Lost my swing, Lost my Mind!

IrishOwl...

So I've been reluctant to post this, but here it goes. To give some backstory, I didn't play a huge amount of golf in 2023, usual busy with work and the kids. But when I got out it was decent enough, started the year at 5.7 and finished it at 6.2. So noting crazy.

Anyways I went to the driving range over the Christmas, I hadnt played since October so a little rust was expected. The range session started out ok-ish, a few nice swings along with a few poors ones, but as the session went on it was just getting worse and worse, until I flat out shanked about 10 in a row. I didn't even finish the bucket, I just packed the clubs away and headed for home.

I put it down to work, kids and Christmas related stress and didn't really think too much of it over the following weeks.

Anyways I've been back to the range 3 times, latest session was last night and I simply can't make anything work, every swing feels off. Every shot was a shank or a top, and I mean every shot. I feel completely lost as my swing is just absolutely broken.

This has been the most frustrating experience. It’s as if I’ve had a stroke or something and lost the part of my brain responsible for my golf swing. Nothing feels right, I can’t pinpoint what particular aspect of my body is incorrect. Nothing feels connected or synced the way it should. I used to be able to go to the range and just shoot darts on autopilot.

Am i losing my mind, along with my swing. Has this ever happened to anyone before? I'm 39 and I've been golfing since I was 8, the club now actually feels like a foreign object, to even hold it!

HELP.....

El Guapo!

Book a lesson. The pro will likely spot something minor that's causing the whole issue and they'll have you back hitting it well again by the end of the session.

bobster453

Easy enough to happen.Error lead to stress lead to errors etc.

At that handicap you are obviously well able to play..doesnt disappear like that..you are still the same person you always were just allowing these errors to build up in your head.

As stated..go to a pro..focus on basics.

It'll be grand

IrishOwl...

I just booked a lesson for next week...i think I'm just too much in my own head about it, and as you pointed out, I'm just stressing myself out!!

Rikand

Pro obviously the way to go but if ever happens again afterwards this is a tip I would have for anyone struggling with the shanks.

Weight in your heals, line the ball up off the toe of the club and head down/eye on the ball until long after impact.

As you start to hit the ball consistently, then gradually work your way back to normal setup. Slowly ease weight off your heals, slowly line the club closer to the centre. When keeping your head down, try to imagine that you are seeing the contact as it happens. A lot of top/shanks are as a result of coming out of the shot/moving on the shot in the wrong direction.

You won't be able to shank it with the weight in your heals and club lined up off the toe, but by gradually moving in, you'll be able to realise what was causing them in the first place.

charlieIRL

Your range sessions sound like my full year in 2023. It’s a horrible feeling standing over a shot and not knowing if it’s going to be a shank, top, hook anything.

bobster453

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121687530#Comment_121687530

In fairness you had some run of them

bakerbhoy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121687582#Comment_121687582

Yellow Card.🤣

IrishOwl...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121687530#Comment_121687530

It's awful...I still haven't even looked at a club since the session last week. Lesson booked for Thursday, not sure what I'm even going to say. "Hey I used to be half decent, now I'm full s**t, please fix it?" 🙈

dan_ep82

Usually something minor that caused you change even more. It’s usually as basic as ball position and alignment that throws everything else off. Then it’s a case of the pro adjusting you then building your confidence back up that your doing it correctly.

Once you shake the mental side you’ll be flying

BraveDonut

One technique to try when you have a dose of the sh*nks is to try to make the biggest fade that you can. Stick an alignment rod in the ground in front of you off-centre left and fade around it.

Gets you to focus on that rather than your regular shot

Quahog217

I find I can shank the ball easily off mats. I rarely have one off grass, maybe 2 or 3 a year. I think its down to maybe hitting slightly behind the ball and the club bouncing a bit off the mat. It maybe something simple to fix I wouldn't worry, the pro will most likely sort it no problem.

charlieIRL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121691094#Comment_121691094

I was the same for a while when I got them first but they eventually came into all my game. Was a disaster.

Got a bit better as the year went on but one or two would always pop up out of nowhere. I wanted to give up altogether last year because of them. Even lesson didn’t cure it.

bobster453

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121697271#Comment_121697271

I have been told..not that i would know..that only good golfers get them.

True?

RoadRunner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121699005#Comment_121699005

Yes, can confirm, only the best golfers get them. Apparently it's like a handicapping system to level everyone back up again.

charlieIRL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121699005#Comment_121699005

I can’t find the “breaking my backside laughing” emoji!!!😂

Ive proved that quote to be wrong though dude!!!!

bobster453

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121699017#Comment_121699017

Ah that explains Captains picks last year so well.

Best golfers levelling up in time for Ryder Jug final

Master tactician our Captain was😂😂😂😂😂

RoadRunner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121704947#Comment_121704947

6-NIL 😯

IrishOwl...

So I'd though I'd give you the insights and experiences from my golf lesson this morning. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, enlightening, depressing, productive, and counterproductive, all woven into a single session. 🤣🙈

Luckily I'd some videos of a range session for about 3 years ago. Which was actually great as it gave him a good foundation on where I was at. He then recorded some of my less-than-ideal swings and meticulously compared them, revealing significant differences in my stance, takeaway, and rotation through impact. Surprisingly, I hadn't noticed these changes, attributing them to the sporadic nature of my time on the course over the last 18 months.

