Trying to find the answer to your early extension, fat shots, shanks, and generally inconsistent golf?
Of course you are, what a silly question.
Well, I can pretty much guarantee you’re looking in the wrong places for that magic answer.
I say that with confidence because I have seen it so so many times with golfers who have suffered for weeks/months going down the internet video route and getting even more confused before finally deciding to get a lesson. The main reason is the vast majority of internet instruction is addressing the fault rather than the cause.
My coaching, in a nutshell, is that it’s all about cause and effect.
Most of the time we hit it well at the range or play great golf in our casual games but fail to realise our potential when under the pressure of competition. This can be broken down into a simple A, B, and C of cause and effect.
A - is the root cause of the problem.
B - is the fault that is produced by A.
C - is the compensatory movement to fix B.
Now the problem, is that under pressure A and B are the same but C will break down causing the bad swings/shots which lead us back into the search for that magic swing move and thus completing the cycle.
To play better competition golf we essentially need to fix A because then B and C won't exist!! Sounds simple like that doesn’t it.
I think nearly all (as much as 95%) of the root causes can be traced back to set up in one way or another. As many of you have heard me say before, 'How you stand determines how you swing. Start with faults and you'll swing with them too.'
This is why so often in a lesson I watch 2 swings and go ‘Ive got it…’
The first one I spot it and then the next shot confirms it.
I’ve asked questions about the miss tendencies before watching any swings so I’ve got an idea where to look but 2 swings are all that’s needed to spot the root cause of all those troubles. Both a relief and infuriating for the student at the same time I’m sure. Needless to say I do enjoy that part hehe.
The difficult part and something I’ll be writing more about soon is that there simply isn’t a one set up that fits all answer. Sometimes it isn’t a setup issue at all so the fix from one person to the next has to be on an individual basis. I also only suggest changes that I believe are necessary rather than making a change for the sake of it so putting a generic setup routine out there could end up doing more harm than good.
If this has got you thinking then why not book in for a lesson where we can identify exactly what your 'A' problem is and help you move onto better and more enjoyable golf again.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss this further.
Shane