe you are suffering Paralysis by Analysis Keith?

Maybe San Marcos. The canal crosses the first hole there.

Keith--I have a different take on the problem you posted about.  It's possible that you may just be in a slump from what you described.  Athletes in all sports go into slumps where things stop working; batting slups, shooting slumps, etc.  Unless it is due to a case of nerves, it may simply be due to loss of focus on the basics.  I go into slumps in all three sports in which I compete in tournaments.  The funny thing is that the slumps usually come when things are going too well, and I find that I started doing things so automatically (which seems to be the ideal situation) that I my fundamentals got corrupted.  Each time, I had to go back to the basics, relearn the fundamentals, and add to my knowledge base instead of merely trying to hit my way out of the slump.  Good, natural athletes can hit their way out of a slump, but I can't.  The good thing about figuring your way out of a slump is that you'll come out of it much faster the next time you go into a similar slump. Good luck.

Effervescence

I am not sure exactly what you said, as I just fast forward through your crap until I got to the last sentence.  I only read the first 5 words of your last sentence.  Your system of skipping all the stuff you don't want to hear or read sure seems to work. 

I completely agree with the five words I read.  You don't think.

The other thing I did was click on your fake picture and read some of your comments on other golf sites.  You seem to think everyone's video are too long.  Are you in that big of a hurry in life?  Do you play a round of golf in an hour and a half?

Next time, save yourself the 20 minutes you wasted today by just not posting anything.  Think about how much time that would have saved you.

Go to sleep fool,
Dick

I am still trying to get the swing right so I can feel the swing and at the minute have got a little lost. I am making really good contact at times with my irons, a mixed bag- some a little right, some straight left, straight and a couple chunky. My driver is terrible, mainly bannana right.
I seem to have lost the smoothness in my swing, what smoothness I had!
So I have kind of lost the swing I had a couple of days ago, what I have to take away from today is I hit 100, last week 96, the week before a bad 106. So the last two weeks I have been more consistent with better contact, if I ever do put the bad shots to bed and get my driver going it shouldn't be long before hopefully I am consistently hitting around the 85-90 mark.
Even though my 100 score today was only a little higher than 96 last week I feel I have taken a step backwards.
A lack of confidence and a brick wall at the moment, as I pretty much know the Surge swing it is even more frustrating as it is hard to find what more can I do, my body & mind just are not putting it together.
Or am I asking for too much and shouldn't expect much for a couple of years.
Is this just how it is no matter what swing you are learning?     

Balance is maintained by assuming the correct athletic address position and swinging at the maximum speed that allows you to stay in control of the swing.  Proper weight transfer is also essential to maintaining balance.

Timing is maintained primarily through practice.  This is why touring pros hit as many balls as they do.  They may work some on particular shots but the primary focus of range time is ingraining their timing and proper ball position.

Ability should not change with age necessarily therefore handicap should be able to be maintained.  The key is that as you get older to move to the appropriate set of tees that you are still "playing on a level playing field".

Keith,

It sounds like you fight many of the same things that I do. I discovered recently that I tend to hit better shots when I keep the target in my mind's eye. When I get to wrapped up in mechanics, I forget about my target and chaos ensues.

(Back by popular demand) I hate to burst your narcissistic bubble, BUT, nobody really gives a crap about what you think. We would all rather listen to 8 minutes of Don, than one minute of your whining nonsense.

Robert, Like you , I try only to concentrate on my rhythm once I'm in my posture at address. I also have a lil tune I sing to myself from the start of pre-shot routine until I conclude at the T-finish seems to at least help keep my mind clear of mechanics during my swing. I literally try to "throw a rock from end to end"  under-handed, of course.

Doc

Great to have you back with us.

Hope you had a wonderful trip.

Missed you,
Dick

I know Don advises maintaining consistent grip pressure throughout the swing, so I agree that it would be interesting to hear if he has any specific advice about how to try to be sure we're doing that. I know that I, too, can get a bit tight with the grip sometimes so I try to squeeze my fingers on the grip and then ease back part way. I think the feeling of easing off a little helps me keep a consistent mid-strength grip rather than trying to only grip to that point.

possibly even "that fitter" , you never know.

I tend to have a light grip, due to a little arthritis in the knuckles, so I take my interlocking grip and squeeze fairly tightly, then relax my hands. This loosens my forearm muscles nicely without spoiling my grip. Seems to help me a lot.

