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Practice Swings

colen35

Active Member
Feb 15, 2011
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I recently watched a Haney Project episode on the Golf Channel in which he told Rush Limbaugh to do at least 100 practice swings, without a ball, daily to improve his game. Since I have never been able to hit a draw shot and most of my drives off the tee tend to fade (sometimes badly), I decided to give it a try. It also occurred to me that while attempting to work on my swing while hitting a ball, my attention would be divided. If I concentrated on my swing mechanics, I would mishit the ball. If I concentrated on hitting the ball, I would screw up my swing. After no more than two weeks of doing practice swings I am no longer fading the ball and can hit a consistent draw shot, although I sometimes pull my shots to the left. I believe I can correct this with additional work. The important thing is to be sure you are using the proper form in your practice swings. Start out in slow motion to be sure your hands are in proper position at the impact point and practice where you can see your reflection. I do mine in front of a window in my back yard so I don't have to worry about hitting something in the house. I also vary the club with which I do the swings. Hope this can help someone to be able to hit better shots. Incidentally, I am a high handicap senior golfer (75 years old). I had been having trouble hitting past 150 yard off the tee. Now I'm hitting shots with my 8 iron (teed up) 120-140 yds.
 

limpalong

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Oct 18, 2006
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Whatever works. It's a game where what works for one may not work for another.

IMHO, the Good Lord only put so many swings in this body. I don't know when that number of swings will expire, so why waste them on range balls... or practice swings. In our regular group, if you take more than one practice swing... you'll get left behind. Most of us take none! A few months ago, we were playing as a 4-some. We teed off on 15, a hole that parrallels #3. As the first of our group walked to the tee box, we notice a 'gentleman' walk to the #3 tee box. He had to get his ball adjusted to just the correct height on the tee. He had to get his body lined up correctly. And then, he began his practice swings. Yes. The 4 or us teed off and headed to our balls. As we were getting ready to hit our second shots, someone commented... "Look back there! That yahoo is still taking practice swings!" About that time, he hit his drive. Looked like it went about 150 yards... way right of his fairway. Four of us teed off and made the way to our second shots, while this one gentleman was just teeing off.
I've always suggested, you can have 'paralysis through too much analysis'! Harvey Pennick said, "Miss it quick!"
If you need to take practice swings, by all means do so. Just don't take them if there is a group behind you, and your over-analysis would hold up the entire course.
 
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colen35

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Feb 15, 2011
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I appreciate the comments. Of course I'm not advocating taking all these practice swings on a course or during a round. I only do them in the privacy of my back yard. I do feel that they are important for getting the mechanics embedded in your muscle memory so that it is not something you have to think about during play.
 

eclark53520

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I disagree with this tactic for one basic reason.

If you are practicing a bad swing, you are never going to get better. 100 bad swings, just ingrains a bad swing path into muscle memory.

Without ball flight to tell you whether it was a good swing or not...how do you know if you are making 100 good swings, or 100 bad ones?
 

greatdane

Active Member
Feb 16, 2011
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I appreciate the comments. Of course I'm not advocating taking all these practice swings on a course or during a round. I only do them in the privacy of my back yard. I do feel that they are important for getting the mechanics embedded in your muscle memory so that it is not something you have to think about during play.

I agree! I have a bedroom im my house with a 9 foot ceilings that I take 100-150 swings a night in when I get home from work! Then I putt a little every night too! I feel like it has helped me alot. My routine is the above mentioned Mon-Thur. Then I hit a bucket at the range on Friday night and just try to "play" a round or two on the weekend!
 

anonymous golfaholic

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Feb 10, 2010
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I work out almost every day before lunch. I have a weighted club that i use for a warm up and cool down. I also do a lot of golf specific exercises and I think this has helped me tremendously. Sure, I gained distance since I started a few years back, but my control has been the biggest improvement. The stronger you are the more control you will have. When I work out, I don't try to ingrain 1 type of swing. I'll swing for high, med and low traj draw shots then I'll swing like I would for fades. I also swing left handed a lot, so I can keep my back muscles more on an even keel. Since I started this, I have never felt better on the course, physically.
 
