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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - March 18 2009 : 7:33:11 PM
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Rob, your absolutely right to prioritize solid, square contact over minor things like pausing at the top. I've continued to eliminate the pause because it keeps me from jerking when I start the downswing. But not everybody has the problem, so you have to go with what works best for you.
I recently added a new swing thought as I begin my transition. I've been telling myself to "bury the right shoulder" - in other words keep that shoulder driving down towards the ball on a more vertical plane rather than wrapping around my body on a more horizontal plane. That thought has probably added 5-10 yards to my iron shots. Today I carried a 7 iron 165 yards and a 3 wood travelled 270 yards (carry + roll). It's still a left-side controlled swing but the thought just reminds me of what it feels like to keep the shoulders on the correct plane. |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - April 05 2009 : 7:56:57 PM
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As I reported a few weeks ago, I've been working on smoothing out my transition from backswing to downswing by speeding it up. At the indoor range it looked fantastic. On the course (where, unfortunately, you know how far you have to hit it!) I have been struggling a bit more. I started to allow my left arm to fall way behind my torso, thus trapping the club back there and leading to erratic and weaker shots. I guess that's the risk of speeding the transition. But yesterday as I struggled with the strong winds, I decided to go back to it, aware of what to avoid. It was perfect. The key is to keep the lead arm in front of the torso, and to bring the arms straight down on plane (via the torso turn) instead of taking a straight line to the ball. I added 20 yards to my last few iron shots into the wind, and reached a 480 yard steep uphill hole in 2 shots.
I think I realized why the quicker transition to the downswing made the ball really jump. The quicker transition causes me to "load" the shaft at the top of the downswing. A good, smooth downswing will keep that bend in the shaft until the last instant, thus increasing the shaft kick and launching the ball faster and higher. To do it right I must transition rather quickly, but keep it very smooth all the way back down to the ball. It really adds a lot of "pop" to the ball. Next time out I'll use it the whole way through the round and see if I can keep the success going. |
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mikeoleary
535 Posts |
 Posted - April 05 2009 : 9:31:14 PM
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jc
congrats on getting it/ hook line and sinker/ uncoil and the power is there in the long lever of left arm getting pulled thru.
keep up the posts, helps everyone our plus continually allows me to hear what other ss's are sensing, feeling and working on/ helps my teaching my students as i always discuss latest forum threads, experimenting with my students and seeing what helps progress faster.
thanks and great job in analysis and implementation
mike o |
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kfarkle
USA
248 Posts |
Posted - April 07 2009 : 6:41:03 PM
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Great post, Jeff. Sounds like you are really pounding the 'ol pill. Think I'm kind of arriving where you are from a different direction, but you make some key points here that make me feel I'm on the right track anyway. My arms were getting left behind me thinks by my faulty lower body turn. Think I stay fairly well connected, but opening my hips early is just a killer for me. Once I started improving that my contact and distance started improving too.
I have to be careful with the transition as well, I like to start back too quick and have been trying to smooth that out and make a better shoulder turn. In my mind the "load" is that little thumb hinge setting at the top and the "pop" is the thumb hinge releasing through impact. Maybe not what you are trying to say. I try to feel the left arm/pec connection in the backswing and wait for the load before I start my downswing and then try to fling my left arm by turning my shoulders. Swoosh it and let the load go at the bottom.
Good to hear you're getting out now and looking forward to your posts.
Best,
kb
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - April 25 2009 : 08:03:46 AM
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Golf can be very frustrating, can’t it? I haven’t been able to practice much lately except for a few putting sessions. I got a Simple Putter and loved it. Very smooth and solid feel striking the ball. I took it to the course yesterday and…CATASTROPHE. You know, if I pulled together the short game (including lapses in chipping) I would be shooting mid to low 70s every single round. For example, yesterday I had 11 GIR and 3 others where I was putting from the fringe – effectively 14 GIR. That was about as good as I can expect as a part-time amateur. But I followed the iron play with 42 putts! Choke!  It was mostly mental. It was windy enough to blow a ball off line – and I just lost total confidence on my putts, even the 3 footers.
On the plus side, driver play was still very solid (even in the howling wind), and iron play was within an acceptable margin of error as was evidenced by the GIR. I’m going to have to improve my focus with the putter so that my thoughts are consumed with execution instead of result. Execution…execution…execution…!!
