Converting practice swing to real swing

[Krt22]

To each their own

 

Hogwash to me is the notion that you can fix legitimate swing flaws simply by thinking about it really hard

[oikos1]

I was on the range with a friend who was trying out new clubs, and he was hitting every one of them fat. I took away the ball, set up two tees and suggested he brush the grass past them, which he was able to do multiple times with no problem. No idea if those swings would have resulted in good ball flight or not. Put the ball back in play, and he was digging taters again. Funny how the mind works.

 

The hit impulse is wired into our brains.

 

Although I look at the ball, I am trying to NOT focus on it.. I am even going so far as to try to blur it out in my mind.

 

Kind of like a Jedi Mind trick .. lol

 

This perception of the game still amazes me every time I hear it. I do the exact opposite and focus directly on the ball as it is an integral part of the game. In fact some might say it is the game. I can think of no other sport where you would think this way about the main object of play.

 

I honestly think that if the ball causes someone this much trouble, golf just might not be the game of choice for them.

[jbw749]

If you can hit the ground anywhere near the ball you can hit the ball itself without changing your mechanics.

Yep, just like this playa:

 

 

 

Exactly. Simply making contact isnt the goal, making solid, ball first contact, with a decent path/face relationship, somewhere close to the intended target is the goal. 120+ shooting Over the top hackers can whack somewhere near the ground all day with their practice swing. That doesnt mean they will all of a sudden hit a nice push draw if they could just match their practice swing and real swing

 

Back when I was starting and attempting this futile exercise of swinging like I do for my practice swing, I would try this out. I'd take a nice practice swing. Quickly step up to the ball without any thoughts and swing away. Every single one would shoot 60 yards dead right. Great tempo, terrible results

 

Everyone who's played for a while has done this exact same drill.

It's not the practice swing your trying to recreate. It's the mental preparation that produces the practice swing that you want to emulate.

Recreate that and THEN work on face and low point control.

Sounds simple but no one does it this way.

 

 

Actually I think almost everyone does it that way.... and the results are no better then if you never took a practice swing... reason is because there is no result in an air swing it has no tangible outcome to draw from you can never know if it was a good swing or a flawed swing ... you have zero outcome to compare it to your real swing/s.

 

There's a lot of benefits to eliminating worrying about the outcome when there's a ball there. That's my point.

[jbw749]

 

Krt22 said:

I'm not sure why this is so far for some folks to grasp.

Krt22

 

As far as I can tell 99.9% of golfers agree with you so I wouldn't worry about people not grasping it.

It just doesn't work that good. Still works sort of, but not very good, something is missing.

[jbw749]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

Guys,

 

There's a big difference between hit impulse and being result obsessed.

 

"Hit impulse" is a "ball bound" impulse where you have this desire to "kill" the ball. Result is usually an OTT steep transition where your only option is to shallow late (early extend) and wipe across it and slice or take huge leftward divots with the short irons and wedges.

 

"Result Obsession" is where you may have very good mechanics, but the fear of failure or fear of OB or water hazard or fear of losing a bet or fear of what happened yesterday on this hole causes a flinch on the downswing which can change path, face and low point control or all 3. Hitting it "fat" would be the most common result obsessed fault. It cant be fixed with mechanics. Sorry tour pros do it all the time, they dont scrap what they're doing and rebuild they're swing. They mentally prepare better and stripe the next shot.

 

 

[Krt22]

Now you are talking about two different things and I would largely disagree that 99.9% grasp that idea because there are obviously quite a few nay-sayers in this relatively small thread. Golfers not improving is one thing, this thread is a subset of that larger group where golfers don't improve because they are chasing ghosts and largely disillusioned by the fact that if they could just swing like they do without the ball, all of their faults would miraculously be cured.

 

In both cases the biggest issue I have seen to progress (at least in this forum) is the golfer who refuses to get out of his own way because they are stubborn/arrogant/etc. There are even some outspoken folks who go so far to out right insult a large majority of instructors, completely ignoring the knucklehead who's actually holding the club, largely because they think their swing is much better than it is and have a long laundry list of self-justifications as to why they haven't improved dramatically (age, flexibility, tempo, hit impulse, injury, poor instruction, equipment, etc).

