The Arm Swing Illusion / Jim Waldron's Swing Philosophy

[Jim Waldron]

I haven't yet purchased the books, but Jim's videos are quite comprehensive and explain it quite well. You could also do a video/Skype lesson (something I haven't done but will probably do at some point).

 

I am doing more and more webcam live lessons all the time. I think they are in some ways going to be the future of golf instruction or at least an important part of the whole package. They are quite effective - about 90% as effective as an in person lesson for most swing issues and for most golfers. And cheaper!

[Jim Waldron]

You can think of the golf skills learning process as #1. becoming aware of your current body and club motion, first objectively using video and mirrors, and then #2 subjectively by associating a "feel' for a particular aspect of the golf swing motion: upper arm motion feel, wrist mechanics feel, lower body Pivot feel, etc. Feels can be "layered" to form a holistic overall Big Picture "meta-Feel" for what your own best swing feels like when are striking the ball well.

 

That conscious clarity about what your swing feels like and "looks like" visually along with a few core beliefs about swing theory that support your body and club motion, form what I call your Swing Concept. The goal is to have your conscious mind Swing Concept and your subconscious mind Swing Map to match. Quite often - for average golfers - they do not match up, and that conflict creates a tendency to flinch during the swing.

 

With a clear Swing Concept and a high degree of "matching", you can take some time off from practice and play, and come back to golf and play well right off the bat.

[mc3jack]

You can think of the golf skills learning process as #1. becoming aware of your current body and club motion, first objectively using video and mirrors, and then #2 subjectively by associating a "feel' for a particular aspect of the golf swing motion: upper arm motion feel, wrist mechanics feel, lower body Pivot feel, etc. Feels can be "layered" to form a holistic overall Big Picture "meta-Feel" for what your own best swing feels like when are striking the ball well.

 

That conscious clarity about what your swing feels like and "looks like" visually along with a few core beliefs about swing theory that support your body and club motion, form what I call your Swing Concept. The goal is to have your conscious mind Swing Concept and your subconscious mind Swing Map to match. Quite often - for average golfers - they do not match up, and that conflict creates a tendency to flinch during the swing.

 

With a clear Swing Concept and a high degree of "matching", you can take some time off from practice and play, and come back to golf and play well right off the bat.

 

Basically jumping up and down in agreement here.

 

I have two swings now.

 

The A Swing is a personalized Waldron Model using Hogan Thrust type of release. It's really fun and looks really cool, but I'm 57 and sometimes my legs/body don't want to do it. Especially in down-season golf weather, or 14 holes into walking a soft, wet, hilly course.

 

So, the B Swing. This is the swing I self-taught myself when I was 16. It's my 'natural swing,' with a narrow, open stance and a strong left hand grip. It's a lazy fade that I can do anytime, the go-to shot when I need to "hang on and par out." Thing is, now that I understand the fundamentals Jim's taught, I "know" how both of my swings work. I have clarity in my Swing Concepts, and I can actually "play" golf.

[Jim Waldron]

You can think of the golf skills learning process as #1. becoming aware of your current body and club motion, first objectively using video and mirrors, and then #2 subjectively by associating a "feel' for a particular aspect of the golf swing motion: upper arm motion feel, wrist mechanics feel, lower body Pivot feel, etc. Feels can be "layered" to form a holistic overall Big Picture "meta-Feel" for what your own best swing feels like when are striking the ball well.

 

That conscious clarity about what your swing feels like and "looks like" visually along with a few core beliefs about swing theory that support your body and club motion, form what I call your Swing Concept. The goal is to have your conscious mind Swing Concept and your subconscious mind Swing Map to match. Quite often - for average golfers - they do not match up, and that conflict creates a tendency to flinch during the swing.

 

With a clear Swing Concept and a high degree of "matching", you can take some time off from practice and play, and come back to golf and play well right off the bat.

 

Basically jumping up and down in agreement here.

 

I have two swings now.

 

The A Swing is a personalized Waldron Model using Hogan Thrust type of release. It's really fun and looks really cool, but I'm 57 and sometimes my legs/body don't want to do it. Especially in down-season golf weather, or 14 holes into walking a soft, wet, hilly course.

 

So, the B Swing. This is the swing I self-taught myself when I was 16. It's my 'natural swing,' with a narrow, open stance and a strong left hand grip. It's a lazy fade that I can do anytime, the go-to shot when I need to "hang on and par out." Thing is, now that I understand the fundamentals Jim's taught, I "know" how both of my swings work. I have clarity in my Swing Concepts, and I can actually "play" golf.

 

I think the clarity that a clear Swing Concept gives you, really helps with confidence. You learn how to understand your own swing tendencies, flaws and strengths so that you can manage it more effectively. After all, it just starts to feel more natural, and allows you to trust it and let go while swinging.

 

You want to use Big Picture concepts, visual images and feels especially that are clear and pretty simple - not any kind of technical detail!

 

One I use is the 3D image of a spiral staircase or tornado/vortex to represent the Pivot, and the Triangle of the arms staying in front of the right side of the chest during the backswing "coil' of the Pivot in the vortex, a slight lateral shift for hips/left knee to start the Transition, followed by the whole action reversing on the forward swing, with arms to the left side of the rotating chest after impact.

 

I link this to the image of a proper Finish position in rock solid Balance.

[Forged4ever]

I have been reading this thread and watching the videos on youtube and was really excited to try this out, as i have a serious inside problem.

 

Ihave been doing the move away drills in my bedroom for hours, before i went to the range today and did tones of drills practice swings hit hundreds of balls doing it.

 

and it just feels horrible :( it feels like i have no room and the only way to get back to the ball is with a massive cut. i hit shanks tops duffs, loads of block fades, the funny thing is when i videoed my swing it was still inside a bit and a bit flatter than i wanted.

 

I THINK MY GOLF BRAIN DOES JUST WHAT IT WANTS and wont let me change anything. with out a ball i do the motion and it feels right with a ball it feels disgusting!

 

:)

 

i dont think i was doing it right,.

 

The there is the flinch factor that josh talked about. When your mind is focused on how "weird" or "uncomfortable" a new swing move feels - that very focus on the "discomfort" will tend to make you flinch, and thus hit a bad shot. You need to learn how to ignore - not pay attention to so much - those strange feelings when working on a new move.

Good Morning Gents :)

 

I had originally posted this last night however Maddie let me use her tablet and being pretty medicated, I forgot to sign out and back in under my name and then I was too medicated to repost my thoughts. Hell, it was a miracle that I got an down the first time though I fell asleep after deleting the post, lol.

