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View Full Version : are swing mechanics overrated or just misunderstood



hardtrier
17th December 2015, 04:28 PM
hi all, i am just a very average golfer who has tried just about everything to improve.

anyway, i got so frustrated with my lack of progress, that i tried to experiment with any method that could potentially help me.

as i started golf at a late age, and i noticed that the great golfers started as kids, that was the idea that "clicked" for me.

so what i did was to just put on hold all my swing mechanics and thoughts, and just practice swinging the club without worrying about hitting a ball, but only concentrating on the "feel" of the backswing.

i then tried hitting a few plastic practice balls , and my swing was much more powerful and the contact was so incredibly solid.
i must admit though, i have to take a lot of half practice backswings just before the shot is made.

that is probably why someone of mature age who has never played golf before, would theoretically be able to adapt to this a lot faster than golfers like me.

anyway, what i am trying to say is this- are we actually hindering our ability to make the perfect swing, because we place too much emphasis on conscious thoughts?

markTHEblake
17th December 2015, 09:50 PM
Of course.
You don't think of anything mechanical when walking but you still don't fall down.
Swing mechanics are for lessons and the driving range.

Captain Nemo
18th December 2015, 05:10 AM
Overrated, just ask Bubba.

Scifisicko
18th December 2015, 05:35 AM
i must admit though, i have to take a lot of half practice backswings just before the shot is made. that is probably Hope I don't ever have to play behind you. I think it's because the ball is still. You don't get any practice swings in tennis, just watch the ball and hit it.

3oneday
18th December 2015, 06:20 AM
My grandfather started golfing when he was 60+, got down to 22 handicap I think.

Didnt overthink it, had a hole in one, drank beer at the end.

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 07:09 AM
from all the responses, it seems as though i am on the right track, so i will keep persevering with this method. i suppose it is like someone learning to walk all over again.

what still is a problem for me though with this method is that if i try and imagine swinging a heavy ball on a chain, i totally stuff it up and end up with no wrist hinge.
but if i just swing the club without thinking about the club and arm, and whether i am hinging the wrists properly, i not only get a fluent swing, but it seems so effortless.
also, i have found that because i start a swing from a still position, it adds to the difficulty.
that is why i set up to the ball and just before i make the actual hit ,i take a few half swings and then immediately try and replicate the feeling .

i just hope that i can get to the stage of not doing these practice swings, as you end up being a pain to play with.

3oneday
18th December 2015, 07:39 AM
Just never expect to getitatlast.

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 08:44 AM
Just never expect to getitatlast.
a very philosophical quote indeed and i thank you for it.

in other words, you are saying that you know what i already knew deep down all the time anyway- that is- it is impossible to become proficient at the game at a late stage in life as ingrained bad habits from past indiscretions will always overshadow the best of intentions, but nonetheless you would agree that this approach is at least my best course of action?

3Puttpete
18th December 2015, 08:50 AM
Just never expect to getitatlast.

Boom! Goes the dynamite

olddogmike
18th December 2015, 08:52 AM
I am 73, been playng for 5 years, doctor gave me orders to get more exercise because of my diabetes. I play twice a week and keep up with most. Don't try to over think it just play it and enjoy the game.

wizard_of_oz
18th December 2015, 12:44 PM
There's more than one way to skin a cat, but there needs to be some understanding of what the golf swing is doing and the corresponding actions to compensate for it. Bubba is innately talented and you'll rarely see two swings of his which are similar as he like to shape the ball every way. His mechanics would be impossible to replicate consistently. Every golfer has a variation in their swing and repeatability is what we are striving for. I've seen golfers with a huge over the top move but consistently tee up on the right tee box, aim left and the ball slices back into the middle. Mission accomplished. Essentially, if you just want to get around shooting bogey golf and having fun, it's easy to do with rubbish mechanics and just a good short game. If you want to get to single hcp, it starts becoming harder without having better repeatable mechanics.

markTHEblake
18th December 2015, 12:57 PM
Swing mechanics are very important. If your mechanics are crap you are going to hit crap shots.
Equally important is that while playing you don't think about mechanics .

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 03:45 PM
Boom! Goes the dynamite
you sound interesting, but ironically i have been able to ignite the fuse again anyway, as most of us i sense are desperate for some sort of reprieve from swing mechanics.

you must try and believe like me that golf in essence is just a simple swing as long as you can find that elusive key. that is why i invite you on my quest, so we all can contribute to exposing the real truth.

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 04:08 PM
Swing mechanics are very important. If your mechanics are crap you are going to hit crap shots.

Equally important is that while playing you don't think about mechanics .
so i take it from that reply, you actually think that you need a solid grounding in swing mechanics and repeat that over and over, until you are able to swing without thinking about the said mechanics, otherwise, you will have a contrived swing.
so in other words, what is the point of trying to muscle memory a swing , if all you are doing in the first place is sending the wrong messages to your subconscious mind, because the actual swing mechanics you think are the foundation are what your conscious deems to be correct.
in other words you are compounding the problem by so called good intentions as just like the saying goes about garbage in ,
then garbage out.
look, since i started on this "new" approach, a lot of incredible side effects have surfaced.
just today, i discovered that the way i grip is quite bazaar compared to mainstream golf theory, but if i did not allow my grip to do what it wanted then i would not be able to get that elusive whip that we all desire.it sort of mirrors what Sam Snead and Bobby Jones once said, but i have discovered something today that actually explains what they were trying to convey to us poor golfing ignoramuses in more detail.

coalesce
18th December 2015, 04:14 PM
Just out of interest, do you practice in your garage?

