Golf swing hobbyist

I recently came across this 'golf swing hobbyist' term in a blog discussion on the role of the right elbow in the (right hander) golf swing.

The fact that I was researching the role of the right elbow in the golf swing probably confirms that I am a classic golf swing hobbyist. It perhaps also explains why I am constantly tinkering with my golf swing (as hobbyists do) and failing to arrive at a method that I can truly call my own.

My goal over the past decade has been to find a set of fundamentals that apply to all golfers (not just me) and I have come up with several, including 'no swaying', 'weight on front foot at impact' and 'don't try to hit too hard' that I thought were pretty good. But sometimes one golfer's fundamental is another golfer's 'no-no'.

In many cases, these so called fundamentals are not causal actions at all, but merely observable re-actions or outcomes of some other action. Factors such as physique, fitness, flexibility and temprament all play a part. We are all different, or at least more different than the young professional golfers of today.

The upshot of this is that I have to admit that the search for swing fundamentals is a vexed one. Of course, there are some laws of physics that relate to the clubhead and ball spin, etc. that are useful to take into account when hitting a golf ball. For example, striking the ball before taking a divot is a widely accepted principle of good iron play. However, beyond these laws there are, as they say, many ways to skin a cat (and I love cats, incidentally).

Now, ignoring everything I've said earlier, I am going to try something different (well, try something I've tried before and forgotten about) when I tee it up tomorrow. I've been researching what Tommy Armour called 'the pause that refreshes'. This is the momentary pause at the top of the backswing prior to transitioning into the downswing.

There is some disagreement about the value of this pause, but I have periodically found it to be helpful in slowing down the swing, preventing rushing, casting and general over-hitting. Whether it will work tomorrow or ever again remains to be seen, but I'm giving it a try.

While I'm tinkering, I'll also be intending to keep my weight 60/40 or ever a little more on my front foot/side throughout my swing. This is the stack and tilt and Ross Duplessis method that I like quite a lot - because it limits swaying (don't mention fundamentals).

If this works out, I might even forget about trying to keep my right (rear) elbow close to my side on the downswing - and use a one-piece take-away, and use my shoulders to take the club back, and ...

It's good to have a hobby.