 

So here goes....

 

I am only going to speak to how I learn a new move, be it club head or body position, along with anything that I do for the first times or until it becomes "natural," be it in this game, professionally or socially.

 

I know that this works so there is no debate here nor will there be from my side of table, and just like it was taught to me I have taught it to others. The question is whether it will work for others. For most the answer is no, just as most have the opportunity to get to low single/Scratch/Plus yet the vast majority will not get there.

 

Though Josh was being light hearted when he said his golf brain "does just what it wants," that is exactly what happens.

 

The tail wags the dog...

 

To be able to control one's focus, emotions and mind takes just as much if not more energy, focus, discipline and reps as it does to develop a Plus swing that will withstand pressure.

 

It's very hard work, it's very time consuming and it's at times very frustrating.

 

Most will get frustrated, disillusioned and lose the focus, discipline and drive necessary to master this skill and they will quit trying, thinking that through a miracle of divine intervention they can succeed without mastering this skill. They cannot, will not and again, this ain't a debate Bros, just fact.

 

However, a few will not compromise and quit :)

 

Please remember these three traits because if you don't have those in spades, not talent or ability, I'm speaking to focus, discipline and drive, you will not master the mental side and you will not become a Player...

 

Fact :)

 

So, it is to those less than 2% to whom I am speaking...

 

Oh, one more thing~

 

A physical golf swing, a great swing, is a thing of beauty. One of the most artistic movements in the world of athletics.

 

Look at Tom Weiskopf...

 

None, and I do mean none more beautiful, functional or better.

 

 

 

None other than Jack said that it was the most beautiful swing that he'd ever seen and if he had had Tom's swing, he would have won at least 25 Majors.

 

However, that is the world's greatest backhanded compliment, though Jack did not intend it to be, because what Jack did not say says it all~

 

It takes more than one of history's greatest swings to be one of history's Greatest Players.

 

It takes a mental game superior to one's physical skills.

 

Not equal to-

 

Greater than!!

 

Because there will be days when you're going sideways, and I'm just bringing this up to illustrate a point however in the 2011 Inter-Club MP Championships, an intimate annual gathering of 88-94 of WPa's best Ams, my driver abandoned me on the 5th hole in the quaters at Oakmont.

 

I should say that my ability to find the fairway had abandoned me. My 3rd straight drive found the heavy stuff(5-6"). Wedging It from 198yds ain't gonna get it done against a competitive +3.4...

 

Everything else was fine, I was just getting stuck with the driver. I only give myself three "strikes" in a competitive round, then In go to option "B." I then hit either my long hybrid(16°) or 3M. Never looked back, never gave it a second thought and closed him out on 17.

 

He was the superior Player, with a much more beautiful swing(though mine wasn't lunch meat, he had a long graceful swing, lol) however I had the superior mental game and while that will not win you the day every day, it will help you more than it will ever hurt you and more importantly you will make others beat you instead of you beating yourself. Please read that again if ya have to cuz I find that most Ams, even Scratch and Pluses, do this on a regular basis. They beat themselves.

 

Well, enough of my rambling-

 

Regarding a new club/body positional or major swing change, I start out by speaking to Jim. I have "bought in" that his positional reccomedation is superior to mine and more importantly, the outcome from his recommendation will benefit my swing AND most importantly, my game and ultimately scores.

 

THIS is critical-

 

First buying in and believing in the change and then concentrating and focusing on the SUCCESSFUL POSITION CHANGE & the SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME FROM THAT CHANGE.

 

I then, and this is often away from the course, line and my clubs, and that is that I visualize my swing in super slow mo slowing down even more through the part of the swing that contains the positional change. Along with visualizing this change, I FEEL this change mentally.

 

I then will do hundreds to thousands and twice in my life on major swing changes(1984 & 2008), tens of thousands of super slow mo swings, most with a mirror though some without, and never with a ball.

 

All the while I always focus on the successful VISION & FEEL of the position change and successful outcome that Jim and I discussed.

 

I never ever think of uncomfortable, weird or any other negative feeling.

 

Seriously Bros, that is a state of mind and instead of letting your mind control you, how bout ya say "F*** You" to it and control it????

 

It's no different than being at the end of a game in 100°+ temps and ya look around a defensive huddle and some guys are bent over, hands on knees, heads down and suckin air.

 

A few are standing, hands on waist, taking deep measured breaths and focused on the upcoming play and their role in it. Talent has nothing to do with who wins this battle just as talent has little to do with how great your mental game is.

 

Focus, discipline and drive will determine who does and who does not Gents~

 

After you have done enough super slow mos and feel comfortable not thinking about anything but the successful change and outcome, take it to the line and perform 5 swings in slow mo and then hit 5 balls full speed.

 

The bottom line is that one will not successfully implement anything if they cannot control their mind.

 

Thoughts and feelings of discomfort, weird and frustration should not even be in your mind, much less your thoughts. I know that this isn't easy, however the SEALS have what they refer to as the "45% rule."

 

What this means is that when you believe that you are "tapped out," tired, defeated and think that you cannot go on or are mentally defeated, you have only tapped approximately 45% of your potential.

 

This is why most suck, lol.

 

Hell, if ya get to 65-70% you're in the 85-90th percentile, lmao

 

However to get to that 98th+ percentile, you gotta turn it up Bros :)

 

Oh yea, almost forgot, lol...

 

The first thing that one must master before they master the mental is to master their breathing....

 

If ya can't master your breathing, forget the rest. Seriously, under pressure, you won't get it done.

 

After that, visualize & feel the move and then perform it in super slow mo until you are comfortable with performing it without thinking then take it to the line.

 

I'm sure that there are other ways however this worked for me and while I was a competitive Plus(+2.8 to +3.7), I was never an "Elite" Am. Mental toughness and 'tude can only take ya so far, lmao.

 

Develop yours and see how far you can go. I promise you that the journey is a blast!!

 

Have a great weekend & to those who have served, thanks so much for your Sacrifice & Service.

 

You Gals & Guys are the friggin Best!!

 

The best to Ya Nosh with your game :)

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever My Friends,

Richard

[Jim Waldron]

Thank you, Richard for your very informative post about your mental game ideas!

 

I could not agree more.

 

What exactly is the mindset of a good player just before and during the swing or stroke?

 

First, there has to be an unwavering commitment to your Primary Outcome Goal on all golf shots - which is simply the intention/visualization of "sending my ball to my Target!"