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Edited by - jclenden on April 25 2009 08:06:02 AM |
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flopper
Sweden
320 Posts |
Posted - April 25 2009 : 12:43:26 PM
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You can do it!!
Your gonna do it!!
/Rob
From 11hcp to tourpro level 2009?
Using the new improved mental game with a year under the belt practice |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - April 26 2009 : 8:53:19 PM
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Thanks, Rob. It's nice reading your posts again this spring. I'm pretty tenacious, so hopefully I'll conquer this thing! The nice thing is it keeps the game fun because there's always a challenge, a dragon as it were, to be slain.
I noticed that recently my mis-hits were of the fade sort. Recent posts by Kurt and Rob reminded me to keep my trail elbow in line with my hip on the backswing (Kurt), and make sure to turn my chest all the way on the follow through (Rob). Thanks, guys. That took care of the occasional fade immediately. It just feels so unnatural to turn my chest that far on the follow through, but it definitely straightens things out as long as I start the downswing with the torso and not the hips (i.e. don't let the hips turn until the trail arm has passed in front of it).
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flopper
Sweden
320 Posts |
Posted - April 27 2009 : 04:17:32 AM
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The game becomes more mental when the swing is habitual.
As when you do have every shot in the bag that you need, and can putt, then its just how your able to "be in the moment".
To expect and enjoy shooting low scores following the routine and habits your already establish, Kenny Perry lost the Masters due to him changing his gameplan the last 2 holes. He decided to play masters conservative aggressive, and then he suddenly changed that to become more passive.
And then, in that moment he changed it he lost it.
Since the symple swing is the same move from chpping, pitching and full swing, and the symple putting is as acurate you ever going to get, this system will be a really nice one for people handling the game.
The importance to stay the same during the round is more important than what approach is used. if you decide, I be for example conservatible aggressive the round, its a mind set, now most change that if they shoot higher or lower scores than they expected.
The key is to stay and do the same all the time, no matter the scores.
Many make a bad shot and think, oh my chance is gone now.
Change the approach and take a chance.
make double bogey.
Instead of doing what they should do and maybe even save par.
Last year, I shot my drive 60 yards frist hole second day, hit in middle of fairway on second, made the green from 160 yards, made the 10 feet putt.
easy par.
Many let the last shot influence their game plan.
There is always a new shot to be made, and how we did before that, dosnt matter.
What is your mind set when making good shots, making putts?
Then ask yourself, this is the mind set I would like to use on the course, and then play from that.
And no matter what happens, keep it for 18 holes.
If you can do that, your on the road to greatness
/Rob
From 11hcp to tourpro level 2009?
Using the new improved mental game with a year under the belt practice |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - April 30 2009 : 12:29:06 PM
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| I've decided to change my approach to the short game for a while. I've been a person who liked to play the right club at the right time, so under some circumstances I'd chip with an 8 iron, other times with a PW, and still other times with a 4h. I've decided to cut back on the number of "shots in my bag", so to speak, at least for a whle. I'm going to chip exclusively with the PW for a while. Since I don't get to practice enough to master distance and trajectory with all of the clubs - in other words to develop consistent "feel", why not take my limited time and master 1 club? The PW would be the most versatile, so I chose that one. If I can shave off 1-2 strokes per round through more consistent pitch shots I'll be happy. I'll let you all know how it works. |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - May 13 2009 : 5:09:44 PM
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Short game results mixed so far. Still need to work on getting correct distance on PW for short/long shots, light/heavy rough shots.
Practice is more than learning to execute the golf swing. I decided to evaluate my most recent round from a different perspective: what "types" of errors did I make? I chose 3 categories:
Execution errors
- Failure to physically execute the planned shot. Problem could be caused by inability to repeat a swing, tension in muscles, poor stance, etc.
Judgment Errors
- For putts, misjudge line or speed
- For other shots, misjudge the affects of wind, lie angle, grass, sand, etc.
Mental Errors
- Lack of focus on the shot at hand
- Failure to consider factors that might influence a shot
Mental errors are 100% under my control. Execution errors are mostly under my control, as they entail practice. Judgment errors are most dependent on practical experience and wisdom.
