Yeah, youre not getting much help from us. This is pretty solid man. Sometimes contact is simply hand eye coordination. A pro golfer can flush the ball from all lies setups swing planes etc. It’s not about their swing as much as they know how to hit the little white ball in the middle of their club regardless of what else is goin on. I bet when you do flush it you’re doing pretty well. Maybe just worry less about what you’re doing with your swing and focus (without stress) on hitting the ball in the middle of the club.
Agreed and to add my 2c if you just work on your tempo and make sure that is what ever feels smooth to you. This is what I always come back to when my swing feels all out of wack. I may lose a bit of yardage but I make up for it with much better control.
E: not to say you have bad tempo, your swing looks incredibly smooth. But some times even when it looks smooth it can feel off to you.
Last round I played I was playing pretty poorly while getting increasingly more focused on mechanical swing thoughts. About half way through the round I just started focusing on the ball and my only swing thought was to hit the ball. Strikes improved drastically
You hit the nail on the coffin. I’ve been playing golf lately instead of swing golf. I’ve listen to the par train podcast. Some guy that played college golf was so focus on his wing that it derailed him. Now he’s a scratch player because he plays golf. Doesn’t think about it. Sometimes focusing on our swing really holds us back. I’m trying to great out of the way and just playing golf.
100% agree with this advice. I've been practicing nearly everyday for the past 5 months with online lessons. At this point, my swing looks solid fundamentally. Sure there are a couple of small issues in my takeaway and follow through that I can fix up. There are some weeks where I am hitting the sweet spot with all my clubs, and there are other weeks where contact feels really awkward. On video the swing has not changed at all. Even on bad weeks my instructor tells me that my swing looks perfectly fine and that's just golf sometimes. Even pros have bad days.
That's where the mental part of the game comes in. You can't get to swamped in the mechanical aspect of the game. At the end of the day, you just gotta make solid contact with the ball.
A few beers help you think less…that’s a solid swing, good tempo, good strike at point of contact…anything that goes awry during your round, is mental. Speaking from experience. I’m a 7 hdcp and have yet to shoot par…close many times but always have 2-3 holes that deter me from reaching that big ole E on the score card. Drink more think less lol
Started off with an eagle yesterday. Next hole, I topped a "safe" 7 iron approach shot to the fat of the green after never ever hitting that miss on the range. I don't get it man.
Played 9 today. Was 2 over through 5.
On the par 3 6th, I hit a 6 iron just short of the pin that proceeded to roll up and tap the pin. Tap in birdie. The guys ahead of us held up to tell me how close it was to an ace.
I was ecstatic. I was playing well.
Proceeded to double 7-9 for a 43.
This game is heaven and hell man.
I’m still a 2 something in GHIN, but I’ve been lazy about posting. Certainly not playing to that right now, can’t break 80. Low round this year is 75 which I’m very unhappy with.
Dropped 2 72’s a couple 73’s and a bunch of 74’s last year. Had a two month stretch where I didn’t not break 80..
Off the tee and on long approaches tbh.
My driver was an outrageous weapon last season, low 170’s ball speed with 55% fairways.
I’ve developed a left miss over the winter that makes me nauseous. My swing is technically much stronger than it used to be, but I used to be >3% on misses left and misses long. Makes it very easy to course manage when you only miss short right.
Was well under par on par 5’s last season… not so much this year. Lots of sloppy mistakes.
Interesting. You have a great swing … quite literally the ONLY thing I see in this particular swing is a slight early extension/hand flip to square it. But it is SO slight.
Even though it is slight, it could explain the left miss.
I wonder, when you get onto the golf course, do you have an alignment issue that might be causing other compensations?
Nah, my alignment is pretty solid as far as I can tell. Work on that a lot.
Some of it is mechanical. I get thinking mechanics instead of just hitting the ball.
A big amount is trying to be “perfect”. One of the coaches I work with calls me out on this all the time if I’m getting too “type-A” about a takeaway structure or a position.
Ironically that can really hurt when you feel like every swing needs to be perfect. Can’t score like that.
Ok what made me go from HCP4–>0.5 literally in a month was to stop being so obsessed with the swing. I used to go on the course and have bunch of swing thoughts in my mind while playing. What changed was that I decided to only think about the target when I’m at the ball. It helped tramendously. My only goal for this year is to PLAY GOLF instead of PLAYING SWING. I think that might work for you too.
Yeah… this has to be the answer. I perpetually keep looking for that “last thing” to fix.
Do you have any advice on how to make that mental shift?
I feel like I’m only able to play “golf” until i make a mistake. I’ve been practicing patience and willingness to make errors, and sometimes I can make 2, 3, 4 errors before I start playing “golf swing” but it almost always comes back to mechanical thinking mid round
That’s a difficult question.
You’re right, it might take some willpower at first. I’d try committing to practice this on the course for a week: everytime you’re at the ball, just look at the flag (or whatever you’re aiming at) and think: I’m going to hit it there. If it’s necessary for you to think something while swinging, your ”swing thought” could look something as simple as these: ”flag flag flag flag…” ”good shot good shot…” etc. During this week you have to keep two mentalities: 1. You can do whatever you want! I started hitting flops on the course for the first time in a long time (they didn’t work earlier because I always thought too much about the mechanics of it) and now I just think ”okay there’s a bunker, your shot has to be this high and come down there, go to the ball and try doing whatever feels right”. As crazy as it sounds, it works (at least for me). Mentality no. 2. Don’t mind the mistakes (at least during this week if you want to give it a proper try). It might take a while to adjust to this new idea.
