Hit Instict any solutions

[Donb]

Hi All, first post. After a 10 year hiatus I’ve now got the time to resume golfing. Unfortunately, due to some medical issues I think it best to switch from my left hand swing to right hand. I am a right hand normally but due to hockey experience they needed left wingers so I ended up golfing left.

I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of you tube golf instruction and have tried several swings out…easy swing, Jim Venetos, MDLT, Earnest Jones, D Strahan. I’ve found I can emulate most of these swings when practicing BUT when I go to the course the hit instinct takes over and, we’ll, you can guess the rest…not pretty.

I’ve read many posts on THP on this but really have tried most of the proposed solutions with no joy. The only insight I’ve come up with (untested & unconfirmed mind you) is set the swing task as snipping off the grass at a set height at a set spot as the task at hand. I think this takes away the vague target of the ball hit and replaces it with a non ball more exact task to set myself on.

Comments and other possible solutions most welcome.

 

[russtopher]

A couple of things that helped me - looking 2” in front of the ball, trying to hold a picture of the target in my mind and thinking about that, not the ball, and finally working on swinging through to my finish position & having that be my goal, not hitting the ball.

All of these worked in various ways for me, may not be the same for you. It took a while along with lessons to trust my swing and not be ball-bound. I hope you find what works for you.

 

[blugold]

Hold your finish

 

[That post]

finally working on swinging through to my finish position & having that be my goal, not hitting the ball

This is my current swing thought. ‘Get to the finish and hold it’

 

[hackitup]

I’m still working on eliminating all traces of my hit impulse. It’s tough. The biggest strides I’ve made have been when I focus on tempo and thinking hands at the center of my chest. My hit impulse shows up as throwing my hands hard. Feel vs. real for my swing thought. The swing thought keeps me closer to a swing than a hit.

 

[stryper]

Low point 4” in front of the ball, and the idea is that the ball is not the target, the target is where you’re sending it.

If you’re throwing frisbee, is frisbee itself your focus, or is it where you want the frisbee to go?

 

[Donb]

Thanks for all the great replies, very grateful. My thought on my suggestion is that when I practice I can have great club awareness, can hit the top/middle of the rubber tee. I can hit almost any spot on the mat “grass” so why not a swing through the ball.

So my idea is that my brain does not like a thought of hitting a ball with the vague instruction of a height that I can’t really even see at address.

This leads to my idea of swinging at a spot not on the ball at a height I can see, being the swish through the grass or top of the grass for a drive. Take the ball out of the equation and replace it with things I can do during practice and can do identically during play.

Just throwing this out there but, at least in my case, might have merit.

 

[TxAggie2018]

I try to hit 2 inches in front of the ball.

When I was on "funemployment" from October to December last year, I pretty much rebuilt my swing by just hitting about 100 chip shots a day for 2 months. I just kept at it until I started making consistent solid contact. Eventually, I found the best way to do that was to just play the ball back in my stance, look well in front of it, and try to hit there. Once I had some crispy chips, I lengthened that to half-swing pitch shots, then I started mixing in some irons.

It all started coming together around February, and my normal playing partners have all commented on how much my ball striking has improved since last winter. When I hit a good shot, they'll ask me "are you sure you're working now?"

One other thing that helped me... if you have access to a practice bunker, try doing some low point drills in there. Just draw a (literal) line in the sand, and try to take a chip swing that lands on the front side of it. It's tough to have a hit impulse when there's no ball to hit. Then, lengthen your swing, and keep lengthening it until you stop getting consistent front-side shots. Play that as the limit of your backswing.

 

[WLG1952]

I might suggest re-reading the Earnest Jones book.

Something I do tto keep my swing tempo controlled is a two word thought during my swing. I borrowed it from the Tin Cup movie. "Dollar Bills".

I think "dollar" on the up swing. "Bills" on the down swing into the ball.

The speed I think those two words, tells my body how fast to swing the club head.

 

[Donb]

I might suggest re-reading the Earnest Jones book.

Something I do tto keep my swing tempo controlled is a two word thought during my swing. I borrowed it from the Tin Cup movie. "Dollar Bills".

I think "dollar" on the up swing. "Bills" on the down swing into the ball.

The speed I think those two words, tells my body how fast to swing the club head.

Agreed, had to look up some of the Latin though! Ever really had or used a swing thought so maybe try that in the very near future. Currently installing g my diy hitting mat and net.

 

[razaar]

Common sense would suggest swinging with the target arm controlling the club with the trail arm in a supporting role is the best option for the average golfer.
Those golfers who have the trail arm controlling the club tend to employ a hitting action in the forward swing.
This is the difference between swingers and hitters. Swingers use centrifugal force through rotation of the clubhead arms and body while hitters drive the trail arm on a straight line to the ball and generate power by a muscular thrust.
Hitting is harder because hitters have to control everything manually as opposed to swingers who use rotation around a central pivot and centrifugal force to do the rest.

 

[CTRosarian]

Lots of short practice sessions, ideally a couple times a day..

Fewer long sessions aren't as effective as a lot of shorter ones.

