And the wheels came right off.....

[Big Johnny69]

Played Mon at the club with some of the members and shot my best round of the year, a nice and tidy 74. Get to the club today, feeling good about my game, start off with a bogey....no biggie. Then a trend starts for the day. Chips always coming up just a bit short and then just missing the putt for par. Oh well, still having fun, game will come around right......guess again.

9th tee, step up with driver, swing and almost sky the driver. Ball pops up to the right about 210 yds out. OK, just a bad swing.....take out the hybrid to get as close as I can for my 3rd to the par 5, same thing. High on the toe, almost sky it. Same thing happens on the tee shot on 10 and 11. I somehow manage to hit a really good one on 12, and then almost sky the hybrid on my tee shot on 13.

I proceed to hit a few more of these "almost skys" during the last couple of holes. And I have no idea why????? Swing felt good, couldn't really feel anything out whack.....just making miserable contact.

I guess tomorrow is another day?????

[jeffc]

so when does the club sale start?

[Big Johnny69]

so when does the club sale start?

It's not.....was hoping the game was coming around....I guess not. It was ugly out there today.

[Samick]

Just a thought....teed too high? A man with your game/experience I wouldnt expect it..but funny things happen out there. Or perhaps a touch steep...any divots?

Of course.....it could have just been one of those days, dont sweat it.

[Big Johnny69]

Just a thought....teed too high? A man with your game/experience I wouldnt expect it..but funny things happen out there. Or perhaps a touch steep...any divots?

Of course.....it could have just been one of those days, dont sweat it.

Divots when I hit the hybrid, nothing with the driver. I did tee it a bit lower when this started happening, but didn't help any. Only thing I can think of is that I was tired from my night shift. But I've played hundreds of rounds after a night shift and have actually played some of my best rounds.

I'll see if it improves tomorrow. Maybe it will be a Jekyll and Hyde type of season.

[justsomeguy]

I proceed to hit a few more of these "almost skys" during the last couple of holes. And I have no idea why????? Swing felt good, couldn't really feel anything out whack.....just making miserable contact.

I guess tomorrow is another day?????

A few possibilities: ball teed too high (or sitting high up in the rough), ball teed too far forward, swing is too steep causing an early release. For me the last one is the most common.

so when does the club sale start?

...if he waits too long the prices will plummet due to skymarks!

[The Saint]

Played Mon at the club with some of the members and shot my best round of the year, a nice and tidy 74. Get to the club today, feeling good about my game, start off with a bogey....no biggie. Then a trend starts for the day. Chips always coming up just a bit short and then just missing the putt for par. Oh well, still having fun, game will come around right......guess again.

9th tee, step up with driver, swing and almost sky the driver. Ball pops up to the right about 210 yds out. OK, just a bad swing.....take out the hybrid to get as close as I can for my 3rd to the par 5, same thing. High on the toe, almost sky it. Same thing happens on the tee shot on 10 and 11. I somehow manage to hit a really good one on 12, and then almost sky the hybrid on my tee shot on 13.

I proceed to hit a few more of these "almost skys" during the last couple of holes. And I have no idea why????? Swing felt good, couldn't really feel anything out whack.....just making miserable contact.

I guess tomorrow is another day?????

Shake it off cry baby!!

[Fallys0820]

Listen, don't get me wrong, I enjoy being able to hit the ball all over the place as much as the next guy, but there isn't a lot of focus requirement at the 'dale. Go out tomorrow and imagine that all of the holes are dramatically tree lined and maybe that will shore up the swing and keep you swinging well with some focus.

When I get skyball syndrome, it's usually off the toe which suggests to me that I'm pulling back or falling back when I'm swinging, but that doesn't happen so much with the driver as much as it does with the irons.

Fally
aka Scott

[BC MIST]

"Scratch a scratch golfer and you will find a hacker, for just beneath the surface lies the inate, inherent hit impulse." Paul Bertholy

To a bad shot we can react in two ways - emotionally or analytically. We can whine, complain, get angry, give up, or blame the golf Gods, or, we can ask "Why?" Good golfers can come back from a bad patch if they know their swings, if they can learn to avoid negative reactions and can make the mid round adjustments necessary to improve play.