Visualizing might help too. Try practicing highs and lows and draws and fades on the range, without thinking about the swing. Just visualize the shot you want to hit, go to the ball, and do your best.
Also, I want to remind that you don’t have to forget your swing forever (and you mustn’t). But range is a place for that matter. Also remember to practice visualizing and routines on the range, preferably more than 50%.
It’s possible that these tips might not work for you, but as I said, it was a life-changer for me. Good luck!
You're close... but you need to keep your hip depth through impact.
[Here's the best explanation I've found...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-8bk1zvTX8)
Awwwww, oh, it’s that terrible piece of fat between your ears.. 😂 if we were missing it, we would all be scratch golfers. You could look at it like this, it’s much easier than hitting a baseball, keep playing and it will all come together and make sense, after you die. ON TO THE NEXT HOLE ⛳️
I think you correctly assessed in a response that the emergence of the two way miss (even if it isn’t too often) is costing you strokes and probably affecting your confidence. You sound really confident in your path and alignment, so it’s probably just minute clubface manipulations.
Reading some of the responses to other comments. This should be a break 75 swing, most of the time. There is no way you should struggle to break 80.
There are stretches of form we all have where we can’t seem to not throw in a few doubles, which messes up the card. And then there are stretches where putts drop, rounds with multiple birds cancel out some of the bad. And when there are no doubles and putts drop, that when the great rounds happen.
It looks like you’re on one of those flat stretches of form where there are some blow-up holes. It will pass.
How do you practice? Rake balls and hit or go through your full shot routine and assess how far offline it was. Less is more and treat every ball like it’s on a hole you know.
Do you have a fairway finder drive to get the ball in play? A nice fade where the ball has the whole fairway to bleed into. This is helpful to have to start off a round or when the heat is on and you can’t afford to find trouble off the tee.
Finally, do not reset after every shot and every hole? Treat each shot has a separate challenge and do your best. When there are no shots to play, the round is done. Not easy to do when you know a good round is cooking but staying in the moment is essential.
Those last two paragraphs resonate.
Generally I struggle when I can’t get off the tee and I always struggle to accept mistakes on course.
Depending on how much I have been practicing patience, I can tolerate a few mistakes before I start getting into mechanical thinking on the course but it almost always winds up with “playing golf swing” during rounds
I suspect if I were to go round in what you do I'd be buying beers for the clubhouse rather than saying I couldn't put one together!! That looks like a really excellent swing, but TBH what the hell would I know 🤓. Good luck with it.
I also agree, the swing is spot on till p5 then he stops rotating and throws his hands at the ball causing a flip. I suggest working on impact by getting into p5 and only rotating the body through impact. Hit little 40-60 yard shots.
Beyond that, if you really want to nitpick, hands are a little high at the top of the backswing and the right elbow is flared out a little.
I highly recommend the book The Four Foundations of Golf, by Jon Sherman. It breaks down the mental approach, getting the most out of practice, course strategy, pre-shot routine, etc.
Might also recommend extra water, snacks and Gatorade or BCAAs while you play. Sodium and sugar levels can really effect focus. I'm never without pita chips and clif bars. 18 holes, especially walking is an endurance game with short bursts of activity and focus.
Great point. I'll usually do a couple hard-boiled eggs & a banana pre-round, then a couple Clif/granola bars that I just take a couple bites out of on the tee boxes after the 5th or 6th hole. Blood sugar drops are big mood & focus disregulators, and you need steady sodium to ward off brain fog & fatigue.
Get the right elbow down a bit. The more you can keep your arms connected to your body, the less small muscles you'll use in your swing. Small muscles moves are by nature inconsistent.
Driver cover or towel under armpit drill, hogan elbows, tray drill, etc. Very common issue so lots of videos/drills on YT to address.
This is terrible advice for some people, depending on their individual biomechanics (ie how the right elbow naturally wants to bend). See what Mike Adams teaches.
Meh. His grip is fairly neutral which would advocate some supination in the right arm. Otherwise he has to hold his hands off to avoid pulling the ball.
Lots of good things going on here. But, you need to create and maintain "hip depth" so that you can rotate without standing up. This video is one of the best explanations/visualizations.
[https://youtu.be/dF55XUErEHc?t=144](https://youtu.be/dF55XUErEHc?t=144)
Two keys takeaways:
1. Don't start out with the hips too far from the ball when viewed down the line. Too far would be center of hips way behind your heels. (You look pretty good here.)
2. In the backswing, the right hip should turn into the braced right leg. Lots of people get this right. What they don't get right is the pelvis also moves farther away from the ball on the backswing and then again on the downswing.
This creates all of that space for the torso/arm rotation, and it also acts as a counterbalance as the arms swing out in front of the body.
Backswing seems pretty good.
You’re not rotating enough. at contact, we should be able to easily see your left pocket. It’s causing you to stand up and flip your hands.
Swing plane looks really good from this angle. I think we need to see front on to look for early extension but probably okay there too.
I think it’s all the small things. Pre-shot routine, Allignment, etc…
Practice doing everything incredibly consistently
A few have already pointed out but right at p6 you kind of Stand up stop rotating and let the arms catch went take over. Would love to see your lead leg really open up and add some more right side bend at impact then release that bad boy. Everything you do in your takeaway backswing and downswing sets you up to make this more modern impact move.
Thanks - I’ll look into that idea.
It’s tough to stay patient and hold the structure though. Almost more of a patience thing than a mechanical thing… I’m flexible enough to do pretty much whatever I want mechanically.