 

In my method, you will never make a golf shot - on the range or on the course - without first activating that Intention.

 

That does not mean that your conscious mind Focal Point needs to ONLY be the Target Picture though.

 

It does mean that if you have chosen to use another proven effective Focal Point (from our list of many) that is NOT the Target Picture, (Tempo for example) then you simply put the Target Intention in the background of your Awareness.

 

Focal Point means the object of your narrowly focused attention. Just like with vision, you have focal point Awareness, and you have peripheral Awareness, or "background".

 

Second, you engage your Focal Point Awareness right before you start your swing or stroke.

 

Third, from start to finish of your swing or stroke, you engage your conscious mind Awareness 100% with your chosen Focal Point so that there is no "space" left in your mind for any other thoughts or emotions to creep in - especially negative thoughts and emotions!

 

Doing that really well requires a few preconditions: 1. Deep Commitment to all of your Shot Elements like Target, trajectory, club selection.

 

2. Deep Trust in your swing or stroke. 3. Deep Confidence in your ability to execute the swing or stroke well. 4. The act of consciously "letting go" of control from conscious mind to subconscious mind.

 

 

There are simple techniques for achieving all of those four states. And once you accept the truth that they are all self-created states of mind, learning them becomes a lot faster and easier.

[Jim Waldron]

More from my Learning Golf Skills model.

 

A really big part of how to make a swing or stroke change is understanding the dynamic relationship of your conscious mind - the part of you that, with training, can learn to focus narrowly on just one thing or body part, and sustain that focus for at least the 1.5 second duration of your golf swing - and the subconscious mind, the part that needs to be "programmed" with new movement patterns that become dominant habits.

 

The first step is always Awareness - from Feel - of what your body is actually doing. Obviously you start with visual as discussed earlier with video and mirror work so that you can see what is happening, but that is after the fact with video, and in slow mo with a mirror. In real golf - no mirror, no video and you have to move your body fast!

 

A lot of that Feel Awareness is all about making the unconscious - conscious. Average golfers especially are doing all kinds of flaws in their motion that they have ZERO awareness of, which is why they tend to keep repeating. You can't fix a problem if you don't know what the problem is in the first place.

 

Awareness of your actual body motion - good and bad- allows you to use that Awareness to deepen your understanding for how exactly that flaw is happening, which allows you some level of control via inhibition. Replacing that flaw with a positive new pattern can then begin, with lots of reps.

 

But there is an inherent downside risk of having that Awareness. If your mind becomes "frozen" on that one single pattern (of many in a good swing) it tends to cause a breakdown in one or more of the other patterns. One essential skill in golf is learning how to sustain your "naturalness" for the other patterns while you work on Awareness for the one pattern you are trying to change.

 

That means learning how to not "try so hard". Or investing too much - or any - emotions when practicing. You need a "let see what happens here" kind of attitude to get good at golf, both in practice and in competition.

 

You can learn how to passively - gently even! - sustain your focus on one body part or pattern, without causing any interference with your subconscious mind's job of executing the motion.

 

Focus is not weight-lifting. It just takes paying attention.

 

Eventually, your Awareness for that "new" pattern becomes easier with practice, and it stops feeling "new". The next step is to let that Awareness go, ie you let that "new" pattern become 100% unconscious again - just like it was at the start of the process.

 

So the sequence goes: we learn to make the unconscious conscious or aware. We use inhibition and lots of slow motion reps to make that new pattern mechanically "correct" or close to the Ideal Model as our body is capable. Then we let that new pattern submerge back into the unconscious. It is now a dominant habit and requires no "thought" to trigger.

[starsail85]

More from my Learning Golf Skills model.

 

A really big part of how to make a swing or stroke change is understanding the dynamic relationship of your conscious mind - the part of you that, with training, can learn to focus narrowly on just one thing or body part, and sustain that focus for at least the 1.5 second duration of your golf swing - and the subconscious mind, the part that needs to be "programmed" with new movement patterns that become dominant habits.

 

The first step is always Awareness - from Feel - of what your body is actually doing. Obviously you start with visual as discussed earlier with video and mirror work so that you can see what is happening, but that is after the fact with video, and in slow mo with a mirror. In real golf - no mirror, no video and you have to move your body fast!

 

A lot of that Feel Awareness is all about making the unconscious - conscious. Average golfers especially are doing all kinds of flaws in their motion that they have ZERO awareness of, which is why they tend to keep repeating. You can't fix a problem if you don't know what the problem is in the first place.

 

Awareness of your actual body motion - good and bad- allows you to use that Awareness to deepen your understanding for how exactly that flaw is happening, which allows you some level of control via inhibition. Replacing that flaw with a positive new pattern can then begin, with lots of reps.

 

But there is an inherent downside risk of having that Awareness. If your mind becomes "frozen" on that one single pattern (of many in a good swing) it tends to cause a breakdown in one or more of the other patterns. One essential skill in golf is learning how to sustain your "naturalness" for the other patterns while you work on Awareness for the one pattern you are trying to change.

 

That means learning how to not "try so hard". Or investing too much - or any - emotions when practicing. You need a "let see what happens here" kind of attitude to get good at golf, both in practice and in competition.

 

You can learn how to passively - gently even! - sustain your focus on one body part or pattern, without causing any interference with your subconscious mind's job of executing the motion.

 

Focus is not weight-lifting. It just takes paying attention.

 

Eventually, your Awareness for that "new" pattern becomes easier with practice, and it stops feeling "new". The next step is to let that Awareness go, ie you let that "new" pattern become 100% unconscious again - just like it was at the start of the process.

 

So the sequence goes: we learn to make the unconscious conscious or aware. We use inhibition and lots of slow motion reps to make that new pattern mechanically "correct" or close to the Ideal Model as our body is capable. Then we let that new pattern submerge back into the unconscious. It is now a dominant habit and requires no "thought" to trigger.

 

Awesome post , took a lot from this

 

Let's say you are capable of performing the move you want at 30% speed , but at half speed it starts to break down....how can you get it right at 50% then 75% and eventually 100% ? Is it a case of practicing at your breaking point speed wise?

 

Making the new move subconscious seems like the impossible part , is there any other way to know how close you are to making it a dominant habit -other than it getting to the point of being the only swing you produce without conscious control?

 

What is the trick to letting it submerge into the unconscious?

 

 

I've been swinging with my eyes closed and this seems to help with my muscular awareness , opposed to when I swing rehearsals almost thinking about a body part opposed to actually feeling it

[Jim Waldron]

More from my Learning Golf Skills model.