[jbw749]

And if you do fall into the hit impulse category I described above and you are trying to fix those swing flaws with hit impulse you will hit it worse WAY WAY worse. Because if you have hit impulse OTT, steep, shallow late, early extend is by far the BEST way to "hit" the ball. It's the most direct route to get the job done. Like swinging an axe.

 

So if your intent was to swing an axe, how productive would it be to try to change the mechanics to dropping from the inside and swinging through to the target? The results would be mind bogglingly horrible. Just like most peoples golf swings. I'm telling you this is the mother of light bulb moments once you get it.

[oikos1]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

Guys,

 

There's a big difference between hit impulse and being result obsessed.

 

"Hit impulse" is a "ball bound" impulse where you have this desire to "kill" the ball. Result is usually an OTT steep transition where your only option is to shallow late (early extend) and wipe across it and slice or take huge leftward divots with the short irons and wedges.

 

"Result Obsession" is where you may have very good mechanics, but the fear of failure or fear of OB or water hazard or fear of losing a bet or fear of what happened yesterday on this hole causes a flinch on the downswing which can change path, face and low point control or all 3. Hitting it "fat" would be the most common result obsessed fault. It cant be fixed with mechanics. Sorry tour pros do it all the time, they dont scrap what they're doing and rebuild they're swing. They mentally prepare better and stripe the next shot.

 

Not necessarily true. It appears you're taking a broad spectrum and narrowing it to fit your narrative. Many pros constantly work on their swing, talk about mechanical changes they make mid round (i.e. fixing their swing on the course during play), discuss finding what swing they'll have on the range for that particular day, admit somedays they just don't "have it", constantly weigh risk/reward, misjudge the wind and lie and course conditions and on and on. Just because a pro, or anyone for that matter, mishits a shot doesn't mean they were a mental mess.

[Krt22]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

Guys,

 

There's a big difference between hit impulse and being result obsessed.

 

"Hit impulse" is a "ball bound" impulse where you have this desire to "kill" the ball. Result is usually an OTT steep transition where your only option is to shallow late (early extend) and wipe across it and slice or take huge leftward divots with the short irons and wedges.

 

"Result Obsession" is where you may have very good mechanics, but the fear of failure or fear of OB or water hazard or fear of losing a bet or fear of what happened yesterday on this hole causes a flinch on the downswing which can change path, face and low point control or all 3. Hitting it "fat" would be the most common result obsessed fault. It cant be fixed with mechanics. Sorry tour pros do it all the time, they dont scrap what they're doing and rebuild they're swing. They mentally prepare better and stripe the next shot.

 

Not necessarily true. It appears you're taking a broad spectrum and narrowing it to fit your narrative. Many pros constantly work on their swing, talk about mechanical changes they make mid round (i.e. fixing their swing on the course during play), discuss finding what swing they'll have on the range for that particular day, admit somedays they just don't "have it", constantly weigh risk/reward, misjudge the wind and lie and course conditions and on and on. Just because a pro, or anyone for that matter, mishits a shot doesn't mean they were a mental mess.

 

Agreed. I'd also say it's erroneous to 1) Compare the mechanical flaws of a pro vs an am and 2)Say fat shots are not a mechanical issue and 3) Say just a pro hits a fat shot that some mid-cap shouldn't worry about why they are hitting it 3-4" behind the ball

 

In reality pros do have flaws, but they are also superior athletes, know their miss, and know how to fix it out on the course if it shows it's face under pressure. The don't say to themselves "Oh my tempo was just off, if I just match it to my practice swing I will be good". More likely they will say "Hips got out in front of that one, arms got behind the turn, got a little steep so I hit it a little fat".

[Hackinator]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

Guys,

 

There's a big difference between hit impulse and being result obsessed.

 

"Hit impulse" is a "ball bound" impulse where you have this desire to "kill" the ball. Result is usually an OTT steep transition where your only option is to shallow late (early extend) and wipe across it and slice or take huge leftward divots with the short irons and wedges.