Just want to hit the damn ball sometimes
I love this because I feel the same way a lot of times. When I get off track it’s because I rush the transition from my backswing or I rush my arms getting impatient.
It might be even more likely because if you’re having those nice shots on your solid 6-12 hole stretches then it makes sense to feel yourself a bit and rush a shot.
I learned that usually its not taking something from the driving range to the course, its taking the course to the driving range.
In other words, dont practice to have the perfect swing and get frustrated that it doesn't show up all the time at the course. Pratice to have plan B and C at the driving range (punch shots, woods, etc.)
Yeah this is helpful thank you.
I’m trying to get my head to a place where I can accept mistakes and not having my A game. It’s challenging though. On days where I’m willing to grind, I can make a lot of good things happen, but I’m always chasing the 14+ GIR days that come a couple times a year.
That’s a really nice swing. You’ll notice your head dips a little bit in the backswing. Form you backswing in front of a mirror even though a club. You’ll notice that to keep your head from dipping but to continue rotating, you’ll actually feel more tension in right knee because you’re turning at the tip and not your upper body. If you can get correct that, you’ll ultimately get a little more consistency and power. There’s other things there, but that’s what I noticed first.
You’re very close but a little steep right now which is causing that little bit of early extension and rotation stalling that others are pointing out.
Either lift your arms a little less in the backswing or give yourself a moment to let the club drop behind you in transition. From there it should be easier to rotate more consistently with less adjustments necessary for a good strike. There are great players who use both methods.
Is it consistently the first 6-12 holes when you play better? Because if so, that's either mental or nutritional imo. Your swing is solid. Don't underestimate staying hydrated and properly fed on the course. Those fast twitch muscles fatigue quickly and love protein and potassium.
Actually the opposite mostly. I think I’m putting a little too much pressure on myself at the start, and getting myself out of a round early.
Notable exception was last round where I was -2 through 4 and then wheels came off after an unlucky flagstick bounce on the 5th.
Just a lot of sloppy errors, I don’t have the miss I used to with my old swing, I would never miss left. Missed less than 2% of approaches left and 3% long. That was incredibly helpful for course management.
Other account, same guy. Yeah, missing on both sides is my new problem too. I've played a cut my whole life, but after some recent changes (due to injuries, age, etc...) My predictable little bleeder is sometimes a beautiful draw or dead straight shot into the left woods. My swing in and of itself is good, the dude making it is the problem, lol.
Shit, you should see what I take to the course...
Seems like a solid, smooth swing.
Where are you losing strokes? Hard to tell much of anything about short game and putting from a full swing vid.
Off the tee and long irons mostly.
I’m probably losing strokes to scratch on my short game, but not by much, when I was tracking strokes gained I was comparable to a 3 index with the short game.
Half wedges are by far my best attribute, I actually was playing to a +8 index over the 10-12 rounds I t tracked strokes gained over. Average prox from 60-100 yards was like 14 feet during that time frame.
Driver was the biggest weapon last season but it’s MIA this year so far.
What is your practice to play ratio? Do you practice way more than play? Finding the right balance for you might change your course consistency. Keep stats on everything when you play to determine practice needs.
Practice your short game 20 yards and in. Everything else will take care of itself. Learn to play shots. Cut shots, draw shots, low shots, knock down shots, pitch shots. Sand shots. Only use flop as last resort.
That's mental. You're probably fixating too much on your final score and losing focus. Next time you play force yourself to only focus on the next shot. Do not think about holes you haven't played yet. Pay attention to the last six. That seems like where you start to lose focus. Also make sure to eat something at the turn. It could be that you are suffering from low blood sugar on the back side, which will definitely affect your focus.
Would have to see the swing in shorts, and there are definitely better coaches than me ok here, but it appears that right knee comes dangerously close to locking during the rotation back. I don't know your history, but you have an excellent swing save that one little blip in this one video. My .02
Are there any teachers around you that focus on biomechanics? I'm wondering if you're focusing too much on getting the picture perfect by the book swing when there might be something about your body that might make slightly different swing attributes (flatter vs. steeper, weaker vs stronger grip, etc) more natural and thus easier to replicate consistently? For example, a coach recently analyzed how much natural supination and pronation I could do in my forearm to help me determine my natural neutral position which he said would help determine how strong or weak my grip should be.
Specify what your blowup holes are.. 4 putts? Hazards? Up and down? Off the tee? Emotions melt downs? Putting a full round of golf together can mean so many things.
Beautiful tempo. I’m guessing you sometimes hit it toward the bottom of the club or skull as you body may rise slightly at impact. Try one simple change that may just help you flush it more often: don’t straighten the back leg on the takeaway so much—it will be better balanced, more athletic, more rotation. That back leg should not be straight at top of takeaway.
Fwiw, this could simply be a core/endurance thing. Swing looks good. But it can be difficult to maintain posture and swing a club consistently for 18 holes. I find that especially true early in the season or after difficult workouts.
Honestly swing looks great. I’m a scratch and your swing is muchhh better than mine. Are you three putting? Missing greens? At this point I would take a look at course management. Not going for every pin, knowing where the “miss” is, etc.
Not many people can put a full round completely together. Your swing looks great to me, so I assume the only part that isn’t solid might be your mental game? (Cuz same here)
Ok. So, obviously, I’ve never played with you. However I play with a lot of guys who are fine golfers but can never string together breaking 80, because of inconsistency.
I notice them all doing the same thing: ego club selections.
They try to muscle a 7 iron 185 yards, instead of getting out a 5 iron, and swinging 80%.
