How long to incorporate a swing change?

I play to a 10.2 handicap and just started lessons last week with a well known Instructor in my area. Curious for those that took lessons, when did you start to see results and be ingrained in your swing change?

Im an athletic guy and very committed to getting better but curious what you guys experience been. I know this may sound like I’m rushing but just curious!

Are you talking a small tweak or an overhaul? I like to use the 10,000 hour rule to master something. Obviously the bigger the change the closer you get to that 10,000 mark.

Realistically I think small changes you can notice almost immediately but will you be able to incorporate changes immediately and consistently... Not likely

IMO you need to judge by the number of "quality" reps and focus on getting those. A lot of times when trying a new move, you aren't actually performing it the way you intend. This is where recording the rep, another set of eyes, or other feedback system other than feel becomes very important. That being said, being able to perform a quality rep at reduced speed often falls apart once you are under pressure or swinging all out.

Also keep in mind that a lot of what you've been doing is necessary to make 1) ball contact and 2) square the clubface. Making one change might affect your ability to accomplish these things (#1 and #2) that you've already figured out and requires another move to balance it out. For example, having more shaft lean at impact might require your upper body to get closer to the ball also.

I think this is the key question. There is a BIG difference in something like an adjustment in setup or alignment vs. a true swing change. Adjustments because something is out of kilter in your alignment or posture or the like are one thing, and a good teacher can fix that sort of thing and having you hitting the ball better THAT DAY, but a swing rebuild or major change takes a lot of work and a lot of time.

I started work with a top-shelf instructor last September on a full scale rebuild. It was great, and I'm retired and have the time and ethic to practice a LOT, but I'd say that only in the last couple of months have I started to really be able to fully incorporate what he wanted me to do. So for me, it was at least 6 months, with a lot of hard work in the meantime.

I always reference the story of Tiger Woods calling Butch Harmon from the range at a tournament and telling Harmon, "I've got it!" after months and months of work. And Tiger is not only the most talented guy, he had the strongest work ethic, too.

If you follow the 10,000 hour rule, then the answer is essentially "never". After all, if you diligently practice your new swing for an hour a day, every day, it takes over 27 years to hit 10,000 hours.

I'm not use it as a literal number to hit. I'm simply stating the bigger the change the more time it will take.

Honestly only practicing 1 hour a day is not that much. It's a lot in one shot for some but total time it's actually on the lower side. Think about pros who will do one to two hours of just short game.

The 10,000 is to master something as well. Not become proficient.

Alright, here is my philosophy on the do's and don'ts and why people can't make a swing change. When making a swing change, the first step is having feedback. You have to actively record yourself to know if you are actually changing the picture. A majority of people don't change the picture, one because they don't over do the move enough and two they swing their normal swing speed and try to make a change. I am a firm believer if you are making a change you need to do slow reps. I try to do 5-10 reps slow and 1 normal. The swing is too quick to try incorporate swings at full speed. Majority get a lesson, think it's going to be a quick fix and take no time at all. When making a swing change, it should feel different, this is why I like to go slow to make sure the swing actually feels different. All in all, I believe slow reps and videoing is the way to make a change.

Even the 10,000 reps rule is a pretty daunting standard. If you do what you're supposed to do and go thru your whole routine for each rep, rather than just raking balls over and smashing, you're looking at maybe one rep per minute, or 60 reps per hour. If I do that for one dedicated hour a day, every day without fail, it'll take until October 31st to cement a swing change. Season's over by then.

Yeah, knowing what you are trying to do is huge, as well as checking the fundamentals every day.

The “old you” wants to creep in every day. Make sure setup and grip stay consistent before working on the first thing.

Then, know what the issue is. Make the instructor tell you. “Your lead shoulder rotates too much. This causes your backswing to get disconnected. You can’t get deep, so if you tried to pivot from here, you’ll be forced to come over”, etc.

That helps you get a clear goal to commit to. One piece at a time. Trying to fix six things at once is disaster. A lot of early swing fixes bleed right through the swing.

Then, just have patience with it.

It goes faster if you change it more often (I've got it down to every two holes).

I think swing changes go faster if you think of a "swing change" as adding an additional swing rather than trying to morph your old swing into something else. By keeping them separate, your old swing can serve as a very familiar landmark against which to measure your much less familiar new swing.

I believe the 10,000 hours rule is from "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell; not only is he talking about achieving "world class" status, but I believe there is at least some dispute about the way he used the number in the first place.

To me, that neither negates his point in a truly excellent book, nor does it prevent us from understanding the question at hand, which is really about how easy it is to implement and master a swing change. However you want to quantify it, it takes thousands of reps done carefully and correctly, and it goes better under the eyes of an instructor.

I was a HS basketball coach, and when we changed a player's shot, we did it AFTER the season when they had the entire summer and fall available to implement the change; it takes that long, even for young, talented athletes with nothing else to do. Some people can do that; a lot can't.