Geez Boog -

I thought it was going to be the freakin "Twilight Zone."  ;-)

Bruce

SGW:

  NO I did not know that. Interesting information,

  I met a long time Chandler police officer at Breakfast a few days ago. We got to discussing local area golf courses and I found out that Bear Creek used to be a sugar beet farm with as flat a landscape as the rest of this valley. Then Jack Nicklaus designed a golf course there -- in came the earth movers and now it has significant elevation changes -- and several blind second shots due to uphill slopes in the tee shot landing areas.

    keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

    Amos

Surge, thanks for another great shot of the back porch and the tip wasn't bad either. Definitely a concern of mine when the mechanics try to invade the space between my ears while I'm getting ready to swing the feel. I know this will sound ridiculous to a lot of folks , or goofy, but you should all know me by now, I'm reminded of the movie "Happy Gilmore" and Chubs telling Happy to go to his "happy place". That's about the approach I need to take, find that non-mechanical place in my mind and let the fluidity of the swing I know and trust take over.
Boog

Hey Keith,

Some of it depends on the individual and how well they pick up complex physical movements. Think about how quickly you learned any other sport like cricket or whatever (as I recall, you're in the UK, so you likely didn't grow up with baseball). It can be a steep learning curve at times, as the golf swing isn't a very natural motion. Anxiety also doesn't help it much. Don't worry about hitting balls for a few days and just try to work in front of a mirror, or with your camera on moving your body through the swing over and over.

Yep, that would be me! LOL

LMAO...Are you really Jack in Boog's body? Who are you really and what did you do with Boog?

Whoever you are you just described my round today. So before leave Doc's place plese see if ya cud git one o them driverfairwaywoodironhybrid3*rescue thingys. I need all the help I can get.

Only took me about 5 minutes to stop laughing and get back in my chair.

Lynn42

It's back! I had second thoughts after the original post, but since others who saw it liked it, and others wanted to know what I said after I removed it. I have now had a third thought to re-post it at the original site and here.

Evopeln623
I hate to burst your narcissistic bubble, BUT, nobody really gives a crap about what you think. We would all rather listen to 8 minutes of Don, than one minute of your whining nonsense.

Yo, Doc, you back in the zone or still lagging?

Thanks Robert,
Sometimes we forget the simple things. I did this for years but as of late I have competely been engrossed with the more complicated things of learning the new swing!
 

hi doc.  i have to adress my club almost off the heel to catch the sweet spot.  i suspected that the fault was dropping the club too far inside on the down swing.  ive tried moving the ball around to no avail.  going vertical seems to help a little but my "ahaa" moment came when you explained clubhead droop.  now i just set up off the heal and let it go.  will going more upright mitigate the problem> 

Shortgamewizard:

    Precisely.  This year I have palyed all of my golf at San Marcos-- it is close by, I like the design and the price is attractive.
    I occasionaly make the trek to Orange Tree in South Scottsdale - but that is a once a month thing in the Summer -- good course -- tricky layout though.
    I also play Bear Creek, Ahwautkee Country Club and on very rare occasions, Western Skies.
    So far I have not played Kenny Mac or Dobson Ranch. I am told that Dobson Ranch is a very good muni course, but difficult for a single to get on.

    Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG

    Amos

Hey Boog.  I talked to the Doc this morning and he's back on the clock and in the zone, just merrily working away. lol.  R2

One of my early golf lessons, pre-ppgs, was using the Gary Player action of taking a step toward the target after swinging.  The purpose was to get my body to transition to the front foot and not stay back or create a reverse C.  The drill actually made me aware of getting my weight transferred forward.  I still do it every now and then with the Surge swing whenever I feel I am getting stuck or staying back.

Has anyone ever watched Gary Player swing the club.  At least he used to have this little walk over step with his right foot after he hit the ball.  Eventhough he does this little walk overstep he still seems to be in balance.  I tend to do the same thing after I have hit my shot.  I don't feel lilke I any out of Dynamic balance but wonder if I really am.  Anyone have a comment.  Surge, would really like to hear what you say about this.
BMullen

It may seem like I'm stating the obvious but make sure your club grips are in good condition. They should be replaced at least once a year -- more often if you are lucky enough to play year-round or several times a week.  If you use a glove, recognize when it's time to unwrap a new one, too.  Beyond the physical improvement to club control that fresh grips and a new glove provide, I find there is a psychological effect from knowing the club won't slip in my hands and that helps me keep my grip pressure relaxed.  As Yogi says, 90% of the game is half mental.