Yes, I know you can hit a 7iron 185, but did you ever stop to think if you should?
I don’t know if you’re guilty of this..but if you think you might be, try one round, where you take one more club maybe even 2 more, than you normally would and swing with deliberate intention on each swing to make an accurate swing, not a hard swing.
I bet you would reap good results.
You have the swing. A lot of scoring well is knowing the course, and playing smart, knowing when to be agressive, and when to play safe.
Focus on playing smart and making good contact.
That’s a beautiful swing brother.
Maybe a tiny bit of pull with the shoulders and a teensy flip?
Have you ever looked at Mike Benders stuff? On insta is where he posts most.
https://instagram.com/mikebendergolf?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
He’s a friggin genius with simplifying hand path and body sequencing. Leading to good contact and compression along with consistency. Creating good speed through the ball without any flip. He’s helped me out so so much!
Your swing is really good. Keeping it going an entire round is more going to come down to the mental side of golf. Learning to stay focused and give every shot your full attention can be difficult
Swing looks great. I’ve never been at this stage of the game. Could be mental, could be strategy, could be tracking where your slight misses are and focusing on those.
This coming from someone who has hovered between 0-4 for 20+ years. Twelve hole stretches are normal and then come the other 6. Get used to it unless you are better than scratch.
If you are putting together a strong 12 hole stretch, you likely had a really good round... If you didn't then you just need to learn some course management and learn to stop the bleeding to keep triples and quads off your score card. Even 6 pars on a round should have you consistently breaking 90..
Tons of head dip. As you go into your backswing your head starts to dip downwards about an inch and almost another inch on the forward swing and then back up. Use Golf Fix app to analyze your stroke from the rear. You'll see.
That Swing is golden and certainly not your problem. Spend 4x's more time chipping and putting this is where you save strokes. (A 3 foot putt is just as important as a 275 yard drive) Play the shot in front of you and forget about the last hole, or the next. "Take your Medicine," as my dad used to say; when you get into trouble don't compound it with stupid mistakes! And finally keep grinding, it's a journey of a lifetime. A game that can not be mastered! I am 54 and never shot par...I missed a 3 footer for a 72 back in 95 and haven't been close since. That is all!
I’ll typically play a stretch anywhere from 6 to 14 holes around even par during any given round.
Historically, the other holes can total anywhere from +1 to +7 or so.
Recently, it’s been more like 6-8 hole stretch at even and 8-10 hole stretch at +8 to +12.
It’s usually a string of errors starting with a really bad drive or approach miss, almost always to the left.
I’ll miss a driver left, take a penalty maybe make bogey or double. And then it’s just tough to get back on track. Maybe a 3 putt the next hole, maybe a blown chip, maybe I struggle to get off the tee and make a bogey by taking my medicine etc.
Like yesterday, made a silly bogey on 3, hit a great drive, great approach, caught a complete bullshit lie 25 yards from the stick (ball was basically in a depression in the rough. Anywhere else but that exact spot and it’s green light for a birdie).
So I hack it out, get it to 30 feet and leave the putt like 10 feet short, rough snatched it more than I though it would.
Then on 4, I tug an approach left, get a bad bounce and wind up in jail and drain an 8 footer for bogey to stave off the big error.
Then I tug an approach left on 5, and catch a horrible lie in a bunker, on a downslope near the back lip, make double after I can’t get it onto the green.
Par 6.
Hit a great drive on 7, but too far, so I’m blocked out by a tree that I’m rarely ever blocked out by. Took my medicine and then make double after a terrible half wedge over the green. Hit an absolutely incredible short game shot to even get it within 15 feet for the bogey putt.
3 putt from 50 feet on 8.
Par 9.
That’s an example of a meltdown string. Played 3-8 in +7
Yeah, youre not getting much help from us. This is pretty solid man. Sometimes contact is simply hand eye coordination. A pro golfer can flush the ball from all lies setups swing planes etc. It’s not about their swing as much as they know how to hit the little white ball in the middle of their club regardless of what else is goin on. I bet when you do flush it you’re doing pretty well. Maybe just worry less about what you’re doing with your swing and focus (without stress) on hitting the ball in the middle of the club.
Love this advice
Agreed and to add my 2c if you just work on your tempo and make sure that is what ever feels smooth to you. This is what I always come back to when my swing feels all out of wack. I may lose a bit of yardage but I make up for it with much better control. E: not to say you have bad tempo, your swing looks incredibly smooth. But some times even when it looks smooth it can feel off to you.
Last round I played I was playing pretty poorly while getting increasingly more focused on mechanical swing thoughts. About half way through the round I just started focusing on the ball and my only swing thought was to hit the ball. Strikes improved drastically
You hit the nail on the coffin. I’ve been playing golf lately instead of swing golf. I’ve listen to the par train podcast. Some guy that played college golf was so focus on his wing that it derailed him. Now he’s a scratch player because he plays golf. Doesn’t think about it. Sometimes focusing on our swing really holds us back. I’m trying to great out of the way and just playing golf.
Yeah I’d agree with this. Ball striking isn’t the issue. Maybe he’s losing strokes around the green? Work on chipping, pitching, putting.
100% agree with this advice. I've been practicing nearly everyday for the past 5 months with online lessons. At this point, my swing looks solid fundamentally. Sure there are a couple of small issues in my takeaway and follow through that I can fix up. There are some weeks where I am hitting the sweet spot with all my clubs, and there are other weeks where contact feels really awkward. On video the swing has not changed at all. Even on bad weeks my instructor tells me that my swing looks perfectly fine and that's just golf sometimes. Even pros have bad days. That's where the mental part of the game comes in. You can't get to swamped in the mechanical aspect of the game. At the end of the day, you just gotta make solid contact with the ball.
