Train it and trust it, how?!

[Jimjam651]

I've always been a very technical thinker when it comes to golf, I spend a lot of time working on my swing and carry a lot of swing thoughts on to the course. The problem is that I'm also a massive over thinker, I cannot hit a bad shot on the course without blaming it on a swing fault and changing swing thoughts throughout the round until I find one that works... until it doesn't and then I find another swing thought on my way to shooting another 75

 

I've had a bad year on the course this year and it's clear that I'm at the level where I need to 'play golf' and not play 'golf swing'.  The problem is, I don't really know what that means!

 

So as per the topic title, how on earth do you trust it on the course? How are you keeping it simple and 'getting it round'?

 

[bladehunter]

I understand what you mean.  Let me see if this rings a bell. 
 

your swing thoughts maybe circle around mimicking ( in feels ) other players ?  So todays thought might be Patrick cantlays tempo.   Or mid round you may swap to a bit more rigid backswing feel like Xander S.    I think this is the part guys talking about feel never say  out loud.  Or you maybe swapping  instructors feels in your head.  Same thing.  If this rings even a small bell. This is how I beat it.  
 

figure out how to play as you.  Make the feel your feel.  And then don’t ever stray.  Don’t watch others anymore. Etc. You have to start playing as “you” .  And don’t switch it off.    If this doesn’t ring a bell , then I’m a weirdo , and pay me no attention. 😂.  

[North Butte]

Unless one has spent many, many years practicing meditation it is almost impossible to think about nothing. If you're thinking about things that interfere with playing your best golf, you need to replace those thoughts with better ones. 

 

For instance, let's say you are thinking about elephants. And you try NOT to think about elephants which of course makes you think about not thinking about elephants which is just another way of thinking about elephants, right? 

 

But then you decide to think really hard about clouds. Fluffy clouds, thunderclouds, endless rows of clouds disappearing at the horizon. Eventually you'll only be thinking about clouds, not elephants at all.

 

So decide what you're rather think about instead of your technical/mechanical thoughts. Something that might help rather than hinder your best golf. I'd suggest trying to remember in detail the last really good shot you hit that's similar to the one you're facing. Maybe it's a narrow fairway, tree-lined but it's a long Par 4 so you need to hit driver. You just need to hit it straight and long.  Think back to some other tee shot where you just bombed one dead straight. Keep that imagine in your mind throughout the swing. 

 

Or maybe you can conjure up a feeling to concentrate on. You can try something like focusing on feeling your feet pressing into ground and try to notice exactly what it feels like during the swing. Don't think about a set of instructions for how it is SUPPOSED to feel. Just focus on paying attention.

 

Whatever you choose as your alternative attention focus, the first 10 or 100 times you try to do it, at some point during or before the swing your long, bad habits will kick in and you'll give yourself a last minute instruction or two ("Take it straight back!"). That's fine. You will have to try focusing elsewhere many, many times before it becomes a habit. 

 

One way to speed up the process is to do the alternative attention focus on the driving range. Maybe try to do it for a full bucket of drivers today, then a full bucket of wedges next week, then a full bucket of irons after that. But also still try to do it when you play.

 

It will feel soooooo out of control to think about abstract things like the flight of the ball or the feeling of the ground through your feet instead of your usual laundry list of checkpoints. Some wee part of your brain is programmed to be the enforcer, it will tell you something like, "OMG you'll forget to finish with your belt toward the target" every time you swing without thinking about your checklist. Just let that voice shout away and if you ignore it long enough it will stop. Mostly. 

[Zitlow]

Conscious effort slows down the reflexes. The best way to develop a consistent repeatable golf swing is by using motion to develop feel, instead of using mechanical positions.

 

The hands and feet drive the motion. The intervening joints, ligaments, bones, muscles and soft tissue react to the hands and feet. Start with a small motion and expand it until you have a full swing. 

 

Watch the feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[getitdaily]

There are 2 or 3 moves in your swing that are death moves. There are a couple other areas of your swing that you like to check on or improve but they're not hyper-critical.

 

The death moves need to have a feeling that helps prevent them from showing up. Your preshot routine should focus on 2 feelings that are tied to your death moves. 

 

If you're not doing it now, put heavy focus on Tempo training during your practice. Then make Tempo a big part of your on course play. 

