My Road to Improvement - 7/9/25 new swing video

[bortass]

5 hours ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I'm glad you took that seriously. Those are the small things that have huge gains in the long run. Even knowing that you're aimed correctly over the ball helps you to diagnose path issues because you've removed a variable. 

Completely agree. The sad part is that I used to aim this way and got lazy with it. I’ll keep at it and it will become second nature eventually.

[bortass]

Another day of decent weather and I couldn't pass on taking advantage and hitting the range. I did that Monte drill I found on TikTok to start with and it was a very mixed bag. I struggled and sent most balls to the left, lol.

 

I then broke out the HM and worked on their dynamic transition drill. It was tough going but I saw signs of life. I managed a few shots were I got my left wrist flat enough. I am still really struggling with the feel I need to make it happen. I kinda know what I'm looking for but it is fleeting. I think a positive is that I saw a number of swings where I was only 1-2* off from getting into the green. At least I got close. I did a bit better than a few days ago and not as good as on Jan, 28th. The 28th has a bit of an asterisk though. I did though right after passing the drill before it, so I had the move fresh in my mind. 

 

Date	Reps	Too Extended	Too Flexed	In Range
01/28/25	22	59%	0%	41%
02/3/25	56	89%	0%	11%
02/6/25	44	84%	0%	16%

 

 

I finished up with the putting stability drill and it's still a struggle to not flip a small amount when I put. I'll keep at it and see if it gets better over time.

 

I will say I feel energized about things this week. It could be from reading Foundations of Winning Golf but I'm not sure. I'll do a review of the book once I finish it but I like it so far.

[bortass]

Finished Jon Sherman's The Foundations of Winning Golf last night. I picked it up because I really like his Four Foundations of Golf. I liked it and it gave me some food for thought. It's about playing competitive golf which I have only had a miniscule foray into a long time ago. I'll touch on the relevance of said foray later.

 

Jon uses his own experiences as the primary examples which makes sense and it is not a look at me, I did great kind of thing. Most of the examples he uses are what he did wrong and learned from. He makes reference to a tour player he works with but there is no mention of said players name. I thought that was fine because he only brings up the tour player at various times to highlight that one of the best golfers in the world has the same struggles and doubts that us mere mortals have.

 

He covers expectations, what you may have to deal with, how to prepare, etc. An undercurrent throughout the book is about expectations and the fact that odds are you will fail and that is okay. Each time you tee it up in that setting is a learning experience and that's the mindset to have. Success can be found outside the leaderboard. A positive mindset will help you be in a better mental place with the adversity you will encounter. 

 

He also points out that in a way it's a crapshoot. You can only control your game. The luck of the draw with playing partners, weather, course setup, what the rest of the field does, is outside your control and the deck is stacked against you. There is a lot of adversity and being aware of it and learning how to handle it goes a long way to making you a better competitor.

 

My tiny dabble with competitive golf was just the club tournaments at the course I belonged to in Maine. One of their big ones was the Presidents Cup. Three rounds over two weekends net stroke play. 2013 and I did okay the first two rounds even with a couple double digit holes. I finish the third round and played quite well, shot an 85 which is awesome for me. Find out I'm tied for first and it's a sudden death playoff starting on #1. Nerves started to kick in big time. We both keep our tee shots in play and miss the green with our approaches. I somehow chip it inside a few feet and my opponent duffs his. He's ends up with a bogey and I'm standing over a very short putt to win it all. I almost crapped my pants. I could not believe how much pressure I felt standing over that putt. I managed to sink it and get my name on the club house plaque. Probably one of the biggest highlights of my golfing career.

 

Reading this book brought it all back. I'm probably the only person that remembers or even cares that I won that day. It's just a tournament at a small public course in Maine but standing over that putt it could have been trying to kick a field goal with no time left in the Superbowl to either win or go home. I remember telling people I learned I'm not cut out for competitive golf, lol.