 

A really big part of how to make a swing or stroke change is understanding the dynamic relationship of your conscious mind - the part of you that, with training, can learn to focus narrowly on just one thing or body part, and sustain that focus for at least the 1.5 second duration of your golf swing - and the subconscious mind, the part that needs to be "programmed" with new movement patterns that become dominant habits.

 

The first step is always Awareness - from Feel - of what your body is actually doing. Obviously you start with visual as discussed earlier with video and mirror work so that you can see what is happening, but that is after the fact with video, and in slow mo with a mirror. In real golf - no mirror, no video and you have to move your body fast!

 

A lot of that Feel Awareness is all about making the unconscious - conscious. Average golfers especially are doing all kinds of flaws in their motion that they have ZERO awareness of, which is why they tend to keep repeating. You can't fix a problem if you don't know what the problem is in the first place.

 

Awareness of your actual body motion - good and bad- allows you to use that Awareness to deepen your understanding for how exactly that flaw is happening, which allows you some level of control via inhibition. Replacing that flaw with a positive new pattern can then begin, with lots of reps.

 

But there is an inherent downside risk of having that Awareness. If your mind becomes "frozen" on that one single pattern (of many in a good swing) it tends to cause a breakdown in one or more of the other patterns. One essential skill in golf is learning how to sustain your "naturalness" for the other patterns while you work on Awareness for the one pattern you are trying to change.

 

That means learning how to not "try so hard". Or investing too much - or any - emotions when practicing. You need a "let see what happens here" kind of attitude to get good at golf, both in practice and in competition.

 

You can learn how to passively - gently even! - sustain your focus on one body part or pattern, without causing any interference with your subconscious mind's job of executing the motion.

 

Focus is not weight-lifting. It just takes paying attention.

 

Eventually, your Awareness for that "new" pattern becomes easier with practice, and it stops feeling "new". The next step is to let that Awareness go, ie you let that "new" pattern become 100% unconscious again - just like it was at the start of the process.

 

So the sequence goes: we learn to make the unconscious conscious or aware. We use inhibition and lots of slow motion reps to make that new pattern mechanically "correct" or close to the Ideal Model as our body is capable. Then we let that new pattern submerge back into the unconscious. It is now a dominant habit and requires no "thought" to trigger.

 

Awesome post , took a lot from this

 

Let's say you are capable of performing the move you want at 30% speed , but at half speed it starts to break down....how can you get it right at 50% then 75% and eventually 100% ? Is it a case of practicing at your breaking point speed wise?

 

Making the new move subconscious seems like the impossible part , is there any other way to know how close you are to making it a dominant habit -other than it getting to the point of being the only swing you produce without conscious control?

 

What is the trick to letting it submerge into the unconscious?

 

 

I've been swinging with my eyes closed and this seems to help with my muscular awareness , opposed to when I swing rehearsals almost thinking about a body part opposed to actually feeling it

 

You just don't go to the faster slow mo speeds until you are able to, ie if it breaks down then you go back to a slower speed and do more reps until your body "gets it" easily at that speed, then you are ready for the faster speed.

 

You will know when you are about "done" making it a habit when you can reproduce it easily by just calling up the precise Feel for the pattern. Then deliberately let it go, stop working on it, and then test it while focusing on something other than the Feel for the pattern, and video to see if in fact the body pattern is happening. Rinse and repeat....

 

Yes, eyes closed intensifies your Feel Channel, and very important insight you had - the clear difference between feeling the reality of the body motion vs merely fantasizing about it. The problem is in our culture most folks don't realize that thinking is indeed a form of fantasy. It is the default consciousness for most citizens of developed nations. Earning your living - for most - requires some form of thinking - decisions, analytics, problem solving.

 

The thing is, thinking actually works in solving most modern workplace problems. It tends to make the golfer believe that thinking will therefore solve the "problem" of their poor golf swing. But learning a golf swing is not a mental issue really - its a matter of your body not moving properly, and thus your club not moving properly.

 

To progress at golf, your mind needs to be engaged in "experential learning" - which means your senses, mainly Feel, have to be engaged, alert and awake, so that you KNOW how your body is actually moving. "Knowing" experentially means concrete, direct perception, in the moment in real time, of how your body is moving. Watching a video is second-hand learning, you are looking at a moment in time in the past, and you are watching from a third person perspective.

 

But golf requires that we play from a first person perspective. We can't watch ourselves and monitor what our body is doing using our vision, so many golfers will substitute their internal visual channel to monitor their body. They are literally imagining or fantasizing what they want - ideally - their body to be doing.

[Jim Waldron]

Check out the article in the main section of golfwrx here.http://www.golfwrx.com/411182/swing-thoughts-vs-swing-feels-which-is-the-key-to-better-golf/

 

The article was based off a long conversation I had with the author and the editor of wrx, which started with a question about how and why my basic teaching method is radically different from traditional teaching.

 

I talked about the mind-brain/body connection approach - which is based partly on the Asian martial arts teaching philosophy - and has been proven to be true by research in Neuroscience over the past few decades. I mentioned that traditional golf teaching culture created a "dysfunctional" learning environment, since it was and still is based on a number of false concepts, the big one being that you can play good golf from a conscious thinking mindset. The mistaken notion that "thoughts" can create new movement patterns was a big part of our conversation. And the simple fact is that when you are engaged in thinking - meaning seeing internal visual images in your mind's eye or hearing a voice in your head yelling out commands to body parts - you are not in fact aware of what your body and club is actually doing. And of course that kind of awareness of what is actually happening is the starting point for learning any kind of athletic skill.

 

We also talked a little bit about why golf instruction has always had a bias toward over-simplification, and the silly ideas of "secrets", "quick-fixes" and "magic moves". Stuff that Bob Rotella has written eloquently about in his books that are critical of certain aspects of the culture of traditional golf teaching. And in the modern Internet era, how marketplace forces tend to place too much emphasis on high tech gadgets and technical swing theory. Stuff that in truth helps most golfers, especially mid to high cappers, very little or not at all. My sense is that we are just now starting to see the tide turning against that over-emphasis on high tech gear and technical swing theory. My hope is that the pendulum does not swing all the way back to how golf was taught when I was a kid, with an anti-science bias and a way too simplified approach based on often unproven concepts and "tips". Golf will prosper as a game if we find the Middle Way between those two extremes.