 

As for trust on course...if you're putting in the work then it's literally as simple as just trusting it. Take something an old instructor told me...

 

"You can't be afraid of where it's going". 

 

Targets and Tempo...that's your on-course focus.

Edited November 28, 2022 by getitdaily

[KMeloney]

As a +3, your swing is much more grooved and on autopilot than mine will ever be. But I tend to do what you do during a round where nothing seems to be clicking. Inevitably, by the 17th or 18th hole, I'll realize what the real issue was, and I always want to kick myself for not recognizing it a lot sooner in the round (especially when it ends up being the same particular swing though/component that's the culprit more often than not).

 

For me, I tend to take the club back too closed, and then fight a hook (or a two-way miss) all day. As you can imagine, not letting the forearms naturally rotate "open" by the end of the backswing makes the swing feel mostly wrong, and leads to all kinds of compensations. Inevitably, my mind will address the compensations as the causes and not symptoms, and it continues to be a struggle. Once I realize what the real root cause for my troubles is, things fall back into place. It's just that it's often too late.

 

Do you find in retrospect that it's usually the same one or two issues where you're overdoing or underdoing something? Or, does it vary wildly from poor round to poor round?

[KMeloney]

4 minutes ago, getitdaily said:

There are 2 or 3 moves in your swing that are death moves. There are a couple other areas of your swing that you like to check on or improve but they're not hyper-critical.

 

The death moves need to have a feeling that helps prevent them from showing up. Your preshot routine should focus on 2 feelings that are tied to your death moves. 

 

If you're not doing it now, put heavy focus on Tempo training during your practice. Then make Tempo a big part of your on course play. 

 

As for trust on course...if you're putting in the work then it's literally as simple as just trusting it. Take something an old instructor told me...

 

"You can be afraid of where it's going". 

 

Targets and Tempo...that's your on-course focus.

 

Yep, this is it for me. I can't just "play golf" when I'm trying to play with a death move in my swing that can't be in there. For me, it usually takes conscious thought to diagnose the issue and correct it. It's rarely ever a situation of "paralysis by analysis" -- just the opposite. If I don't recognize what's usually one big aspect of my swing that's wrecking it, then the whole round will go poorly. And for me, my death move (keeping the clubface closed throughout the swing) is most damaging from the tee, usually putting me in bad places to start the hole, and hurting my confidence before each drive.

[gators78]

Similar theme to what others have posted, but maybe framed another way. 

 

Everybody has tendencies/faults in their swing. You need to understand what the core problems are and what the fix is. I would get steep and stuck and caused a two way miss. I’d mess around and try all kinds of different swing ideas, which might last for a few holes, then fall apart again because they weren’t solving my major fault. 

 

Once I understood the core problems, I researched different tips or fixes addressing the specific problem. From the two or three fixes I developed 4-6 feels that I use when I play. Some days if one feel doesn’t seem right, just work on another one, but I always stayed within those fixes. I also identified a miss, so if I start hitting a certain shot (for me a hard pull) I know I need to really exaggerate the feel on the next swing. 

 

I would dig a little deeper on the closed club face fault, a lot of players have a stronger face and do just fine. It could be getting narrow, body slides, stand up at impact etc. Once you know that, it’ll give you a path on the fix. 

Edited November 28, 2022 by gators78

[mikpga]

Something to consider…

 

Tiger would say (something along these lines), it would take him a good year to start trusting “changes” in his swing…

 

So please consider the work, determination, and dedication, that is required to truly trust…

 

Personally, I have learned how to be much more patient with “the process”.

[MelloYello]

When I'm swinging my best I have a little take-away thought that gets me started on the right path and then I just try to swing with the kind of rhythm that works for me (smooth). 

[North Butte]

40 minutes ago, mikpga said:

Something to consider…

 

Tiger would say (something along these lines), it would take him a good year to start trusting “changes” in his swing…

 

So please consider the work, determination, and dedication, that is required to truly trust…

 

Personally, I have learned how to be much more patient with “the process”.

It reminds me of the time I bought a new wedge then had a golf lesson a week later. I said something about not being sure I liked it and my teacher asked how long I'd had it. His response was, "Heck, I never know if I can trust a different wedge for at least three months".  Probably explains why he almost never changed clubs. 

