Experimenting with the swing?

[Leek]

I am an inveterate tinkerer with my golf swing. Sometimes it works, often not. I get these seemingly solid ideas, then try them out. If they seem to work on the range I then take them to the course, where oftentimes my game turns to crap.

Just this week, I had this idea to start playing a cut. I had been working the ball both ways off the tee, and found the fade was a little longer and more controllable. Unfortunately, this brought old bad habits back. I started to cast and scoop the ball until I had no idea where the ball was going, and began to hit a random combination of fat shots, thin shots, pulls and slices. I guess I can only play a cut when I stick with my normal mechanics. In the midst of what was supposed to be a competitive round, I could not somehow revert to what I had been doing a few days earlier. To make a long story short, in a two day tournament, I shot myself out of it the first day by posting a cool 88. I then went to the range and worked on Brian's instructions from my last lesson.

Today, I went back to the tried and true advice from my last lesson and posted 3 over (with 2 tee shots OB!). All of this stems from two things:

I really want to maximize whatever potential I have.

I'm a little short off the tee, and I'm always trying to find more power.

How do the tinkerers here handle this? As an example, just tonight I had a thought that may or may not improve my swing a little bit. How do you seperate the good from the bad or at least minimize the damage when you bring in the bad?

Thanks,

Lee

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

I've come to the following conclusion:

If the ball is:

1) Going where you want it to go
2) Doing what you want it to do
3) Your swing is repeatable enough to do 1 and 2 above

LEAVE IT ALONE

Just start practicing learning how to score. I don't care so much about positions anymore, what type of grip i use, how flat left wrist is, if i swiveled perfectly through the ball. As long as the 3 things are being met above i'm trying to figure out how to make birdie, THAT'S IT!

Case in point:

1) I'm moved to a stronger grip
2) I slightly cup my left wrist the whole backswing
3) I've eliminated my lagging clubhead takeaway
4) I have the "feeling" of powering basically the whole swing in my right arm only

those are just a few among others. so now that i'm done teaching i'm going to play a few more rounds and make sure it is as simple and repeatable as i have led to believe it is. First 5-6 rounds seem to be doing well so i think i'm going to stick with it.

All i care about now is that i hit a slight cut and the ball is going where i want. Then i just want to make the putt!

 

[earlymann]

Amen to that Jim. It's all abour scoring. Looking pretty is secondary.

 

[Brian Manzella]

You have to know what is important.

My current swing is better than anything I have ever done.

Some of you would see it, and rip it.

I trace a great line. I control my low point and angle of attack. And I have really good clubface control.

I have learned to really swing again on certain shots, and my putting is getting really good.

BUT!!!

I can't hit a lot of balls...I tinker.

I need to P—L—A—Y !!!

Also...here is a little something I figured years ago:

The Four Things all really good players do:

1. They play one basic shot around the course.

2. Complete distance control

3. Can start a putt where the are looking.

4. Have a "golfing personality" that works for them.

 

[jjmule]

Trevino quote

They play one basic shot around the course.

Years ago at Lakewood C.C. in New Orleans I watched Lee Trevino play a practice round. The group up ahead had Chi Chi paying in it. While Lee was waiting for Chi CHi's group to finish up he said " See that guy up there (Chi Chi), he shoulda won a lot more tournaments - even majors - the reason he didn't is because he always tried to hit the shot that was called for - he confused himself. As for me, I just keep the game simple and play my standard shot. I can hit all the shots but you don't need to do that."

By the way, I remember many times Ken Venturi on CBS commenting on shots saying " he's bringing it in left-to-right, etc etc etc" indicating that all of those guys were hitting the shot that was called for all of the time. I used to watch guys like Trevino, Cal Peete, Weiskopf, Knudson and I seldom saw that. They always seemed to go with the shot they were most comfortable with as long as they were not working their way out of trouble. I never believed that Venturi stuff.

 

[Brian Manzella]

Trevino does it again...

One of my all time favorite stories....

I worked at Lakewood Country Club in New Orleans for a couple of months in 1986. The PGA Tour event was played there at the time.

I was in the shop, and was asked if I wouldn't mind taking Mr. Trevino into the back room so he could change some leather grips. Of course I didn't mind and we were off.

Lee talked to me while he was re-gripping and I sat on a stool, for about 15 minutes looking and sounding EXECTLY LIKE the Lee trevino I thought I knew. You know, the one in the Dr. Pepper commercials. The one laughing and joking. Big broad smile. Loud.

The whole time Lee spoke to me those first 15 minutes he talked about mostly nothing in general, and asked me about myself in general.

After those intial few minutes, when he was more comfortable around me, he suddenly changed!

His face looked smaller and younger, his voice changed a bit, he manerisims did as well!

Just as sure as Rich Little can look and sound like Jimmy Stewart, Lee Buck could "do" the Lee we have all seen on TV and in person.

BUT!!!

It is all an act.

Something he figured out worked for him.

4. Have a "golfing personality" that works for them.