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colen35

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Feb 15, 2011
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I disagree with this tactic for one basic reason.

If you are practicing a bad swing, you are never going to get better. 100 bad swings, just ingrains a bad swing path into muscle memory.

Without ball flight to tell you whether it was a good swing or not...how do you know if you are making 100 good swings, or 100 bad ones?

Certainly practicing a bad swing will only reinforce it. The key is to insure that your

swing mechanics are correct. Starting slowly and watching your reflection in a mirror or

window (if outside) will help to insure that your arms, hands etc are in the correct

position throughout your swing. The goal is to practice enough so that the correct swing

becomes an autonomous motor skill requiring little thought such as walking, riding a

bicycle or playing a musical instrument.
 
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colen35

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Feb 15, 2011
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Anonymous Golfaholic has a good point! You certainly need to practice many different kinds of strokes.
 

eclark53520

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Certainly practicing a bad swing will only reinforce it. The key is to insure that your

swing mechanics are correct. Starting slowly and watching your reflection in a mirror or

window (if outside) will help to insure that your arms, hands etc are in the correct

position throughout your swing. The goal is to practice enough so that the correct swing

becomes an autonomous motor skill requiring little thought such as walking, riding a

bicycle or playing a musical instrument.

I understand that, however, newcomers to the sport may not. They may take this advice and go practice several thousand swings only to engrain a bad swing plain or other bad tendencies.

You have to understand what a good golf swing is before this tactic becomes an effective way of practicing.
 

Augster

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Mar 9, 2005
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The point of practicing without the ball is NOT to practice 100 bad swings.

One should do as Colen has pointed out, practice GOOD swings. In front of a mirror, or a reflective window works, you should be able to check your positions as you swing to make sure they are correct.

There really isn't a quicker way to get better. Teaching your body to hit the correct positions in slow motion makes it much easier to do for real.

Only a handful of other sports do you start out at "real speed" without practicing much, much slower. This is usually lost in golf instruction. Most folks take up the game by going to the range and trying to kill the ball as hard and fast as they can.

Skiing, bicycling, bowling, running, etc. etc. you work on your form at slow speeds to allow you to later perform at high speed. Most golfers just swing to get the ball moving without a care as to form when they first start out.

Slowly moving through positions daily is a great way to get better quickly IMO.
 

greatdane

Active Member
Feb 16, 2011
40
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The point of practicing without the ball is NOT to practice 100 bad swings.

One should do as Colen has pointed out, practice GOOD swings. In front of a mirror, or a reflective window works, you should be able to check your positions as you swing to make sure they are correct.

There really isn't a quicker way to get better. Teaching your body to hit the correct positions in slow motion makes it much easier to do for real.

Only a handful of other sports do you start out at "real speed" without practicing much, much slower. This is usually lost in golf instruction. Most folks take up the game by going to the range and trying to kill the ball as hard and fast as they can.

Skiing, bicycling, bowling, running, etc. etc. you work on your form at slow speeds to allow you to later perform at high speed. Most golfers just swing to get the ball moving without a care as to form when they first start out.

Slowly moving through positions daily is a great way to get better quickly IMO.



GOOD POINT! When I was trying to kill it nothing good was happening. When I started slowing down and swinging like a golfer.. wow.. the ball has started jumping off the clubface! I take practice swings all the time and it has helped me! I hit two buckets tonight at the range. I only miss-hit 9-10 of them, before I only hit 9 or ten good ones lol! I say it works!
 

MercMan

Active Member
Dec 28, 2010
67
0
Here's something new to try, try making the practice swings with your eyes closed!!! Don't laugh try it works, your bodies mechanics take over and you will swing the club very naturally, you don't have to think about turning your shoulders hinging your wrists etc. it will all happen naturally as long as your brain doesn't get in the way
 

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