There are only so many ways to swing a metal object on a stick around the body, yet, so many people have a very hard time with the golf swing. Besides that, it's not really all that hard to place the club into a good position at the top if one simply stands in front of a mirror and places the club in the proper position. I mean, there it is! Done. Next, it's not all that hard to mimic impact position in a mirror by setting up, then getting into impact position, look in a mirror, looks good, done. Also, it's not hard to mimic the position halfway down in a mirror, hips slightly open, cheese wedge trail hand, club handle in front of the trail knee, wrists still hinged, etc. Plus, when getting into impact position, it's easy to feel if the weight is on the lead side, easy to see in a mirror where the head should be, etc.
Thus about anyone can get into very similar static positions like the pro's. But as SOON as the ball is on the ground, the fluidity to execute those positions in sequence evaporates. My question is why? I'm not saying folks should hit like the pro's, shoot sub par rounds, or even scratch, but it seems most folks should shoot in the higher 70's to lower 80's, not 89, 93, 97, 110, etc. I don't think it's possible for someone to continually practice all the movements in sequence, like movements in baby steps, say for over a year, and still not overcome the obstacle of turning those positions into one movement. This applies to the short game also. Especially putting. But as soon as a ball is in front of a putter some folks have no idea where the ball is going, or how far. Worse, the swing is literally, at most, a total of 3 feet from back to finish.
Is the problem the person's perception of the golf swing? Do they not practice enough? Do they not trust the movements when done in one movement to actually hit a ball? Do they inject other sports they played into golf? I'm curious what others think. When I learned to play golf, in one summer I went from shooting >100 to mid 80's just by reading books like Hogan's and Nicklaus's, watching the pro's on TV, then replicating their positions in front of a mirror, or with the help of other golfers. However, I have many friends who play 4x per week, and have played for YEARS, and STILL shoot mid 90's.
Some may say instructions in the past were too hard "back then", but I also played golf with a LOT of very good golfers and they learned from the same type of instruction. Those guys were shooting subpar, and a par was considered a lousy score. So either they interpreted the instruction correctly, or somehow they were "gifted" and the rest could not grasp the concepts and/or were not gifted, but I don't think that's true. There's got to be some mental block that some folks can't seem to overcome.
I had my 13 year old nephew in my simulator this weekend. I really didn't know where to start to fix him. He was so proud that his 7 iron carried 140 yards... but I told him it didn't do him any good if it was 30 yards into the woods. :) I think he needs to reverse engineer his swing. After a quick grip and setup instruction I told him just 1/4 back swing and the most important thing is to make solid contact with ball first then turf. Do that first. He was swinging way too hard, coming out of his posture, etc. Too many things to fix all at once.
Does anyone know if there is anything for a kid to follow when just learning the golf swing. Like 'x' number of fundamentals that must be achieved.
I think @wojtecki makes an excellent point. The vast majority of folks are conditioned to "hit at" an object, not swing through it. Baseball, tennis, ping pong, splitting wood, hammering a nail, etc. - see it, hit it. Not so much in golf. Add a side-on tilted plane and it is a very difficult instinct to overcome.
@GolfLivesMatter . I had a tough time learning golf because, I never really took the time up until here recently to put in the work to learn the game. I would go and play from time to time with my friends and family. I didn’t play very well at all. I wanted to but, I didn‘t want to put in the work needed to get better. Then, one day a few months I was scrolling You Tube and I came across a video from Tom. I had seen many Golf Instructional videos from various professionals. But, here was a regular guy that looked like he was just out having a good time keeping it light and fun. This looked like a fun way to learn how to play golf. I was hooked and the rest is history. Here I am amongst the rest of you awesome folks trying to master myself and this four letter worded game! 😂
@GolfLivesMatter - decades ago I learned the wrong fundamentals: swing, grip, stance, and alignment. And there has been a lack of commitment on my part to trust the swing that I learned, causing fear and lack of confidence. In that respect, with S&T, I have changed my attitude and burn a patch after contact with the ball, not worried where the ball lands or ends up. I just deal with it and move on the develop the skills that was missing that particular day. I used to score in the 80s even with the wrong swing of shift and lift. But I was playing 18 holes per day, including weekends. Those were the days BEFORE modern technical advances in clubs and balls. I will return to the 80s or the high 70s. I am patient to see it happen. I have played many sports, and golf, I have found, is the most difficult to master.
Your question assumes that everyone who plays golf wants to and works at playing better golf. A large majority of golfers don’t put in the work (reading books, watching video lessons, taking in person lessons, practicing in front of a mirror, etc.) to get better. They just play for fun and while they don’t necessarily enjoy shooting 100+, they enjoy the time spent with their friends and family while on the course.
For most people good golf takes more commitment than they can make.
There is the factor of natural athletic ability. I don’t have much. When the ball is actually there, the tendency to hit at the ball instead of swing through it becomes almost insurmountable! I absolutely need to understand every aspect of the swing - including why and how - then, with the help of the mirror, slowly learn to incorporate the parts into a fluid whole... Mr. Hogan promised that the right swing is pure pleasure. I hope so. Still chasing it…