# Swing Changes



## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

I read a lot about the pro players changing their swings every so often in an attempt to continue to play better. Seems a few even change swing coaches for the same reason. Just wondering how many amateurs ever elect to go through a swing change to help them play better golf? 

I know I have not done so. Maybe a minor grip change, or perhaps a minor swing path adjustment from time to time. But, for the most part, these changes were made to get me back on track to what was working before. Another reason I never elected to go through a swing change is that I would have no idea where to begin such a journey. I am not one who uses a swing coach, preferring to go it on my own, with what I know about my own swing, and the golf impact position in general. 

I never intended to play this game for money or glory. Just for the challenge it offers me. In fact, I think I would have made a better professional caddy than a pro golfer. Show up, keep up, and shut up would have suited me just fine as long as my bag owner consistently paid me well....lol 

I have pretty much had the same swing since I took up the game. At the time I took up the game, I was shown a swing that would get the job done. That would allow me to learn to score well, and would also allow me to play a long time with no muscles, back, shoulder, or knee problems developing. 40+ years of golf and no golf related physical issues. :thumbsup:


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## KrudlerAce (Jul 3, 2010)

*Much the Same*

My golf swing has remained much the same but with a change mostly on the downswing. This was necessary to get more of an inside outside swing path which produces a nice draw now. I too fix most of my own golf problems as I found it easier that way. Not to say that a professional wouldn't be helpful it's just the way I like to do it.

I think I would find it difficult to make any other significant changes to my golf swing. Especially after you have been playing the game of golf for so long.


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

Like Froggie, after 40+yrs of golf I'd say I'm pretty much stuck with the swing I've got. It works, and I know it well enough to be able to know what is going wrong and how it should feel when putting it right.

I did try a full swing coach about 12 yrs back for about 3 lessons but it just didn't work. It felt wooden, and forced and artificial. Tempo just didn't fit and at 41yrs old I decided here was one middle aged dog that didn't want to learn new tricks. I was shooting a few shots either side of par with the old swing so just what would I gain? Maybe at 20 or 30 but...

I did change my grip at 30. I'd grown up with the typical grip you give a young kid, I started at 9, a baseball grip. But it had a quirk - righthanded baseball grip with the left thumb on top of the finger tips of the right hand. Got down to low single figures with it but the local pro thought it was obscene


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

It really ticks me off that I can't say that I need to do nothing or a minor adjustment in my swing. I Need a chiropractor, I'm so close but inconsistant on different clubs.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

This is actually a very interesting question to me.
I have tried to change my swing, but find I gravitate back to my natural swing
So, do you go to a pro who will change your swing, or work with an instructor who will work with your natural swing to improve your game?
I think that a good teacher takes what you do naturally and teaches you how to play with that, the instructor fits his plan to your swing, not fit your swing to his plan.
Now if you 9or me) have some serious fundimental issues, of course correct those. But a good teacher should work with the basic model of what you have.
Some of us are tall and lanky, some are short and stocky.
On the tour there are all kinds of different body sizes and swing styles, and they all work with swing coaches. The trick is to match it all together.
For me, I want to work with my natural swing with a few tweaks, IMHO that is the most reliable way


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

Stevel, back when I was a lad, and Noah was still leading the animals off the Ark, pro's used to give you the basics but work with your natural swing unless it was too quirky. Then in the 80's it was all about teaching a textbook swing to everyone. And in recent times they've gone back to the original way of working with what you've got, and tweaking around the edges.

If you watch golf on the tv you see many different swings, all of which work. As long as the basics are right, and the swing repeats...


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Big Hobbit said:


> Stevel, back when I was a lad, and Noah was still leading the animals off the Ark, pro's used to give you the basics but work with your natural swing unless it was too quirky. Then in the 80's it was all about teaching a textbook swing to everyone. And in recent times they've gone back to the original way of working with what you've got, and tweaking around the edges.
> 
> If you watch golf on the tv you see many different swings, all of which work. As long as the basics are right, and the swing repeats...


Take my complaint with being inconsistant with clubs, how would you advise a person. I'm not trying to sharpshoot you here. or is it the space between my ears


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## FrogsHair (Mar 4, 2010)

The much "older basic" teachings are why I can appreciate those older golf books more so than new ones that have showed up during recent years. All the different swings we see on TV do have one swing issue in common with each other. What ever swing the pro uses, he/she still share a decent, correct, consistent impact position with their competition. How they arrive at that consistent impact position is not that important. 



Big Hobbit said:


> Stevel, back when I was a lad, and Noah was still leading the animals off the Ark, pro's used to give you the basics but work with your natural swing unless it was too quirky. Then in the 80's it was all about teaching a textbook swing to everyone. And in recent times they've gone back to the original way of working with what you've got, and tweaking around the edges.
> 
> If you watch golf on the tv you see many different swings, all of which work. As long as the basics are right, and the swing repeats...


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

broken tee said:


> Take my complaint with being inconsistant with clubs, how would you advise a person. I'm not trying to sharpshoot you here. or is it the space between my ears


If you look at it from another perspective, what changes between driver and wedge? The length of the club, the ball position in the stance and the width of the stance. So what doesn't change? If its a full swing, i.e. the club ends up parallel to the ground and pointing at the target, there is nothing different.

Look at it in overlapping stages... sorry if this is getting a bit weird. What do you different between wedge and 7 iron? And what do you do between 8 iron and 5 iron? And what do you do between 6 iron and 4 iron? Think about that but between wedge and... whatever club you like. Its the same swing.

And its a swing, not a hit. The ball gets in the way of the same swing, and you "sweep" the ball away. People who hit at the ball tend not to have a good follow through, and if the follow through isn't right it starts on the down swing. In other words if your down swing changes between clubs you're not on the correct swing plane for each shot and the ball will spray all over the place.

People tend to over complicate golf by thinking they need to do something radically different just because they've pulled out a different club. The only really quirky change is when you are putting.

Probably no help but...


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Big Hobbit said:


> If you look at it from another perspective, what changes between driver and wedge? The length of the club, the ball position in the stance and the width of the stance. So what doesn't change? If its a full swing, i.e. the club ends up parallel to the ground and pointing at the target, there is nothing different.
> 
> Look at it in overlapping stages... sorry if this is getting a bit weird. What do you different between wedge and 7 iron? And what do you do between 8 iron and 5 iron? And what do you do between 6 iron and 4 iron? Think about that but between wedge and... whatever club you like. Its the same swing.
> 
> ...


That makes sense, I've heard that same concept numerous times, its' applying the principles correctly. I might hit a great 3 wood on a par 5 the next time I pull the 3 wood you can hear that "ping" of a solid hit but low trajectory and no air time. the same with the 7 iron, I hit it nice and drop the ball near the pin and the nex time I use the 7 I'm rolling the ball to the edge of the green. that is what frustrates the hell out of me.


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