 

"Result Obsession" is where you may have very good mechanics, but the fear of failure or fear of OB or water hazard or fear of losing a bet or fear of what happened yesterday on this hole causes a flinch on the downswing which can change path, face and low point control or all 3. Hitting it "fat" would be the most common result obsessed fault. It cant be fixed with mechanics. Sorry tour pros do it all the time, they dont scrap what they're doing and rebuild they're swing. They mentally prepare better and stripe the next shot.

 

Not necessarily true. It appears you're taking a broad spectrum and narrowing it to fit your narrative. Many pros constantly work on their swing, talk about mechanical changes they make mid round (i.e. fixing their swing on the course during play), discuss finding what swing they'll have on the range for that particular day, admit somedays they just don't "have it", constantly weigh risk/reward, misjudge the wind and lie and course conditions and on and on. Just because a pro, or anyone for that matter, mishits a shot doesn't mean they were a mental mess.

 

Agreed. I'd also say it's erroneous to 1) Compare the mechanical flaws of a pro vs an am and 2)Say fat shots are not a mechanical issue and 3) Say just a pro hits a fat shot that some mid-cap shouldn't worry about why they are hitting it 3-4" behind the ball

 

In reality pros do have flaws, but they are also superior athletes, know their miss, and know how to fix it out on the course if it shows it's face under pressure. The don't say to themselves "Oh my tempo was just off, if I just match it to my practice swing I will be good". More likely they will say "Hips got out in front of that one, arms got behind the turn, got a little steep so I hit it a little fat".

 

So you are a mind reader and know exactly what's in the mind of a pro?

 

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

Guys,

 

There's a big difference between hit impulse and being result obsessed.

 

"Hit impulse" is a "ball bound" impulse where you have this desire to "kill" the ball. Result is usually an OTT steep transition where your only option is to shallow late (early extend) and wipe across it and slice or take huge leftward divots with the short irons and wedges.

 

"Result Obsession" is where you may have very good mechanics, but the fear of failure or fear of OB or water hazard or fear of losing a bet or fear of what happened yesterday on this hole causes a flinch on the downswing which can change path, face and low point control or all 3. Hitting it "fat" would be the most common result obsessed fault. It cant be fixed with mechanics. Sorry tour pros do it all the time, they dont scrap what they're doing and rebuild they're swing. They mentally prepare better and stripe the next shot.

 

Not necessarily true. It appears you're taking a broad spectrum and narrowing it to fit your narrative. Many pros constantly work on their swing, talk about mechanical changes they make mid round (i.e. fixing their swing on the course during play), discuss finding what swing they'll have on the range for that particular day, admit somedays they just don't "have it", constantly weigh risk/reward, misjudge the wind and lie and course conditions and on and on. Just because a pro, or anyone for that matter, mishits a shot doesn't mean they were a mental mess.

 

Agreed. I'd also say it's erroneous to 1) Compare the mechanical flaws of a pro vs an am and 2)Say fat shots are not a mechanical issue and 3) Say just a pro hits a fat shot that some mid-cap shouldn't worry about why they are hitting it 3-4" behind the ball

 

In reality pros do have flaws, but they are also superior athletes, know their miss, and know how to fix it out on the course if it shows it's face under pressure. The don't say to themselves "Oh my tempo was just off, if I just match it to my practice swing I will be good". More likely they will say "Hips got out in front of that one, arms got behind the turn, got a little steep so I hit it a little fat".

 

So you are a mind reader and know exactly what's in the mind of a pro?

 

No, but many of us understand where bad shots really come from. Bad swings.

 

As your swing gets better, so does your confidence and the ability to dissect your issues.

[Krt22]

Exactly. The best players are the one's who know their miss and know what to do when it shows its face on the course. PGA tour pros are the best of the best, so if you don't think they know their miss I'm not sure what to tell you

 

If you consume enough golf content (TV, Youtube, social media) they actually are pretty candid about what their flaws are, what they are working on, etc. There are obviously a few pure feel guys out there, but they are few and far between and not what most mid-caps should be modeling their game around given they are best of the best when it comes to pure talent to hit the little white ball

[jbw749]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

Guys,

 

There's a big difference between hit impulse and being result obsessed.

