Notes From the Newbie
Could it be that I am on my way to becoming a fully-fledged ‘golfer’? Is it possible that I am getting the hang of it? Though I am still a student, I am becoming a golfer, indeed. Like most golfers, I want to be good. I want to avoid embarrassing future golf partners and myself. While I have yet to officially play a round of golf, my time at the driving range and GolfTec is priming me for the big day.
This month I’ve been turning inward trying to take what I’ve learned so far and make it more automatic and fluid. If I’ve learned anything so far it is that setup makes the swing. Allowing myself to slowdown, I take the time on every swing to mentally check through my setup list. The results have been encouraging; I’m finding that I have fewer extreme mishits.
In addition to identifying necessary changes to my setup and instituting best practices, I have been working hard to keep control of my legs and hips. At my last trip to GolfTEC, Brett had me focus on steadying my lower body. During the lesson he had me hold a ball between my knees to try to calm my lower body movements. I’ve found that if I just keep my left knee from caving in during the backswing it keeps my lower body more in check. I’ve also been experimenting with keeping the muscles in my legs a little more tensed to provide a more solid foundation for my upper body.
Since air-swings and make believe hits in the living room don’t exactly give a clear picture, I made time and logged in some practice at the range. My choice of days could not have been worse, but I found myself nice and cozy under the heated shelters. During this specific session I focused on getting setup properly, keeping my lower body in check and hitting off the ground. The latter has been a real struggle for me. I will usually produce an erratic line drive from topping the ball. At the beginning of my session I was true to form, topping every unimpressive shot. I really tried to focus on my setup and run through my internal dialog that Brett, my GolfTEC Instructor, has helped me build in the past months. By the end of the session I had worked my way down the ball until I started to get underneath it. I was excited by my achievement and started extending my focus to aiming.
Despite the nasty weather and a discouraging start to my practice, I did have some success. It gets less embarrassing every time and I’m hopeful I’ll be able to get through a whole session without ever missing the ball sometime soon.
The day after my solo trip to the range, I went with Golf Today’s editor, Cameron Healey. This was the first time in months that I’ve done two days in a row in months. A second day of practice was just the motivation I needed since things really seemed to come together. I was hitting some dead straight shots-shots that confirmed for me that I am getting somewhere. I even managed to land over half-a-dozen shots on a green that was 150 yards out. Even my shots off the ground were working out. I still topped a few balls but my good hits were indistinguishable from my tee shots and among my best hits of the day. I think I left Cameron impressed by my progress since we last hit balls together.
For our last thirty balls, Cameron and I engaged in a friendly competition. Choosing a pin a mere 50 yards out, we shot for closest to the pin. Aiming for something closer than my maximum range was a first for me. I was more than a little perplexed at how to shorten my shots. At first I just tried to slow down my swing but still take it through the full range of motion. The resulting shots were constantly overshooting the target. Cameron suggested that I shorten my swing significantly and move my hands back to be even with the ball during setup, armed with these tips I got my range dialed in. Neither of us hit the pin. But, by the time we wrapped up there was quite a cluster of balls right around it.
This game was really useful for me for a couple reasons. One, it gave me a chance to really focus on aiming the ball. Two, it gave me another tool to break up my session at the range. Just going out and pounding balls as far as I can gets tiring and my back and mind need a break every now and then.
On both trips to the range but especially the second day I had a resurgence of an old problem. My club head was coming unscrewed at some point during my stroke. By the very end of my swing the club would feel as if it was broken. I’m certain that I’m not the strongest hitter to pick up a 6 iron so I figure that there is something wrong with either the club or my swing that is causing this. The strangest part is that it is hard to tell where in my swing the club head is loosening. I think that it is either happening at impact with the ball or during the rapid deceleration of my club at the end of the swing. In any case I tightened things up by hand as much as I could and kept on hitting.
I’m really happy about how this month has gone for me. My setup is improving, I am gaining control of my lower body, and topping the ball is becoming a thing of the past. That friendly challenge at the driving range has reminded me that I still have a lot to learn, but I am really on my way. I am proud to say I made these improvements on my own, having taken a month for independent practice, but its time to head back in to GolfTEC to see how my solo experimentation truly measures up (and to get my club head fixed). Hopefully the numbers from the computer and Brett’s observations will verify this!
If you want help with your swing, please turn to the digital edition of Golf Today Magazine: NorthWest Edition to see this month’s specials from our friends at GolfTEC.