In my most recent round the picture looked like this:
8 judgment errors cost me 6 shots
3 execution errors cost me 3.5 shots
1 mental error cost me .5 shot
I was pleased with the small number of mental errors and satisfied with the # of execution errors. The judgment errors, though, are a killer. The execution errors are more costly (i.e. more lost strokes per error) because of the penalty strokes, but the judgment errors are so numerous. I think I'll monitor the types of errors for a while to see if they reveal any actionable info or not. Maybe I need to spend less time practicing the swing and more time working on my judgment? We'll see.
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2009 : 2:33:41 PM
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It has often been said that "what you measure is what you get", at least in my industry, which is Information Technology. How true that is. A week ago I decided to look at the types of errors I make on the course and see if there is any meaningful information to be gleaned from them. I classified them as "Execution Errors", "Judgment Errors", and "Mental Errors" (see descriptions in previous post). Just the fact that I'm now thinking about them has changed my game overnight. I've played 3 9-hole rounds since making that decision, and over those 3 rounds I've made 0 mental errors and only about 2-3 judgment errors. In other words, I've reduced the source of my errors to 1 category - execution errors. And wouldn't you know it, I've shot my best 2 9-hole rounds of the year including the -1 round last night.
- I have avoided the mental errors by going down the checklist of factors that might influence the shot before I setup, and then I take a few practice swings immediately before hitting the ball to make sure I am 100% confortable with the shot I'm about to play.
- I have reduced the judgment errors because I realized just how many I make in a round - especially chipping and putting. By spending more time reading the green, the slope, the direction of the grass on the green, and the thickness of the grass where my ball lies I seem to be making better judgments about how and where to hit the ball.
- The execution errors are still there, but I can live with these. I'm an amateur and will make plenty of execution errors because I don't practice enough to overcome them. But by reducing the other errors, I find myself less likely to make an execution error because I feel much more confident in the shot I am about to play. Last night I felt good standing over every shot and I had 6/6 FH with 7/9 GIR.
So, "what you measure is what you get", and these stats have probably done more for my game in a short time-frame than any of the other dozen stats that I track. While the other stats help me plan my practice on execution, classifying my errors has overnight made me a better "player". If this trend continues (and that's a BIG IF), I'll report back the results in greater detail. We'll see.... |
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flopper
Sweden
320 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2009 : 3:30:14 PM
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its easier to fix or adjust or correct, if one know what it is that needs it.
Seems your doing good!
From 11hcp to tourpro level 2009?
Got it how to swing Symple. Same swing with superb puttning. Low 70 scores here I come! |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2009 : 2:25:42 PM
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Time for a stats update, but first a recap of the new attention to the types of errors I make. Since I began tracking the types of errors (Mental, Judgment, or Execution) I’ve eliminated the mental errors and greatly reduced the judgment errors. Consequently, my scores have dropped. Over the past 27 holes I am +4. I’m pleased with those results! It’s become as clear as the sun is bright that it’s more important to keep my head in the game (i.e. good mental prep, judge each shot carefully) than it is to execute a perfect shot each time. So, lesson learned.
Regarding statistical goals, I’m pretty much on schedule.
* I had hoped to retain my GIR from the end of last season at 60%. At the moment I’m around 50% and climbing, so that’s not too bad. Besides, several of my missed GIR are due to greens that simply won’t hold an approach shot because they have a hard, clay base. I can’t do much to fix that problem except play courses with better greens.
* I had hoped to retain my FH from the end of last season at about 70-75%. At the moment I’m around 76% and holding, so that’s looking very good.
* I had hoped to get my putts/GIR down to 2.0. At the moment I’m at 2.0 on the button but it’s been a struggle up until the past 2 weeks when I finally “got” Simple Putting.
* I had hoped to get my putts/non-GIR down to 1.6. At the moment I’m at 1.8 and dropping.
* I had hoped to get my distance from the pin on GIR from <150 yards to 21’. At the moment I’m at 19’ when <150, so that’s looking good.
* I had hoped to get my scrambling rate up to 40%. At the moment it’s at 27% but rising since I started using the PW for almost every chip shot.
So, these stats direct me to focus as follows:
1) Continue to ingrain the smooth, quick transition from backswing to impact since this has solidified my ball striking. I sense more potential than I have yet realized.
2) Practice a wide array of chip shots, especially from heavier grass, until I can execute better under all grass conditions.
3) Practice stroking the ball past the hole on putts so that I can make more of them.
