ddetts' Swing Journey - 2020 Goals & Updated Swing Progress pg. 17

[ddetts]

Our match play league concluded last night and my partner & I took first for total points in the top division (we have two divisions, each with 14 2-man teams grouped by handicap). We played pretty consistent throughout the season, save for a couple rough early weeks for each of us but thankfully when one struggled the other played well enough to limit the damage. We finished 3rd in both the first half and second half and that was good enough for first in season long total. However, the powers that be & run our league decided to base total season results payouts on total points regardless of division, so 1st, 2nd & 3rd all went to three teams from the lower division :'( That's a rant for another day though...

 

The best part is how I finished. They ended the season with a two week best ball format, and last week we didn't play well and got flighted into the 2nd flight. Last night we both played great. I was +2 on my own ball, hit 6/9 greens (one shot was just off the green about 30 feet away from the pin, so pretty much 7 acceptable), really only hit two poor shots all night & just couldn't buy a putt. Included a 3 putt on a par 5 where I was above the hole and I just got too aggressive with the putt. Didn't make a single birdie with all those attempts. Didn't hit any really bad putts just under read break a touch & left two putts inches short that were going dead center. But I'm taking that as a huge win, because anyone that has followed along here knows that GIRs and birdie putts usually aren't as abundant in most of my rounds.

 

I'm pretty excited for the rest of the season, and to continue working on changes into winter.

 

 

[MountainGoat]

The 6s and the X have got to go. Whatever you’re doing on those holes has to stop. Never, ever write a number higher than 5 on your scorecard.

[ddetts]

> @MountainGoat said:

> The 6s and the X have got to go. Whatever you’re doing on those holes has to stop. Never, ever write a number higher than 5 on your scorecard.

 

For sure, completely agree. It wasn't any matter of incorrect club/shot selection it was just a matter of terrible execution being caught between swing changes. The Xs and 6s last week were basically from swings that were a mix of good/correct changes in setup & grip from my last lesson with Monte combined with bad/old habits that caused me to hit big pull hooks into trouble. The mistakes were much less this week and the changes a bit more comfortable.

 

The lone 6 this week was a three putt on a par 5, got too agressive with the downhill birdie putt.

[ddetts]

Been a long time since I posted, so figured I'd provide an update and let people know I'm not dead! Hopefully this doesn't get too lengthy but here goes...

 

Haven't played a whole lot recently, mainly for two reasons. First, back in August I tweaked my right knee doing a seated stretch of all things. At first I didn't think much of it but during rounds I was finding it hard to load up into my trail leg and also hard to shift pressure. So it was a struggle with the swing - more inconsistent contact and pretty good loss of distance on swings. The other reason is mostly due to weather being pretty sucky this fall, and it looks like there won't be many more opportunities unless the weather swings to the better. I really enjoy fall golf, and we haven't had many nice days.

 

I have been mostly looking at how to best setup my indoor practice for this winter, what aids I can use for feedback on working on the areas I need to improve. I'm still desiring a SkyTrak but that's still probably on hold for awhile. So it'll probably be mirror and video work and then things like smart ball. I'd like to get my hands on a PlanteMate as well. I've got the PuttOut matt, pressure trainer & mirron and plan to spend a lot of time getting my putting setup bomb-proof.

 

So before I decide on what my 2020 golf goals will be, I thought I would share and review what I wrote down in January 2019 for goals:

* Win Match Play leage - Success, took first in the overall season standings in the top division

* Win my course's club championship in the first flight (not champtionship flight) - Fail, I shot 79 (my first tournament round in the 70s) to be in 2nd place day 1 but then faded with an 84 day 2 and finished 4th in the first flight

* Improve handicap to 2 - Fail, I got as low as 6.6 mid summer but ended at 7.3. The knee issue didn't help the last few scores I posted.

* No rounds in the 90s - Fail, had two rounds (90 & 91) in the 90s

* Play more tournament golf - Success, played in two more tournaments than last year

* Become a top notch putter - Fail, I made progress here but not as much as I need to. I switched putters to start the year and spent a lot of time adjust to a stroke that has a little more release vs a straight back and thru. I finally got re-fit for it in August (shortened and lie adjusted) and that has helped my setup tremendously.