 

[Bernoulli]

I’m still working on eliminating all traces of my hit impulse. It’s tough. The biggest strides I’ve made have been when I focus on tempo and thinking hands at the center of my chest. My hit impulse shows up as throwing my hands hard. Feel vs. real for my swing thought. The swing thought keeps me closer to a swing than a hit.

I can relate. One of the things that I try to remind myself is that it’s a golf swing, not a golf hit.

 

[Hawk]

No technical suggestions, because I think that's best done by professionals, but I will tell you that (for a bunch of us) it takes forever to make lasting changes. Keep at it.

 

[MacTourney]

The only insight I’ve come up with (untested & unconfirmed mind you) is set the swing task as snipping off the grass at a set height at a set spot as the task at hand. I think this takes away the vague target of the ball hit and replaces it with a non ball more exact task to set myself on.

The ball is quite vivid, not vague, to the subconscious once your eyes acquire its location and it will know you're trying to deceive it. It will win, one way or another.

 

[CTRosarian]

Maybe it would help to think of the difference between a jab and a hook in boxing. A hook allows you to put more power into a punch.
A jab gets your opponents attention while a good hook may make knock your opponent off his feet.

 

[RecGolfer]

No technical solution is going to take care of this problem. You have to change your mind.
1. I'm just going to chip the ball around the course, even with my full swing.
2. I don't care if this 5-iron only goes 100 yards.
3. My driver is really an 8-iron.
4. Let's see how smooth and graceful I can make this swing.
5. etc.
Try this: play a round where you do everything you can to keep the ball in the fairway and not miss the green. You will have to play a very different style of golf, and slugging the ball will NOT be part of it. You might be surprised at how well you did and how enjoyable the round was.

 

[CTRosarian]

I had a stretch in which I played over a hundred holes without losing a golf ball!
Playing a round without losing a ball is a challenge on the course I play.

 

[Donb]

I will be trying as many of these suggestions in the next week or so as I can. I’ll report back when I can get a feel how they are working out.

 

[Donb]

The ball is quite vivid, not vague, to the subconscious once your eyes acquire its location and it will know you're trying to deceive it. It will win, one way or another.

By vague I mean the distance from the top of the ball to the bottom which is 1.68” . I think in my case I see the top of the ball and most likely set that as the target height but really I need to set the bottom of the ball or brushing the grass with the bottom of my swing.

 

[TxAggie2018]

Couple other tips I found doing that line-in-the-bunker low point exercise....

Choking down on clubs really helps. I choke down 2 inches if not more on all my clubs. And pre-setting weight on my left foot at setup helps me get back there on the downswing. Try a before-and-after with those on the line drill, and see if they help move your impact forward. For me, the difference was drastic.

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

If you're talking about the "hit impulse" my recommendation would be to just take any club into an open space and swing it! No ball, no target, no nothing, other than the club and swinging it. All the way back and all the way through. It's some of the oldest advice in golf. Swing the club and let the ball get in the way!

 

[collegefbfan]

Common sense would suggest swinging with the target arm controlling the club with the trail arm in a supporting role is the best option for the average golfer.
Those golfers who have the trail arm controlling the club tend to employ a hitting action in the forward swing.
This is the difference between swingers and hitters. Swingers use centrifugal force through rotation of the clubhead arms and body while hitters drive the trail arm on a straight line to the ball and generate power by a muscular thrust.
Hitting is harder because hitters have to control everything manually as opposed to swingers who use rotation around a central pivot and centrifugal force to do the rest.

Man, if I could brand this in my brain/mindset with a cattle iron, I might make some progress. Along with don't hit the ball. Make the complete swing, the ball just gets in the way.

 

[Desmond]

If you want to kill the ball from the top - hit instinct - I take a different tact.

I relax my arms completely and let me lower body power the ball. Relaxed arms will give you more speed without trying when the lower body is working and the arms will automatically speed up without much thought. Use that left bicep (right handed) to power the ball. Hit instinct will tighten up your arms. Focus on the lower body - feet and hips...

There is a lot more of course, but try it.

 

[MacTourney]

So my idea is that my brain does not like a thought of hitting a ball with the vague instruction of a height that I can’t really even see at address.

Didn't notice this clarifying comment at first as I thread skimmed, again. Guilty as charged!

By vague I mean the distance from the top of the ball to the bottom which is 1.68” . I think in my case I see the top of the ball and most likely set that as the target height but really I need to set the bottom of the ball or brushing the grass with the bottom of my swing.

But the subconscious makes that computation for us anyway- it would subtract the distance between the tactile-nerve interaction between bottom of feet and ground, which is the ground's resistance supporting us, and the distance from any body part to the top of the ball, the visual piece. At that point the subconscious would have trapped the ball's diameter, maybe even down to a third decimal point.

I will be trying as many of these suggestions in the next week or so as I can. I’ll report back when I can get a feel how they are working out.

Sounds good, looking forward to reading, or seeing, what you ended up with. Seeing the swing as a whole sooner helps with removing a ball from the task equation.