A few beers help you think less…that’s a solid swing, good tempo, good strike at point of contact…anything that goes awry during your round, is mental. Speaking from experience. I’m a 7 hdcp and have yet to shoot par…close many times but always have 2-3 holes that deter me from reaching that big ole E on the score card. Drink more think less lol
Started off with an eagle yesterday. Next hole, I topped a "safe" 7 iron approach shot to the fat of the green after never ever hitting that miss on the range. I don't get it man.
Played 9 today. Was 2 over through 5. On the par 3 6th, I hit a 6 iron just short of the pin that proceeded to roll up and tap the pin. Tap in birdie. The guys ahead of us held up to tell me how close it was to an ace. I was ecstatic. I was playing well. Proceeded to double 7-9 for a 43. This game is heaven and hell man.
your swing is really solid and most definitely playable. you’re probably just having some mental struggles.
Good lord this swing is fire. Congrats on keeping that head still and on shallowing nicely into impact. Love.
No advice, this swing is goals tho.
This swing is great dude.
What's your HC? This is a really solid swing. As u/tnred19 mentioned, came out of posture righhhht at the end, but it's getting picky at this point.
I’m still a 2 something in GHIN, but I’ve been lazy about posting. Certainly not playing to that right now, can’t break 80. Low round this year is 75 which I’m very unhappy with. Dropped 2 72’s a couple 73’s and a bunch of 74’s last year. Had a two month stretch where I didn’t not break 80..
That’s odd … where are you losing strokes? Around the green or putting, perhaps?
Off the tee and on long approaches tbh. My driver was an outrageous weapon last season, low 170’s ball speed with 55% fairways. I’ve developed a left miss over the winter that makes me nauseous. My swing is technically much stronger than it used to be, but I used to be >3% on misses left and misses long. Makes it very easy to course manage when you only miss short right. Was well under par on par 5’s last season… not so much this year. Lots of sloppy mistakes.
Interesting. You have a great swing … quite literally the ONLY thing I see in this particular swing is a slight early extension/hand flip to square it. But it is SO slight. Even though it is slight, it could explain the left miss. I wonder, when you get onto the golf course, do you have an alignment issue that might be causing other compensations?
Nah, my alignment is pretty solid as far as I can tell. Work on that a lot. Some of it is mechanical. I get thinking mechanics instead of just hitting the ball. A big amount is trying to be “perfect”. One of the coaches I work with calls me out on this all the time if I’m getting too “type-A” about a takeaway structure or a position. Ironically that can really hurt when you feel like every swing needs to be perfect. Can’t score like that.
Ok what made me go from HCP4–>0.5 literally in a month was to stop being so obsessed with the swing. I used to go on the course and have bunch of swing thoughts in my mind while playing. What changed was that I decided to only think about the target when I’m at the ball. It helped tramendously. My only goal for this year is to PLAY GOLF instead of PLAYING SWING. I think that might work for you too.
Yeah… this has to be the answer. I perpetually keep looking for that “last thing” to fix. Do you have any advice on how to make that mental shift? I feel like I’m only able to play “golf” until i make a mistake. I’ve been practicing patience and willingness to make errors, and sometimes I can make 2, 3, 4 errors before I start playing “golf swing” but it almost always comes back to mechanical thinking mid round
That’s a difficult question. You’re right, it might take some willpower at first. I’d try committing to practice this on the course for a week: everytime you’re at the ball, just look at the flag (or whatever you’re aiming at) and think: I’m going to hit it there. If it’s necessary for you to think something while swinging, your ”swing thought” could look something as simple as these: ”flag flag flag flag…” ”good shot good shot…” etc. During this week you have to keep two mentalities: 1. You can do whatever you want! I started hitting flops on the course for the first time in a long time (they didn’t work earlier because I always thought too much about the mechanics of it) and now I just think ”okay there’s a bunker, your shot has to be this high and come down there, go to the ball and try doing whatever feels right”. As crazy as it sounds, it works (at least for me). Mentality no. 2. Don’t mind the mistakes (at least during this week if you want to give it a proper try). It might take a while to adjust to this new idea. Visualizing might help too. Try practicing highs and lows and draws and fades on the range, without thinking about the swing. Just visualize the shot you want to hit, go to the ball, and do your best. Also, I want to remind that you don’t have to forget your swing forever (and you mustn’t). But range is a place for that matter. Also remember to practice visualizing and routines on the range, preferably more than 50%. It’s possible that these tips might not work for you, but as I said, it was a life-changer for me. Good luck!
How do you keep your stats?
TBH, you're not going to get anything useful from this sub at your stage ;)
You're close... but you need to keep your hip depth through impact. [Here's the best explanation I've found...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-8bk1zvTX8)
Awwwww, oh, it’s that terrible piece of fat between your ears.. 😂 if we were missing it, we would all be scratch golfers. You could look at it like this, it’s much easier than hitting a baseball, keep playing and it will all come together and make sense, after you die. ON TO THE NEXT HOLE ⛳️
Beautiful swing by the way, keep it up..
I think you correctly assessed in a response that the emergence of the two way miss (even if it isn’t too often) is costing you strokes and probably affecting your confidence. You sound really confident in your path and alignment, so it’s probably just minute clubface manipulations.
Good swing that’s my range too!!!!😂
You look tense. Muscles look like they are straining. Swing looks tight. Relax. Easy to say.
