New personal best, finally broke 90! Some lessons learned...

Long story short, I started golfing very casually in college, and that turned into a few times a year habit until six or seven years ago when I started going on a golf trip and got a little more serious about golf. I broke 100 for the first time my second or third year of the golf trip during our last round of the trip. I was ecstatic. Since that time, I've had the occasional 102, 103, etc. on a particularly difficult/long course, or on a really bad day, but for the most part, I've been shooting very consistently in mid to upper 90s (I record my scores using The Grint). My previous personal best was 92, which I shot at Legends Heathland in Myrtle Beach last spring during a golf trip. That round, however, was shot from forward tees, because our group has a lot of seniors, and even for us that are younger, most of the Myrtle courses we play are longer and more challenging than what we're used to at home. But yesterday, from the whites, I shot an 87. It's not just this one round that makes me optimistic. I shot a 95 on the exact same course the day before, but as I'll explain below, I was playing much better than usual. A lot of the content I see on the forum is for or by better golfers, so I thought I'd share some insights about my attempt to improve, and more accurately, rebuild my swing from the ground up, in the hopes that I can help out some people struggling with more or less the basics and trying to make some fundamental changes.

The Struggle:

My first goal in golf was just to play fast enough and well enough that I wouldn't bother my fellow golfers. Basically, I just wanted to be able to play on trips and at charity matches, etc., without being the slowest or worst person in the group. Once I improved a little just by playing and some range time, that goal was pretty easily achieved. My next goal turned out to be much harder. To really enjoy golf (not just being outside with friends and having some beers), I just wanted to eliminate flubs/mishits. I'm talking about a shot like a perfect fairway lie in which you chunk a hybrid about 40 yards. No matter how much I watched videos or practiced, I'd have at least two or three of these shots per round, and sometimes many more. I tried going to the range with some friends that are better golfers, I asked my dad who is a single digit handicap for help, and I even broke down and got lessons twice. None of these things helped me appreciably improve. The most obvious fault to me was my swing path. It was definitely over the top, out to in. My miss was always low left with irons, and slices or double crosses with the driver. At this point I conceptually understood face to path, but no matter what I did, I could not change my swingpath (and continue to make some semblance of contact). One thing I think I was able to improve was my wrist angles. I was breaking my lead wrist at the top of the backswing, probably from a poor pivot and overswinging, and I eventually was able to mitigate that issue, or at least improve it. But it seemed like nothing I tried would fix my path. It was almost like the harder I tried to fix the path, the worse my swing got. I remember a period in which I was sucking the club way inside on the backswing, and I have trackman data of me hitting an 8i 160 carry, my 19 degree hybrid 220 carry, etc. That's way long for me. It wasn't pretty or repeatable, but it happened and only made my efforts to improve my swing harder.

The Change:

For xmas, I got my dad a skytrak golf simulator for his basement. He lives near my office, so pre-covid, I could go over there and hit some balls with him on my lunch break, after work, etc. Three things kind of happened at the same time that seemed to generate the conditions that lead to some long awaited improvement.

First, I started swinging the club way more often. At least every other day but often more. I don't think there is any substitute for regular practice, so to the extent possible, swing the club more (I think shorter regular sessions are probably better than hours at the range twice a month, that seems to be the case for me, but your mileage may vary). This may not be good advice for those with sound fundamentals, but if you're trying to rebuild your whole swing. That is, not really improve, but figure out a swing that can be improved later on, I don't think you can go weeks between swinging and have enough recall. I couldn't anyway. I wasted countless hours of range time trying to rebuild my swing, and then I'd go a week or two without swinging, and try again, and make no progress. So even if it's just your backyard, swing as often as you can.