[Ifelloffladder]

Funny you make this post. I have always wondered why golf is the only sport(or game for those who are technical) that focuses so much on the swing. I guess it's so complicated that once you think you found the right swing the golf gods just laugh and throws a wrench in the socket and you are back to the drawing board.

 

Do tennis or baseball players look in the mirror for hours and see how well their swing is? I don't think so

[Ri_Redneck]

The thing that makes me trust my swing the most is making a lot of good swings...... in other words, I practice a lot, focusing on the good swings. How they feel, what initiated them, how consistent the results were. The more good strikes I make, the more I BELIEVE I will make good strikes! When practicing, I try to focus on these things:

 

Proper setup - Can't make a good swing without a good setup.

Perfect alignment - Part of the setup for sure, but I have seen people setup meticulously and still be out of alignment! Aim small - Miss small.

Tempo/rhythm - Must be consistent for consistent results. Consistent tempo will deliver the clubface at the proper angle the most reliably.

 

I also try to only have two swing thoughts for the day and I don't change them at all costs. I decide on these thoughts during my warmup based on swing feel of the day. I hit a few shots and think about what stands out the most in the swing. Usually it's how the takeaway feels and how the transition feels. If I can get those two parts of the swing right, it all falls into place.

 

All of these things I try to practice every day I can. My problem is I just don't have enough days to get as good as I want to be!

 

BT

 

[phizzy30]

3 hours ago, Ifelloffladder said:

Funny you make this post. I have always wondered why golf is the only sport(or game for those who are technical) that focuses so much on the swing. I guess it's so complicated that once you think you found the right swing the golf gods just laugh and throws a wrench in the socket and you are back to the drawing board.

 

Do tennis or baseball players look in the mirror for hours and see how well their swing is? I don't think so

Don't know about tennis but baseball players, even ones at the highest level do look in the mirror to analyze their swings.  Pitchers as well to look at their mechanics.  Got a client I train who's pitcher for a minor league team and he does it periodically with the team's pitching coach.  I myself would look at my swing with a bat back when I played baseball in high school. 

[Ifelloffladder]

11 minutes ago, phizzy30 said:

Don't know about tennis but baseball players, even ones at the highest level do look in the mirror to analyze their swings.  Pitchers as well to look at their mechanics.  Got a client I train who's pitcher for a minor league team and he does it periodically with the team's pitching coach.  I myself would look at my swing with a bat back when I played baseball in high school. 

For me it was more timing than focusing so much on my swing or how it looked. I used the same swing since Little League and thought nothing of it as long as I did the usual. And thing is we never brought up our baseball swings like we did with our golf swing.

 

Wish the golf swing was as simple as a baseball swing but it is so complex that no other venue has so many instructors(or Youtube tutorials) on how to swing a golf club.

 

Just imagine if MLB had a Minolta Swing Vision? 🤪

[jordan2240]

What @bladehunter said.  Playing much better myself lately since finding 'my' swing and just going with it.  Funny thing is, I'd found it a long time ago but kept changing it looking for more distance, better consistency, better accuracy, better form, etc.  That caused way too much thinking and a lot less enjoyment, but given your handicap, I'm sure there's no advice I can give you, so I'm basically talking to the 'weekend warriors' like myself who might happen upon this thread.

[Jimjam651]

20 hours ago, bladehunter said:

I understand what you mean.  Let me see if this rings a bell. 
 

your swing thoughts maybe circle around mimicking ( in feels ) other players ?  So todays thought might be Patrick cantlays tempo.   Or mid round you may swap to a bit more rigid backswing feel like Xander S.    I think this is the part guys talking about feel never say  out loud.  Or you maybe swapping  instructors feels in your head.  Same thing.  If this rings even a small bell. This is how I beat it.  
 

figure out how to play as you.  Make the feel your feel.  And then don’t ever stray.  Don’t watch others anymore. Etc. You have to start playing as “you” .  And don’t switch it off.    If this doesn’t ring a bell , then I’m a weirdo , and pay me no attention. 😂.  

 

There's so many good replies in here but I had to laugh at how much this stood out to me.

