I feel like I'm in analysis overload right now, which might be perfectly normal given I've just started on this swing change..
I generally tend to find myself on one end or the other of the golf improvement extreme: One end(aka me a couple months ago) I pay no attention to the technical aspect of my golf swing and focus strictly on building repetition and consistency.... and the other end(me right now) I feel like I'm videoing and analyzing my swing(and posting it here) and trying constantly to tweak the technical part of my swing to perfection. Surely there's a balance somewhere in the middle.
My ultimate goal is to play the best golf I can, which (IMO) requires a solid technical foundation. However, if I'm constantly analyzing and changing things, there's no way to build consistency.. right?
For example, Tuesday I went to the driving range, and found my groove with a "knee action" type feel and all of the sudden was STRIPING the ball. Divots in the right spot, crispy KFC feel, even my driver was behaving. At that moment, for some reason I thought "oh I need to capture some video of this swing".. so I did.. and noticed that a few things were "off" from the perfect form.. And what did I do? I started tweaking... and what happened? You can guess, the ball started going everywhere and everything fell apart.
This seems to be an age old conundrum and I'm curious how my fellow Saguto Golfers balance both sides of the equation? Do you go to Dr. Saguto only when your ball striking is off, or is it more like a routine "checkup" even when you're hitting it well just to make sure things are looking OK?
Now I'm imagining @Tom Saguto as a doctor, prescribing a daily dose of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Turn/Tilt/Extend drills to cure my swing pains.. hahahaha.
@Julian - Ah yes, the quest for the elusive "perfect form". What exactly is it, though? Watch a PGA Tour event and you'll see a full spectrum of setups, grips, alignments, and swing styles, yet all produce crispy compressed irons and bombed mash potato drives. So, given that, which one is "perfect"? What is nearly perfect among all of them are the following: 1) They hit the ground in the same spot every time (consistent low point control), 2) they have plenty of distance to play the course well (power), 3) they have a predictable, reliable shot shape (accuracy), and 4) they play equipment that is precisely matched to their swing characteristics and geometrical imperfections.
As I often convey, my instruction provides a standard blueprint for the stock swing and offers different feels for various components where possible. It's kinda like plans for a model home with some alternate color options. From there you are not only free - but also encouraged - to customize it to your individual tastes, as long as you keep the foundation intact and stay under the original roof design. Consider Mike Bennett and Charlie Wi - two noticeably different swings, both wholly and fully S&T. So, in other words, let your ball striking, shot shape, and consistency be your guide!
Yes - it is a great idea to record your swing for future reference when you are enjoying a "stripe show". But rather than viewing it from a critical perspective, look instead at what you may glean from it in terms of specific setup, alignment, and motion features, and then make written notes on these as well as your "feels" during that session so you can review the entire "captioned" picture on those days when your ball striking is a bit off.
As for going to "Dr. Saguto", my best suggestion is to schedule a V1on a quarterly basis for preventive maintenance as this will do wonders for keeping things humming along nicely, and then as needed for pinpointing and resolving any issues that arise.
TS