 

The real missing link in golf teaching has everything to do with a better appreciation of things like basic psychology of how the conscious and subconscious minds function, mental focus, awareness, and feel. In the past 25 years, we have made great advancements in our understanding of the "what to do" in terms of Ideal swing theory, and almost no progress in the mainstream of the instruction industry, on how to actually internalize that great information to the level of physical execution as dominant habits. We need more info on the "how to learn it to the level of dominant habit" just like other sports coaching methods employ.

 

I hear from new students all the time the following legitimate complaint: "I went to ______(fill in famous golf teacher) and learned a ton about what I am doing wrong and what I should be doing, looked at a lot of video of my swing, did the Trackman stuff, the 3D vests,etc - but here I am one year later and not much improvement. I know exactly what I want my body to do - but it ain't listening!".

[starsail85]

Check out the article in the main section of golfwrx here.http://www.golfwrx.com/411182/swing-thoughts-vs-swing-feels-which-is-the-key-to-better-golf/

 

The article was based off a long conversation I had with the author and the editor of wrx, which started with a question about how and why my basic teaching method is radically different from traditional teaching.

 

I talked about the mind-brain/body connection approach - which is based partly on the Asian martial arts teaching philosophy - and has been proven to be true by research in Neuroscience over the past few decades. I mentioned that traditional golf teaching culture created a "dysfunctional" learning environment, since it was and still is based on a number of false concepts, the big one being that you can play good golf from a conscious thinking mindset. The mistaken notion that "thoughts" can create new movement patterns was a big part of our conversation. And the simple fact is that when you are engaged in thinking - meaning seeing internal visual images in your mind's eye or hearing a voice in your head yelling out commands to body parts - you are not in fact aware of what your body and club is actually doing. And of course that kind of awareness of what is actually happening is the starting point for learning any kind of athletic skill.

 

We also talked a little bit about why golf instruction has always had a bias toward over-simplification, and the silly ideas of "secrets", "quick-fixes" and "magic moves". Stuff that Bob Rotella has written eloquently about in his books that are critical of certain aspects of the culture of traditional golf teaching. And in the modern Internet era, how marketplace forces tend to place too much emphasis on high tech gadgets and technical swing theory. Stuff that in truth helps most golfers, especially mid to high cappers, very little or not at all. My sense is that we are just now starting to see the tide turning against that over-emphasis on high tech gear and technical swing theory. My hope is that the pendulum does not swing all the way back to how golf was taught when I was a kid, with an anti-science bias and a way too simplified approach based on often unproven concepts and "tips". Golf will prosper as a game if we find the Middle Way between those two extremes.

 

The real missing link in golf teaching has everything to do with a better appreciation of things like basic psychology of how the conscious and subconscious minds function, mental focus, awareness, and feel. In the past 25 years, we have made great advancements in our understanding of the "what to do" in terms of Ideal swing theory, and almost no progress in the mainstream of the instruction industry, on how to actually internalize that great information to the level of physical execution as dominant habits. We need more info on the "how to learn it to the level of dominant habit" just like other sports coaching methods employ.

 

I hear from new students all the time the following legitimate complaint: "I went to ______(fill in famous golf teacher) and learned a ton about what I am doing wrong and what I should be doing, looked at a lot of video of my swing, did the Trackman stuff, the 3D vests,etc - but here I am one year later and not much improvement. I know exactly what I want my body to do - but it ain't listening!".

 

That last bit is so true.

 

I don't think many people have the patience and commitment to a plan of making a swing change . The discipline to produce the correct mechanics regardless of how it feels,and the discipline to produce those same mechanics the next day when it feels different. The patience to work at your new move at 25 % then 26% speed as they progress and onwards . The discipline to stick with what they are working on ,and not stop what they are working on by trying to play golf on the course .

 

You might get a quick fix that leads to improvement instantly but it won't last and it might not cause that temporary improvement via changing any mechanics , it might just lead to a fresh awareness that frees you up until the thinking mind returns and stops you playing by feel

 

I just don't think many people are prepared to go through a swing change properly

[Jim Waldron]

Check out the article in the main section of golfwrx here.http://www.golfwrx.com/411182/swing-thoughts-vs-swing-feels-which-is-the-key-to-better-golf/

 

The article was based off a long conversation I had with the author and the editor of wrx, which started with a question about how and why my basic teaching method is radically different from traditional teaching.

 

I talked about the mind-brain/body connection approach - which is based partly on the Asian martial arts teaching philosophy - and has been proven to be true by research in Neuroscience over the past few decades. I mentioned that traditional golf teaching culture created a "dysfunctional" learning environment, since it was and still is based on a number of false concepts, the big one being that you can play good golf from a conscious thinking mindset. The mistaken notion that "thoughts" can create new movement patterns was a big part of our conversation. And the simple fact is that when you are engaged in thinking - meaning seeing internal visual images in your mind's eye or hearing a voice in your head yelling out commands to body parts - you are not in fact aware of what your body and club is actually doing. And of course that kind of awareness of what is actually happening is the starting point for learning any kind of athletic skill.

 

We also talked a little bit about why golf instruction has always had a bias toward over-simplification, and the silly ideas of "secrets", "quick-fixes" and "magic moves". Stuff that Bob Rotella has written eloquently about in his books that are critical of certain aspects of the culture of traditional golf teaching. And in the modern Internet era, how marketplace forces tend to place too much emphasis on high tech gadgets and technical swing theory. Stuff that in truth helps most golfers, especially mid to high cappers, very little or not at all. My sense is that we are just now starting to see the tide turning against that over-emphasis on high tech gear and technical swing theory. My hope is that the pendulum does not swing all the way back to how golf was taught when I was a kid, with an anti-science bias and a way too simplified approach based on often unproven concepts and "tips". Golf will prosper as a game if we find the Middle Way between those two extremes.

 

The real missing link in golf teaching has everything to do with a better appreciation of things like basic psychology of how the conscious and subconscious minds function, mental focus, awareness, and feel. In the past 25 years, we have made great advancements in our understanding of the "what to do" in terms of Ideal swing theory, and almost no progress in the mainstream of the instruction industry, on how to actually internalize that great information to the level of physical execution as dominant habits. We need more info on the "how to learn it to the level of dominant habit" just like other sports coaching methods employ.

 

I hear from new students all the time the following legitimate complaint: "I went to ______(fill in famous golf teacher) and learned a ton about what I am doing wrong and what I should be doing, looked at a lot of video of my swing, did the Trackman stuff, the 3D vests,etc - but here I am one year later and not much improvement. I know exactly what I want my body to do - but it ain't listening!".