 

I started a thread on here a couple of years ago asking how you choose between coaches and it's safe to say I've made no progress on the matter.  I still go between two guys for swing stuff, go back to swing thoughts from other coaches along the way and to be completely honest there would be a third coach in the frame if he wasn't so poor at replying to messages 😂

 

i was thinking recently that i almost need to switch off from golf media / social media completely and just commit to one coach for a year but... my name is Jimjam651 and I can finally admit I have a problem and need help 😂

[Jimjam651]

18 hours ago, getitdaily said:

There are 2 or 3 moves in your swing that are death moves. There are a couple other areas of your swing that you like to check on or improve but they're not hyper-critical.

 

The death moves need to have a feeling that helps prevent them from showing up. Your preshot routine should focus on 2 feelings that are tied to your death moves. 

 

If you're not doing it now, put heavy focus on Tempo training during your practice. Then make Tempo a big part of your on course play. 

 

As for trust on course...if you're putting in the work then it's literally as simple as just trusting it. Take something an old instructor told me...

 

"You can't be afraid of where it's going". 

 

Targets and Tempo...that's your on-course focus.

Your post says a lot of things out loud that I do know really, I just need to actually put it in to practice.

 

I'm so worried about not doing the death move that I get quick and tense and think far more about technique than the target, I basically have the exact same swing thoughts whilst playing that I do during technical practice. 

 

I definitely need to introduce a freeing element of not caring where the ball goes, as blasé as it would sounds it would free me up a lot on the golf course.  Every instructor I've ever gone so have told me that my only swing thoughts on the course should be 'short and slow'.... guess which swing thoughts I've never used 😂

 

 

[Jimjam651]

17 hours ago, mikpga said:

Something to consider…

 

Tiger would say (something along these lines), it would take him a good year to start trusting “changes” in his swing…

 

So please consider the work, determination, and dedication, that is required to truly trust…

 

Personally, I have learned how to be much more patient with “the process”.

Patience with the process is something I really struggle with

 

I'm a guy that wants something to make me better now rather than someone who understands the work you do now will help you in six months time so find it really hard to commit to a swing change if i go through a period of hitting it poorly

[Rosco1216]

I’ve gone through the exact same thing multiple times. What I’ve learned is to take videos when I’m hitting it really well and write down actual cues and swing thoughts/feels i have for address position, takeaway, top and transition, etc. 

 

I’m a good enough player that on days when I’m not hitting it how I’d like I’ll be able to tinker and “figure something out” to play an ok round but if I’m struggling consistently that feel can be something different from day to day and then that convolutes into a smorgasbord of bandaid fixes and i can’t remember which is the positive stuff that truly worked and put me in the right positions. 

Edited November 29, 2022 by Rosco1216

[MC21]

4 hours ago, Jimjam651 said:

 

There's so many good replies in here but I had to laugh at how much this stood out to me.

 

I started a thread on here a couple of years ago asking how you choose between coaches and it's safe to say I've made no progress on the matter.  I still go between two guys for swing stuff, go back to swing thoughts from other coaches along the way and to be completely honest there would be a third coach in the frame if he wasn't so poor at replying to messages 😂

 

i was thinking recently that i almost need to switch off from golf media / social media completely and just commit to one coach for a year but... my name is Jimjam651 and I can finally admit I have a problem and need help 😂

I've never been as good as a golfer as you, but I played competitively as a junior to a low single digit and then stopped playing for about 10 years before picking it back up last summer. As a kid, I was always very technical and had to practice and play constantly so that I didn't lose my "feels". Coming back from a 10 year layoff I tried to do the same things, but they weren't working and I didn't have nearly the same amount of time to dedicate to the game. I had to figure something else out if I wanted to get back to my previous level that was much easier to maintain.

 

For me, it was concentrating on fundamentals (grip, setup, etc.), rhythm, clubface control, and target. I completely stopped thinking about anything technical and just trusted what I had that day. Over the ball I make sure my shoulders, wrists, and forearm are loose and relaxed, I waggle the club with what feels like my shoulders to feel the weight of the head, and then I literally have one thought that isn't the target or the clubface and that's "be confident/cocky". The confident/cocky thing is the complete opposite of the thoughts that would typically go through my head like don't roll it open, turn your left shoulder steeper, get your right hip back, etc. I need that positive reinforcement to trust that the ball is going to end up somewhere near where I intend for it go. 

 

I had to stop cluttering my head with thoughts and I had to stop reading swing tips and watching YouTube videos. I just had too much information and too many thoughts in my head and one bad shot would open Pandora's box on the golf course and I would spend the rest of the round chasing a feel I could trust and all strategy, course management, etc. would go out the window. Once I did that I went from an 8 back down to my junior level and past it, ending the season just under a 3.

