Hello All, I haven't posted on the forum in a couple of months but I do read them. Haven't played golf in over 30 years. Started back in March. On Tom's course. Still spend most my time just doing lesson 2.8. Started the work league back in April. Went from a 25 handy cap to as low as 17.3 now at a 19. That's based off the league 9 holes. Feel like I hit a plateau. Plan is to use lesson 2.8 to warm up and continue through Tom's program. On hand position, should they be under the chin and forward around the groin? Still working on posture, how far out should my arms extend out and still be under the chin? I feel the posture is a very important and I still struggle with it. What about balance? Should I be on the balls of my feet? Heals? League play will be over soon. I did make the playoffs. Went from the lowest tear 1st place up to the middle tear 3rd place but back to the lower tear for playoffs. For the progress I made I am Glade I joined Tom's lessons. I Tom has the V1 service available but I don't think I am ready to do that. To much to fix. Goal is to be consistently below 100 and work my way in the low 90's and 80's. I know there is alot of work that needs to be done. Up to the challenge ahead but still struggling with direction of lesson plan. Feel like I need to start over and relearn the swing. How do I do that? Where do I begin? Thx you all for your post. Much appreciated.
top of page
bottom of page
That's some excellent progress, @fish4197!
I concur with @burkholder.ronald's response, and he speaks from direct experience. Ronald has shot several round in the 70's using the 2.8 swing exclusively. Master that swing and you will be well on your way, and you'll also then have a reliable "default swing" that you can summon up on demand if you ever start leaking oil mid-round.
With regard to your setup question, I've included below a couple of excerpts from the S&T book. With all clubs except the driver the hands should hang naturally from the shoulders, and with proper posture this should place them below your chin. With the driver we push the hands out an additional inch to encourage more of an around-the-body motion. In all cases the hands should be positioned even with the inside of the lead thigh (unless trying to hit some type of specialty shot that perhaps calls for a different hand position).
As for the V1, there is no wrong time to do one. 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.
Keep up the great work!
Start the lessons from the beginning again. His long course answers all of those setup and posture questions. If a lesson describes a process or procedure do it until you master it before going to the next lesson. His method of instruction is linear and sequenced. If you try to start in the middle you will struggle. Start at the beginning and progress to the 2.8 drill. Then park yourself there for a while. You can play really good golf using the 2.8 drill swing.
Once you can hit crispy shots with the 2.8 swing, then continue the lessons. Go slow and understand the lesson well before going to the next one.
Good luck!