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Singin' the New Pro Blues

Eracer

No more triple bogies!!
Oct 31, 2005
12,405
8
Spent 90+ minutes with the new pro on Saturday. Current diagnosis is that my dominant (trailing) hand keeps taking over. (If I say left and right, I'll just drive everyone nuts.)

I thought I'd come up with a brilliant training aid here--I put my watch on my dominant hand and stuck an emory board in the band, on the inside of my wrist. Figured that would catch any wrist flipping. But it didn't. Any other brilliant ideas out there? Other than focusing on keeping my leading wrist straight? I've got WAY too many swing thoughts going on, and my poor little brain can't keep up.
I suffer from the exact same problem at times.

Go to the left side of the range (!) and hit 20 yard shots with your pitching wedge - right (leading) hand only. There is no better drill for ingraining the feeling of hitting down and through the ball with the leading hand. Short backswing and a good, full follow-through! Keep your head still!

Don't hit too many in a row. This drill will tire you out and you will get sloppy. Hit some one-handed shots, then take your normal grip and hit some 40 yard pitches, trying to feel that lead hand.

You might also try grabbing the club with a normal grip in your lead hand, but a thumb/index finger only grip with the trailing hand. Hit 40 yard pitches. Feel the shaft against the thumbpad of your trailing hand. You want to feel that the trailing hand is guiding the club, not forcing it.
 

SplooGe

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Jan 7, 2007
1,694
249
Lead hand only swings. Dominant hand just gets in the way.
 
OP
ClairefromClare

ClairefromClare

Like my balls?
Jul 23, 2008
2,056
4
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  • #19
Rats, rats, rats. New pro heads back to Florida* on Tuesday--baby on the way. Won't be back up here for six months. So I scheduled one last lesson for this afternoon. He just called to say he has the flu.

Now I have to get these pitching drills right on my own--easier said than done.


*Naples, Eracer--not Tampa.
 

warbirdlover

Ender of all threads
Supporting Member
Jul 9, 2005
19,151
5,601
central Wisconsin
Country
United States United States
I've got a cousin in Naples. Father John Lindell, retired Episcopal priest. PHD in Theology. Super nice (and very smart) guy. Should have R35 sit down with him someday.... :D
 

mont86

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Nov 5, 2005
3,663
4
Don't know if this helps, but I like Eracers advice along with something I
worked on this summer...Take different clubs..6 iron for instance and
doing 1/2 swing pitch shots with a full follow through...Slow backswing
with a full follow through..Really improved my timing and tempo.
Once I started striking the ball better I started working on a longer backswing. It worked with all the clubs.
 
OP
ClairefromClare

ClairefromClare

Like my balls?
Jul 23, 2008
2,056
4
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Gosh guys, with you around I won't need a pro. I hope to get to the range tomorrow; we'll see.

(Sorry Jeff, no video)
 

74 thing

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2008
64
0
Sounds like your are getting too much wrist action in trying to help the ball up.

This is what worked for me-first put the club in your left hand and drag it along the stike zone keeping your wrist straight. Then put the club in your right hand and to the same thing (drag it through the stike zone but keep the wrist firm). Then put both hands on the club and take a full swing. It is amazing how fast this will change you from being too wristy.
 
OP
ClairefromClare

ClairefromClare

Like my balls?
Jul 23, 2008
2,056
4
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Eracer, SplooGe--I finally got to the range this afternoon and tried those one-handed pitches. You didn't warn me how hard they would be! In fact, they hurt. I'm so left hand dominant, I'm almost tempted to start from scratch in this silly game and learn to play it right handed. But not really. Once I started getting the hang of it, it got easier. Using just the thumb and forefinger of my trailing hand helped a lot. But I need to keep working on this.

Thanks.
 

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