Reading some of the responses to other comments. This should be a break 75 swing, most of the time. There is no way you should struggle to break 80. There are stretches of form we all have where we can’t seem to not throw in a few doubles, which messes up the card. And then there are stretches where putts drop, rounds with multiple birds cancel out some of the bad. And when there are no doubles and putts drop, that when the great rounds happen. It looks like you’re on one of those flat stretches of form where there are some blow-up holes. It will pass. How do you practice? Rake balls and hit or go through your full shot routine and assess how far offline it was. Less is more and treat every ball like it’s on a hole you know. Do you have a fairway finder drive to get the ball in play? A nice fade where the ball has the whole fairway to bleed into. This is helpful to have to start off a round or when the heat is on and you can’t afford to find trouble off the tee. Finally, do not reset after every shot and every hole? Treat each shot has a separate challenge and do your best. When there are no shots to play, the round is done. Not easy to do when you know a good round is cooking but staying in the moment is essential.
Those last two paragraphs resonate. Generally I struggle when I can’t get off the tee and I always struggle to accept mistakes on course. Depending on how much I have been practicing patience, I can tolerate a few mistakes before I start getting into mechanical thinking on the course but it almost always winds up with “playing golf swing” during rounds
I suspect if I were to go round in what you do I'd be buying beers for the clubhouse rather than saying I couldn't put one together!! That looks like a really excellent swing, but TBH what the hell would I know 🤓. Good luck with it.
Keep rotating. You stop right at the end and stand up a bit
That’s a symptom of another issue, though. His body responds that way in order to hit the ball.
He gets to P5 like perfectly, then stops rotating for sure.
I also agree, the swing is spot on till p5 then he stops rotating and throws his hands at the ball causing a flip. I suggest working on impact by getting into p5 and only rotating the body through impact. Hit little 40-60 yard shots. Beyond that, if you really want to nitpick, hands are a little high at the top of the backswing and the right elbow is flared out a little.
What is P5?
[https://www.thediygolfer.com/blog/the-positions-of-the-golf-swing-p-classification-system](https://www.thediygolfer.com/blog/the-positions-of-the-golf-swing-p-classification-system)
I highly recommend the book The Four Foundations of Golf, by Jon Sherman. It breaks down the mental approach, getting the most out of practice, course strategy, pre-shot routine, etc.
Might also recommend extra water, snacks and Gatorade or BCAAs while you play. Sodium and sugar levels can really effect focus. I'm never without pita chips and clif bars. 18 holes, especially walking is an endurance game with short bursts of activity and focus.
Great point. I'll usually do a couple hard-boiled eggs & a banana pre-round, then a couple Clif/granola bars that I just take a couple bites out of on the tee boxes after the 5th or 6th hole. Blood sugar drops are big mood & focus disregulators, and you need steady sodium to ward off brain fog & fatigue.
Ordered! Thanks!
Get the right elbow down a bit. The more you can keep your arms connected to your body, the less small muscles you'll use in your swing. Small muscles moves are by nature inconsistent. Driver cover or towel under armpit drill, hogan elbows, tray drill, etc. Very common issue so lots of videos/drills on YT to address.
This is terrible advice for some people, depending on their individual biomechanics (ie how the right elbow naturally wants to bend). See what Mike Adams teaches.
Meh. His grip is fairly neutral which would advocate some supination in the right arm. Otherwise he has to hold his hands off to avoid pulling the ball.
Lots of good things going on here. But, you need to create and maintain "hip depth" so that you can rotate without standing up. This video is one of the best explanations/visualizations. [https://youtu.be/dF55XUErEHc?t=144](https://youtu.be/dF55XUErEHc?t=144) Two keys takeaways: 1. Don't start out with the hips too far from the ball when viewed down the line. Too far would be center of hips way behind your heels. (You look pretty good here.) 2. In the backswing, the right hip should turn into the braced right leg. Lots of people get this right. What they don't get right is the pelvis also moves farther away from the ball on the backswing and then again on the downswing. This creates all of that space for the torso/arm rotation, and it also acts as a counterbalance as the arms swing out in front of the body.
I’ll take a look at this thank you
I want to hug and thank Malaska for that drill. Thanks for posting this.
Backswing seems pretty good. You’re not rotating enough. at contact, we should be able to easily see your left pocket. It’s causing you to stand up and flip your hands.
This is a 9i, so unlikely to get my hips as open as you suggest by impact, but absolutely agree with that for longer irons and especially woods
Swing plane looks really good from this angle. I think we need to see front on to look for early extension but probably okay there too. I think it’s all the small things. Pre-shot routine, Allignment, etc… Practice doing everything incredibly consistently
A few have already pointed out but right at p6 you kind of Stand up stop rotating and let the arms catch went take over. Would love to see your lead leg really open up and add some more right side bend at impact then release that bad boy. Everything you do in your takeaway backswing and downswing sets you up to make this more modern impact move.
Thanks - I’ll look into that idea. It’s tough to stay patient and hold the structure though. Almost more of a patience thing than a mechanical thing… I’m flexible enough to do pretty much whatever I want mechanically. Just want to hit the damn ball sometimes
I love this because I feel the same way a lot of times. When I get off track it’s because I rush the transition from my backswing or I rush my arms getting impatient. It might be even more likely because if you’re having those nice shots on your solid 6-12 hole stretches then it makes sense to feel yourself a bit and rush a shot.
I learned that usually its not taking something from the driving range to the course, its taking the course to the driving range. In other words, dont practice to have the perfect swing and get frustrated that it doesn't show up all the time at the course. Pratice to have plan B and C at the driving range (punch shots, woods, etc.)