 

That last bit is so true.

 

I don't think many people have the patience and commitment to a plan of making a swing change . The discipline to produce the correct mechanics regardless of how it feels,and the discipline to produce those same mechanics the next day when it feels different. The patience to work at your new move at 25 % then 26% speed as they progress and onwards . The discipline to stick with what they are working on ,and not stop what they are working on by trying to play golf on the course .

 

You might get a quick fix that leads to improvement instantly but it won't last and it might not cause that temporary improvement via changing any mechanics , it might just lead to a fresh awareness that frees you up until the thinking mind returns and stops you playing by feel

 

I just don't think many people are prepared to go through a swing change properly

 

Yes on your last point and it's clearly not their fault. The fault lies with traditional golf teaching culture - or set of unquestioned beliefs - which tends to make golfers believe that a. you can think your way or will or effort your way to a better swing and b. that your conscious mind needs to be actively involved.

 

Golf is NOT different from martial arts. music or other sports. Meaning the real key to success is accepting the simple fact that it is your subconscious mind that should be learning the skills in the first place, and that same mind in charge of how your body moves when you play.

 

Golf in USA is in a crisis right now, mainly due to lack of new players, and a lot of our beginners quit by the end of their first year. One of the reasons they give is "too damn hard to do well, and very frustrating." I say that one of the reasons for that frustration is precisely that golfers are trying to play conscious mind golf - a recipe for disaster and no fun either!

[ks-man]

I discovered this thread two days ago and discovered I am certainly guilty of swinging my arms around my body and have been for the past 18 years since I started playing golf. I'm lucky in that I have a home golf simulator so even though the temperature dropped in Chicago I can still work on my swing and try out these concepts.

 

I did a practice session and thought I would post the results. I know I still have a lot of other things going on in my swing but I'm hoping that now that I'm starting my arms correctly I'll have a solid base to continue improving my swing. Anyway, here is the session. Hopefully I did an OK job explaining the concept and if you enjoy seeing the simulator check out a few of my rounds. I nearly had an ace once on #12 at Augusta even with an improper swing ;)

 

Jim, thank you so much for being so vocal on this thread. Reading about the arm swing illusion has been incredibly enlightening to me. I plan on buying at least module 2 after the Thanksgiving break and if things go well with it I'll probably buy some of your other modules.

 

[Jim Waldron]

I discovered this thread two days ago and discovered I am certainly guilty of swinging my arms around my body and have been for the past 18 years since I started playing golf. I'm lucky in that I have a home golf simulator so even though the temperature dropped in Chicago I can still work on my swing and try out these concepts.

 

I did a practice session and thought I would post the results. I know I still have a lot of other things going on in my swing but I'm hoping that now that I'm starting my arms correctly I'll have a solid base to continue improving my swing. Anyway, here is the session. Hopefully I did an OK job explaining the concept and if you enjoy seeing the simulator check out a few of my rounds. I nearly had an ace once on #12 at Augusta even with an improper swing ;)

 

Jim, thank you so much for being so vocal on this thread. Reading about the arm swing illusion has been incredibly enlightening to me. I plan on buying at least module 2 after the Thanksgiving break and if things go well with it I'll probably buy some of your other modules.

 

 

Thanks for your feedback, K! And love your simulator, really cool....

 

You are getting the arm motion down pretty good for so early in your process. And blending it with your Pivot pretty good too.

 

You have some major Setup issues though, with Posture and Spine Angle. You are not really bending much at all from your hip socket - mostly lower and upper back slump, and you get down to the ball with way too much knee flex. Hands too close to your body too.

 

And your Finish is way off Balance.

 

All those are easy to fix issues and will have a real impact on improving your swing and ball flight.

 

Module One D has a whole segment on Setup, postural braces, etc and Module One B also has a lot of stuff on Setup.

[PaulGT3]

OH MY GOD!! I just saw this and it just fixed my most worst greatest badest flaw!!!THANK YOU JIM WALDRON!!!Wow!! What a great concept!!

[ks-man]

I discovered this thread two days ago and discovered I am certainly guilty of swinging my arms around my body and have been for the past 18 years since I started playing golf. I'm lucky in that I have a home golf simulator so even though the temperature dropped in Chicago I can still work on my swing and try out these concepts.

 

I did a practice session and thought I would post the results. I know I still have a lot of other things going on in my swing but I'm hoping that now that I'm starting my arms correctly I'll have a solid base to continue improving my swing. Anyway, here is the session. Hopefully I did an OK job explaining the concept and if you enjoy seeing the simulator check out a few of my rounds. I nearly had an ace once on #12 at Augusta even with an improper swing ;)

 

Jim, thank you so much for being so vocal on this thread. Reading about the arm swing illusion has been incredibly enlightening to me. I plan on buying at least module 2 after the Thanksgiving break and if things go well with it I'll probably buy some of your other modules.

 

 

Thanks for your feedback, K! And love your simulator, really cool....

 

You are getting the arm motion down pretty good for so early in your process. And blending it with your Pivot pretty good too.

 

You have some major Setup issues though, with Posture and Spine Angle. You are not really bending much at all from your hip socket - mostly lower and upper back slump, and you get down to the ball with way too much knee flex. Hands too close to your body too.

 

And your Finish is way off Balance.

 

All those are easy to fix issues and will have a real impact on improving your swing and ball flight.

 

Module One D has a whole segment on Setup, postural braces, etc and Module One B also has a lot of stuff on Setup.

 

Thanks a lot for the feedback Jim! One of the downsides to having the simulator is that I'm constantly making small tweaks and changes here and there trying to "figure out" what I'm doing wrong and I likely invite more flaws into my swing that temporarily account for some other flaw and before you know it there are so many things I've introduced. I definitely need to get back to a solid base to start from and move forward from there. I have taken a handful of lessons from two different instructors over the years but at this point I don't even remember any of the basics that they've probably showed me.

 

It sounds like a good starting place for me might be your module one D to develop that base. Depending on how it goes I might need to take a look at one B but hopefully one D will give me the primer that I need. I'm intrigued with both Modules 2 and 4 but ironically you said that I seem to have the arms and pivot going ok so I'm guessing that isn't the best place for me to start. Would you agree that one D is the place for me to start after seeing my swings and then I can determine from there where to move forward?

 

Thanks again for all of your help. I love finding out there are fundamental things that I'm doing wrong which seem easy to grasp as it makes it feel like moving forward isn't quite as impossible as it seemed a day before.