 

I would recommend the book to anyone that wants insight into serious golf. It doesn't even have to be serious like a tournament but serious to you golf. Some of what he writes about I experienced while playing solo rounds while trying to break specific scoring barriers. The competition was just me trying to break 100/90/85. I put so much pressure on myself and didn't understand how to deal with it. One bad hole and I'd tank the rest of the round or even walk off because there was no point since I wasn't gonna break X now. Even a couple years ago, I remember playing 9 and thinking to myself, I'm not going to write about this round in this thread, because I spit the bit. Why was I thinking about what I was gonna write and how I felt about it in the middle of playing the round in question? Just dumb.

 

Reading the book has piqued my interest in the competitive side of things again. I avoided all tournaments since moving to GA except for a scramble that I played a couple times. I'll be playing in a couple tournaments that the weekly dogfight group I'm part of does around the Masters. Learning to deal with pressure will help with my normal game and make me a better golfer in the end. I'll go out there and have fun and try not to soil myself if I find myself in another playoff situation 🙂 It's a learning opportunity.

 

 

 

[bortass]

Saturday was surprising because I played decent for a change, thanks in part to some luck. A 48/45, 93, with no Xs. I stuck with the aiming and the ball mostly went in the general direction I wanted. There were still a couple FUBRs though. A lower differential rolled off and thus my index went up by 0.1 to 18.6. It felt good to play solid for a change. My last two 18 hole rounds were in the 105 range.

 

I blew up on six hole with three doubles and three triples. There were a couple trends with a few of them but not all.

 

Blow Ups:

#1 par 4 double: Okay tee shot into the fairway and I missed the green left with my 9i. Meh chip left a 19 foot par putt that I got to about 2 feet. I rushed and missed the bogey putt.

 

# 6 par 4 triple: Almost miss the ball off the tee with my 7w. Barely catch the toe and the ball goes all of 83 yards.  Layup is okay but leaves me with an awkward lie. My 8i at the green is mishit badly, a very low and very right push fade under some trees. The shot only went 92 yards and left me 50 yards short of the green. I don't hit my pitch up well enough and am short of the green. Try to chip it with SW and don't get on. Chip with putter to three feet and make the next putt. This hole is the #1 HCP hole and it kills me. I need to look but I score either a 7 or 8 every time. I cannot reach this green in two and almost always mess up the second and third shots.

 

#7 par 5 triple: Okay drive into the right rough which is very sparse. I just want to hit an easy 5i over the crest to leave me with a short iron/partial PW in depending on how much roll I get. I blade it right into a fairway bunker. I go with 7i from the bunker and get the ball out but only advance it about 65 yards. That leaves me a 6i into the green which I hit low and thin. It only goes about 125 yards. Pitch over the green and chip with my putter to 4 feet. I then two putt... This is another hole that I almost always struggle on.

 

#10 par 4 triple: Slight push fade with my driver a bit more right than I want but somehow I got lucky and it stayed in play. I'm on a downslope and hit my 9i thin. It crosses the gully and ends up in a bunker that's about 20 - 30 yards short of the green. I pick the ball clean with my SW and launch it over the green. I have to chip over another bunker and decelerate, so it lands in said bunker. I then putt out of the bunker to six feet and two putt. Bunkers have been an issue on two holes now.

 

#11 par 4 double: Pull my tee shot into the left rough. Mishit my layup thin and right but it gets me in wedge range. I hit a decent partial PW and miss the green to the left. I chip with my putter and blow it 15 feet past the cup. Two putts later I have another double.

 

#16 par 3 double: I hit 5i off the tee and it's a bad push fade into a hazard. Drop, chip to 18 feet and two putt.

 

Bunkers were brutal. It's not listed above because I got a bogey but on #17, I almost drive the green and end up in a front bunker. Takes me two to get out to 12 feet and I two putt.

 

I mentioned I got lucky and I did.

 

#2 par 4 par: I hit my approach and miss long and left. Chip with 7i from the rough, about 16 yards, to a foot.

 

#4 par 4 par: Miss my approach a bit short and right. Chip with 4w to 11 feet and sink the putt.