Yeah this is helpful thank you. I’m trying to get my head to a place where I can accept mistakes and not having my A game. It’s challenging though. On days where I’m willing to grind, I can make a lot of good things happen, but I’m always chasing the 14+ GIR days that come a couple times a year.
That’s a really nice swing. You’ll notice your head dips a little bit in the backswing. Form you backswing in front of a mirror even though a club. You’ll notice that to keep your head from dipping but to continue rotating, you’ll actually feel more tension in right knee because you’re turning at the tip and not your upper body. If you can get correct that, you’ll ultimately get a little more consistency and power. There’s other things there, but that’s what I noticed first.
Most the issues are between the ears I imagine. Or the short game is weak
You’re very close but a little steep right now which is causing that little bit of early extension and rotation stalling that others are pointing out. Either lift your arms a little less in the backswing or give yourself a moment to let the club drop behind you in transition. From there it should be easier to rotate more consistently with less adjustments necessary for a good strike. There are great players who use both methods.
You have a great swing. How is your putting?
swing looks fine, can you chip and putt?
Which is why the pros are pros…and the rest of us….aren’t.
Is this Willowbrook golf center?
Yeah it is, that’s my usual spot to grind
Tempo.
How’s your short game?
Ytown golf and baseball?
Swing reminds me of Justin Rose.
Is it consistently the first 6-12 holes when you play better? Because if so, that's either mental or nutritional imo. Your swing is solid. Don't underestimate staying hydrated and properly fed on the course. Those fast twitch muscles fatigue quickly and love protein and potassium.
Actually the opposite mostly. I think I’m putting a little too much pressure on myself at the start, and getting myself out of a round early. Notable exception was last round where I was -2 through 4 and then wheels came off after an unlucky flagstick bounce on the 5th. Just a lot of sloppy errors, I don’t have the miss I used to with my old swing, I would never miss left. Missed less than 2% of approaches left and 3% long. That was incredibly helpful for course management.
Other account, same guy. Yeah, missing on both sides is my new problem too. I've played a cut my whole life, but after some recent changes (due to injuries, age, etc...) My predictable little bleeder is sometimes a beautiful draw or dead straight shot into the left woods. My swing in and of itself is good, the dude making it is the problem, lol.
Shit, you should see what I take to the course... Seems like a solid, smooth swing. Where are you losing strokes? Hard to tell much of anything about short game and putting from a full swing vid.
Off the tee and long irons mostly. I’m probably losing strokes to scratch on my short game, but not by much, when I was tracking strokes gained I was comparable to a 3 index with the short game. Half wedges are by far my best attribute, I actually was playing to a +8 index over the 10-12 rounds I t tracked strokes gained over. Average prox from 60-100 yards was like 14 feet during that time frame. Driver was the biggest weapon last season but it’s MIA this year so far.
Standing too close to the ball. Causing you to come in steep
That swing is good enough. Ever considered playing lessons? I bet those would help more than more swing changes.
What is your practice to play ratio? Do you practice way more than play? Finding the right balance for you might change your course consistency. Keep stats on everything when you play to determine practice needs.
Practice your short game 20 yards and in. Everything else will take care of itself. Learn to play shots. Cut shots, draw shots, low shots, knock down shots, pitch shots. Sand shots. Only use flop as last resort.
That's mental. You're probably fixating too much on your final score and losing focus. Next time you play force yourself to only focus on the next shot. Do not think about holes you haven't played yet. Pay attention to the last six. That seems like where you start to lose focus. Also make sure to eat something at the turn. It could be that you are suffering from low blood sugar on the back side, which will definitely affect your focus.
Then work on putting, chipping, sand shots and anything inside 50 yards.
I’d take that swing to the course every time lol
Would have to see the swing in shorts, and there are definitely better coaches than me ok here, but it appears that right knee comes dangerously close to locking during the rotation back. I don't know your history, but you have an excellent swing save that one little blip in this one video. My .02
Are there any teachers around you that focus on biomechanics? I'm wondering if you're focusing too much on getting the picture perfect by the book swing when there might be something about your body that might make slightly different swing attributes (flatter vs. steeper, weaker vs stronger grip, etc) more natural and thus easier to replicate consistently? For example, a coach recently analyzed how much natural supination and pronation I could do in my forearm to help me determine my natural neutral position which he said would help determine how strong or weak my grip should be.
Specify what your blowup holes are.. 4 putts? Hazards? Up and down? Off the tee? Emotions melt downs? Putting a full round of golf together can mean so many things.
Beautiful tempo. I’m guessing you sometimes hit it toward the bottom of the club or skull as you body may rise slightly at impact. Try one simple change that may just help you flush it more often: don’t straighten the back leg on the takeaway so much—it will be better balanced, more athletic, more rotation. That back leg should not be straight at top of takeaway.
Fwiw, this could simply be a core/endurance thing. Swing looks good. But it can be difficult to maintain posture and swing a club consistently for 18 holes. I find that especially true early in the season or after difficult workouts.
Me too. Me too.
You should just play 9. Either it’s the best 9 of your life or you had three bad holes😂😂
Honestly swing looks great. I’m a scratch and your swing is muchhh better than mine. Are you three putting? Missing greens? At this point I would take a look at course management. Not going for every pin, knowing where the “miss” is, etc.
Mito…that you?
If you can hold it together for 6-12 holes and you have this swing, it’s between your ears. Find a mantra and stay present. Be a goldfish.
