From Mikey-HACKilroy to Mikey-SHARKilroy - Getting Closer. :)

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

I figured I'd share my progress, not that anybody cares. LOL!

Though, I figure folks that struggle when getting back into it will appreciate the time and effort that has to be put into progress, and even still I struggle with the ups and downs Golf is a difficult sport, so we all will see early struggles but begin to believe as we progress. This has taken me months, and I'm nowhere near where I want to be yet. I feel like my swing looks a lot better; maybe 60% "there." LOL

When I got back into golf, I didn't feel like I was doing all that bad. I was proud of my "over swing" and it actually did get decent height. Though, it was so erratic in course use and I couldn't strike the ball very well reliably. The videos are just my clippings with low speed processing. 240FPS is great but the downgrade in quality on 720P videos makes it no better on YouTube (maybe worse) than 120FPS from Today. All of them show Full, Slow and Ultra Slow Speed; so you can FFWD as needed.

The first video is the same PXG 0311 I'm gaming now, but it had an R+ Flex in it originally, and I think that over swing I kind of developed because I wanted to control the flex, but at the same time I just couldn't stop doing that. It felt "right" at the time, but it just looks a bit ridiculous now. I also rotated my torso way too much and bent my back with it; which I didn't even feel as I recollect. You can hear me yapping about "inside out pattern" to my dad (off camera) coupled later with a corny cannon sound...but looking at it I hit it just about straight on. Contact sounded nice actually, and in that first video it traveled well. The second video is a little further along. Still ridiculous, but more controlled and better alignment. I was getting higher launch and shortly after that I upgraded to the 70/6.5X Flex. I was getting too much height out of 7.5° at the driver on a mid trajectory shaft.

 

Finally, in the third driver video, this was last week a few days after another flex upgrade where I feel I am in way better control and am more mechanically sound. The over swing is gone, and the torso is muted as I focus more on initiating whilst keeping stability at the base instead of using it to "build power." I detest any driver strike that sounds like a clink or a clank. That sound in the video is what I have always striven for in my process (It's distorted a bit obviously). I still have to work on crystalizing that swing in my mind, though. My process waivers and I'll still see myself falling into patterns of irregularity. It's mostly because I start to slouch in the mid section at address and that sets me up for a faulty swing with poor contact again. When I don't slouch, as in the final driver video it results in a very nice looking drive. Got some work to do, but I feel it is worlds better.

Then you have irons. I did the same thing with them in the beginning; the curiously strange over-swing. I'm hitting foam balls into the back of my garage in the first one; a garage which is still a WIP to this day. Again, I thought I was building power with that move and that it was contributing to shot height. Instead, it was causing me to throw my alignment off and my release widened and you might even call it flipping. I was able to get reasonably good center contact with that swing at times, but it was mostly toe dragging such that even a center strike was quite defective. In fact, that swing was pretty slow in comparison to today. (This one was in 240FPS in SuperSlow, totally unnecessary and takes forever LOL)

Fast Forward to today; the last is with the 0317ST 5 Iron (or maybe 6 but I'm pretty sure that I picked up the 5 for the video). It's a three speed video with inverse view to see the ball flight. Still dialing it all in because I seem to drift in and out, and my stance isn't quite as "reachy" as it looks; it's mostly just the angle. In the first video hitting off the dirt, the cloud begins just before ball contact; so it was always a little fat. The second one is much better, and off the mat it makes a nice "PUHFFTT!" sound that isn't either muted or severe. When I hit it off grass like that it takes a good divot and takes off, so I know the contact is good. I slowed it down more whilst cutting and felt it looked pretty good. Ignore the guy scratching his head....... LOL

 

Anyways, just my progress through the months. Still have a long way to go, but I think I'm ready for another round now that I have my vision back (mostly). I lost it due to an eye infection that got really really bad. I had 20/70 vision after my right eye developed some irritation.... might have scratched it. Now it's 20/30 and improving... should be normal in no time. Anyways, I don't expect to score like a low capper, but I feel good about where I am. It sure was tough just getting here, though. I am hoping by March of next year I can get myself the good old "Shark Cap" and actually feel like it fits both my head and my game. LOL