Hi everyone,
I just wanted to inquire whether anyone had oblique soreness (both sides, of course) when they first started. I'm 26 years old, relatively athletic, and a former competitive swimmer -- so I was surprised when my golf swing began to create a soreness similar to swimming (a core-heavy exercise). Main reason for inquiring is that I wonder if I'm overdoing it. The soreness has faded but still occurs after a range session. In hindsight I'm not really surprised, because I was all arms beforehand. Also a bit embarassed that it took me two years to figure out that power in golf comes from the core, not unlike a previous sport I excelled in. I'm a former Tom skeptic and a new member here. What brought me here was a YouTube video Tom had about the importance of tilting. A while ago I had incorporated generally stacking my left side, courtesy of a Tom YouTube video, and saw a vast improvement in ball striking -- without changing anything else. Then about two months ago I watched a video on tilting and realized I was hardly doing that at all. I must've done the wall drill a thousand times before finally getting to the range. After puring a couple shots I figured I'd double down and go full Saguto so now I'm here and painfully unlearning everything tabula rasa style.
My main sticking point now is that my hips are way too noisy, and I wonder if that could be contributing to the soreness as well.
Thanks so much, Tom. I am going through the foundations again because they did not stick on first pass. I will be sure to remain active in the forum and as I progress I will be using the V1 swing analysis. Cool talking to you!
Welcome to the school and to this great forum community, @DannyMac!!
You've already received some very good replies to your soreness question, so I would simply like to add to those with some preliminary advice below that I regularly offer to new members. In your case I'd like to add emphasis to item #1, because without the proper setup - which promotes a stress-free and flowing motion - you will be fighting your body to execute the swing, and that can surely cause discomfort over the course of several reps.
1) Regardless of a member's skill level, this swing necessitates a complete reboot for someone transitioning from a shift & lift swing (which is typically the case), and therefore it is imperative that one take sufficient time to ensure that the fundamental components are mastered. From the ground up there is nothing superfluous in the Stack & Tilt swing - in other words, everything with a purpose, and a purpose for everything. (For example, contrary to shift & lift where you may be taught to keep your trail foot perpendicular to the target line as a means of "creating resistance" in your trail side, in S&T we flare both feet out 10-20 degrees in order to facilitate a free flowing, inclined hip and shoulder turn.) I cannot emphasize this enough, as frustrations predominantly occur when students jump ahead in the curriculum without properly dedicating themselves to the foundational base upon which our consistently repeatable, powerful, low maintenance swing must be built. Chapter 1 of the Golf Swing Simplified program (GSS) and Part I of Get Out & Go Play (GOGP) both address this.
2a) GSS: 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 GSS 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. Learn it. Practice it. Master it. You can even use this partially abbreviated swing on the course and play quite well with it as it will provide plenty of distance. (It actually is the full swing minus just a couple of power accumulators.) 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!
2b) GOGP: This quick-start program is exactly as it sounds - it is designed to fast-track you out onto the course so you can have fun - and success - playing as you learn! Should you choose this path, everything in #1 above still applies, and as implied above in 2a you will still want to work through it sequentially and gradually, mastering each lesson before moving ahead to the next one. In this program, Drill #5 - The Flying Wedge is the one you'll want to park yourself on and nail down.
3) Also, as you progress always keep in mind the V1 Swing Video Analysis service, 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.
We look forward to hearing from you regularly in the Forum and to assisting you in building a consistent, low maintenance, powerful, body-friendly swing that will bring your enjoyment of this great game to a new level!
I asked the same question and it was when I started scoring. You are stretching muscles that you don't normally. Put your hand on your side and tilt. Do it on both sides. What I did was to make sure I included in my exercise program.
You might be tensing up and/or applying too much effort during the downswing. Try for effortless power. When making the new swing start slow and easy. Visualize Ernie Els or Fred Couples until you are making crispy contact 99% of the time. Then add speed up to the point that you stop making crispy contact. When that happens dial it back 5 or 10 percent. Crispy contact is key to distance and accuracy. Good luck!