* Play more 9 hole rounds in the morning before work - ABSOLUTE FAIL, I didn't take advantage of that at all. I live right next to my course and have no excuse. I could get many 9 hole rounds in on weekdays before work. This will be at the top of the list next year.

 

One accomplishment that stands out, I shot 4 rounds of 79 (couldn't break through that number) after 3 seasons of not getting into the 70s and the first time since having my hip replaced. I had a number of 37s and one or two 36s on 9 hole rounds but could never put a complete round together. In addition, I had an eagle for the first time in probably as long and the number of birdies made was way up from previous years.

 

Areas of focus for the offseason:

* Fitness - need to improve some strength and mobility in areas and upping my cardiovascular endurance would be a good thing too. My desk job sitting all day is taking a toll on my posture & core and I need to get better there.

* SuperSpeed - restarted SuperSpeed today. I'm hoping it's mostly attributable to the knee issue but I'd like to get a little speed back

* No new clubs! - My bag is set! Other than possibly needing new wedges depending how grooves hold up, I am making no changes to my current set up (will share a WITB later). Any money spent on golf will be for lessons.

* SHORTEN BACKSWING

* SHORTEN BACKSWING

* SHORTEN BACKSWING

 

I'll try to get the WITB updated as well as some new swing videos up to see how things are coming along.

[Hawkeye77]

Terrific writeup and good work this season! Injuries can be a real pain, especially late summer for us northern folk.

[rich_s2]

Get the SkyTrak dude

[ddetts]

> @"rich s" said:

> Get the SkyTrak dude

 

I know, I know... Unfortunately, things just didn't work out this year to be in a position for that expense...

[MountainGoat]

> @ddetts said:

> > @"rich s" said:

> > Get the SkyTrak dude

>

> I know, I know... Unfortunately, things just didn't work out this year to be in a position for that expense...

 

I've been debating this, myself. The situation with Skytrak isn't just the expense of the unit. It's the expense and logistics of being able to take full swings with real balls indoors. I'm beginning to wonder if the OptiShot might be an acceptable, low-rent substitute. You can use foam balls, so you don't need much of a net, and the computer requirements are pretty minimal.

 

[rich_s2]

> @MountainGoat said:

> > @ddetts said:

> > > @"rich s" said:

> > > Get the SkyTrak dude

> >

> > I know, I know... Unfortunately, things just didn't work out this year to be in a position for that expense...

>

> I've been debating this, myself. The situation with Skytrak isn't just the expense of the unit. It's the expense and logistics of being able to take full swings with real balls indoors. I'm beginning to wonder if the OptiShot might be an acceptable, low-rent substitute. You can use foam balls, so you don't need much of a net, and the computer requirements are pretty minimal.

>

 

It’s worth it. It’s like wearing underwear with a new pair of jeans

[vinprun71]

> @MountainGoat said:

> > @ddetts said:

> > > @"rich s" said:

> > > Get the SkyTrak dude

> >

> > I know, I know... Unfortunately, things just didn't work out this year to be in a position for that expense...

>

> I've been debating this, myself. The situation with Skytrak isn't just the expense of the unit. It's the expense and logistics of being able to take full swings with real balls indoors. I'm beginning to wonder if the OptiShot might be an acceptable, low-rent substitute. You can use foam balls, so you don't need much of a net, and the computer requirements are pretty minimal.

>

 

I have an OptiShot. Don't expect crazy things from it, but it's serviceable. It'll get you through an offseason where you can just practice. You may need to calibrate the unit and adjust distances manually to get it to mimic your true distances, but it's something fun to kill time on.

[ddetts]

Throughout the course of the season I reverted a little and didn't progress much, mostly because I think i was too focused on results/performance in league and tournaments.

 

This is the current state of things and clearly not as improved as I'd like. But I'm putting here to baseline for the offseason now that it's unlikely I'll be playing outdoors any time soon. I need to try to get face on, but time constraints massage it a bit difficult.

 

7i DTL

 

5w DTL

 

Driver DTL

 

I still need to get a large mirror for swing work. I'm also in the process of rereading parts of The Practice Plan and coming up with my practice schedule cycles and areas of focus.

