How Long Break Bad Habits and see Improvement?

It was good to see this being discussed in the forum. I was thinking I was going to be that guy that saw instant results after working Tom's program for two days...well, I have come to my senses and as Tom mentioned in his reply - “ghosts of swings past” - that is a very accurate statement. After two days of taking my time and never going past 2.8, I've seen moderate improvement but I do realize this will most likely be a season long effort before I really start to see the fruits of my labor. I still have old muscle memory demons that are giving me fits (I come from a very 'handsy' swing) but I know I can work past them as long as I stay on message and keep pounding away at 2.8 (THE BEST GOLF SWING PRACTICE DRILL OF ALL TIME - MASTER THIS DRILL) for a while. Tom mentions it a few times in that section to completely master this section before moving forward and that is what I intend to do. He also stresses that we might struggle getting a grasp of the new swing style but keep at it, don't get too discouraged. I now fully realize that it will be a work in progress so I'm simply going to chip away at it until I am fully prepared to move forward with Tom's teachings. You know, I'm starting to exercise muscles I never used with my old swing style so the feel is definitely different. Keeping my hands 'quiet' is going to be a be a challenge for me but I have dogged determination so I'll get there. In fact, I'm pretty sure we'll ALL get there. :)

@fashepjr51 - If I could upvote @danny's reply 10 more times, I would!!

A few related thoughts:

1) It is so important to embrace the swing change process and set realistic expectations along the way, otherwise "flustration" is certain to occur. The “ghosts of swings past” do not die easily, and if you are transitioning from a swing method that involved shifting weight into your trail side and/or lifting the club with your hands, those demons are going to take some time to exorcise! Be patient, work through the lessons sequentially and without getting ahead of yourself, and know that it’s going to take time for your swing to perform consistently and hold up under the pressure of actual play.

2) One of the many great things about this swing is that you can achieve solid ball striking even at the most basic levels. This is why I oftentimes will suggest that students park themselves on Chapter 2 of the Golf Swing Simplified course for an extended period of time after locking down Chapter 1's foundational elements. Chapter 2 reinforces the body motions and the weight-forward component, and it culminates with what I call "The Best Golf Swing Practice Drill of All Time". Work yourself sequentially and gradually through the chapter, and then commit yourself to that drill in Lesson 2.8. (Danny can attest to this.) Learn it. Practice it. Master it. You can even use the somewhat abbreviated swing it provides on the course and play quite well with it! Once you've got that down, you will be well prepared to move forward in the curriculum and well on your way towards taking ownership of YOUR swing!

3) Also, the 90% Weight Forward/Arms Straight Drill should help you to ingrain the proper downswing feels. It's not an easy drill, but it is very effective, so be sure to spend sufficient time to properly learn, execute, and master it. You'll know you're doing it properly when impact is consistently crispy, divots are occurring past the ball, and ball flight is a repeatable little push-draw.

4) YES! The V1 Swing Video Analysis is an effective and inexpensive service that I highly recommend to everyone in the school. I liken it to bringing your swing into the shop for a tune-up or minor repair. Scheduling one on a quarterly basis for preventive maintenance will do wonders for keeping things humming along nicely, and it's also a great tool for pinpointing and resolving any issues that arise. The process involves downloading the free V1 app and then submitting two videos to me through the app - one down-the-line (captured from your stance line, not the target line) and the other face-on. You'll find more information about the V1 Analysis halfway down this page on the Saguto.Golf site. There is a discount for online school members.

Keep the faith. You WILL get there!!

I've been learning the system for about 6 months now. It is a slow progression during the work period. However, for me, it's way faster than what I was doing because, I played for about 7 or 8 years with literally no progress. So, what I've seen in 6 months is really fast! How many golfers out there play for 20 or 30 years and still have a hard time breaking 100. There is a member here that said he went from 110 golfer to a low 80s golfer in 2 years using this system. Thats pretty fast I think.

I will say this, If you're practicing and you're not videoing yourself, it will take way longer. I made this mistake for a number of weeks and my swing got progressively worse. By the time I started videoing it again, I was beyond self help. I got a 2nd V1 analysis and Tom got me back on track.

I'm going to be doing another one here in a week or two I think.

If you're having trouble you can't identify and you're recording yourself regularly, don't wait, just do the V1. For the cost of one round of golf, walking, it is well worth it! More than worth it. If you could improve your good shots from 2 or 3 for every 10 to 4 or 5 every 10, what would you pay?

I just talked myself into a another V1 sooner rather than later!

Danny