From experience, I have learned nothing from my good play, but an infinite amount from my bad.

"Unless it has an adverse mental affect on the next shot, there is no such thing as a bad shot. " PB

[1972Apex]

As usual, you're thinkiing too much Geoff. You skyed one and then you spent the rest of the round trying to make adjustments to correct it, which only makes it worse.
Just swing the damn club when you are on the course. Make adjustments and practice on the range, not during a round (I'd say in practice rounds but that would be cheating ).
You have to try to have less than 500 different thoughts in your head during your takeaway. I think we all know 99% of your swing difficulties originate between your ears

[NoBack]

Shake it off cry baby!!

or give it up

[Weazl]

Between this and the impending marriage his golf career will soon be over. All you righties get ready for the sale of the century!

[byerxa]

"Scratch a scratch golfer and you will find a hacker, for just beneath the surface lies the inate, inherent hit impulse." Paul Bertholy

Don't get me started on the "hit impulse". Shot a 77 on Saturday (which is near career for me). However, every lost shot (plus other trouble I got into but escaped with an uncharacteristic short game) can be attributed to a swing that was hijacked by an urge to hit the ball. I am getting better but it is one of 2 major issues in my golf game (short game being the other).

[Kilroy]

Between this and the impending marriage his golf career will soon be over. All you righties get ready for the sale of the century!

Are you kidding? He starts a thread like this a couple of times a season.
I think it's the second one this month though.

[gbower]

I see this cycle each year with you and I'm sure the good part of the cycle will be there in about a month and then around July 12th we'll see the bottom of the barrel for your game. Oh ya I think that's just about intersectional time.

Then the sale begins

[Golfbum]

It's not.....was hoping the game was coming around....I guess not. It was ugly out there today.

This is the reason we all have "Real Jobs" and do not play on tour.

You watch a PGA Pro shoot a 63 one day and a 73 the next. That is ugly.

Please Geoff, do not start a thread in which you will state you are quitting the game. You know you won't quit playing golf. We all know you will not quit the game.

Take the good with the bad. There are more important things in life than a good round of golf. Trust me.

[hoolio]

Are you kidding? He starts a thread like this a couple of times a season.
I think it's the second one this month though.

Is there an iPity add-in that's compatible with the vBulletin version you're running now?

[BC MIST]

Don't get me started on the "hit impulse". Shot a 77 on Saturday (which is near career for me). However, every lost shot (plus other trouble I got into but escaped with an uncharacteristic short game) can be attributed to a swing that was hijacked by an urge to hit the ball. I am getting better but it is one of 2 major issues in my golf game (short game being the other).

The hit impulse is the cause of most of our bad shots. The right hand grip pressure and the muscle tension in the right arm and shoulder have to be near ZERO, to over come this.

Today's even par round was blighted by 4 hit impulse shots that proved costly but also served as a reminder of just how SOFT, the whole right arm must be to hit good golf shots. Bertholy emphasizes PSM, proper sequential motion, but most importantly, PT, proper tempo. This is the key to overcoming HI. Seeing VJ Singh's long pause at the transition is a great image to have.

[semperfi45]

The hit impulse is the cause of most of our bad shots. The right hand grip pressure and the muscle tension in the right arm and shoulder have to be near ZERO, to over come this.

Today's even par round was blighted by 4 hit impulse shots that proved costly but also served as a reminder of just how SOFT, the whole right arm must be to hit good golf shots. Bertholy emphasizes PSM, proper sequential motion, but most importantly, PT, proper tempo. This is the key to overcoming HI. Seeing VJ Singh's long pause at the transition is a great image to have.

Would to much right hand grip pressure be one factor in an open club face at impact?

[Big Johnny69]

The hit impulse is the cause of most of our bad shots. The right hand grip pressure and the muscle tension in the right arm and shoulder have to be near ZERO, to over come this.

Today's even par round was blighted by 4 hit impulse shots that proved costly but also served as a reminder of just how SOFT, the whole right arm must be to hit good golf shots. Bertholy emphasizes PSM, proper sequential motion, but most importantly, PT, proper tempo. This is the key to overcoming HI. Seeing VJ Singh's long pause at the transition is a great image to have.