[rich_s2]

We got all stinking winter now man, let’s you, Ebrasmus and I hit the plus side of things in spring

[ddetts]

> @"rich s" said:

> We got all stinking winter now man, let’s you, Ebrasmus and I hit the plus side of things in spring

 

That's probably a bit more realistic for you than it is for me, since you got it pretty low before the end of this year. I'm still working out what my 2020 goals will be but I'm thinking a 2.0 handicap index will be my target again. If it gets lower than that great, but want it to be achievable.

 

I've got to really sit down and come up with a plan for what to work on and how to work on it. I get too caught up in results , even when hitting into my net. I need to go back to the advice Monte had in the clinic and lessons, that you have to allow yourself to hit bad shots when you're working on new movement patterns.

[rich_s2]

For sure, hitting into a net is a blessing. If you make good contact, you are not changing anything. I’m in the same boat right now. Not even going to use the skytrak right now, just going to rehearse the change a few times then swing. Once I think I got it I will video the swing. Does not matter if I miss the ball completely. Once I am seeing on video what I want to see then the SkyTrak will come out.

 

Dan told me to try to improve 1% each session. That helped take the pressure off. If you can get where you got a one way miss and have a decent short game the only thing that will stop you from getting to a 2 is your mental game. You got this

[ddetts]

Great advice @"rich s", I like the 1% improvement mentality. I need to hurry up and get a large mirror for swing work. There's such a large difference in my feel vs real in what I'm working that I need to visually see where I'm at and associate that with the feeling.

[ebrasmus21]

> @ddetts said:

> > @"rich s" said:

> > We got all stinking winter now man, let’s you, Ebrasmus and I hit the plus side of things in spring

>

> That's probably a bit more realistic for you than it is for me, since you got it pretty low before the end of this year. I'm still working out what my 2020 goals will be but I'm thinking a 2.0 handicap index will be my target again. If it gets lower than that great, but want it to be achievable.

>

> I've got to really sit down and come up with a plan for what to work on and how to work on it. I get too caught up in results , even when hitting into my net. I need to go back to the advice Monte had in the clinic and lessons, that you have to allow yourself to hit bad shots when you're working on new movement patterns.

 

Give me + or give me death.

[ddetts]

So, I'm still struggling to get speed mostly with driver. I'm not really sure what's going on but I assume I'm making inefficient move/effort in an attempt to hit hard. I know the main response here is going to be to post some videos, so I'll try to grab next time I practice.

 

I was on a Full Swing simulator yesterday morning, and routinely was hitting only 101-102mph clubhead speed with driver. I was able to hit 105-106mph maxing out a few times. From what I've read, those simulators are pretty accurate.

 

During the same session I hit a few 5 woods (epic flash set at 17° and standard length) and was hitting 105-106mph clubhead speed that were going 245-255. Which was about 10-15 yards short of my driver.

 

My iron distances were pretty spot on for the most part too, so just not sure what I could be doing with driver, especially since the 5w isn't much shorter than my driver.

 

In doing SuperSpeed training, I've been able to get the heavy stick up to around 118mph and the light stick to 130mph on my dominant side. I've also measured my driver swing and gotten it up to 116mph. Others have said the swing speed radar can read 5-7mph fast, so I'd still expect to get 109-111mph with driver.

 

One thing is I switched driver shafts, but I wouldn't expect that to impact speed so much. Flight/dispersion/spin yes, but can it impact speed that much?

[rich_s2]

Story of my life, my iron club head speed is the same as all my ling hitting buddies but they have a 15mph faster driver speed. You can start to see my drop-off with longer irons compared to them but the driver is night/day different. I personally believe I am too quick at the top and the driver needs more time. I am working crazy hard at this next part of my swing change so hopefully that is the key. I have the same swing speed as you with driver.

[ddetts]

Yeah, not sure what it is or what combination of things. Even last winter when I did my driver fitting I was consistently getting like 107-109mph clubhead speed with the occassional 110+. I'm going to continue to focus on fitness and doing the superspeed protocols as well and hope to get that speed back up. I would blame it on whatever I did to me knee back in August but I would think that would affect full swings with all clubs if that was the case.

