Golf, Lessons, and the Lingering Crud

Sunday we played 9 holes with the Beards, and don’t you know I again heard But you’ve got a great swing! 🤣. This time the swing showed up a little bit though. I shot a 54! Now, I know that doesn’t sound impressive. But double bogey is my goal. If I can shoot 54 consistently I’ll be happy. Until I can drive > 120 yards and get more than 80 yards on my fairway shots, I really can’t expect to score better. So all in all, great day for me despite some of my old faithfuls showing up (reverse spine tilt, over swinging, not keeping my head down). It’s amazing how I can completely forget how to swing a club, even when I do it almost every day.

Side note, mostly because I like to whine, I’m still healing from being sick. Trying to go for short walks as my lungs will allow. Golf has been a bit of a struggle but at least I have an excuse not to do those pesky core exercises. I’ve heard rumors that this crud has been sticking around for up to six weeks so fingers crossed that doesn’t happen to me.

Tuesday: Lesson with the club pro. He reinforced the things I need to work on and suggested what I should prioritize. Turns out it’s the same thing that Todd pointed out a while ago: Over The Top in the Downswing. Combined with other things too, but that’s apparently what needs correcting the most. He sent an in-depth summary of our lesson, complete with photos and videos, so here we go!

TAKEAWAY FOCUS
Slower Tempo
Maintain some flex in right knee
Club face should have toe pointed up when parallel to ground in takeaway (P2)
Arms in front
Hold wrists (I added this one because it’s a continuing problem)

TOP OF SWING & TRANSITION
Feel like you are dropping the hands a little to start downswing to avoid over-the-top
Maintain lag in the club…think WHIPPING it through impact.
Releasing the club as you come through and up to a high follow through

I think your main focus for this summer should be working with the orange whip to build swing stamina and core strength. Remember to swing both left and right to train both sides. As you try to understand swinging lefty, it’ll also help make the normal side seem a little easier. When using the orange whip, focus on the slower takeaway followed by a brief pause at the top. The brief pause is that you can teach yourself how to use the ground forces to transition the club…so think with your feet. As you take the club away and rotate, you essentially almost sit down a bit into a squatting position. Then as you rotate coming down, you should also be using “jumping” power (vertical forces) to help accelerate clubhead speed and consistency. And remember, whenever you hit a bad shot…that’s all it is. Forget it and move on to the next 😊

So that’s it for now. I feel like there might be light at the end of this tunnel!