Interesting thoughts Lyle. Question for you, when I try to keep the grip pressure and my right arm as relaxed as possible, I tend to hit weak shots to the right. But when I grip it a little firmer, the flight tends to straighten out.

Or I have another theory about "my" swing. As most know, I've been doing strength training. And I've really been working on my core strength. With my first couple of rounds it seemed like I could really turn through the ball aggressively. But seeing as how it was early in the year, the rest of my swing wasn't where it should be. Now that I have almost ten rounds it, is it possible the rest of my timing is now getting better?? I only ask this because for the last couple of rounds I've been really trying to slow my turn down to try and keep everything in sync. But today, after a bit of frustration mind you, I really layed (see slow back swing, then foot to the floor on the downswing through the body turn) into a drive on the 11th hole which had a nice high ball flight and carried about 265 yds. My best drive of the year. My approach shot, I did the same thing, slow back swing, aggressive down swing, all the while staying in balance. I hit some of my best shots of the year doing that. Perhaps I have a natural faster rythym???

And don't worry, I'm not quitting the game, I just might take extended breaks. Today's round was better with the driver, hybrid and irons. But chips and pitches ended being bladed at every opportunity. If it's not one thing, it's another.....

[sharkhark]

Maybe you slept on the wrong side...next time if this happens, take a sip of a 15yr old scotch, spin three times and repeat "yes honey i'll do it" out loud three times....may or may not help your game out...but at least it will prepare you for your new future

[davevandyk]

If it's not one thing, it's another.....

that's why we all play the game, and that's what keeps us from playing the game as a job! In my 76 yesterday, I finally started making those 3-4 footers consistently, the thing that has been robbing me of 2-3 shots a round, but the irons weren't working as usual and I missed a TON of greens. We all play for that rare occasion that it all seems to come together...

[BC MIST]

We all play for that rare occasion that it all seems to come together...

Have been playing for half a century and I hope it comes together soon.

[1972Apex]

Interesting thoughts Lyle. Question for you, when I try to keep the grip pressure and my right arm as relaxed as possible, I tend to hit weak shots to the right. But when I grip it a little firmer, the flight tends to straighten out.

Or I have another theory about "my" swing. As most know, I've been doing strength training. And I've really been working on my core strength. With my first couple of rounds it seemed like I could really turn through the ball aggressively. But seeing as how it was early in the year, the rest of my swing wasn't where it should be. Now that I have almost ten rounds it, is it possible the rest of my timing is now getting better?? I only ask this because for the last couple of rounds I've been really trying to slow my turn down to try and keep everything in sync. But today, after a bit of frustration mind you, I really layed (see slow back swing, then foot to the floor on the downswing through the body turn) into a drive on the 11th hole which had a nice high ball flight and carried about 265 yds. My best drive of the year. My approach shot, I did the same thing, slow back swing, aggressive down swing, all the while staying in balance. I hit some of my best shots of the year doing that. Perhaps I have a natural faster rythym???

And don't worry, I'm not quitting the game, I just might take extended breaks. Today's round was better with the driver, hybrid and irons. But chips and pitches ended being bladed at every opportunity. If it's not one thing, it's another.....

My guess is that when you focus on a slow backswing, one of the results is that you don't take the club back as far, which always leads to better contact. Perhaps when you are taking the club back quickly, the momentum of taking is back is leading to a longer takeaway which is getting you in trouble at the top. Just my two cents anyway, but at least it would give you only one swing thought to focus on.

[The Saint]

And don't worry, I'm not quitting the game, I just might take extended breaks.

Ok that's fine, but just spare us your disappointment that you're not perfect.

[BC MIST]

..., when I try to keep the grip pressure and my right arm as relaxed as possible, I tend to hit weak shots to the right. But when I grip it a little firmer, the flight tends to straighten out.
Perhaps I have a natural faster rythym???

I agree with you in that we all have a natural rhythm, and IMO, the more we deviate from that the harder it is to be consistent. While the slow backswing and aggressive downswing worked during this round, I wonder if it will last over several games, as it may be too slow back and then too fast down. If the move to be aggressive on the downswing starts before the backswing has finished, then, even though there may be an occasional rocket of a drive, consistency may suffer.