Second, I broke my 9i during a lesson and started playing much thinner soled clubs (my dad's old irons) off a very firm and unforgiving mat. This resulted in fat shots being much shorter than I was used to. When I was swinging a 7i, hitting fat, but still carrying 140 and having the ball go 150, I ended up with a playable looking result. To clarify, with wide soled clubs, I'd hit reasonable distances at the range, and then go out to the course, where the turf is less forgiving, and my chunks would result in much shorter distances. With thinner soled clubs, I couldn't get away with chunks, even off a mat, so I had to learn how to move my low point forward and make better contact. I've posted about this before, and many of you have disagreed with me. I'm not advocating for beginners to buy blades or anything crazy, but just realize that the mat and thick soled game improvement irons can mask low point issues. So play off of turf as much as possible, or at least do some drills or find some aids to help with low point control.

Third may be most helpful for most of you. I'm introverted, and really think of golf as an excuse to go out with my friends or my dad and get outside and get some exercise. I like playing by myself, but I don't love it. I'd much rather go the range if it's just me. So basically all of my practice involved range time. I think this is a terrible way to try to improve. After I got my dad that simulator, we did use the range part of the simulator some, especially to warm up, but mostly we play courses. I can't really know why for sure, but playing seems to be the best way to improve. You never hit a 7i more than twice on any given hole, and even that would be rare, so why bang it over and over at the range? Even when trying to make a fundamental swing change like I was, I don't think hitting the same club over and over is effective. You can work one things and play, especially in a simulator, which I've found to be more effective. For instance, I realized I was swaying back when I tried to hit too hard or got tired. I tried at the range to work on this with little reward, but when I starting working on it while actually playing, I finally started seeing some improvement. If you do choose to make range time a large part of your improvement process, I can't stress enough how important it is to play games or have purposeful practice. Hit different clubs each time, pick out targets, etc. Just blasting away and trying to maximize distance is a fools errand. Take it from me. I also think that actually playing rounds made me practice the hybrid a lot more, which has really helped with my scoring. Having a reliable/trusted club I can hit 180-200 really changes the game.

Summary: I don't think pounding a 7 iron over and over at the range is a good way to improve. I wanted to focus on contact with my irons, but even so, forgiving clubs and plush range mats made it hard for me to fix the fat shots I struggled with while actually playing. I do think youtube instructional videos helped me understand the golf swing and find out what to work on. Most recently, I believe I figured out that I was swaying and turning back instead of pivoting, and then I would throw my upper body forward and lose my spine angle. This was a recipe for fat shot city. I'd go to the range, maybe hit it a little less fat, start hitting the distance I thought was reasonable, and think I'd figured something out. But on the course, this just wouldn't be the case. So play as much as you can, if you can find a grass range, definitely avoid a mat, and if you have to hit off a mat, think about incorporating some low point drills/feedback devices like your towel or a penny behind the ball, etc.

I know I'm not a great golfer now that I've broken 90 once. So feel free to take what I say with a grain of salt. But I really do believe I've improved a lot. My dad has low ceilings, so we can't hit the driver down there. As a result, I haven't hit a driver in four months prior to this week. My 95 round the day before I broke 90, I had no flubs, was chipping much better than usual, but I couldn't get the driver working. The second round, I never lost a ball with the driver or went out of bounds, etc. I also hit the driver at least 200 yards each time. Basically, once I started consistently putting the ball in play off the tee, you could see how much the rest of my game had improved. I also shot very close to a personal best the day before that on a short course in which you only pull driver maybe once or twice, but really a hybrid off the tee is all you ever really need. I hit a ton of gir, which is someone I've never been able to say before. I certainly still have a lot to work on. I was fading the driver but I also had a few pushes, so my path is not quite figured out yet, but it is definitely improved. Contact was just magic. I had a few bad shots, but I had many more great shots.

So I'm pretty optimistic about my game right now. I went out where it's not very crowded, but I'm still hesitant to play near where I live right now. Especially with my dad who is older, so we'll see how that goes. I don't put much faith in lessons at all after two less than stellar experiences. I am really skeptical about online lessons. But I do think I'll get in-person lessons again after the pandemic. In my previous attempts, I think there was just so much wrong with my swing it was hard for an instructor to make any progress. I finally feel like I've got a swing that could be tweaked rather than rebuilt. We'll see. I'd also like to do a club fitting once the craziness is over. Hopefully this helps someone who like me can't seem to improve no matter what they try.