 

"Hit impulse" is a "ball bound" impulse where you have this desire to "kill" the ball. Result is usually an OTT steep transition where your only option is to shallow late (early extend) and wipe across it and slice or take huge leftward divots with the short irons and wedges.

 

"Result Obsession" is where you may have very good mechanics, but the fear of failure or fear of OB or water hazard or fear of losing a bet or fear of what happened yesterday on this hole causes a flinch on the downswing which can change path, face and low point control or all 3. Hitting it "fat" would be the most common result obsessed fault. It cant be fixed with mechanics. Sorry tour pros do it all the time, they dont scrap what they're doing and rebuild they're swing. They mentally prepare better and stripe the next shot.

 

Not necessarily true. It appears you're taking a broad spectrum and narrowing it to fit your narrative. Many pros constantly work on their swing, talk about mechanical changes they make mid round (i.e. fixing their swing on the course during play), discuss finding what swing they'll have on the range for that particular day, admit somedays they just don't "have it", constantly weigh risk/reward, misjudge the wind and lie and course conditions and on and on. Just because a pro, or anyone for that matter, mishits a shot doesn't mean they were a mental mess.

 

Agreed. I'd also say it's erroneous to 1) Compare the mechanical flaws of a pro vs an am and 2)Say fat shots are not a mechanical issue and 3) Say just a pro hits a fat shot that some mid-cap shouldn't worry about why they are hitting it 3-4" behind the ball

 

In reality pros do have flaws, but they are also superior athletes, know their miss, and know how to fix it out on the course if it shows it's face under pressure. The don't say to themselves "Oh my tempo was just off, if I just match it to my practice swing I will be good". More likely they will say "Hips got out in front of that one, arms got behind the turn, got a little steep so I hit it a little fat".

 

As like most things in golf everything is the opposite of what logic would lead you to believe. You have got it backwards and if a good player did start thinking they need to speed up or slow down the upper or lower half of the body to sync things up while playing golf they are in for a rough day with a 2 way miss.

 

 

[Krt22]

I'm going to stop responding to you since you continue to twist my words to fit your strange narrative and arm waiving (that doesn't even have a cohesive point.)

 

If you really think the flaws a mid-cap is one meta awareness tempo fix away from having the flaws a professional has, well then there is really zero point continuing this debate =)

[jbw749]

I'm going to stop responding to you since you continue to twist my words to fit your strange narrative and arm waiving (that doesn't even have a cohesive point.)

 

If you really think the flaws a mid-cap is one meta awareness tempo fix away from having the flaws a professional has, well then there is really zero point continuing this debate =)

 

That's a great reason to have the debate. I'm not coming up with any better reasons to have the debate. Just messing with you krt ?. Don't worry I don't argue too much for very long or it just has a backfire effect. Debating online has never changed anyone's mind. In fact when faced with overwhelming evidence the opposing party just digs in deeper and finds ways to justify their way of thinking. Usually by being comforted by like minded people.

 

[oikos1]

I'm going to stop responding to you since you continue to twist my words to fit your strange narrative and arm waiving (that doesn't even have a cohesive point.)

 

If you really think the flaws a mid-cap is one meta awareness tempo fix away from having the flaws a professional has, well then there is really zero point continuing this debate =)

 

That's a great reason to have the debate. I'm not coming up with any better reasons to have the debate. Just messing with you krt . Don't worry I don't argue too much for very long or it just has a backfire effect. Debating online has never changed anyone's mind. In fact when faced with overwhelming evidence the opposing party just digs in deeper and finds ways to justify their way of thinking. Usually by being comforted by like minded people.

 

Hot diggity! One serving of "overwhelming evidence" please. Oh wait, that's just a passive aggressive way of saying "Why don't you stop asking questions and just accept what I'm saying".

 

.

[jbw749]

I'm going to stop responding to you since you continue to twist my words to fit your strange narrative and arm waiving (that doesn't even have a cohesive point.)