[Jim Waldron]

I discovered this thread two days ago and discovered I am certainly guilty of swinging my arms around my body and have been for the past 18 years since I started playing golf. I'm lucky in that I have a home golf simulator so even though the temperature dropped in Chicago I can still work on my swing and try out these concepts.

 

I did a practice session and thought I would post the results. I know I still have a lot of other things going on in my swing but I'm hoping that now that I'm starting my arms correctly I'll have a solid base to continue improving my swing. Anyway, here is the session. Hopefully I did an OK job explaining the concept and if you enjoy seeing the simulator check out a few of my rounds. I nearly had an ace once on #12 at Augusta even with an improper swing ;)

 

Jim, thank you so much for being so vocal on this thread. Reading about the arm swing illusion has been incredibly enlightening to me. I plan on buying at least module 2 after the Thanksgiving break and if things go well with it I'll probably buy some of your other modules.

 

 

Thanks for your feedback, K! And love your simulator, really cool....

 

You are getting the arm motion down pretty good for so early in your process. And blending it with your Pivot pretty good too.

 

You have some major Setup issues though, with Posture and Spine Angle. You are not really bending much at all from your hip socket - mostly lower and upper back slump, and you get down to the ball with way too much knee flex. Hands too close to your body too.

 

And your Finish is way off Balance.

 

All those are easy to fix issues and will have a real impact on improving your swing and ball flight.

 

Module One D has a whole segment on Setup, postural braces, etc and Module One B also has a lot of stuff on Setup.

 

Thanks a lot for the feedback Jim! One of the downsides to having the simulator is that I'm constantly making small tweaks and changes here and there trying to "figure out" what I'm doing wrong and I likely invite more flaws into my swing that temporarily account for some other flaw and before you know it there are so many things I've introduced. I definitely need to get back to a solid base to start from and move forward from there. I have taken a handful of lessons from two different instructors over the years but at this point I don't even remember any of the basics that they've probably showed me.

 

It sounds like a good starting place for me might be your module one D to develop that base. Depending on how it goes I might need to take a look at one B but hopefully one D will give me the primer that I need. I'm intrigued with both Modules 2 and 4 but ironically you said that I seem to have the arms and pivot going ok so I'm guessing that isn't the best place for me to start. Would you agree that one D is the place for me to start after seeing my swings and then I can determine from there where to move forward?

 

Thanks again for all of your help. I love finding out there are fundamental things that I'm doing wrong which seem easy to grasp as it makes it feel like moving forward isn't quite as impossible as it seemed a day before.

 

First things first. Setup and Balance are even more important than the ASI stuff - and easier to learn. So you always want to start at your weakest link in your Basics, before engaging in any more advanced moving body part mechanics.

 

Part B is Basic Setup and some other Basics like Steady Head, etc. Part D is Advanced Setup. You need both if you want to learn the entire Waldron Pro Setup - which consists of about 26 distinct elements.

 

Videos are available for purchase and download here:http://www.balancepointgolf.com/index.php/pro-shop/golf-videos

 

It's not that you are close to having perfected your arm motion and pivot, still a ton of work there, its just that you are "getting" the concept and some of the execution faster than a lot of students.

 

You might consider another option- instead of videos - doing a 90 minute webcam lesson with me: enough time to cover most of the Setup elements and how to finish properly in Balance.

 

Setup is really, really, really an important fundamental! Way under-appreciated on this forum.

 

To me, no point in working on ANY moving body part mechanics until your Setup is as good as a tour pros.

[ofortuna]

Hi Jim, when is the release video coming? Been looking forward to that one for a while!

[Jim Waldron]

Hi Jim, when is the release video coming? Been looking forward to that one for a while!

 

My track record sucks on predicting my video target dates, but I think soonest will likely be early January and latest early February.

Module Five on is on Wrist Mechanics, Right Arm/Elbow mechanics, Forearm Rotation and especially The Release. We ended up with twice the video footage we had planned on, so the editing is going to take longer than normal. Will likely be two separate videos, Part A and B, maybe 2 hours or more for each video.

 

There are many myths and misconceptions about the Release, so this Module will cover a ton of new information.

[ofortuna]

Hi Jim, when is the release video coming? Been looking forward to that one for a while!

 

My track record sucks on predicting my video target dates, but I think soonest will likely be early January and latest early February.

Module Five on is on Wrist Mechanics, Right Arm/Elbow mechanics, Forearm Rotation and especially The Release. We ended up with twice the video footage we had planned on, so the editing is going to take longer than normal. Will likely be two separate videos, Part A and B, maybe 2 hours or more for each video.

 

There are many myths and misconceptions about the Release, so this Module will cover a ton of new information.

 

I'm salivating!It took me a long time to digest the implications of the wrists and clubhead uncocking straight down instead of wrist throwing the club towards the target. Even after getting it intellectually, took me even longer to absorb the feel. I had that wrist throw so grooved. Looking forward to module 5 to really get the lay of the land. Hearing that it's 4 hours of instruction is very exciting for this golf nerd!Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

[Jim Waldron]

Hi Jim, when is the release video coming? Been looking forward to that one for a while!

 

My track record sucks on predicting my video target dates, but I think soonest will likely be early January and latest early February.

Module Five on is on Wrist Mechanics, Right Arm/Elbow mechanics, Forearm Rotation and especially The Release. We ended up with twice the video footage we had planned on, so the editing is going to take longer than normal. Will likely be two separate videos, Part A and B, maybe 2 hours or more for each video.

 

There are many myths and misconceptions about the Release, so this Module will cover a ton of new information.

 

I'm salivating!It took me a long time to digest the implications of the wrists and clubhead uncocking straight down instead of wrist throwing the club towards the target. Even after getting it intellectually, took me even longer to absorb the feel. I had that wrist throw so grooved. Looking forward to module 5 to really get the lay of the land. Hearing that it's 4 hours of instruction is very exciting for this golf nerd!Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

 

Yes, the Wrist Illusion is quite powerful, causing you to throw the angle away in a sideways motion toward the ball.

 

Wrist joint unc0cks vertically downward from the joint itself, but at same time the Pivot is moving the wrists in a 90 degree arc to impact in the horizontal dimension. And the forearms are rolling too. Which is why the clubhead does not go straight down - but down, out and forward.