T Medley:

   Why are you holding back? Bring out the BIG guns, fella!!   ROFLMAO
 
    Amos

Thanks, R2, I noticed his blog activity has picked up the last day or two. Well, I'm off to hit the sheets, we're picking up our last apprentice class of the season tomorrow. Boog

Don: For most of my adult life I have been a guy who came up early on most of my golf swings. I'm 6 4 and knew I could hit the ball. I'v tried professional help on a couple of occassions and nothing. Finally I start watching your series and it just makes sense., I make sure my knees are bent the same angle. Not 1 pro ever told me that until you said it. Now I stick my butt out and bend the knees all the way through thanks to you. My handicap in 3 weeks has gone from 21 to 17! Thanks surge! I feel the sky's the limit. By the way, I'm 64 yrs old and don't hit long anymore but your swing keeps on the short grass.

Joe from Atlanta

Good putting Amos! I'll take 31 putts any day.

I agree also with the dodgy distancing given by some courses. Case in point, I was playing at the Dubbo Golf Club (central western NSW Australia), a sister club of my home club Warren, on the new 9 hole addition that meanders through a new housing estate such that (million dollar) houses are on both sides of the outer peripheral fairways.  After crushing a long drive up the bowling alley and in the middle of the fairway I was left with a 100 meter indicated approach shot, which is a full 9 iron for me.  So I hit the ball with a smooth 9 iron shot off the middle of the club face and it flies high and long, air mailing the green by 20 m and landing near a group of kids playing touch football.  As I walk up to the ball I offer my apologies "sorry guys, I missed youz" and the reply from a 12 yo boy "Hey, are you Tiger Woods cousin or what?"  I said "Mate I wished I were but look at me, I'm the wrong complexion". 

Regards, Craig

Did you know that both Orange Tree and Ahwatukee Country Club were designed by the old time Tour pro Johnny Bulla? Dobson Ranch is easy to get on in the summer and after the rye to bermuda transition Kenny Mac is an interesting layout that is similar in nature to the other two courses. I play there as a test lab for trying out clubs and the Surge Swing.

Coach

I am with the other folks that missed it.  Glad you came to your senses.

You are at your home court here pal.  You don't have to be shy.  Some times a nail just needs pounding.

You are amongst family,
Dick

Here's one for the "Club" doctor. At the end of last year I purchased a set of Cleveland LXi hybred irons. I love the look, the feel and the crispness at impact. I can hit them a mile without extra effort. I have developed quite a draw in my normal swing. Actually it resembles more of a baby hook I can't control. If I aim straight at the pin it usually misses the green left. If I play for the hook, nothing much happens except I miss right. It feels like the clubs are toe heavy. My take on these clubs is, they have made the shaft lighter to compensate for the oversized heads. I have swang other hybred irons, (Ideas), and I don't get that toe heavy feel. However I've never hit balls with them. Do you have any ideas on these clubs. They've really got in my head now. I'm not having any fun. I'm too proud to sell them. My old clubs are....well...old! Advise please.

Across the ball, Don that is what I did today, what about right when you hit the ball, are your arms to be straight down, Im thinking today, I pulled my arms up to soon???  Can that be???  Today, I topped the ball, I felt my set up was good, but, arms straight down when I hit??????  help

Thanks,
mw

going more upright will not lessen toe drop, no.

I am trying to be a kinder gentler blogger. I have to hold back a little or I can run Amok as I did a few months back with the other narcissistic know it alls. A little alignments jab now and then is sufficient. There is no sense in using a steam roller, when a fly swatter will do. Some just seem to get to me more than others, especially those who choose to belittle Don while hiding behind their anonymity. Cowards of the worst kind.

Here's one for the ages, or should I say...aging. I just turned 64. I'm in pretty good shape for the shape I'm in. Still relatively strong with a diminished range of motion. Still slim but not a flat belly anymore.You know the type. I can still occasionally crank it 300 yds with a swing speed of about 100+ with the driver. I'm ready to tone it down a little. When I just try to "smooth it", I find myself waving all over the place. If I play "hard", I hit it alot straighter but I tend to wear-down on the back nine. Obviously my balance and co-ordination isn't what it used to be. My handicap is starting to creep upward. I'd like to stay under 10 as long as possible, maybe until I'm 74. You got any thoughts on how to prolong the inevitable? I'm not talkng about eating right and exercise. Balance and timing is my concern. I'm not bashful about hitting alot of balls to get it right.