 

If you really think the flaws a mid-cap is one meta awareness tempo fix away from having the flaws a professional has, well then there is really zero point continuing this debate =)

 

That's a great reason to have the debate. I'm not coming up with any better reasons to have the debate. Just messing with you krt ��. Don't worry I don't argue too much for very long or it just has a backfire effect. Debating online has never changed anyone's mind. In fact when faced with overwhelming evidence the opposing party just digs in deeper and finds ways to justify their way of thinking. Usually by being comforted by like minded people.

 

Hot diggity! One serving of "overwhelming evidence" please. Oh wait, that's just a passive aggressive way of saying "Why don't you stop asking questions and just accept what I'm saying".

 

.

 

Maybe I'm the one being served the overwhelming evidence ?

Point is that in person debate rarely changes minds and certainly never happens online. It's only fun to try until it isn't.

In golf instruction everyone keeps arguing for the status quo even when in their heart of hearts they know something's missing. Eventually they just chalk it up to "whelp golf is hard I'll just never be that good" or they think they will be good some day, hit a brick wall and post about it here.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Perhaps most people arguing for mental game issues with their swing on the course are remembering their absolute best swings on the driving range or something like that?

 

Most would agree that’s what their swing could be with a lot of hard work fixing their flaws.

 

Where most would disagree, is that the practice swings are that potential swing.

 

Better players generally know what it took to get them past the “mental” game issues while higher handicapped players simple haven’t done it yet.

 

That’s why there’s a disconnect.

[chigolfer1]

practice swings are good for exaggerating feels

 

I like this and it seems like something a lot of the pros use it for. You'll notice, just about none of them are taking a full practice swing as if a ball is there.

[chigolfer1]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

I don't know if I agree with this. I have swings where I focus on, say, my hip pivot and completely "forget" to hit the ball and before I know it the swing is over and I've hit one of the better shots of my round. Then, the next swing, I'll completely freak out and just try to "hit" the ball with terrible results. After checking with Jim Waldron in the pinned thread, he agreed with this concept of changing the focus from the ball to something else.

 

Now, I'm pretty sure I have a worse hit impulse than most but I just don't think fixing mechanics solves the hit impulse. In fact, the hit impulse causes me to have very poor mechanics. Again, this could just be personal on a case by case basis though.

[oikos1]

When talk of removing focus on the ball to something else comes up, this option is quite humorous:

(go to 1:36 if it doesn't start there)

 

[chigolfer1]

When talk of removing focus on the ball to something else comes up, this option is quite humorous:

(go to 1:36 if it doesn't start there)

 

[media=]

[/media]

 

lol, this is great.

[Krt22]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

I don't know if I agree with this. I have swings where I focus on, say, my hip pivot and completely "forget" to hit the ball and before I know it the swing is over and I've hit one of the better shots of my round. Then, the next swing, I'll completely freak out and just try to "hit" the ball with terrible results. After checking with Jim Waldron in the pinned thread, he agreed with this concept of changing the focus from the ball to something else.

 

Now, I'm pretty sure I have a worse hit impulse than most but I just don't think fixing mechanics solves the hit impulse. In fact, the hit impulse causes me to have very poor mechanics. Again, this could just be personal on a case by case basis though.

 

I'd say this is different situation than those that think a bad shot is just due to hit impulse and don't understand how/why it happened. Those are the guys that scratch their head and chalk it up as a fluke when in reality there was a mechanical error that resulted in the bad shot.

 

In your case you I'd say are way ahead of most since you can acknowledge that your hit impulse actually compromises your mechanics and you know exactly what mental approach you need to take that results in a better shot/mechanics.

[davep043]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

I don't know if I agree with this. I have swings where I focus on, say, my hip pivot and completely "forget" to hit the ball and before I know it the swing is over and I've hit one of the better shots of my round. Then, the next swing, I'll completely freak out and just try to "hit" the ball with terrible results. After checking with Jim Waldron in the pinned thread, he agreed with this concept of changing the focus from the ball to something else.

 

Now, I'm pretty sure I have a worse hit impulse than most but I just don't think fixing mechanics solves the hit impulse. In fact, the hit impulse causes me to have very poor mechanics. Again, this could just be personal on a case by case basis though.