 

#5 par 5 bogey: Okay drive down the right side. Mishit my 4w but it rolls about 155 yards down the fairway.  I have a good lie and it's a 9i in. I hit it thin and the ball rolls into the ditch fronting the green. I drop and have a blind pitch to an elevated green but I can see the top of the flag. I hit the pitch and it comes off the club nice and high. I hear one of the guys that's up by the green say "Go in the hole!". No dice but I got it to a foot and saved bogey after the drop.

 

#12 par 4 par: Hit a real good drive into the left rough, through the dogleg. Mishit my 9i approach but it lands short and left of the green. Chip with 7i and it almost hits the hole but is moving too fast. I have a 9 foot par putt that i sink.

 

#13 par 3 par: Mishit high push with 6i that misses short right. Hit an okay chip with 71, 20 yards, and the ball ends up 12 feet past the hole. I somehow sink that putt.

 

#15 par 4 par: Decent drive into the left rough. I have a 9i in and blade it over the green. I'm in the rough and the green is slightly elevated, so I chip with my SW, 28 yards, to 5 feet and make the putt.

 

#18 par 5 par: 4w off the tee only goes about 150 but is in the fairway. 4w again and it's thin but okay. Shot goes 165 yards and I'm in the fairway on the right. I would need to hit a solid wood to reach the green and I'm not feeling it. I layup with an okay 7i. I don't have a great yardage in though. it's less than a partial SW and more than my normal pitch shot. I try to take some off my partial SW and it's too much. The ball only goes about 50 yards but is on the green, barely. I have a 23 foot putt and somehow sink it....

 

I missed every green and got up and down six times. I somehow sank some long putts out of the blue and even had a couple chips/pitches that were real good for a change. I had no penalties off the tee except for on a par 3 which impacts my approach game, not driving stats. Bunkers killed me but my chips and pitches pretty much off set it. My approach game was full of mishits but only a few were truly terrible. The rest stayed in play and went a reasonable distance in a reasonable direction. I had to work for it but I managed to succeed for a change. I am not holding my breath that I will play decent again anytime soon but it did feel good.

 

I tied for second in the dogfight with 18 points(+4). It was a round that triggers the group to redo my points( they recalculate what you need every three rounds). What was funny is my prior two rounds I only managed 9 points (-5) each time. This round equaled both of those but 36 points divided by 3 means I need just 12 points, instead of 14, for the next three rounds.

 

I really think the range time and making sure to focus on my aim helped. It looks like rain for a few days this week, so I do not know how much I'll be able to go to the range.

 

 

birdies: 0

pars: 6

bogeys: 6

double bogeys: 3

triple+: 3

 

 

Some stats:

Avg drive: 194 yards

Longest drive: 258 yards

Fairways: 7/14

GIR: 0/18

Avg Approach: 113 yards

Up & down: 6/18

Putts: 28

 

Strokes gained compared to a 10 HCP. 

Overall: -10.7 strokes

driving: -1.9,

Approach: -10.0,

Short game: -0.7

Putting: +1.8

[bortass]

Another rough round over the weekend. Conditions were not great, temps around 45 with light drizzle when we teed off. It eventually got into the low 50s and the rain stopped near the end of the front 9. The course was soft and there was casual water in spots. I had a birdie, a par, eight bogeys, and eight double+ which included picking up on two holes, and posted a 101(26.8 differential). 

 

The big drivers were tee shots and approaches. A topped 7w into the left trees about 60 yards off the tee and later a pull OOB left with driver led to both pickups. Distance off the tee also suffered which put more pressure on my approach game which was also off. 

 

On the positive side, I played decent on ten holes with a rare birdie. Most misses with driver or wood off the tee were to the left. The miss off the tee I dread is the high push fade that starts and goes way right. I'm not saying the misses left are great but at least it wasn't the push fade.

 

Weather was bad last week and I only made it to the range once and it didn't go well. I was working on the recommended HM transition drill and it was a disaster. I couldn't manage a single success. The good news is it made me take a refresher from NTC and I saw a key mistake I was making with my wrists early on in the swing. I have been doing the drill tied to it since it doesn't require hitting a ball.

