Grad School Winding Down

As school winds down, I have played more. For the past 5 years I played perhaps two to four times per year. It's good to swing the club again. During that time, I could reasonably expect to shoot in the low to mid 90's. And in an effort to get better, I got significantly worse... swing thoughts all over the place and too many things going on in the swing.

Yesterday, I took a half-hour lesson. The instructor was friendly, looked at my swing for about six balls down the line and head on. Then he put me on video. He identified and suggested three things:

• Stronger grip more in the fingers.
• Spin tilt which put my head on the back side of the ball rather than in front of it.
• Swing thought: "Hit the inside of the ball."
• Process thought: "Thought box and swing box." When you enter the swing box, there is no more thinking. Very useful.

My first swing with an 8-iron was a beautiful high draw. I took the new positions to the course and hacked it up a touch due to short game and mid-iron play. I think I need to look at set-up with the irons. However, I had a different ball flight and hit some shots that would have been impossible with the old motion. Piercing draws with a 3-hybrid are gorgeous. My driver was an asset, rather than a liability.

I had some fun.

Divot Past the Ball

Bobby Clampet's general observation that the further past the ball one's divot, the lower his handicap seems to hold true. An interesting little graphic illustrates the idea.

The Swing

I had a great time today. I was only out for a couple of hours but enjoyed being outside and using the clubs again.

I think I've moved toward a one-plane movement in recent months. The most important thing I can do is simplify my action. I get twisted into a pretzel trying to replicate good feelings. I've discovered simplicity is the best.

I've watched myself in a mirror and feel that "one-plane" is a good way to describe my swing. It's close to that anyway. Here are a few thoughts:

1. I believe I am bent a bit more at the waist at address.


2. My hands are lower at the apex of my back-swing. I am striving for this.


3. I am keeping my right elbow down in the back-swing and making an effort at keeping it close to me throughout the back- and down-swing.


4. My swing has flattened some. Its easier for me to pick the ball and I am not quite as prone to dig.


5. I'm making an effort to retain spine angle (good for any plane).


6. I'm overlapping my grip instead of interlocking. That feels much more secure.

I don't think of all those things but I do refer to them when I feel I'm missing something. When I do swing the club all I think is "go." It is much easier to pull the club away and let it go through the follow-through with my new swing.

Part of it might be that I'm not hung up after too much swinging but I do believe I've made a significant change based on today's performance. I hacked it up a bit but that's all part of the fun. Good shots seemed easier to come by given the fact that I haven't properly hit a ball in six+ months.

Lots of fun. :-)

Swing Thoughts (for two years from now)

I'm putting my swing in a time capsule because I'm going to graduate school.

1. Keep your stinking feet on the ground.


2. Restrict your hip movement on the backswing.