 

You're clearly a great player and know how to consistently make solid contact, you just need to trust and believe that your ability and talent is what is doing it and not the swing thoughts.

Edited November 29, 2022 by MC21

[RichieHunt]

The very best in the world, whether it's ballstriking, short game, putting tend to be hyper-focused on the target and how the ball moves to the target, first.  Then they use that as feedback and adjust accordingly.  They also understand that there's usually 1 thing going on to cause them to consistently play mediocre golf shots.

 

The rest of the golfing public is hyper-focused on swing thoughts/visuals/feels.  For many, the target is an afterthought.  The result isn't an afterthought but because they are so hyper-focused on thoughts/visuals/feels they are really not as in-tune with the actual result and thus they get no feedback.

 

At your level of play, your ballstriking performance is going to be determined by 1 mechanical piece of the golf swing most of the time.  Drew Cooper talks about this.  When he struggles, no matter what he thinks could be the issue it always comes back to his trail hip not rising enough in the backswing.  When it's rising nicely in the backswing he's going to strike it well for him (fortunately for him he has 210+ mph ball speed allowing him to hit a lot of incredible shots).

 

For me, I tend to sway too much in the backswing, particularly with the upper body.  Unfortunately, I only have 165+ mph ball speed that allows me to quality golf shots, just not at somebody like Drew's level.  

 

I suppose that is what people are really getting at when they say 'swing your swing.'  It's more about understanding the tendencies of your particular swing.  Those tendencies stick around for a long time...that's why they're called tendencies.  And if you want to improve your game beyond working on your tendencies you're going to have to make changes to your swing and/or your body.  But realize that your old tendencies are still likely to happen or you may even develop new tendencies.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

[Zitlow]

Simplicity is the key, it's easier to trust a motion than a position. Instruction is way too technical which ties peoples brains up in knots. 

 

Even with big advances in equipment the average USGA handicap for a man has improved less than two strokes, from 16.3 to 14.4. in the last 25 years. Golf lessons should come with a money back guarantee. 

 

 

[Jimjam651]

On 11/29/2022 at 11:13 AM, Rosco1216 said:

I’ve gone through the exact same thing multiple times. What I’ve learned is to take videos when I’m hitting it really well and write down actual cues and swing thoughts/feels i have for address position, takeaway, top and transition, etc. 

 

I’m a good enough player that on days when I’m not hitting it how I’d like I’ll be able to tinker and “figure something out” to play an ok round but if I’m struggling consistently that feel can be something different from day to day and then that convolutes into a smorgasbord of bandaid fixes and i can’t remember which is the positive stuff that truly worked and put me in the right positions. 

I guess a bit of this comes down to knowing your tendencies? Your day to day feels may change but your dominant 'fault' will probably always be the same.  

[Jimjam651]

On 11/29/2022 at 1:51 PM, RichieHunt said:

The very best in the world, whether it's ballstriking, short game, putting tend to be hyper-focused on the target and how the ball moves to the target, first.  Then they use that as feedback and adjust accordingly.  They also understand that there's usually 1 thing going on to cause them to consistently play mediocre golf shots.

 

The rest of the golfing public is hyper-focused on swing thoughts/visuals/feels.  For many, the target is an afterthought.  The result isn't an afterthought but because they are so hyper-focused on thoughts/visuals/feels they are really not as in-tune with the actual result and thus they get no feedback.

 

At your level of play, your ballstriking performance is going to be determined by 1 mechanical piece of the golf swing most of the time.  Drew Cooper talks about this.  When he struggles, no matter what he thinks could be the issue it always comes back to his trail hip not rising enough in the backswing.  When it's rising nicely in the backswing he's going to strike it well for him (fortunately for him he has 210+ mph ball speed allowing him to hit a lot of incredible shots).

 

For me, I tend to sway too much in the backswing, particularly with the upper body.  Unfortunately, I only have 165+ mph ball speed that allows me to quality golf shots, just not at somebody like Drew's level.  

 

I suppose that is what people are really getting at when they say 'swing your swing.'  It's more about understanding the tendencies of your particular swing.  Those tendencies stick around for a long time...that's why they're called tendencies.  And if you want to improve your game beyond working on your tendencies you're going to have to make changes to your swing and/or your body.  But realize that your old tendencies are still likely to happen or you may even develop new tendencies.