 

Weather this week is not looking great either but I got to the range yesterday. I struggled with the same HM transition drill, so I ended up taking a step back and going to the previous drill which is around the release with a shaft parallel shot. This wasn't the greatest either but I saw something that made me think of @iacas. I was able to do it correctly w/o a ball by doing the back swing and getting the wrist into the right range then turning through. However if I took the club back and got the wrists in range then turn to hit the ball and it's flipperoo time. I have never doubted his, and others, comments about the ball changes things but experiencing it made me chuckle.

 

I would like to get to the range one more time this week but the lows are dropping below freezing and the highs are not great. I can see the course being closed based on how it operates. Saturday's round will be questionable. There should be a frost delay and I think most of the guys won't play. I will not be surprised if I'm the only one from the group and end up playing solo.

[bortass]

Another range session and just more frustration. I did the release drill with my HM, which is just a swing to shaft parallel, and just cannot do it. I gave up after thirty attempts and won't go into any detail since it'd just be a repeat of what I typed elsewhere.

 

There was one bright light. I decided to just make full swings with my 7i with the remaining balls and it was a mixed bag until the very end. I added the feel of performing cast A from NTC and started to hit decent shots that got in the air like they should versus the lower flight I've been seeing. Too bad I ran out of balls and couldn't stay. It kinda makes me want to take a step back from trying to work on wrist angles at impact with the HM since I'm seemingly making no progress there and Cast A helped my iron ball flight. I will have to think about it though. The flip is killing me but better contact and ball flight would be helpful on the course. The best answer could be to work on both on different days. Alternate range sessions or something like that. 

 

As always, I'm open to suggestions and criticism. I try to be smart about how I'm trying to improve but try doesn't mean do, lol.

 

Tomorrow's round will be a bit later because of an expected frost delay. So another cold one but at least dry. I have no expectations and just would like to not have to pick up on any holes.

 

Have a great weekend!

[TheDeanAbides]

2 hours ago, bortass said:

Another range session and just more frustration. I did the release drill with my HM, which is just a swing to shaft parallel, and just cannot do it. I gave up after thirty attempts and won't go into any detail since it'd just be a repeat of what I typed elsewhere.

 

There was one bright light. I decided to just make full swings with my 7i with the remaining balls and it was a mixed bag until the very end. I added the feel of performing cast A from NTC and started to hit decent shots that got in the air like they should versus the lower flight I've been seeing. Too bad I ran out of balls and couldn't stay. It kinda makes me want to take a step back from trying to work on wrist angles at impact with the HM since I'm seemingly making no progress there and Cast A helped my iron ball flight. I will have to think about it though. The flip is killing me but better contact and ball flight would be helpful on the course. The best answer could be to work on both on different days. Alternate range sessions or something like that. 

 

As always, I'm open to suggestions and criticism. I try to be smart about how I'm trying to improve but try doesn't mean do, lol.

 

Tomorrow's round will be a bit later because of an expected frost delay. So another cold one but at least dry. I have no expectations and just would like to not have to pick up on any holes.

 

Have a great weekend!

I've been following your thread and progress for a while, and I've got to say that I think you need to go back to the drawing board around how you practice. I don't want to appear harsh, but I think you're largely making the same swing errors that you've always been making, and you're too smart a guy for that to be happening. 

 

I would like to see you work completely exclusively on fixing one issue until it's fixed. I'd also like to hear that you've been working harder without a ball at home than with one. 

 

I also think you might still be a little too attached to ball flight during practice sessions. A lot of your reports on your sessions are graded on how you hit it. This is not only holding you back, but I think you know it's false economy. I get that it's hard when you have limited range sessions. Of course you want to hit some good shot. 

 

That's okay if you completely separate swing work with ball striking or shot shaping etc. 

 

I also think you'd probably benefit from joining The Grovellers. Don't you agree, @virtuoso?

 

[virtuoso]

9 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I've been following your thread and progress for a while, and I've got to say that I think you need to go back to the drawing board around how you practice. I don't want to appear harsh, but I think you're largely making the same swing errors that you've always been making, and you're too smart a guy for that to be happening. 

 

I would like to see you work completely exclusively on fixing one issue until it's fixed. I'd also like to hear that you've been working harder without a ball at home than with one. 