Thanks, for sharing. As a high capper, breaking 90 is something to feel very good about. What was your swing change in more detail?

Thanks. In a lesson, I was told that my wrist broke at the top of the backswing. I found that issue very difficult to address as it had become a habit, or maybe even worse, a symptom of some other issue. In any event, I kept at it, and eventually I was able to keep the lead wrist straight enough throughout the swing. That took a lot of the unpredictability out of my swing, but what I was left with was a consistent pull/pull hook with irons, and a slice with the driver. At some point, I think I figured out that something was fundamentally wrong with my swing. I started out trying to improve my swing, but eventually, I went back to square one. I took another lesson and honestly I think it made things worse. He told me I was sucking the club inside a little, and to work on that, but really everything else he said was difficult to put into action/change. I posted a video of my swing on this forum and asked a lot of questions to some limited success. I did get a few good comments on the video, and someone sent me a video that kind of clicked about staying on sides (basically not letting my head/upper body sway past the ball during the swing. Honestly, I think it was just a bunch of small comments, instructional videos, and the like that helped while I was playing more. Once I figured out that my head was moving all over the place (my dad's comment), I was sent that onsides video on his forum. That helped a lot, but I was still starting transition with my shoulders too much/too early and getting outside the plane. I saw some instagram videos about pivot bump and turn, and then another very helpful video by Jonathan Yarwood on twitter. I also realized that my hips were turning too fast and too early which was getting my sequence all screwed up. So there was a lot wrong, but it was all obviously related. I also think I worked on some issues concurrently. I wish I could tell you step 1, 2, 3, but really it wasn't like that. I think the most improvement started after I really worked on limiting my sway back. Then I tried some more stuff but landed on bumping laterally before firing my hips. Really all of the changes were just about path and the related issue of low point control. Once I started trying to limit my sway back while still getting forward, my contact improved. Then I figured out that I was trying to get my hips forward, or my upper body, but not really both at the same time (which helped me maintain my tilt/spine angle). Once I started swaying less and moving more laterally, I stopped rotating early and getting my upper body forward and tilted to target, I really started to enjoy some consistency. I still have fat shots, but there is just a world of difference from when I was swaying back off the ball. I think the biggest single improvement has to be my hybrid. I hit it a lot in the simulator because it's the longest club I can swing without fear of hitting the ceiling (though I still have a few times). In the past, I just couldn't hit it. I would hit fat behind the ball, which would chunk it so bad it only went 40 yards, or even worse, skip off the turf and top the ball less than that. So basically even if I somehow managed a great drive, the next longest club I could reliably not top was usually about an 8i. But now that I can manage my path well enough to make decent contact with the hybrid, it's a game changer. Even if I only hit the driver about 200-210 by popping it up some or putting too much shape on it, etc., I can hit the hybrid another 180-200 and in play. I think my worse hybrid shot of all three rounds I played this week was about 160ish, and that was from a pretty bad lie.

Another thing to think about is that I was playing pretty similarly when I shot the 95 Thursday, and the 87 Friday. I shot very well on the short course we played Wednesday as well, which only has maybe one or two holes that allow for driver. My irons were just incredible in all three rounds compared to normal. I had several tap-ins from 80+ yards, and on Friday on 18, I hit my approach on a par 5 from 60 something out to less than a foot for bogey. The difference between my two good scores and one bad one (or more accurately, typical score) was really just the driver. I was using my dad's hand me down driver (as listed in my sig) for second time on a full length course. I don't think I've ever had it out to the range, so I'm just not familiar with it. I sliced a few, and he told me I had the face wide open. I think it just visually is different from my old driver at address. I strengthened my grip and I started hitting it straight, but I kept popping it up. I usually tee the ball up to where about half the ball is above the driver while the driver head is resting on the ground. Since I was popping it up, I started teeing the ball down about a quarter ball lower (so only about a quarter or very little of the ball) was above the driver head at address. After that, I either lined up poorly so that the ball started out and stayed right, or I pushed it, but I only did that a few times, and it was playable each time. Otherwise, I was driving the ball very well for me, which is to say I was getting 200+ off the tee generally (about 200 was probably my shortest drive, 260 my longest) in the fairway, or at least rough with a good second shot. Over the last 5 years or so, I doubt I've ever gone a round without slicing one into the trees, water, etc., which results in a lost ball. On Friday, I never drove a ball out of play.

