To all you single digit swing tinkerers

Starting golf's version of the AA 12 step program to all of you single digit (- or +)who constantly tinker with your swing. You must stop. It's one thing to make a minor adjustment to your swing and quite another to keep reading these posts, magazines, online videos etc. for clues and cues and make much bigger changes.

My name is _______ and I am a golf swing tinkerer. Personally I've usually hovered between a 5 and a 7 hanicapper for decades, more in the 6 range mostly. But adter a lesson and an address/swing adjustment I couldn'r miss for 2 months and my handicap plummeted to 0.7.

That was then...now I'm back into the 6 range and owe it all to constant tinkering trying to figure out what I was doing when it was going so well. Tinkering has made a mess of me and the worst thing is that I have lost the enjoyment of the game as I strive--wrong headedly--to get back. Quite frankly I don't know if I'm going backwards or forwards.

So I am done tinkering and will find as repeatable a f e e l i n g as I can find and consitently use that swing-without screwing around with my basic f e e l i n g. For me, if I can feel the swing or move I want I can repeat it.

Best to all.

To tinker or not to tinker?

That is the question.

Such is golf.

Just about every, Goddam, one of Us does.

Human nature.

Every 'Pro', single digit or hacker does it.

You'll be fine though.

The feeling your searching for will appear, next week.

To tinker or not to tinker?

 

That is the question.

 

Such is golf.

 

Just about every, Goddam, one of Us does.

 

Human nature.

 

Every 'Pro', single digit or hacker does it.

 

You'll be fine though.

 

The feeling your searching for will appear, next week.

Ha! You're so right. Will wait for next week...

My low handicap Players(2- and below) and most definitely my Plus female students do not "tinker." Most Play competitively and their time, focus and energy is spent on Playing golf and getting the lowest score possible and not playing swing. I find the 12- to 20- handicaps being prone, like their male counterparts, to searching for the holy grail and playing around with their swings, stunting both their growth as golfers and their enjoyment of the game. I must say though, that my guys are much more prone to trying things that they might read, hear from a buddy or think up themselves than my girls. You obviously have the game To Play at scratch or Plus and I wish You the very best in getting back there. Have a nice season :) Maddie

Read this title and thought it was going to about club tinkering, which would be blasphemy around these parts!

... I need a 12 step for that haha

My low handicap Players(2- and below) and most definitely my Plus female students do not "tinker." Most Play competitively and their time, focus and energy is spent on Playing golf and getting the lowest score possible and not playing swing. I find the 12- to 20- handicaps being prone, like their male counterparts, to searching for the holy grail and playing around with their swings, stunting both their growth as golfers and their enjoyment of the game. I must say though, that my guys are much more prone to trying things that they might read, hear from a buddy or think up themselves than my girls. You obviously have the game To Play at scratch or Plus and I wish You the very best in getting back there. Have a nice season :) Maddie

Realize this is a bit late for a reply but better late than never. Thank you for your thoughtful post. What you said about your low handicap players "Playing golf" and not "playing swing" really resonates with me. Hearing advice that represents more than one voice---in this case the voices of your lowest handicap players---has more force of importance and really brings home the message.

So a few days ago I said to myself to find some kind of natural flow feeling and just stick with it. Of course easier said than done, but your kind words of encouragement to me-- that I had achieved a near scratch handicap at one point and I had the chops to do so again--bolstered my spirits and made me believe that I had to play golf and not play swing. Then I also came to this realization, that many top top players mishit shots, many get out of sync, some vanish from the pro ranks because they never get that sync back.

So for me to give up---because of a bad day or a bad stretch or even a few bad days--- on what feels right and has produced good shots makes no sense at all. Yesterday, a prime example, as I played even on the front and then hit a couple bad shots and one misjudged one to balloon a score. Ordinarily I'd start tinkering again. But not this time! Thank you.