Over hitting

I'm over hitting at the ball. In other words, I'm sick of making the same mistake of hitting at the ball, basically because of trying to hit too hard. I need to spend a couple of rounds swinging at 3/4 tempo to get back to a good solid swing.

There is a strong tendency once you hit a few good shots, especially ones that go a decent distance, to try to put in a little extra effort to maintain or even outstrip that distance. The trouble is that putting in that little extra effort usually leads to a loss of balance, rhythm, swing plane, centre contact, etc. - any one of which can severely compromise a shot.

Thinking 75% is a good swing thought, as is don't rush from the top - another consequence of trying to hit too hard. Taking time in the transition is so important in getting the club on plane in the downswing, apart from reducing the tendency to overhit.

My other main failing lately is not transferring my weight to my front foot. With driver it's less of a problem, but with irons it often leads to skinny shots and tops - very annoying. With the irons it's probably a good idea to keep more than half your weight on the front foot throughout the swing - stack and tilt and Mark Evershed style.

With the irons, however, another persistent failing is not turning enough on the backswing and consequently pulling the ball straight left. The aforementioned swing thoughts will help with this, but a conscious effort to turn back and hit out through the ball will also be important.

Nothing to say about the short game at present - course undergoing work. A slight improvement in chipping and pitching has however been apparent.

Finally, the magic triangle has been taking quite a lot of my focus lately. It is still a sound - absolutely central - concept for all golfers. Lag and late release courtesy of the magic triangle are the keys to good golf - not quite enough to guarantee good golf all the time (see above) - but without that triangle there is no chance of playing 'real' golf like the real golfers do.

PS. Connection is something I forgot to mention; it is closely related to the magic triangle and maybe to ensuring that the core rotation is sufficient, without too much conscious effort. I'll have to think about that.