 

I also think you might still be a little too attached to ball flight during practice sessions. A lot of your reports on your sessions are graded on how you hit it. This is not only holding you back, but I think you know it's false economy. I get that it's hard when you have limited range sessions. Of course you want to hit some good shot. 

 

That's okay if you completely separate swing work with ball striking or shot shaping etc. 

 

I also think you'd probably benefit from joining The Grovellers. Don't you agree, @virtuoso?

 

Only if he meets the following criteria: Not afraid to grovel for bad information in a desperate and futile attempt to quit embarrassing themselves on the golf course. 

[bortass]

1 hour ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I've been following your thread and progress for a while, and I've got to say that I think you need to go back to the drawing board around how you practice. I don't want to appear harsh, but I think you're largely making the same swing errors that you've always been making, and you're too smart a guy for that to be happening. 

 

I would like to see you work completely exclusively on fixing one issue until it's fixed. I'd also like to hear that you've been working harder without a ball at home than with one. 

 

I also think you might still be a little too attached to ball flight during practice sessions. A lot of your reports on your sessions are graded on how you hit it. This is not only holding you back, but I think you know it's false economy. I get that it's hard when you have limited range sessions. Of course you want to hit some good shot. 

 

That's okay if you completely separate swing work with ball striking or shot shaping etc. 

 

I also think you'd probably benefit from joining The Grovellers. Don't you agree, @virtuoso?

 

Not harsh at all. Reality isn't always pleasant but it's still reality. I don't like being wrong and making mistakes but I'd rather know about it to try and fix it then stick my head in the sand or find a massive roll of bubble wrap to swaddle myself away from things I may not like to hear. It's good feedback and I will have to think about things.

 

Regarding the ball flight thing, it depends on what I am doing. A drill, I don't care. I hit most drill shots horrible. Sometimes when I am either doing the 'hit balls' after performing a drill, or like today just decided to make some full swings, I pay more attention to the ball flight. I know the ball flight I get when I hit it decent, at least the ball flight from when I've hit it well in the past, so when I see it on the range, it stands out because I rarely hit it like that on the course or most of the time on the range. I know ball flight isn't the end all be all, Monte snapped one into the left trees at the first clinic of his I attended and he told us all it was a great shot because of what he was trying to change in his swing. Same way I don't get as upset when I launch the ball into the left trees instead of the damn push fade, (this thought process was more prevalent when I sliced everything, a ball in the left woods was success, lol).

1 hour ago, virtuoso said:

Only if he meets the following criteria: Not afraid to grovel for bad information in a desperate and futile attempt to quit embarrassing themselves on the golf course. 

I'll bite, what are the Grovellers? Think I have seen it mentioned a couple times here or there but obviously missed the genesis. 

[virtuoso]

2 hours ago, bortass said:

Not harsh at all. Reality isn't always pleasant but it's still reality. I don't like being wrong and making mistakes but I'd rather know about it to try and fix it then stick my head in the sand or find a massive roll of bubble wrap to swaddle myself away from things I may not like to hear. It's good feedback and I will have to think about things.

 

Regarding the ball flight thing, it depends on what I am doing. A drill, I don't care. I hit most drill shots horrible. Sometimes when I am either doing the 'hit balls' after performing a drill, or like today just decided to make some full swings, I pay more attention to the ball flight. I know the ball flight I get when I hit it decent, at least the ball flight from when I've hit it well in the past, so when I see it on the range, it stands out because I rarely hit it like that on the course or most of the time on the range. I know ball flight isn't the end all be all, Monte snapped one into the left trees at the first clinic of his I attended and he told us all it was a great shot because of what he was trying to change in his swing. Same way I don't get as upset when I launch the ball into the left trees instead of the damn push fade, (this thought process was more prevalent when I sliced everything, a ball in the left woods was success, lol).

I'll bite, what are the Grovellers? Think I have seen it mentioned a couple times here or there but obviously missed the genesis. 