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - June 06 2009 : 2:33:23 PM
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I got a new driver last week – a Krank Red Hot Chili Pepper – and I went to the range a couple of times to see how it “feels”, and to try to determine whether I could use it effectively. It seems to be a very good club. But in the process of testing I found myself falling back into some bad habits:
1) I found myself driving my hips toward the target on the downswing, thus sapping some power and diminishing my consistency.
2) In an effort to reach back for more power, I was pushing my lead shoulder back across my chest, independent of my torso, rather than turning my chest as a single unit. This caused some inconsistency in my shots.
3) Some of the time I was using too much arm motion on the downswing, probably because of #2, thus sapping some power and trajectory.
Today I worked on keeping my spine angle the same until after impact, keeping my butt/hips in a “seated” position until after impact, and limiting my backswing to a torso turn so that my shoulders didn’t get out of alignment. I also made sure to drive my torso through the ball as far as I could on the follow. It worked well. I hit a lot of good shots. That driver hits rockets! I can’t tell how far the ball is sailing, but I can’t wait to get it on the course and compare my distances. By the way, anytime I practice with driver I also practice with an 8i and PW so that my swing changes don’t adversely affect my scoring clubs.
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simpleswing
951 Posts |
Posted - June 08 2009 : 5:59:36 PM
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Hi jclenden,
You seem to be understanding your swing nicely. Catching those mistakes you identified is a big deal. Not many golfers can recognize those mistakes.
quote:
By the way, anytime I practice with driver I also practice with an 8i and PW so that my swing changes don’t adversely affect my scoring clubs.
I really like that idea. Very few golfers do that. You swing for your driver should basically be the same for your driver or 8 iron/PW. Yes, there are minor differences because the ball is teed up but you are right to try to keep your swing grooved (synchronized) with all your clubs.
Joe Davidson
Simple Golf |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - June 18 2009 : 6:51:30 PM
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My last outing wasn't too hot (+5 for 9 holes) so I decided some range work was in order. I didn't hit the ball badly, but I pushed a few slightly right, pulled a few slightly left, had a fade on quite a few shots, and was short with everything. I found 2 things in the swing that went wrong:
1) My old nemesis - I was using the right hip to power the downswing (i.e. sling the club around myself), which always causes me to pull across the ball and hit it shorter than normal. So I went back to work focusing on keeping the right hip and buttock in place on the downswing so that I begin on plane and stay there.
2) The 2nd issue had to do with hand release. From time to time I notice a problem here, usually in the form of thin shots. Early in life I learned baseball and traditional golf, and in both you are taught to throw your hands at the ball. That throwing of the hands results in turning the hands over, which isn't so bad for baseball or traditional golf. But with SS there is no rolling of the wrists, so that natural tendency to throw the hands (or the clubhead) at the ball causes problems. Recently I learned that my cure is NOT to keep the hands passive. For me, passive hands/wrists will still roll. The cure for me is firm wrists. If I keep my wrists firm until well after impact I hit the ball much straighter and farther.
The result at the range today was very good. The irons soared, the woods sailed, I hit all the clubs straight, and I was a happy camper! |
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mikeoleary
535 Posts |
Posted - June 18 2009 : 10:44:46 PM
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Jeff
great job self correcting/ best yet is knowing firm wrists with no premature hip action.
Hands are static, wrists are flat = upper torso muscles do the work coil and uncoil/
hips rotate because upper torso turns on bs and back to square for contact// last few lessons have really worked my students hard on feet close together to feel no weight shift or hips doing the swing/ then t lock to feel same with feet apart and then power set stance knowing there is no lower body weight shift on backswing or downswing.