 

I'd say this is different situation than those that think a bad shot is just due to hit impulse and don't understand how/why it happened. Those are the guys that scratch their head and chalk it up as a fluke when in reality there was a mechanical error that resulted in the bad shot.

 

In your case you I'd say are way ahead of most since you can acknowledge that your hit impulse actually compromises your mechanics and you know exactly what mental approach you need to take that results in a better shot/mechanics.

I wonder if this is a perception issue more than a mechanics issue. Have you ever felt the "hit impulse" when you've hit a good shot? If I hit a good shot, I assume that it was a product of all the things I did right. If I hit a bad shot, I blame it on something, maybe a mechanical fault, maybe the "hit impulse". But I might have done and thought exactly the same things prior to and during the swing, the resulting shot colors my evaluation. I have variability in my swing, we all do, and the bad results are just as much a part of me as the good ones are. The differences in the swing can be minuscule, but the differences in the resulting shot can be huge. This is why working on mechanics has the potential to eliminate the perception of "hit impulse" issues. Improved mechanics generally mean less variability, fewer really poor shots, and consequently few instances to blame on a "hit impulse".

[Krt22]

Very good question about hit impulse and good shots. You are right, those good shots dont just come from thin air, they are a product of everything coming together correctly. The same goes for the bad shots, they too don't just come from thin air, they are a product of something being off at some point in the swing. The better your mechanics, the less likely they are to appear. If mentally approaching the swing in a different manner helps improve your mechanics, then there is nothing wrong with that!

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Very good question about hit impulse and good shots. You are right, those good shots dont just come from thin air, they are a product of everything coming together correctly. The same goes for the bad shots, they too don't just come from thin air, they are a product of something being off at some point in the swing. The better your mechanics, the less likely they are to appear. If mentally approaching the swing in a different manner helps improve your mechanics, then there is nothing wrong with that!

 

The real problem is simply the inexperience of higher handicapped golfers.

 

We all make mistakes, and will continue to do so.

 

As we get better, the mistakes give better results and we generally learn how to interpret them from the feel and results. You don’t get to see the bad results from a practice swing so a less experienced golfer could think it’s better when it’s not.

[jurr80]

You can fix hit impulse by fixing mechanics. Getting into the properly position in the backswing, transitioning correctly, etc all lead to a more fluid swing

 

I too disillusioned myself into thinking it was "hit impulse" that was preventing me from striking the ball how I wanted. I was wrong

 

I don't know if I agree with this. I have swings where I focus on, say, my hip pivot and completely "forget" to hit the ball and before I know it the swing is over and I've hit one of the better shots of my round. Then, the next swing, I'll completely freak out and just try to "hit" the ball with terrible results. After checking with Jim Waldron in the pinned thread, he agreed with this concept of changing the focus from the ball to something else.

 

Now, I'm pretty sure I have a worse hit impulse than most but I just don't think fixing mechanics solves the hit impulse. In fact, the hit impulse causes me to have very poor mechanics. Again, this could just be personal on a case by case basis though.

 

I'd say this is different situation than those that think a bad shot is just due to hit impulse and don't understand how/why it happened. Those are the guys that scratch their head and chalk it up as a fluke when in reality there was a mechanical error that resulted in the bad shot.

 

In your case you I'd say are way ahead of most since you can acknowledge that your hit impulse actually compromises your mechanics and you know exactly what mental approach you need to take that results in a better shot/mechanics.

I wonder if this is a perception issue more than a mechanics issue. Have you ever felt the "hit impulse" when you've hit a good shot? If I hit a good shot, I assume that it was a product of all the things I did right. If I hit a bad shot, I blame it on something, maybe a mechanical fault, maybe the "hit impulse". But I might have done and thought exactly the same things prior to and during the swing, the resulting shot colors my evaluation. I have variability in my swing, we all do, and the bad results are just as much a part of me as the good ones are. The differences in the swing can be minuscule, but the differences in the resulting shot can be huge. This is why working on mechanics has the potential to eliminate the perception of "hit impulse" issues. Improved mechanics generally mean less variability, fewer really poor shots, and consequently few instances to blame on a "hit impulse".