Its a PM we have called Legends of the Fall. It's the Groveler Mafia Social Club where we discuss each other's horrible golf swings, and give each other terrible advice. You must accept a Groveler Mafia nickname, and there are sometimes a number of insults airborne as well as virtual bar fights. Iacas couldn't handle the stupidity and left in disgust.

Edited February 22 by virtuoso

[virtuoso]

Here is Legends. We have a net and a Quad in the back room:

[bortass]

13 hours ago, virtuoso said:

Its a PM we have called Legends of the Fall. It's the Groveler Mafia Social Club where we discuss each other's horrible golf swings, and give each other terrible advice. You must accept a Groveler Mafia nickname, and there are sometimes a number of insults airborne as well as virtual bar fights. Iacas couldn't handle the stupidity and left in disgust.

So it’s the golf version of Ministry of Silly Walks

 

Edited February 22 by bortass

[virtuoso]

1 hour ago, bortass said:

So it’s the golf version of Minustry of Silly Walks

 

I think that’s a good summary.

[SNIPERBBB]

9 hours ago, bortass said:

I know ball flight isn't the end all be all,

Really need to worry about consistency of contact first before worrying about ball flight. We can plan for whatever ball flight you have when contact is consistent. What you cant make plans with is inconsistent contact, the tops, thins, chunks, etc.

[TheDeanAbides]

3 hours ago, bortass said:

So it’s the golf version of Minustry of Silly Walks

 

It is that, but also V is the Don and he's helped a lot of guys loads with their terrible swings. I think it'd help you loads. 

[bortass]

23 hours ago, virtuoso said:

Only if he meets the following criteria: Not afraid to grovel for bad information in a desperate and futile attempt to quit embarrassing themselves on the golf course. 

I’m not sure I’d know what golf is w/o embarrassing myself on the course.

 

Where do I send the tip of my pinky?

 

 

[TheDeanAbides]

1 minute ago, bortass said:

I’m not sure I’d know what golf is w/o embarrassing myself on the course.

 

Where do I send the tip of my pinky?

 

 

I hope that's not a euphemism. It's not that kind of group!

[bortass]

Another very rough round that did break 100. I only managed two pars and six bogeys and picked up on two holes.

 

The lack of low point control that @SNIPERBBB mentioned really hurt especially since I am play off a lot of uneven lies. I try to adjust for them but can’t make it happen.

 

I struggled in all aspects except putting. I had good shots in all aspects of my game but I cannot overcome what the plethora of bad ones do. I’m not playing dumb, just cannot execute for crap.

 

I realized yesterday this thread is over five years old now. I’m proud of my progress even if it leaves much to be desired. I’ve maintained a sub 20 index for longer than I ever have. I shot my lowest rounds ever as well. It may not be going well for me the last four months but I am a better golfer today than I ever have been, sad as that may be, lol.

 

Now to try to figure out a way to get out of this funk😊

[bortass]

12 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

I hope that's not a euphemism. It's not that kind of group!

lol, nope. I recall reading a book about the Sicilian mafia and I thought missing a finger tip was a sign of a made man. If it’s like the Yakuza, I’d have no fingers left to hold a club…. 

[TheDeanAbides]

5 minutes ago, bortass said:

lol, nope. I recall reading a book about the Sicilian mafia and I thought missing a finger tip was a sign of a made man. If it’s like the Yakuza, I’d have no fingers left to hold a club…. 

Okay, so to answer your question: no, you won't need to lose anything except your dignity (which we all know you don't care about because of this thread ;-) ). Just ask @virtuoso to join and we'll go through the initiation rituals...

[SNIPERBBB]

23 minutes ago, bortass said:

 

The lack of low point control that @SNIPERBBB mentioned really hurt especially since I am play off a lot of uneven lies. I try to adjust for them but can’t make it happen.

So what do you do when you come across an uneven lie?

[betarhoalphadelta]

On 2/21/2025 at 10:31 AM, bortass said:

 

 

It kinda makes me want to take a step back from trying to work on wrist angles at impact with the HM since I'm seemingly making no progress there and Cast A helped my iron ball flight. I will have to think about it though. The flip is killing me but better contact and ball flight would be helpful on the course.