[DLev45]

Speed is the bane of my existence. I made a ton of progress this year going from a 12 index to currently a 6.4 and shot my career best of 73 (+1) in Sunday of the Club Championship to win my flight (6-10 HC) by 6 strokes (151 (+7) 2 day total.

But I still feel like my distance is inadequate. I'm 31 y/o, 6'2, 200lbs and my monitor tested driver swing speed is 98mph. So I'm looking at drives that carry somewhere in the 220-240 range and roll out to 240-260 and a 7-iron (31 degrees) distance of about 155.

My home course plays at about 6,300 yards, so I can handle that just fine, but I feel like a "good" golfer at my age and physical profile should be longer through the bag. I would really struggle from 6,800-7,000 yards, which is where the competitive golf is played.

A lot of it may boil down to the fact that I'm a crap athlete. I grew up playing football, basketball, and baseball and was always good at the "skill" aspects of sports (i.e., shooting, catching, accuracy, hitting, etc.), but always lacking in the athleticism components (speed, strength, flexibility, quickness, etc.).

[ddetts]

@DLev45 Nice progress on the year! Have you tried any overspeed training (SuperSpeed) or other methods to increase clubhead speed?
I'm 36, 5'11" & 165 lbs and prior to this issue where my speed seemingly fell off with just driver I was pretty comfortable with where I hit it. Probably a 280 average and could get the occasional pokes out to 300. I normall play tees/courses around the 6600-6800 yard length and don't have much issue. But I can sympathize, when I tweaked my knee I was barely getting it out there 240 and having plenty of mid or long irons where I previously did not.
I was a decent athlete growing up, I tried a few different sports early. Basketball, wrestling, flag football and track but I mostly stuck with basketball after junior high. I was pretty quick with sprinting and very quick with acceleration and change of direction in basketball so I was good on fast breaks and defense. Also, I was a pretty strong jumper and could nearly dunk. The main hang up was that I couldn't palm the ball with one hand. I grew up in a small town and we had no golf team opportuity, so I did play some recreationally growing up but nothing really serious and would doubt I ever shot much better than 50 (9 hole course).
I've recently started trying to get myself into some decent level of fitness again and I'm coming to realize just how out of shape I am. things like body weight lunges/squats and some simple athletic movements are kicking my butt. I'm hoping that I can get a little bit of that athleticism back and it will spill over into golf to help things like posture, balance, mobility and flexibility. Aside from that I am doing the SuperSpeed protocol and currently in the Intro/Level 1 protocol.

[DLev45]

No to the Superspeed training, but I have read pretty much the whole thread that gets bumped a lot on this forum and it has intrigued me.

You sound like the opposite basketball player of me. My senior year I shot 37% from the 3pt line and 83% from the FT line, but I was an absolute defensive liability because I'm slower than Christmas. My football 40 was 5.2. I'm 3 inches taller than you and all I could do is grab the rim with a running start. The next time I bend over and touch my toes when stretching my hammys will be my first. I have always been that much of a stiff, even as a teen.

I didn't take up golf until June 2016, but I got the bug really, really bad once I did. Since then, I probably average 1 round per week, 3 hours of range time, and 2 hours putting in my garage (12 foot Big Moss).

I think if I am to gain any speed, it is going to have to come from fitness. I didn't start out very gifted in that department, and it has only gotten worse with age and sitting at a desk or behind the wheel 10-12 hours per day during the week.

I have been looking at various fitness plans focusing on golf with some of the TPI-type stuff. Part of me is worried that the soreness from a legit workout plan is going to hamper my regular Wednesday/Friday range sessions and my Saturday morning round. But I'm going to have to start somewhere unless I want more of the same.