congrats on not only getting it but able to self correct by seeing and feeling improper fundamentals/
great job posting for all of us to benefit
Mike O |
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simpleswing
951 Posts |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - June 21 2009 : 7:52:54 PM
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| Thanks Mike and Joe. I think I'm in pretty good position on the backswing. The recurring problem is using my hips to "sling" the club through, and sometimes I combine that with an early wrist release. My son took me to the range today for Father's Day. We had an extended session and I continued to work on keeping the buttocks back throughout the swing (which essentially keeps the hips from powering the swing) and on keeping the wrists firm until well after contact. It was another good session, all in all. I did hit a few pull-fades, but I knew what I was working on and I was able to straighten things out pretty well. I'm really looking forward to my next 9 on Tuesday. I think I can post another even or sub-par round. Things are feeling pretty good right now. Distance is satisfactory for the moment, although I'm not really focusing on it. Direction is satisfactory, and trajectory is satisfactory most of the time. I must say that SS makes it "easy", relatively speaking. There is so little movement and so few moving parts aside from torso rotation that I hit the ball very consistently. Out of 100+ balls today I had no fat shots and maybe 2-3 thin shots. Everything else was just a matter of keeping the hips/butt back and holding the wrists firm. Golf is fun! |
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jclenden
USA
206 Posts |
Posted - June 28 2009 : 11:09:11 PM
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Well, with my recent success on the course I decided that I needed to give my game an extreme test to find out what I needed to do in order to take it up another notch. For my venue I chose one of the most challenging public courses in central Ohio, with a 74.0 course rating and a 134 slope. It was playing at 7077 yards. I've never taken on such a challenge. And it was a very windy day, to boot! MERCY!  I didn't know what I was getting myself into. It turned out to be the most diffficult course I've ever played, and that includes at least 1 course that has hosted a PGA event and the Mustang Course at Lely Resort (Mike, you know about that one).
Going in, I thought I would struggle with the distance because I've never played a course that long. I also thought I would struggle with the severe undulations on the greens. As it turns out, neither of those affected me as much as I thought. Here's what I learned about my game:
1) 7000 yards is not too long for me. Once you commit to playing that length, you really don't think about it much. You just play one shot at a time and make your best effort. On the 450 yard par 4s you simply give it your best whack (of which I managed 3 300 yard drives at opportune times!) and if you can't reach it in 2, you simply play safe and try to make a chip and a putt. There were several holes where I had to lay up and try to get up and down. It's a fun challenge.
2) Every single tee shot had to be perfectly placed. I had no idea how bad my driving was ( ) until I had to place the ball on one side of the fairway or the other, with zero margin for error lest I find myself in a bunker, in the water, behind trees, or stuck in some severe undulation. My driving stats look good because the courses I play don't require that level of precision off the tee. I had 3 consecutive really long holes where the fairways had severe undulations, they were about 25 yards wide, and they were lined with towering trees on both sides! Mercy, what a challenge! I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable hitting a wedge down those chutes!
3) Every approach shot had to be struck nearly perfect in order to land on the green and hold the green. Every green was guarded, and most required a high spinning shot to hold the green. I have reasonably good distance control, but I don't hit every ball with the right trajectory and spin to hold greens like those. I think I managed only 5 GIR today.
4) I had no "go to" shot from long range.  I have a "go to" 75 yard shot, and "go to" 100 yard shot. I have a "go to" shot from under trees, and so forth. But I have no reliable shot when I've got to hit down a narrow chute from long range, or when I need to hit a high, soft landing shot from 180 yards. This course exposed my lack of precision shots from long range. I suppose longer tee shots would have alleviated a few of these, but many of the fairways forced you to use 3 wood from the tee because the landing area was so tightly guarded by bunkers and water.
5) You cannot miss a single scoring opportunity, because you never know when you're going to hit a stretch of holes that will punish you to no end. I missed 3 birdie putts from inside 15'. You just can't miss a thing and expect to score.
In the end, I somehow escaped with an 88. It was alot of fun to take on such a serious challenge, and I know that if I ever play that course again I can probably shave off 4-5 strokes simply because I'll know how to play it and I'll know the distance to the trouble spots. So, how does this experience direct my practice?
1) I MUST develop a full-proof tee shot. I don't care what it is: a 3 wood or a choked-down driver. I must have a shot that I can hit 220-230 yards in my sleep and that goes precisely where I want it to go, give or take 10 yards. On a couple of the par 5's I chose to go with a 3 wood off the tee because I knew I could get close enough in 2 to hit a wedge. In fact, on one 500 yard par 5 I nearly hit the green in 2 with 2 consecutive 3 woods.
2) I MUST learn to control the trajectory and spin of my irons so that I can get the ball to stop where it lands more consistently, or so that I can run shots where it makes sense.
3) I MUST continue to work on reading greens so that I don't misread those 10' putts that look straight but break 2".
Well, it was a memorable round and it really gave me alot to think about. If I can stay focused and learn from the whuppin' I took today, I should be able to improve significantly on most any course. It was a good day.  |
Edited by - jclenden on June 28 2009 11:20:31 PM |
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How I Practice - 2009