 

Understand that I know nothing about the HM and my index is higher than yours, so take this for what it's worth...

 

It makes me wonder if you're trying to treat a symptom rather than the cause... I.e. you're trying to manufacture a release and wrist angles based on what the HM is telling you, but you're flipping because of something else in your swing long preceding the release. I mean, I know that was the case when I was flippy--the flip was the way to try to save it...

 

You're way ahead of one of my playing partners... He keeps thinking that he'll hit it farther if he can just master the "snap" of the wrists through the hitting zone... I'd tell him that there's a lot more to worry about the fact that his lead elbow is bent ~45 degrees at the top and the trail elbow probably ~120 degrees at the top. I'd tell him that if he's worried about the "snap" of his wrists through impact he's WAY too late to do anything for more speed. But with his short game, the last thing I can afford in skins is him hitting the ball 30 yards further off the tee 😉 

 

My first lesson with Monte, I was trying to work on my EE/stall/flip. To improve that stuff, Monte was working on transition, not impact... Because all the things that made me EE/stall/flip were WAY before the impact zone... I made significant improvement via transition changes, and then even MORE improvement even earlier by working on avoiding sway and properly shifting. I have a feeling it'll get even better when I fix my janky takeaway 😄

 

So I wonder whether you're trying to fix the release in the release, when your current release is saving you from something MUCH worse? 

[bortass]

1 hour ago, SNIPERBBB said:

So what do you do when you come across an uneven lie?

Try to align my shoulders if it’s up hill/ downhill. That I need to stay down if it’s below my feet.  Also take note of how the trajectory will change, I.e. higher off an upslope and lower with a downslope.

[GoGoErky]

23 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

makes me wonder if you're trying to treat a symptom rather than the cause... I.e. you're trying to manufacture a release and wrist angles based on what the HM is telling you, but you're flipping because of something else in your swing long preceding the release. I mean, I know that was the case when I was flippy--the flip was the way to try to save it...

This is very likely the scenario. Addressing symptoms is very common among golfers

[bortass]

20 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Understand that I know nothing about the HM and my index is higher than yours, so take this for what it's worth...

 

It makes me wonder if you're trying to treat a symptom rather than the cause... I.e. you're trying to manufacture a release and wrist angles based on what the HM is telling you, but you're flipping because of something else in your swing long preceding the release. I mean, I know that was the case when I was flippy--the flip was the way to try to save it...

 

You're way ahead of one of my playing partners... He keeps thinking that he'll hit it farther if he can just master the "snap" of the wrists through the hitting zone... I'd tell him that there's a lot more to worry about the fact that his lead elbow is bent ~45 degrees at the top and the trail elbow probably ~120 degrees at the top. I'd tell him that if he's worried about the "snap" of his wrists through impact he's WAY too late to do anything for more speed. But with his short game, the last thing I can afford in skins is him hitting the ball 30 yards further off the tee 😉 

 

My first lesson with Monte, I was trying to work on my EE/stall/flip. To improve that stuff, Monte was working on transition, not impact... Because all the things that made me EE/stall/flip were WAY before the impact zone... I made significant improvement via transition changes, and then even MORE improvement even earlier by working on avoiding sway and properly shifting. I have a feeling it'll get even better when I fix my janky takeaway 😄

 

So I wonder whether you're trying to fix the release in the release, when your current release is saving you from something MUCH worse? 

Very good point. The release drill is what the HM app recommends as the first of its guided drills for me. It’s a partial swing and makes sense with the start small and build up from there concept.

 

I know the EE and flip are symptomatic of other swing faults. I’d not be able to hit the ball if I did not make those compensations.
 

Perhaps I should just ignore trying to work on my wrist motions and deal with other stuff like takeaway which can be too inside, etc.

[GoGoErky]

4 minutes ago, bortass said:

Very good point. The release drill is what the HM app recommends as the first of its guided drills for me. It’s a partial swing and makes sense with the start small and build up from there concept.

 

I know the EE and flip are symptomatic of other swing faults. I’d not be able to hit the ball if I did not make those compensations.
 