One purpose of the backswing is to establish the leverage angles of the wrists and the bend of the right elbow. The idea of the downswing is to maintain these angles as late into the downswing as possible, while pulling hard with and accelerating the left arm. This best done using a smooth transition, establishing a feeling of almost being stationary at the top, followed by a gradual acceleration starting down. If the right arm/hand/shoulder package is very passive, there is less likelihood of the right shoulder moving out, the right elbow thrusting and the right hand casting, all of which will reduce club head speed and proper club face alignment at impact. Doing this will allow “centrifugal” force, the last second outward movement of the club head, to maximize club head speed, rather than for the golfer to consciously try to create it with aggressive or contorted moves of his body. It also increases the chance of centre of face contact, perhaps the greatest contributor to distance increase.

My suggestion Geoff, because you are young and strong, is to just use your natural rhythm, whether fast or slow, and swing as smoothly as possible, particularly at the transition, where most swings fall down. A smooth tempo will allow you to swing in the proper sequence and should give you solid shots. If you consciously try to hit the ball far, as many young golfers try to do, you upset the sequence and inconsistency results. If the soft right hand results in shots going right, it COULD be that your grip is slipping a bit coming down, or possible that it is turned too counter clockwise to naturally square the face. The other two fundamentals that may have some influence are setup alignment and, IMO, most important, starting your hands back and down on the downswing, versus out to the ball.

Ask two simple question: (1) Where does the ball start? If it starts at the target or slightly right, do NOT cahnge your swing. (2) Which way does the ball curve? If the ball starts OK and curves to much either way, your grip is the problem. Whew!!

[BC MIST]

Would to much right hand grip pressure be one factor in an open club face at impact?

It could be, Doug, but there are other factors that may cause the face to be open. Body alignment is one, actual position of the hands on the club is another, that is, too much counter clockwise, and whether your hands/arms start down above the proper plane. But a relaxed right arm, shoulder and grip is best.

Moe Norman said it best - "I draw blood with my left and my right is wet spaghetti." This was just one of Moe's secrets, which he learned from Paul Bertholy.

[byerxa]

proper tempo. This is the key to overcoming HI. Seeing VJ Singh's long pause at the transition is a great image to have.

I am focusing on tempo this spring in a big way. I squared away some dumb setup problems when I was down south this spring so as long as I make a half decent smooth swing I hit the ball well. I saw VJ once say he used to swing to a 1-2 back-through tempo but after a while changed to a 1-2-3 back-transition-through count, i.e., a little more "pause" at the top. For me I have to be careful with the pause however as I quickly overdo it and end up treating my swing as "static" pieces.

[BC MIST]

I am focusing on tempo this spring in a big way. I squared away some dumb setup problems when I was down south this spring so as long as I make a half decent smooth swing I hit the ball well. I saw VJ once say he used to swing to a 1-2 back-through tempo but after a while changed to a 1-2-3 back-transition-through count, i.e., a little more "pause" at the top. For me I have to be careful with the pause however as I quickly overdo it and end up treating my swing as "static" pieces.

Good point. Watch any good golfer in slow mo and one will see that the lower body starts forward first just as the arms finish the back swing. Some do this consciously while others allow it to happen in anticipation of the arms moving forward. To literally pause at the top, one's swing is thrown out of sync. However, feeling a pause at the top with the arms, allows time for the lower body to start first. When this does not happen, very often you will see some sort of change in the wrist position, i.e., cupping, or worse, the golfer's hands will slip on the club.

[semperfi45]

Good point. Watch any good golfer in slow mo and one will see that the lower body starts forward first just as the arms finish the back swing. Some do this consciously while others allow it to happen in anticipation of the arms moving forward. To literally pause at the top, one's swing is thrown out of sync. However, feeling a pause at the top with the arms, allows time for the lower body to start first. When this does not happen, very often you will see some sort of change in the wrist position, i.e., cupping, or worse, the golfer's hands will slip on the club.

Good point Lyle. One of my many swing flaws is cupping, which I believe starts on my first move away from the ball.
Do you have a drill for starting the lower body moving first? I remember once you mentioned to me about a little push away from the body with the hands at the top of the back swing.