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Hitting the ball

BrandonM7

Well-Known Member
Nov 23, 2007
1,156
2
I'm not a great golfer by any means, but I have a decently sound swing. I've seen it on video and had lessons with the local pro - we're both pleased with it fundamentally. Not a power hitter or anything, but smooth with good tempo and balance, overall fundamentally better than most weekend hackers I've seen and played with. That's not bragging (TRUST ME,) it's just setup.

Then I put a golf ball on the ground. All of a sudden that decently smooth and balanced swing turns into a jerky mess. I can't for the life of me stop myself from trying to hit the ball with the stick. I know, "swing, don't hit." Sounds easy enough. But the caveman parts at the base of my brain still know that I'm supposed to be hitting that ball with this stick, so that's what they try to do. I've seen what it is I'm doing, just can't stop. I come down from the top just as I normally would, so it looks like it's gonna be great. But then right there when my hands get to about where the ball is, they slow down. Like hell. It's like my body is trying to go for some frozen "POW" moment like I'm posing for a freeze frame. The result is the club hauling ass up to them, and hitting the ball either incredibly fat (I don't mean like when the announcers say "looks like he caught that one a little fat," I mean like throwing a chunk of dirt the size of a baseball down the fairway, then watching the ball roll about 30 feet) or (if I reflexively stand up a bit) flipping through the ball with a closed face that either hits with the leading edge and rolls fast as crap or gets the ball with a little face and duck hooks the crap out of it.

It's quite embarrasing. I didn't have this problem last year - in fact last year I felt I was well on my way to playing some dang fine golf. Not so these days. I managed to roll the ball to a horrible looking 99 last week, but probably didn't hit anything from the fairway more than 10 times and sure didn't see anything fly but the driver. Only reason it flew was because when I flip with the driver I get a high hook instead of a low one thanks to that stick the ball starts out on.

I think maybe I just need to take practice swings at 10 second intervals with my eyes closed and have someone put the ball in the way after a random number of swings. Maybe I should threaten my pro into giving me a free fix-it lesson. I figure if I tell him that I'm bragging about getting lessons from him and then let him see me try to hit the irons he'll step in to save his reputation.
 

johnny

Well-Known Member
Dec 22, 2008
92
0
it looks like it's gonna be great. But then right there when my hands get to about where the ball is, they slow down. Like hell. It's like my body is trying to go for some frozen "POW" moment like I'm posing for a freeze frame. .

hey...thats the way i putt!
 
OP
B

BrandonM7

Well-Known Member
Nov 23, 2007
1,156
2
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #4
Charles? Is that you?

LOL, it ain't that bad. I don't stop, just slow down enough that everything's ruined by the club racing past my hands. I managed to overcome it last night during practice (probably just due to my venting in this thread) and again this morning, but I fear it'll pop right back up next time I play. It's the anticipation of impact, I think. I have the same problem when shooting - my body knows what's coming (even with something that has little or no recoil,) so at the last instant it tenses up and fights down, causing me to always shoot low and left. It's not like there's a huge jar to my body at impact, but my brain seems to think one's coming or something and prepares for it, ruining everything.
 

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