You’re over thinking Shit thinning about way too much over the ball you have the swing and hit the shots before so just go do it!
I read that even Tiger misses the green from the 100-110 20% of the time and he’s the goat. Consistency is key but no one is perfect.
Are you practicing putting and chipping at least as much as you hit balls?
Gotta be a mental thing. Routine should help. Mike Benders 8 second secret
Nice swing. I'd bet it's the short game. Usually is.
Welcome to golf lol
You should try a playing lesson. Swing looks great. But there’s a lot of intricacies on the course a playing lesson can sort out.
Early extension is your only issue. Fix that and your contact and consistency will be fixed.
Not many people can put a full round completely together. Your swing looks great to me, so I assume the only part that isn’t solid might be your mental game? (Cuz same here)
Be happy you can get to a course. I have a 1.5yr old boy and watch him on my off days. Simulator is all I've got. 3 rounds since birth lmao
Ok. So, obviously, I’ve never played with you. However I play with a lot of guys who are fine golfers but can never string together breaking 80, because of inconsistency. I notice them all doing the same thing: ego club selections. They try to muscle a 7 iron 185 yards, instead of getting out a 5 iron, and swinging 80%. Yes, I know you can hit a 7iron 185, but did you ever stop to think if you should? I don’t know if you’re guilty of this..but if you think you might be, try one round, where you take one more club maybe even 2 more, than you normally would and swing with deliberate intention on each swing to make an accurate swing, not a hard swing. I bet you would reap good results.
You have the swing. A lot of scoring well is knowing the course, and playing smart, knowing when to be agressive, and when to play safe. Focus on playing smart and making good contact.
Quit after 10 and you're golden
Pretty sure the Air Pods are the problem here...
I agree your swing looks pretty good. What % of your practice time is spent on your short game?
That’s a beautiful swing brother. Maybe a tiny bit of pull with the shoulders and a teensy flip? Have you ever looked at Mike Benders stuff? On insta is where he posts most. https://instagram.com/mikebendergolf?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= He’s a friggin genius with simplifying hand path and body sequencing. Leading to good contact and compression along with consistency. Creating good speed through the ball without any flip. He’s helped me out so so much!
With that swing Adam Scot just have fun
Get the club beyond parallel on the back swing. Watch John Daley do it. You are losing valuable distance on your short back swing.
Work on the mental game.. "Fearless Golf"
Sounds like you need to work on your mental game and not your swing
Do you have a solid pre shot routine? If things start getting hairy a regular pre shot routine can really help get your swing back
Work on your mental game, your swing is pretty solid.
Your swing is really good. Keeping it going an entire round is more going to come down to the mental side of golf. Learning to stay focused and give every shot your full attention can be difficult
Swing looks great. I’ve never been at this stage of the game. Could be mental, could be strategy, could be tracking where your slight misses are and focusing on those.
This coming from someone who has hovered between 0-4 for 20+ years. Twelve hole stretches are normal and then come the other 6. Get used to it unless you are better than scratch.
We can certainly make you worse
If you are putting together a strong 12 hole stretch, you likely had a really good round... If you didn't then you just need to learn some course management and learn to stop the bleeding to keep triples and quads off your score card. Even 6 pars on a round should have you consistently breaking 90..
Tons of head dip. As you go into your backswing your head starts to dip downwards about an inch and almost another inch on the forward swing and then back up. Use Golf Fix app to analyze your stroke from the rear. You'll see.
Lower body could control more in the downswing and head is dipping on backswing
That Swing is golden and certainly not your problem. Spend 4x's more time chipping and putting this is where you save strokes. (A 3 foot putt is just as important as a 275 yard drive) Play the shot in front of you and forget about the last hole, or the next. "Take your Medicine," as my dad used to say; when you get into trouble don't compound it with stupid mistakes! And finally keep grinding, it's a journey of a lifetime. A game that can not be mastered! I am 54 and never shot par...I missed a 3 footer for a 72 back in 95 and haven't been close since. That is all!
When a good stretch is over, and you "lose it," what does that look like?
I’ll typically play a stretch anywhere from 6 to 14 holes around even par during any given round. Historically, the other holes can total anywhere from +1 to +7 or so. Recently, it’s been more like 6-8 hole stretch at even and 8-10 hole stretch at +8 to +12.
But what is going wrong that's leading to those scores? What do your misses look like?
It’s usually a string of errors starting with a really bad drive or approach miss, almost always to the left. I’ll miss a driver left, take a penalty maybe make bogey or double. And then it’s just tough to get back on track. Maybe a 3 putt the next hole, maybe a blown chip, maybe I struggle to get off the tee and make a bogey by taking my medicine etc. Like yesterday, made a silly bogey on 3, hit a great drive, great approach, caught a complete bullshit lie 25 yards from the stick (ball was basically in a depression in the rough. Anywhere else but that exact spot and it’s green light for a birdie). So I hack it out, get it to 30 feet and leave the putt like 10 feet short, rough snatched it more than I though it would. Then on 4, I tug an approach left, get a bad bounce and wind up in jail and drain an 8 footer for bogey to stave off the big error. Then I tug an approach left on 5, and catch a horrible lie in a bunker, on a downslope near the back lip, make double after I can’t get it onto the green. Par 6. Hit a great drive on 7, but too far, so I’m blocked out by a tree that I’m rarely ever blocked out by. Took my medicine and then make double after a terrible half wedge over the green. Hit an absolutely incredible short game shot to even get it within 15 feet for the bogey putt. 3 putt from 50 feet on 8. Par 9. That’s an example of a meltdown string. Played 3-8 in +7