The Rebuild
Why I think it's time to rebuild my swing...maybe.
The Issue
Here's the deal: I can't get off the tee and it's driving me insane. Over the last few years of picking up golf and consistently playing, I've really tried to hone in my swing and find 'my' swing. I've poured countless hours going through YouTube videos, TikTok, golf forums, articles, etc. As I'm sure anyone who practices routinely realizes, some instruction has helped, others...not so much. I have a nice foundation because I played so much as a kid (thanks Dad!). Somewhere along the way, it feels like I've stopped swinging a club and just started putting it into manufactured positions. Even after taking golf seriously, spending hours practicing and even more hours trying to understand mechanics, I still struggle with consistent contact and a slice with a driver. It needs to end...for my own sanity.
What Happened
I played a round a few weeks ago, that just went off the rails fast. Felt awful on the practice range, swing felt disconnected and messy. I attempted to persevere; thinking just to swing easy. Yeah...that worked for a few holes. Driver was slicing, irons were pulls or thins, chipping and putting was actually solid (usually the best part of my game). I left just feeling absolutely dejected. I've broken 80 before, at this same course! This round was in the 90s. What was happening? Where have I gone wrong since the end of last season to now? Usually, I wouldn't beat myself up this bad; but my swing has been feeling worse and worse this season. Less athletic and more robotic, stiff, and generally just disconnected.
Finding the Root Cause
One thing that has completely changed the way I practiced was filming my own swing. I've spent time analyzing my swing, starting from the takeaway, to the top of the backswing, all the way through impact. I'm definitely not great at it but I've learned how to analyze somewhat by the countless hours I've spent watching YouTube instruction. One coach I've learned a lot from recently is Dana Dahlquist, especially some of his sessions he does with Jerome Rufin. Watching how he diagnoses swings has helped me look at my own.
An example using my swing: I realized that I have outside takeaway, from there I just lift my arms in the swing without much shoulder and hip rotation; this gave me no shot to come in shallow. Instead, I was steep, saving the shot by standing up and would lack rotation in the downswing. When I couldn't save it, inconsistent contact came, or weak high slices. This has led me to find instruction or feels for a better pivot and rotation. As opposed to just trying any random thing I've seen, to "instantly cure my slice", I found the reason I was slicing and attacked that head on.
Moving Forward
One thing that's become clear to me is that the backswing sets the stage for everything that follows. Once I started giving myself a better position at the top, I stopped asking my downswing to perform miracles. We're not going to be perfect, of course there will always be some compensations necessary. Every time we swing the club, it's a different swing, but we strive to have a somewhat repeatable swing. So what am I working on? A better takeaway, and proper rotation in my backswing. And guess what? It's actually working! My wedges and irons are pure, it's the best and most consistent contact I've made, with a slight draw even. My driver...well that's still a work in progress, contact is much better, but I still get too spinny from the top; that's a different feel for a different time.
For a long time I chased some quick fixes, the 'this drill cures a slice' types. What I actually needed wasn't another drill. I needed to better understand why the poor contact and slice was happening in the first place. Every swing is different, so there probably isn't one drill that fits everyone. That's what finally clicked for me. I stopped looking for someone else's fix and started trying to understand my own swing instead. I'm positive it won't be the last rebuild, golf has a way of making sure of that. However, this one feels like I'm actually progressing, which is great for now.
Golf is hard.
Enjoy it anyway.
-- Jack