[ddetts]

@DLev45 - I would say initially (first 2-3 weeks) soreness/fatigue could potentially hamper your game, but as you said you have to start somewhere. Short term loss for a long term gain. I would say just ease into with some easier fitnes activities to start; things like a mobility/stretching program to try to get some better range of motion and stretch some areas out, work in some light cardio just to get the muscles used to working again, and then progress to maybe even some strength training when you've built up.
I'm a desk jockey and sit all day too, so I'm very used to tightness/soreness developed from lack of fitness/activity (especially in the winter here when there is no golf).
I've recently started out again (I've failed many times in this endeavor), trying to make fitness a part of my daily routine and finished my 3rd day in a row of exercising in the morning before work. I've been using an app called FitOn that has a bunch of recorded fitness routines which vary in length (10-40 minutes), difficulty, and format (HIIT, Cardio, Tabata, yoga, etc) and I just stream it onto my TV and follow along. There's plenty of workouts that don't require any equipment, but some require a pair dumbbells, resistance band, and/or other equipment but the routine details state what is required. I've been enjoying it but also realizing just how out of shape I am!

[rich_s2]

Just did 30 minutes. I’ve never been this out of shape. There is no way I could push a cart more than a few holes right now. Desk job is killing me. This can’t be helping swing speed lol.

[ddetts]

I walk 99% of my rounds pushing a cart. I'm usually in decent golf / walking shape a few weeks into the season but definitely can still get gassed late in the round. Especially on the hot days! I'm planning to transition from more strength and mobility training to more cardio a few weeks before the next season starts.

[dwboston]

I was the same way last season (2018). I walk with a push cart for every round - there are a couple of tough hills on the last 4 holes of my course, and I was gassed walking up the 15th hole (long par-4 straight uphill) and the 17th (160 yard par-3 but steep uphill climb to the green). Over the winter I got a Peloton bike and rode it 5-6 days a week, mostly for 45-minute spin classes, with a few 60-minute ones thrown in. Along with a few diet modifications (mostly trying to cut out sugar where I can), I dropped about 50 pounds and am in the best cardio shape of my life at age 50, and it's shown up in my endurance/stamina on the golf course. Walking 18 with the push cart is a piece of cake now.

My swing is a different story - losing weight destroyed my golf swing and this has been a lost season golf-wise. It's a little bittersweet being the healthiest I've been in more than 25 years but playing so badly. I have some optimism for next year though - I have one major thing to work on in the off-season and hopefully I can get back on track.

[ddetts]

First off, congrats on the lifestyle change and dropping that kind of weight! That's no easy task and I can imagine it had some implications on your golf swing. I have wanted to get a Peloton bike for awhile, it just hasn't been in the cards financially this year. So, I have a basic, cheap resistance trainer that I hook my bike up to in the winter and try to do some 30-40 minute cycling sessions but motivation is hard because it is pretty boring just pedaling away, changing resistance yourself, and having no course/goal to work toward.

 

I probably haven't been in the best shape of my life since my senior year of high school during basketball season. My last two years of college I got a little serious about fitness again and was going to the gym 3-4 days a week in between classes and eating better. That was probably the last time I was in really good shape. I've set a personal goal to get back into the best shape I have been in since prior to my hip replacement surgery.

[dwboston]

I agree that just cycling can get really boring and be a grind. We had a really nice elliptical that I used for years, but even with a TV right in front of it, it was a slog and I dreaded doing it. The interactive aspect of the bike, with the live and on-demand library of classes, is what makes the difference. It seems to go by much quicker than just pedaling for 45 minutes.

Their digital app is pretty good - I've used it (with my phone as the screen) when on vacation and it works pretty well. It doesn't give you all of the info that you would get from the bike, but if you have a resistance trainer it should work pretty well. The hardest part of using the app on a "regular" exercise bike is trying to gauge the resistance vs. the resistance on the Peloton bike (and you do have to change the resistance on the Peloton manually as you are riding, it shows the resisitance number on the screen and the instructor calls out what range you should try to be in).

[ddetts]

So I went and hit on the simulator near me again and still can't figure out what I'm doing with driver. I was consistantly getting 105-106mph with my 5w (10+ swings) and the sim had it going around 250-255. Driver was pretty much 101-103mph and around 265 yards with the exception of two swings at 105mph.

Also, hit a 3w off the deck that the sim had at 106mph and 270.

The lighting was crap so I couldn't get decent swing video. Just frustrating the heck out of me.

[ryan983]

Sounds like poor readings. That’s a long way to be hitting a 5 wood. What unit were you using? What kind of backspin numbers were you getting with 5 wood and driver?