...and it was a mixed bag. It was a relaxed round and the we didn't keep careful score but I'd say I shot in the mid 90's or so. That is in line with my old swing on a bad day (which were as common as good ones) so that was a relief. Honestly, had my putting been better would have easily been in the 80's. I'm playing again on Saturday and am looking forward to trying things out again.
A few notes:
Too many swing thoughts but that's to be expected. I focused mainly on weight forward and arms together and I think I mostly succeeded on those fronts. Also working on keeping that trail elbow in / eliminating lift but I can't assess that without video. On balance, it was a mid-grade performance. Not many great shots but few terrible ones. Only a handful of crispy shots that did what I wanted and felt good.
Only had a few but my misses were BIG misses. I was never one to pull it to the left but there were some hard left shots. Also, even when I hit it fairly well there was too much draw. Not worried about it as I should be able to work through that.
I told the guys I was playing with that I might be terrible as I was reworking my swing so I wouldn't be too self-conscious about it. It wasn't an issue - I did fine. They were actually interested in S&T theory and after the round I sent one of @Tom Saguto 's YouTube videos to one the guys.
A few hours later I had an hour to kill and went to the range where I was able film my swing. This is the good part of the story. Comfortable with my weight being forward and my arms relatively straight, I focused on nothing but keeping that trail elbow in. And it started to work! It felt so foreign that I know that, up until then, I hadn't been close to properly executing the motion. After that, I'd say 80% of my shots were crispy and would be welcome any day on the course.
There was, however, slight disappointment when I later viewed the swings. While much improved, there is still more detachment and lift than I was expecting. That said, the downswing is not too steep and I appear to be hitting from the "happy zone". So, progress!
Thanks for reading!
James
Thanks @Tom Saguto ! After a few false starts, I think I made some real progress this time. The problem is that I had been hitting the ball reasonably well with my "hybrid" swing and mistook it for S&T. The biggest difference yesterday is that once I started keeping the trail elbow in and striking the ball consistently, it felt far EASIER. It will take more practice and rounds for it gain a solid foothold but at least now I have a clearer idea of what "right" feels like.
Here's a screenshot from a clip I took yesterday. I am happy to report that -while the backswing was a touch too high - the downswing followed the line from top to bottom. Not looking for ANY suggestions here - just wanted to post some proof of what took to be genuine progress. We can save that for my next V1 analysis in a few weeks or so. I may post a video in another thread for "Members Only" (i.e., not Tom) after a future range session.
Actually, here's a second one which I'm only including because the wet mat provides a visual for the crispy contact.
Your guidance has been great, of course, but you should be equally proud of this community you have created here. The generosity and insight from fellow members has been invaluable. Once I get things stable I look forward to assisting the next group of SagutoGolf neophytes.
Thanks again!
James
Excellent summary and self-analysis, @James Flood!! I'd say that for your first time actually playing with this swing - and trying to limit it to a couple of mechanical thoughts while a hundred others probably buzzed around waiting to slip in - you did exceptionally well! It sounds like you kept your expectations, perspective, and demeanor in check, and that's 90% of the battle. And as for the detachment and lifting that you noticed, those are a couple of the more stubborn ghosts of swings past. They'll eventually flee with properly applied time and repetition, but do have some patience with yourself in that regard.
Given your epiphany in the post-round session, if you are able to hit some more balls prior to playing tomorrow you may want to experiment with presetting that tucked trail elbow while keeping the arms straight at address. That should simultaneously take care of the arms-together component and help to minimize detachment during the swing. Just a thought.
BTW, your observations that the downswing is not too steep and that you are in the downswing happy zone are indicative of some seriously good progress at this early stage of the game!
Thanks for referring SG to one of your buddies, and have fun tomorrow!!