Drive and putt for dough

After quite a few months of trying to find my driver swing - by swinging easily and steering - I've realised that there is no value in this kind of attempted control. In my last round, I realised that I actually hit the ball better when I put some oomph (effort) into my driver swings. Not to go overboard, of course, but by generating some extra clubhead speed, I hit the ball with the shape I prefer - a slight draw - and obviously a little further. There's a lot to be said for controlled aggression in golf - steering and any kind of deceleration is anathema.

But I have also been having trouble with my irons, mainly I believe because I have been doing the same thing - steering and being overly careful. The consequence has been that I've been failing to get my weight through the ball (i.e. onto the front foot) with inconsistent (often thin) ball striking. I will just have to be a bit more aggressive, call it assertive, with my irons and see what happens.

The good news is that my putting seems to be on the improve, mainly thanks to some Dave Stockton putting tips. He has good advice re pre-shot routine and set up, but I found his comments about keeping the putter low, back and though, to be the most helpful. I've incorporated his routine, at least in part, and am making sure I follow through as low as possible on all putts, aided by a small forward press. The benefits include not only better routine, but a more stable club face through impact, so important with the shorter putts. I'm keen to see how this goes as well, but it's all good fun.

Re-connected

In my last post I bemoaned my memory failure regarding 'connection'; that is, my neglect of the technique or process of connecting my upper left (lead) arm to the side of my chest throughout the backswing and downswing to the point of impact.

I had started to focus on other things - transition moves, weight shift, grip, tempo, etc. - all of which are important aspects of golf technique, but this should not have been at the expense of the one thing that had given me the opportunity to take my swing to the next level.

Connection, as described above, had given me a key insight how to use the bigger, core muscles in conjunction with the arms to power my golf swing. This use of the core is how good players can play powerful golf shots (and controlled ones, more on that shortly) and yet seem to be swinging effortlessly.

My whole reason for starting this blog was to find out how top players achieved their power and control, aside from all the advantages of youth and the flexibility and strength. Having studied Swing Machine Golf several years ago and acquired some insights there, it was not until I came across Jimmy Ballard and his connection theory that the pieces started to fall into place.

The trouble is many instructors have part of the story where they talk about using the core muscles and not using the arms to hit at the ball, but mostly they don't explain how to use the core, what you actually have to do. And yet it is really very simple: connect the upper lead arm to the chest and turn.

Of course, there is a process of learning to let go of the urge to hit the ball with the arms (and hands) and the need to take the focus away from the ball, to trust the swing, and let the ball get in the way. The latter idea is commonly used by instructors, but it fails because there is a 'how' missing: how to let the ball get in the way - which is where connection comes in.

One of the advantages of connection is not related to effortless power; it is much more about consistency - often regarded as the 'holy grail' of golf. Using the big muscles and taking the wrists and hands out of play (except as reactive agents) is highly conducive to repetitive ball striking. There is less margin for error, less variability in the swing positions, and the amount and direction of force being applied.

Provided ones grip is sound (not too strong, as mine was becoming) and ones alignment and posture are reasonably good, the compact, connected swing definitely helps with consistent ball striking, both in terms of direction and distance, with distance control being particularly important for all iron play.

But having rediscovered connection, I must now turn my attention to my short game. I've no doubt connection can help with chipping, simply by me being aware that chipping involves some body turn, minimal of course, but still important in freeing up the stroke, reducing the chances of overactive hands causing all sorts of distance compromising mishits.

So then there is putting, where I have had great trouble finding a method to overcome the yips that seem to be creeping up on me. My latest solution is to switch to left (front) hand low, as per Mr Spieth. I am finding this method reasonably satisfactory, mainly because, in the connection theory tradition, it encourages use of the bigger muscles or joints (shoulders in this case) over the use of the hands and wrists. It is also good for alignment and putter-face loft stability, though it does takes some getting used to the sense of restriction and loss of feel that this method creates.

That's it for now, I've re-connected and it feels pretty good.