New Instructor

[ezra76]

Well I went back this afternoon and paid for my 3 lessons with the new instructor, took lesson #1. I really like this guy, he makes things simple to understand and had me hitting a powerful 6iron, hands far away from my head and Short of Parallel!! For those of you who didn't read my "15 minutes" post, the lessons are inside and done with video. There are 2 cams, one side, one behind and they are very fast. You can see the launch of the ball at impact very clearly.

Anyway, we went over a few drills to help shorten and tighten up the swing. He likes the impact postion and setup a lot. He says that he's looking to eliminate the bad parts of my swing first before anything else and that other than the long backsing and contributors to it, I am doing a lot correctly. We looked at my takaway, very good, impact, dead on, finish, balanced and near perfection. This inspires a lot of confidence and allows me to think of focusing on 1 thing instead of all the other crap the other instructor had me worried about.

A little bonus is they have a new launch monitor and I can hit all my clubs on it. I hit a drive with the new CGB Max in a 10.5* (it's all they had in a stiff). I hit a 17yd. push that carried just over 260, not bad for a toe shot. I'll have to get all the #'s on the BurnerTP when I go next time.

 

[twofast2s]

how much is the 3 lesson deal?

 

[ezra76]

It was $80 but he said he'd ended the "deal" and it was up to $100. He let me have it for $80 though since he'd mentioned it last time. He also spent a good amount of time with me. I got there at like 10 till 3 and left at almost 4:30. So he spent pretty much an hour with me and then I hit the CGB max for about 20minutes. I still think it's a deal for $100. What's that, $33 a lesson? Plus if you go in the morning before work nobody will be there and he'd probably spend more time with you. The videos are like 100times better than the ones we make. You can stop it and see the ball jumping off the face. I thought it would hinder it hitting into just a net but it's actually just the same. I hit one out the the right a tad and knew it was a draw anyway but you could clearly see the clubhead delivered inside and the face slightly shut down, little trap draw. Anyway, I like this guy and he's making a lot of sense. I think the old long backswing will be history by springtime and a tighter, more effiecient and powerful one will emerge. Here's to hoping.

 

[Eracer]

I think you stepped into a pile of good there, Ez. Cheap, and you already feel that you're moving in a positive direction. Can't beat that with a dead cat!

 

[solarbear88]

Not sure why you can't beat the big backswing. Just find a place with a ceiling and swing there. After about 5 hits of the roof of the little alcove where I have a net, shortened my backswing in no time.

Sounds to me your a visual learner... keep that in mind when you practice and get yourself a little mirror to drag to the range. One of them tall full length jobbies with a stand. Can pick them up at a Salvation Army furniture store or a dollar store.

 

[gwlee7]

I think you stepped into a pile of good there, Ez. Cheap, and you already feel that you're moving in a positive direction. Can't beat that with a dead cat!

Every time I use that expression, one of my six cats jumps on the counter and starts knocking stuff over. I think I need about three more.

Oh and Ezra, I am very happy for you on finding an instructor that you like. It makes all the difference in the world. Now, the hard part...Stop reading full swing instruction threads and just do what the one guys says.

 

[Clugnut]

Sounds like a good deal, Ezra. I just came home from a seminar given by my new teacher. He had a mini swing analysis at the end and asked for volunteers. I jumped at the chance. He remembered the fifteen minutes he worked with me last weekend, and he just kept saying how much better my positions were. I'm very excited about the prospect of getting better. In the latest video, I saw probably only three major flaws I should work on, instead of about twenty last time. He did one drill, and the swing I made was probably the best swing I ever made on a technical scale.

Bottom line, I have about twenty minutes in with this guy, and I know that all the regression I have been in is stopped and reversed. I'm going in the right direction again, and I will be better at the beginning of the season this coming. How awesome is that!!!!!

 

[ezra76]

Not sure why you can't beat the big backswing. Just find a place with a ceiling and swing there. After about 5 hits of the roof of the little alcove where I have a net, shortened my backswing in no time.

Sounds to me your a visual learner... keep that in mind when you practice and get yourself a little mirror to drag to the range. One of them tall full length jobbies with a stand. Can pick them up at a Salvation Army furniture store or a dollar store.

Yeah, I'm going to get a mirror in here for the winter. I got a few drills as well. The main cause of the overswing was my left leg straghtening. As soon as I kicked it in to inititiate my backswing, it got half as long.

 

[SiberianDVM]

As soon as you guys figure out a way to take your swing instructor to the course with you, other than hiring him to be your caddy, let me know.

I can practice, practice, practice, and then somehow revert to my old swing immediately upon stepping on the 1st tee.

 

[Eracer]

As soon as you guys figure out a way to take your swing instructor to the course with you, other than hiring him to be your caddy, let me know.

I can practice, practice, practice, and then somehow revert to my old swing immediately upon stepping on the 1st tee.

Embrace the bad shots. Take all the swing thoughts that your new instructor gives you, and mentally "check-list" them before each shot. Shoot the worst round of your life. Start drinking.

Works for me.

 

[Clugnut]

If you have a good instructor that can explain how the positions "feel", its a lot better. I too was very scared of being good during the lesson, than just reverting back. But I seemed to retain the things we worked on in our fifteen minutes, which is great. It means that if I keep that retention, I can move on to other problems, and that means I'm progressing.

Videotape your swing. Its the best thing that ever happened to my game. Most people know what a good swing looks like. Your swing doesn't look like you think it does. At least mine didn't.

 

[Eracer]

Seriously Doc, like Clug said - constant video feedback is excellent. The other thing is:

Drills
Drills
Drills

You've got to reinforce the proper moves in order to retrain your body. I was only half-joking about embracing the bad shots. The hardest part for me has been accepting the truth in the old adage "you've got to get worse before you get better." Try to play target golf, not mechanical golf, when you're on the course. Accept that the new movements aren't going to be integrated for a while.

Keep practicing the proper drills.

 

[gwlee7]

Video can be a good thing or a bad thing. For me, it was good in that it showed me the one glaring thing that was causing my long game to be so inconsistent. On the other hand, I have a friend who has become addicted to videoing his swing and he is spending too much time in pursuit of the perfect swing which ultimately, will be an exercise in futility. He would be better served becoming a great chipper, putter, and bunker player rather than obsessing about hitting the "correct positions" in his swing.

I do think that Ezra has the right mix though. He has stated recently that he is going to spend most of his time on that big practice green/short game area he discovered.

 

[Dannykos]

for those of you who can't understand what people like Ez and me go through with a too long backswing - you'll just never really be able to appreciate how difficult a thing it is to change.

People always say to me - "well, just go back to 'here' instead" (here, being a nice 3/4 backswing). I just look at them and roll my eyes, like "What the hell do you think i've been trying to do for the last couple of years!!"

 

[SiberianDVM]

Oh, I completely understand what it is like to have a too long backswing. When I video taped mine, I looked like John Daly, except without the mullet or the talent.

The one thing that helped me shorten my backswing was to use the Tour Tempo player. That thing is so darn fast that I could only make about 1/2 of my normal backswing if I wanted to get to the ball on time!