Aha moment

Everytime I have ever thought I had one, the golf gods rear their heads and smack me down. The punishment has been such that I am convinced there are no real aha moments, only gradual improvement and slightly better understanding and execution over time.

There is no one magic pill, but there are daily doses of castor oil.

So, are the aha moments you have shared here enduring, or have they been as helpful as the swing tips in a golf magazine?

my aha moments were realizing three things:

1. if you want to get better at golf invest the money in lessons

2. buying new equipment will not fix a swing fault

3. some people on this site think a long-hitting 4 handicap golfer can beat an LPGA tour pro, so be cognizant of who you are getting advice from on any golf forum

Most of my ahas were short term temporary in nature. Some of the bigger “ahas” took grinding and hard work to see it pay off. Like a swing change or a wedge system for those 30-100 yard shots.

Two ahas for me.

Hovering driver. Went from never hitting driver to it being my favorite club . From a soles address position I hit more down on it ( -4 at times ) and spin it so much my 3 wood was longer. Plus I blocked a million 60 yards into the trees. Hovering it somehow freed that up and I get through the ball famously now and picked up more carry than I’ll post here as it wouldn’t be believed.

2nd for me was the day I decided to stop starting my backswing with my hands and arms. I suffered from a longish backswing and was determined to stay connected at the top and stop the overrun. So the feel is that my hips and shoulders start turning ( I call it my core turning ) and my arms just stay directly out front of my core for the ride. Very passive. I finish my backswing and start down the same way. My entire game went to a new level that day. And to this day it’s the only thought i have in my swing. To start it with my core. I’m sure it’s a feel thing. But it worked.

The trick with making a real aha moment last is the work you have to put behind it. I hit balls almost every day. So it’s not a matter of finding a trick and it being magic. It’s finding a solid idea and wiring into your game permanently. That takes thousands of reps

1) realizing golf is hard

2) realizing how much time and effort it takes to make a real change to my swing

3) realizing that on any given day my game can fall completely apart. This realization led to not having any expectations and just enjoying the moment when I am playing well.

1. I need to practice my short game more

2. Golf is fun and I should laugh at myself

3. Swing thoughts are temporary and any given day is going to need something different

One "aha" moment for me was when I learned how to swing the club on a dynamic plane vs the fixed static plane established at address.

My aha moment was that my aim point is going to change depending on the club, lie and type of shot I want to hit. My golf game stagnated at a 20 handicap until I changed my thought process for each different shot. Once the aha moment becomes permanent, it’s time for the next.

Mine was today, after 27 years of playing and being a 5HCP for years- I finally got my legs into the swing more and the contact & distance were so much better. I’ve always swing with my arms too much, causing me to spin off the ball when I get out of sync. Getting my legs to pull the arms through the hitting zone today led to so much more consistency and a lot less guess work.