If I had to summarize, I'd say that overall my swing change has been that my path has become more neutral/more on plane. By sucking the club inside, I used to be able to hit some draws, but I had such a naturally over the top swing that it was hard to hit anything other than pulls with irons and slices or double crosses with the driver. In the simulator, I often try to shape shots. While on the course, I was just focused on good contact. I ended up hitting mostly unintentional baby fades and baby draws with the irons. The hybrid was more or less straight with probably a slight occasional fade. The driver was pretty straight, but I'd say I did hit a few fades and definitely no draws. It seems like the longer the club is, the more prone I am to come a little from the outside, but again, we're talking about good contact and playable results, which is a world away from what I used to hit.

For OTT swingers, FIX YOUR BACKSWING FIRST!

This past weekend I shot a new personal best 82, and then the next day I shot a personal best (by two strokes) on an executive course I play often as well.  I haven't made any new changes to my swing since the OP, I'm still grinding away on path.  I do have a few more thoughts to share with the intention of helping others that struggle with an over the top swing.  I'm still very consciously trying to feel myself being on plane during a practice swing.  I first try to feel the club go back along the target line (not sucking the club inside, and then second, I try to feel a good move, which for me, involves thinking about a hip bump/slide while my side bend reverses and I tuck my trail elbow.  I'm not thinking about all those mechanics, but I am feeling those things in two parts.  I feel the backswing come back with the club a little outside my hands and I feel myself end up with a good tilt so my shoulders aren't flat.  Then I feel my transition where my lower body leads, while my upper body bends, which drops the club in the slot.  That's the real feel key for me.  Just feeling how my body has to move to get the club on plane.  I've never seen a video that really describes what works for me, but if you watch both of these two, it may help.  To stop swinging OTT I had to figure out how to stay onsides and really exaggerate the amount of side bend I thought I'd need to find the correct plane. 

I haven't been able to confirm this via video, but it seems like when I made a poor shot now, it's the result of a poor backswing.  I can now make a practice swing in a mirror and feel what I need to do as I described previously, which is a revelation.  The outcomes of my mistakes have greatly improved, but when I do make a mistake, which often results in a pull or pull hook, it seems to be a direct result of a flat turn away (around my body) in the backswing (sucking the club inside), as opposed to what I'd describe as twisting my body up.  It's possible that something else is to blame, perhaps getting a little quick in transition, but I still think it's mostly a backswing issue.  I guess I bring this up to suggest that those with an OTT swing really focus on backswing fundamentals.  I think I could have saved myself a ton of time by skipping videos on OTT swing corrections, and focused mainly or exclusively on improving my backswing.  When you move back around flat and sway off the ball, you just can't make consistent contact.  So fix your backswing first.  I could have saved so much time.

Love the Bobby Lopez video ... stay onsides ... buttons on the shirt ala Jack, then pull down on the chain with both hands while turning through ... finally understand what others have been saying ... 

4 hours ago, AC in TX said:

Love the Bobby Lopez video ... stay onsides ... buttons on the shirt ala Jack, then pull down on the chain with both hands while turning through ... finally understand what others have been saying ... 

I seen a lot of criticism about pulling down on the chain a la Sergio, etc., and I get that since it sort of sounds like you'd be pulling down with your arms.  However, once you really get a feel for the mechanics of the swing, the transition really does feel down rather than out to me.  That was a huge key for me in overcoming my OTT swing.  Just stay onsides (dont lunge forward) and then feel like the first move is down where you pull the chain.  Those are essentially my two swing thoughts I use to find the right feel in my practice swing.  I try to get a good backswing that keeps me from swaying (which would result in a lunge and OTT), and then I try to feel that my transition move is down, which lets the club come down into the slot instead of getting pulled outside of the plane.  When I can do those two things I'm golden.