Perhaps I should just ignore trying to work on my wrist motions and deal with other stuff like takeaway which can be too inside, etc.

Are you working on wrist motions with HM for the takeaway or are they all transition/impact related.

 

I would guess that your other swing faults are why even with hm you’re still having issues. Last swing I saw was your pre/post clinic swing. In that swing you just kicked the left knee out which prevented any pelvis rotation, combine that with immediately over folding the right arm and then just lifting the arm, you then throw the right shoulder towards the ball and get steep then prevent the arms from getting away frm you and having to stall and try to hit it from the inside.

 

if your swing looks like that still or close to it hm isn’t going to solve much 

[SNIPERBBB]

24 minutes ago, bortass said:

Try to align my shoulders if it’s up hill/ downhill. That I need to stay down if it’s below my feet.  Also take note of how the trajectory will change, I.e. higher off an upslope and lower with a downslope.

Theres a bit more to it than that unfortunately. Also need to choke down/and or hover the club a bit above the ground for uphill lies to counter the tendency to chunk here, similar to ball above the feet lies. Downhill lies are a bit trick and take a bit more practice to figure out

[betarhoalphadelta]

43 minutes ago, bortass said:

Very good point. The release drill is what the HM app recommends as the first of its guided drills for me. It’s a partial swing and makes sense with the start small and build up from there concept.

 

I know the EE and flip are symptomatic of other swing faults. I’d not be able to hit the ball if I did not make those compensations.
 

Perhaps I should just ignore trying to work on my wrist motions and deal with other stuff like takeaway which can be too inside, etc.

 

Yeah, IMHO the HM might be more useful for you not as something to work from, but as a way to gauge if your other fixes are improving the result...

 

Much like some of the instructors here deride instruction that's purely based on launch monitor numbers. I.e. "you're X, try to get to Y". I.e. for me, my path is often too far in->out. I could pretty easily address that on an LM by setting up open. My swing would still be in->out, but with an alignment change it could very quickly neutralize what the LM reads because I'm now aligned open to the LM. No swing change at all, but the numbers would change. 

 

It's not all that different from what @RayPlan talks about in his ADHD thread. If you bought the HackMotion and suddenly you're letting it distract you from the actual movement changes that Monte wanted you to work on because you've got a cool new toy [and you're financially and therefore emotionally invested in it, having spent your hard-earned money on it]... That's a rabbit hole you may not want to go down. 

 

Focus on what you're supposed to be focused on, not chasing HM numbers. 

[TheDeanAbides]

10 hours ago, SNIPERBBB said:

Theres a bit more to it than that unfortunately. Also need to choke down/and or hover the club a bit above the ground for uphill lies to counter the tendency to chunk here, similar to ball above the feet lies. Downhill lies are a bit trick and take a bit more practice to figure out

I’ve noticed that players who have a poorly synced, and therefore poorly balanced, swing really struggle with uneven lies too. 
 

Downhill lies are especially tough for players who can’t stay down through the ball. 

[TheDeanAbides]

9 hours ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

 

Yeah, IMHO the HM might be more useful for you not as something to work from, but as a way to gauge if your other fixes are improving the result...

 

Much like some of the instructors here deride instruction that's purely based on launch monitor numbers. I.e. "you're X, try to get to Y". I.e. for me, my path is often too far in->out. I could pretty easily address that on an LM by setting up open. My swing would still be in->out, but with an alignment change it could very quickly neutralize what the LM reads because I'm now aligned open to the LM. No swing change at all, but the numbers would change. 

 

It's not all that different from what @RayPlan talks about in his ADHD thread. If you bought the HackMotion and suddenly you're letting it distract you from the actual movement changes that Monte wanted you to work on because you've got a cool new toy [and you're financially and therefore emotionally invested in it, having spent your hard-earned money on it]... That's a rabbit hole you may not want to go down. 

 

Focus on what you're supposed to be focused on, not chasing HM numbers. 

This is the crux. I feel like Bort has gotten a bit lost in the weeds. For you guys with limited practice time is even more crucial that you make every single movement count, and that’s laser focused on the primary fault.