According to him, subtle variations in my setup during occasional rounds likely contributed to these discrepancies. These subtle changes accumulated over time, reaching a climax during my Christmas range session. Attempting to self-correct, I inadvertently worsened the situation.

We went through some low level drills to realign my swing, and this was the depressing part, admittedly, it felt like I was learning to play the game again after almost 30 years. The initial stages were challenging, but with each swing, muscle memory kicked in, gradually making the drills more natural and ingrained.

While my confidence remains low, I'm relieved to have addressed the issue with the pro. Despite the initial struggle, I can sense some semblance of my natural swing returning, even if it's at a foundational level. There's still a long way to go, but I believe I can whip my game into decent shape for the summer.

In a way, this setback may be a blessing in disguise. It serves as a wake-up call, its really forcing me to focus on and improve aspects of my game that I may have neglected in the past 12 months or so.

benny79

I find when something goes wrong in my swing its always something simple. I try to self correct and always worsen the situation 🙄 At the moment Im working on weight transfer, this I find the hardest.. Im very handsy with my swing and literally dont use the ground or my legs at all. So lose so much distance and am playing golf years! The last piece of the jigsaw my Pro said but dont think he realises its the hardest for me! Anyway he gave me 2 drills to work on in which I told him I feel like I am swaying. He showed me a video and I actually wasnt.. Yet roll on a few weeks and my game has gone totally backwards after been really improving.. I play with a mate last week who is a low handicapper he records my swing and low and behold I am swaying loads! 🙄 This game can really break you at times.. So a bit advice from him and Im hitting the ball well again! Basically a big issue is all my weight is off my right foot at impact! So I really have to plant that right foot until after impact.. This Game 😂

IrishOwl...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121761365#Comment_121761365

Ha, that was my initial issue. When I went to the golf pro, I diagnosed myself that I felt I was swaying to much in the backswing. I told him it felt like I’d shifted too much on my takeaway from the sway, and therefore I couldn’t get the club face to the right position at impact, and this was causing me to shank it.

He looked at 2 swings, took a video and then proceed to show me that I wasn’t moving at all, let along swaying! My problem was because I thought I was moving to much in my takeaway, I went completely the other way and just ended up with this rigid movement, no arms swing! It looked horrendous, and I couldn’t believe I was set up in that way and not noticing it. For someone who has been playing the game for nearly 30 years it was almost embarrassing not to notice such a drastic change.

Anyway, he gave me 2 ball striking drills that pretty much forced me to rotate and follow through. Now bizarrely, after nearly 2 weeks and maybe 3/4 range sessions, I’m probably stripping my irons better than I have been in living memory.  

It's been a harsh lesson for me, if something ever feels wrong after a long, or sporadic lay-off from the game. Seek professional help straight away! 

benny79

What were the drills he gave you?

IrishOwl...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121765323#Comment_121765323

I’m terrible at explaining these things, one was an alignment drill using a stick. Basically, the stick was placed in the ground directly over the ball, its placed in such a way that forces you to turn/rotate. (ill see can I find a video on that one as it would explain it a lot better)

The second was the infamous 2 ball drill that people go to when suffering with the dreaded shanks. It’s very simple, place two balls on in front of the other, set yourself up as if you’re going to hit the one furthest away and adjust in the downswing to hit the one closer to you (there’s loads of videos of this online)  This, I couldn’t believe how effective it was for my ball striking, it did do things, prevent me from shanking the ball and secondly, once you start transitioning to hit the ball closest to you, it forces you to move your weight on to your front foot and you get the perfect realise. I actually do this now as part of every warmup before a round or range session. I hit 10 balls with my 9-iron using this drill. 

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121770025#Comment_121770025

Basically, the stick was placed in the ground directly over the ball, its placed in such a way that forces you to turn/rotate. (ill see can I find a video on that one as it would explain it a lot better)

Ha, I went for a lesson this week and was given this exact drill too. It's very useful. In my case it is to fix an out-to-in swing path.

Here's my expertly drawn side-on view of the setup (not to scale):

You stick an alignment stick in the ground so it's pointing up at a very shallow angle, with the highest point being about 2 balls high off the ground.

The ball is placed directly under the stick.

Aim is to hit the ball without hitting the stick.

IrishOwl...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121770386#Comment_121770386

Yes that's exactly it, a picture paints a thousand words as they say!

A very simple but effective set up once you get going with it.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121771127#Comment_121771127

I was at the range at lunch time and just kept smashing the stick. If I went slow it was fine, any time I tried to swing proper I'd hit the stick and then duff the ball.

Just can't get my down swing to come round onto the ball at all.

benny79

Im lost lads on them 2 drills 😂

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774155#Comment_121774155

😁 Here’s a photo of my setup which might be clearer.

You’ve to hit the ball without hitting the stick.

benny79

That actually looks hard! is it directly over the ball? or a ball width away? Would you hit driver the same?

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121775229#Comment_121775229

No not directly over the middle of the ball, at least for me it isn't. I have almost all of the ball on the side of the stick I am standing.

Dunno about this for driver tbh, I was just given it for iron shots.

It is hard, I think you just have to move the ball further away and progressively move it back as you get better.

IrishOwl...

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121774155#Comment_121774155

eventually found a good one, this is the exact drill I've been working on. hopefully this clears in up.

https://youtu.be/LBJSJzV-mPI?si=XJxKo2l-RC9STH7W