Changing your swing

Easily the most frustrating aspect of playing "hacker" golf is inconsistency.  Sure, you'll stick your second shot six feet from the pin from 180 yards out, but then faced with the same shot on the next par 3, you hit it fat and put your tee shot 78 yards into the water.  You'll hit three picture perfect drives in a row, but then shank one and never see the fairway again.  Or maybe you'll spray the ball all over the first 16 holes only to par the final two - leaving yourself with the maddening thought "if I could have just played like this all day, I'd have shot an 88 rather than the 108!"

After inconsistencies such as these lead to several altercations between my clubs and the ground, I finally broke down and went to a swing coach - hoping to preserve my clubs and my sanity.   For those who have never been, swing doctors come in a variety of flavors.  Some want to break you down and build a swing from scratch, some will bring you around slowly while eliminating flaws, and some will merely sit there like Chubbs from "Happy Gilmore."  My hesitation for seeing a coach was that I'd be stuck with someone wanting to break my swing, and rebuild it from the ground up - thereby effectively taking me out of action for a year.  I'd heard mixed responses from friends who'd been to a swing swami, and while two of these guys swore their undying allegiance to their coach, another friend just swore a blue streak about his.  This guy's  experience (name rhymes with "Hos-fell") was exactly what I'd feared - He broke down the swing and tried building it from the ground up.  The result was 4 terrible rounds of golf during the '07 Myrtle Tournament.  His accounts, coupled with my preconceived opinions and fears, silenced any thoughts I had about seeing a swing coach that year.

A year later I was playing in a tournament for work - captian's choice / scramble format.  My job was to hit the ball as far as possible off the tee, and then maybe pitch in a couple of shots here and there.  Two of my playing partners, my step-dad and his buddy, were both shaking their heads at me all day.  I hit a couple of BIG drives (in the 300 yard territory), but spent a good portion of the day frustrated with the ever-present inconsistencies.  

They asked, "Why don't you want to get a lesson?"

"I can figure it out on my own," I replied.

"You should really see our guy, you'd really benefit."

"I know what I'm doing wrong, I just need to play more golf so I can iron out my swing."

"How long have you been playing?  You don't seem to have ironed it out yet...what makes you think you'll iron it out in the next decade?"

"Uhm.....hmmmm......."

"Wouldn't it feel good to hit those good shots everytime?"

"Uhm......yeah...I guess....I just don't want to have this guy break my swing, and then suck."

"Newsflash....you already suck."

"Uhm...."  (no comeback for that one)

...and there it was - my "ah-hah" moment - the moment when you check your ego at the door and become open to learning.  The simple truth was I consistently put up triple digit scores, and while there were certainly flashes of potential, the ever-prevalent inconsistencies prohibited me from having any chance of breaking into the 80s.  At this point I was ready and willing to have my swing broken; I was ready to suck - just so long as I'd get better in the end.  Well, here's the kicker - The swing doctor recommended to me by my step-dad and his buddy was the same guy who "broke" my friend's swing and reduced him to an angry / bitter man in Myrtle.  Not only that, but he was the same guy used by another buddy and fellow golf blogger, Brett.  How could the same guy produce such drastic results and opinions?

There are a couple of reasons.  Number one is that golf, like life, is all about perceptions.  Glass half empty; "that guy broke my swing."  Glass half full; "my swing is being corrected."  As a 20 handicap hacker, my game has more flaws then an Oliver Stone conspiricy - and while there is certainly a lot 'right' with my swing, the bad habits I'd formed over the years contributed directly to the inconsistencies and errant shots.  The second reason is not every coaching style is a good fit for the student.  Instructor X might really connect with Golfer A, but completely miss with Golfer B.  Of course, even with a 'glass half full' attitude, changing your swing is the MOST frustrating thing in golf.  It's one thing to know you have bad habits - but it's another to be cognizant of them.  It's like burning your hand on the oven- I know the oven is hot...I know I need an oven mitt...why the HELL did I just reach my hand in there.  This frustration is made even worse by the fact good shots aren't just 'better than before,' they're damn near perfect.  My swing can feel so smooth and effortless I find myself thinking "Holy $#&#...did I just do that?!?!"

At the end of the day, I suppose you just need to fight through the frustrations with the understanding things are going to get better.  It turns out there is more to golf than showing up to the course 15 mins before tee time, drinking eight beers, and cursing.  Tinkering with your swing only works if you put in the effort - beyond just extra range time, you really need to focus on every shot.  What went right; what went wrong; what did my man say do work on; what do I need to work on next.  With that said, it's always important to remember balance, and one should never let working on your game interfere with having a good time.  A wise man once said "don't think of it as work - the whole point is to enjoy yourself."  Sage advice indeed - and I for one, would listen.  After all, he was pre-law.  

~Saps