The best way to test would be to hit a shot blindfolded or eyes closed.

I’ve had two great coaches have me do it, and it works to build faith in what you’re doing.

If that “ball just gets in the way” swing hits them straight, and the mechanics look good, you may be ball bound.

 

The reason I mention this is because I myself (and countless other guys who have had myriad lessons) get drills down (prescribed by pros) to the point that the swing looks TEXTBOOK, and it goes to s*** the minute a ball gets put in front of us.

 

For myself, closing my eyes and trusting the move I built made the entire swing flow.

 

Now I’m seeing full on brands of golf instruction trumpeting that case. That Clement guy has been saying it for years!

 

This is of course for the 10-28 cappers who still seem to go down the swing porn/instruction porn pathway.

 

You can practice your nuts off with drills and still not get past the allure of that ball on the ground.

You can have every mechanical part so well evolved and STILL screw it up by the message your brain sends you to override and control that new swing pattern. It’s all about your brain.

[dap]

I don't think the practice swing and real swing need to be the same. You are basically chasing a rainbow. If you watch good players and pros most don't do a practice swing like their actual swing. Some are even doing strange looking moves and drills. Watch Alex Noren.They are practicing feels rather than trying to replicate the real swing.

 

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

I don't think the practice swing and real swing need to be the same. You are basically chasing a rainbow. If you watch good players and pros most don't do a practice swing like their actual swing. Some are even doing strange looking moves and drills. Watch Alex Noren.They are practicing feels rather than trying to replicate the real swing.

 

 

This is very true of much better golfers. I’m not that good...but often my practice swing doesn’t feel anything like my real swing and not on purpose Lol

[davep043]

 

I wonder if this is a perception issue more than a mechanics issue. Have you ever felt the "hit impulse" when you've hit a good shot? If I hit a good shot, I assume that it was a product of all the things I did right. If I hit a bad shot, I blame it on something, maybe a mechanical fault, maybe the "hit impulse". But I might have done and thought exactly the same things prior to and during the swing, the resulting shot colors my evaluation. I have variability in my swing, we all do, and the bad results are just as much a part of me as the good ones are. The differences in the swing can be minuscule, but the differences in the resulting shot can be huge. This is why working on mechanics has the potential to eliminate the perception of "hit impulse" issues. Improved mechanics generally mean less variability, fewer really poor shots, and consequently few instances to blame on a "hit impulse".

The best way to test would be to hit a shot blindfolded or eyes closed.

I've had two great coaches have me do it, and it works to build faith in what you're doing.

If that "ball just gets in the way" swing hits them straight, and the mechanics look good, you may be ball bound.

 

The reason I mention this is because I myself (and countless other guys who have had myriad lessons) get drills down (prescribed by pros) to the point that the swing looks TEXTBOOK, and it goes to s*** the minute a ball gets put in front of us.

 

For myself, closing my eyes and trusting the move I built made the entire swing flow.

 

Now I'm seeing full on brands of golf instruction trumpeting that case. That Clement guy has been saying it for years!

 

This is of course for the 10-28 cappers who still seem to go down the swing porn/instruction porn pathway.

 

You can practice your nuts off with drills and still not get past the allure of that ball on the ground.

You can have every mechanical part so well evolved and STILL screw it up by the message your brain sends you to override and control that new swing pattern. It's all about your brain.

I guess that in my view, the mechanics aren't right unless they're right when the ball is there. Good-looking practice swings don't mean a damn thing. A "good-looking" practice swing might just produce a horrible result if you actually used it to hit a ball, you'll never really know. Your real swing with the ball there might look pretty similar to that "pretty" practice swing, I haven't seen examples of either. You might film a drill to make sure you're doing the drill right, but if it doesn't translate to a real swing at a real ball, its not doing its job. I do accept that a player can have an issue moving from a practice swing where they're only worried about a specific movement to a real swing where they're worried about the ball. And I do understand that swinging with eyes closed can help with that issue. But working to develop a pretty practice swing isn't something I care about, I work to develop an effective real swing.