 

 

 

 

 

RH

It's funny really, one of the guys I get some coaching only gave me one technical thing to work on.  His main focus from our coaching was focusing on getting the start line and shot shape consistent.  I always looked at this as a bit basic compared to other coaching ive had but in hindsight its so obvious that he was moving me away from a technical to performance based practice.... if only I'd listened!

[betarhoalphadelta]

On 11/28/2022 at 2:42 PM, Ifelloffladder said:

For me it was more timing than focusing so much on my swing or how it looked. I used the same swing since Little League and thought nothing of it as long as I did the usual. And thing is we never brought up our baseball swings like we did with our golf swing.

 

Wish the golf swing was as simple as a baseball swing but it is so complex that no other venue has so many instructors(or Youtube tutorials) on how to swing a golf club.

 

 

Well sure, in baseball you have 90 degrees of direction to be "in play" and hitting it out of that window after the 2nd strike means you get another chance instead of a third strike. 

 

In golf you might have a 10 degree directional window off the tee at 250 yards to get it in the fairway. In a lot of cases being much beyond that might get you into OB territory and then it's S&D penalty!

 

If a golf shot allowed a 90 degree field of play I'd focus a lot more on hitting the ball hard than hitting it straight lol. 

[wagolfer7]

Your not going to "change" your golf swing on the course.  It's pointless in my opinion to try or start thinking about any YT tip or whatever such as "shallowing the club more", "using the ground more", etc. etc.  

 

Learned a few years ago that when I'm on the course.  The biggest issue that's going to be fixable or something to pay attention to is "alignment" and "setup".  The guys that always say "well I was striping it on the range and now I can't do anything".  The only thing that's changed from range to course, you have to actually aim at a specific target and get your alignment right.  

 

Takeaway feels and checking, should happen on the practice swing.  Once you setup to the ball, all thoughts should be on target as stated by @RichieHunt

 

To answer OP question.  It's mental commitment, that once you step up to the ball, your only focusing on the target and getting the ball on the start line you want.  If you hooked it, sliced it, duffed it, etc. - focus on making sure you aren't way open / closed with shoulders, feet, waist to your intended start line. 

 

 

[Ifelloffladder]

52 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Well sure, in baseball you have 90 degrees of direction to be "in play" and hitting it out of that window after the 2nd strike means you get another chance instead of a third strike. 

 

In golf you might have a 10 degree directional window off the tee at 250 yards to get it in the fairway. In a lot of cases being much beyond that might get you into OB territory and then it's S&D penalty!

 

If a golf shot allowed a 90 degree field of play I'd focus a lot more on hitting the ball hard than hitting it straight lol. 

Yup. Don't get me wrong hitting baseballs is still a difficult task but nothing like hitting that darn little ball.

[mikpga]

So this is Owen.  Owen likes to swing the club a bit more “outside to inside”.  He understands the task, just needs some time to trust the process.  Mr. Noodle has been a part of the process from the beginning, but our goal is to part ways with Mr. Noodle.  At some point Owen will begin to trust his “feels” and his ability to execute the task!  My goal is to make the process productive, educational, and lots of fun!  How do you #feedyourgame?

[KMeloney]

2 hours ago, wagolfer7 said:

Your not going to "change" your golf swing on the course.  It's pointless in my opinion to try or start thinking about any YT tip or whatever such as "shallowing the club more", "using the ground more", etc. etc.  

 

Learned a few years ago that when I'm on the course.  The biggest issue that's going to be fixable or something to pay attention to is "alignment" and "setup".  The guys that always say "well I was striping it on the range and now I can't do anything".  The only thing that's changed from range to course, you have to actually aim at a specific target and get your alignment right.  

 

Takeaway feels and checking, should happen on the practice swing.  Once you setup to the ball, all thoughts should be on target as stated by @RichieHunt

 

To answer OP question.  It's mental commitment, that once you step up to the ball, your only focusing on the target and getting the ball on the start line you want.  If you hooked it, sliced it, duffed it, etc. - focus on making sure you aren't way open / closed with shoulders, feet, waist to your intended start line. 

 

 

 

...Except when it's actually a simple, integral swing component that you've omitted from your swing that no amount of target-focus will overcome.