[rteach1]

Jim,

 

I re-watched the section on upper body postural braces today. Would the upward shoulder shrug flaw that you mention prevent the shoulders from rotating under the chin? I'm thinking that this would force the head to move laterally on both the backswing and downswing. Further, if I'm correct, the inability to rotate the left shoulder under the chin in the downswing would induce the dreaded upper body dive into and ahead of the ball. Is my thinking correct? If so, do have a drill or thought that would help to keep the shoulders properly braced? Based on your emphasis on change being achieved by deep insight, I'm assuming that simply telling oneself to keep the shoulders down and braced would not be the way to go.

Thank you.

[Jim Waldron]

Jim,

 

I re-watched the section on upper body postural braces today. Would the upward shoulder shrug flaw that you mention prevent the shoulders from rotating under the chin? I'm thinking that this would force the head to move laterally on both the backswing and downswing. Further, if I'm correct, the inability to rotate the left shoulder under the chin in the downswing would induce the dreaded upper body dive into and ahead of the ball. Is my thinking correct? If so, do have a drill or thought that would help to keep the shoulders properly braced? Based on your emphasis on change being achieved by deep insight, I'm assuming that simply telling oneself to keep the shoulders down and braced would not be the way to go.

Thank you.

 

Yes on your two points.

 

The answer - as is almost always the case - is more and better Awareness!

 

This is a case that does not require Deep Insight, since by its nature it is pretty concrete (no illusions).

 

You put your Feel Channel awareness/focus on the scapular retraction sensation at the start. You then either will maintain your scapular retraction, lose it or increase it. The goal is to keep it.

 

You could also in fact have the s retraction but let your mind wander off and so not knowing if you have the s retraction or not.

 

The key is to achieve it and then keep your mind in feel focusing on it so that you will instantly notice if you lose it or increase it.

[rteach1]

Got it. Thank you very much. It's amazing how one bad move forces so many others down the chain.

 

On a separate note, in your future videos, would it be possible to have a table of contents of some sort, so that one can go straight to a particular chapter if desired?

[Jim Waldron]

I have at hunch that if golfers had focus and feel awareness for their body, that 80% of the "how do I do this move" or "how do I stop my swing flaw from happening" questions on this board would disappear overnight - and I am not kidding!

 

If you are a golfer struggling with your game, and not seeing much improvement from an approach geared mainly or solely around swing theory mechanics, I would strongly recommend some body awareness and focused mind training such as Tai Chi, Pilates or Yoga. Or deep tissue massage.

 

Golfers ask those kinds of questions in the first place precisely because they lack that focus and body awareness.

[ofortuna]

I've been watching some youtube videos of pro golfers that appear to have such perfect balance throughout their swing and remembering some of the recent discussions here on "feel channel", I took some half speed swings concentrating on balance. I tried to forget about all the golf tips that have been beaten into my head over the years like shift your weight to the right on the backswing and forward on the downswing.

 

I found that I could keep great balance when my focus was on it. The surprising thing is that it felt very different than what I normally feel and my "weight" felt like it shifted like water to where it needed to go, mostly to the opposite direct of where my arms and club were.. like a counterbalance. It's a bit difficult to explain because it's all feel but I have a feeling that this area is where I need to spend more of my time instead of visualizing planes and positions but ending up off balance most of the time.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

[Jim Waldron]

I've been watching some youtube videos of pro golfers that appear to have such perfect balance throughout their swing and remembering some of the recent discussions here on "feel channel", I took some half speed swings concentrating on balance. I tried to forget about all the golf tips that have been beaten into my head over the years like shift your weight to the right on the backswing and forward on the downswing.

 

I found that I could keep great balance when my focus was on it. The surprising thing is that it felt very different than what I normally feel and my "weight" felt like it shifted like water to where it needed to go, mostly to the opposite direct of where my arms and club were.. like a counterbalance. It's a bit difficult to explain because it's all feel but I have a feeling that this area is where I need to spend more of my time instead of visualizing planes and positions but ending up off balance most of the time.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

I believe that there is a hierarchy of golf swing fundamentals, "first things first". Some things are WAY more important than others.

 

As far as physical fundamentals, Balance tops the list! It is one reason I call my company "Balance Point".

 

Lots of great players and teachers agree - including Ben Hogan, Tiger, Palmer, Nicklaus, and many others.

 

One reason why is because your brain is hard-wired to keep you standing upright, if you fall over you may injure yourself - it's called the "righting instinct". If you start to lose your Balance mid-swing, that instinct kicks in and your golf swing motor program freezes up - you then use your arms and legs as counter-weights to keep yourself upright, along with some other body parts.

 

Achieving that great Balance starts with Setup, and balance midway between toes and heels.

[ofortuna]

I was watching Justin Rose on you tube since Jim always touts him as one of the best swing on the tour. I noticed that he fully releases his wrists where it's very visible that his right wrist is arched down through impact and the follow through. I seriously do not do this. I must not be doing a full release. Jim, any parts of already released videos that I can reference? I think it's time to schedule another skype lesson. I think I"m overdue for a tune up!

[Jim Waldron]

I was watching Justin Rose on you tube since Jim always touts him as one of the best swing on the tour. I noticed that he fully releases his wrists where it's very visible that his right wrist is arched down through impact and the follow through. I seriously do not do this. I must not be doing a full release. Jim, any parts of already released videos that I can reference? I think it's time to schedule another skype lesson. I think I"m overdue for a tune up!

 

I spent three hours today reviewing Module Five footage on Wrist Mechanics, so it is happening for sure. Just have to be patient.

 

Very common for folks to tighten their grip and arm pressure and block a full Release. All in an attempt to "steer" the ball straight!

 

Please PM to set up your next Remote Lesson

[Jim Waldron]

Here is a short outake from my upcoming video on mastering the mental game, The Art of Shotmaking. Turned out we had a bit of sun reflecting into the camera lens, so we have to re-shoot this segment this Spring in Portland. But I liked the presentation so much, thought it would be a good one to post here so folks have some idea about the content of the mental game model that I teach.

 

I think the main point I was making is really important right now if our game is going to grow in the future, which is that you play golf with the swing you have - not the swing you want to have - and if you can do that, you actually increase the chances of hitting a good shot, because you reduce the chance of creating a flinch of some sort in your swing. You adjust for your one way miss with your aim and ball position, so if your miss is a 25 yard slice, you aim for the left side of the fairway, and then let go, trust your swing and let it happen.

 

If you have a two way miss - then stop playing for a short time, and take lessons and especially practice a lot until you turn that into a one way miss...then go play again.

 

The pursuit of perfection on the golf course or even mid-swing is a recipe for disaster.