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 04:27 PM
Just out of interest, do you practice in your garage?
not any more as i had to sell my house due to a marriage breakup.
that is why i only have limited practice areas available now, but in hindsight, this has been a blessing in disguise.
it has enabled me to focus more on thinking outside the square . i must admit it is a lonely quest, but someone has to do it- i guess that sucker was just me.

Moe Norman
18th December 2015, 04:44 PM
I know nothing of swing mechanics, don't understand it and don't want to overthink it.

I hold the club like a baseball bat.

My lowest hcp ever is 3 and I play off 7 now.

SO I would suggest its not a fundamental requirement to understand swing mechanics

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 05:07 PM
I know nothing of swing mechanics, don't understand it and don't want to overthink it.

I hold the club like a baseball bat.

My lowest hcp ever is 3 and I play off 7 now.

SO I would suggest its not a fundamental requirement to understand swing mechanics
you may hold the club like a baseball bat type grip, but you still can stuff up big time if you do not allow the right hand to be a neutral trailer. you are probably doing this automatically.
in other words, one of the biggest fallacies i can see with any of our ball sports is the misuse of the right hand at address.

markTHEblake
18th December 2015, 05:34 PM
so i take it from that reply, you actually think that you need a solid grounding in swing mechanics and repeat that over and over, until you are able to swing without thinking about the said mechanics, otherwise, you will have a contrived swing. so in other words, what is the point of trying to muscle memory a swing , if all you are doing in the first place is sending the wrong messages to your subconscious mind, because the actual swing mechanics you think are the foundation are what your conscious deems to be correct. in other words you are compounding the problem by so called good intentions as just like the saying goes about garbage in , then garbage out. look, since i started on this "new" approach, a lot of incredible side effects have surfaced. just today, i discovered that the way i grip is quite bazaar compared to mainstream golf theory, but if i did not allow my grip to do what it wanted then i would not be able to get that elusive whip that we all desire.it sort of mirrors what Sam Snead and Bobby Jones once said, but i have discovered something today that actually explains what they were trying to convey to us poor golfing ignoramuses in more detail. No

coalesce
18th December 2015, 05:51 PM
not any more as i had to sell my house due to a marriage breakup.

Did your wife get your other OzGolf account?

Dotty
18th December 2015, 06:00 PM
Join a club, get a handicap, put your name down for a club comp. round and enjoy 4 hours chatting to people with similar interests.

Your handicap takes into account the shortcomings in your game, so you are on a level playing field with those that have played all their life.

Do the same next weekend, or even sneak in a mid-week game.

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 06:01 PM
Did your wife get your other OzGolf account?
no, she was a big spender with few morals. i gave the account to my favorite charity- the deaf and dumb foundation.

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 06:09 PM
Join a club, get a handicap, put your name down for a club comp. round and enjoy 4 hours chatting to people with similar interests.

Your handicap takes into account the shortcomings in your game, so you are on a level playing field with those that have played all their life.

Do the same next weekend, or even sneak in a mid-week game.
that is not me - i want to actually crack this golfing dilemma wide open. just hitting balls and chatting is not going to solve this dilemma.
i would bet that you would be thinking the same thing ,but not out loud.

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 06:11 PM
No
thanks for being so forthcoming.

Dotty
18th December 2015, 06:19 PM
that is not me - i want to actually crack this golfing dilemma wide open. just hitting balls and chatting is not going to solve this dilemma.
i would bet that you would be thinking the same thing ,but not out loud.
Wrong. I'm thinking why bother with a golf swing, if you are not going to play golf.

It's like learning how to do a perfect reverse park and never taking the car out of the driveway.

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 06:33 PM
Wrong. I'm thinking why bother with a golf swing, if you are not going to play golf.

It's like learning how to do a perfect reverse park and never taking the car out of the driveway.
look all i am trying to do is fast track the process.
if i went out and socialised in a golfing round, i would learn nothing.
if i took my car out of the driveway without knowing how to do a reverse park, then that in itself explains why there are so many dramas on the road in the first place.
the only thing is that i have a huge advantage of saving huge amounts of wasted time by this method .

AndyP
18th December 2015, 06:41 PM
This thread needs more razaar.

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 07:03 PM
This thread needs more razaar.
razaar is my hero . that said, he only appears when i seem to be outnumbered by the dark side.
that is why i always respect his input as it is a calming influence to both warring sides and he saves you just in the nick of time.

Quick Razaar-can you hear me?

hardtrier
18th December 2015, 08:05 PM
razaar is my hero . that said, he only appears when i seem to be outnumbered by the dark side.
that is why i always respect his input as it is a calming influence to both warring sides and he saves you just in the nick of time.

Quick Razaar-can you hear me?
look, i will answer my own quote. sure i was viewed as the bad boy in the past and i have not changed one bit, but i still think that i may have something to contribute to the forum.
i only came back in desperation of answers and at the same time i saw a youtube clip on just swinging the club without mechanics.
anyway, i started stuffing around with this and it sort of worked, so i took it further and noticed that my grip automatically was totally differrent ,but i was just letting the grip actually accommodate the desired backswing.
look i know it sounds farcical what i say, but with respect to people like Dotty, i do not just want to socialize at golf.
and with respect to razaar as i mentioned, he may be an anatomical human anatomy genius, but my whole point in all this is that we do not have to worry about all this as our subconscious controls everything anyway.
so where to from here after such a great start- i really don"t know, but at least you can count on me as being genuine in trying to sort it out.

Steve57
18th December 2015, 08:13 PM
Have you gotitatlast?

markTHEblake
18th December 2015, 08:19 PM
I don't think he knows what swing mechanics means