Day 51: The 4 Categories of Golfers and Identifying your Problem

I have learned a great deal over the past 50 days pertaining to the mechanics of the golf swing, but more importantly the mechanics (or problems thereof) of my own golf swing. I also know that I have a ways to go in order to break 80, but I am travelling down a good path. I do know that I will break 80 in the next 30 days.

I feel like you can separate golfers into 4 categories:

The first category are golfers who swing correctly (the smallest amount of golfers). These people are blessed with the proper mechanics. For some, it just comes naturally. For the larger group in this category, it comes with practice, training and then execution. Golfers in this category regularly shoot in the 70's and can do so from the Black (or Blue) tees.

The second category of golfers consists of those who swing incorrectly, but taking the necessary steps to learn what the mechanics are in an attempt to move into the first category. Over the past 50 days, I now know that I fit into this category. I will elaborate more later on in this post. Most people don't want to move into this category because it would mean that they have to come to grips with the notion and admit to the fact that what they are doing (how they are swinging) is incorrect. In the words of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, 'Give up all bad qualities in you, banish the ego and develop the spirit of surrender. You will then experience bliss.'

The third category of golfers are those who swing incorrectly, but do not take the necessary steps needed to learn the proper mechanics (the largest amount of golfers). These are most of the guys we play golf with on the weekends. They have definite hitches in their swings, but have learned how to play those swings to the best of their ability. Most of these guys want to get better at their game. These guys can go out and shoot a low round from time to time - they can also have a terrible day on the course riddled with inconsistencies and frustrations. They go to the range and try and 'figure it out', but add on another bad technique to compensate for their other bad techniques in an effort to create a more consistent ball flight. Without having a proper foundation or the proper knowledge, there is only so much that these golfers can achieve. I think it is safe to say that this group will rarely, if ever, shoot in the 70's - and never on a consistent basis. Keep in mind, there is nothing wrong with being a golfer in this category - as after all, golf is a game and the game should be enjoyed. However, if you want to become a golfer in the first category above, you will need to make some changes. You can't build your house on a shaky foundation. I was firmly planted in this third category before taking on this exercise of Breakin' 80 in 80. I didn't like being here - I was too inconsistent. I knew what I wanted to do and some days everything would click - but most the time, it didn't and I would be all over the place. Sure I could score in the high 80's (rare), but I was more often in the mid-to-high-90's and even sometimes I would venture into the low triple digits. I realized that this is not where I wanted to be. I will also say it again, I know that you can't build your house on a shaky foundation. So in order to get more enjoyment out of the game, I needed to move into the second category. And it is not an easy thing to do. You have to let go of what it is you know (which is incorrect) - toss it by the wayside - and allow for learning the proper mechanics on how to swing correctly. This will lead to greater consistency, better shots, greater enjoyment out of the game and ultimately, lower scores. I figured if I am going to play and enjoy this game well into my twilight years, I should take this time in my life to learn how to swing correctly.

The fourth category belongs to those golfers who don't know the proper mechanics of the golf swing and don't care. These people play a few times a summer (if that) and do not really care about getting any better (probably the same amount of people in this category as in the first category).

Brandel Chamblee said something on the Golf Channel a couple days ago that really struck a chord with me. The commentators were talking about Sean Foley and Tiger Woods. Mr. Chamblee said something akin to that there was too much emphasis put on technology in learning the golf swing in today's teachings. He said that all you need to do is look at the flight of the ball to learn what it is you are doing wrong (or right). He referenced the true ball-strikers like Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan (self taught / never had a lesson), Jack Nicklaus and how they did not have the benefit of video sequencing of their golf swing. I thought about what Chamblee said and tried to apply it to my own swing.

What is the consistent ball flight created by my swing?

Most of my shots have a fade. I still have a tendency to slice the ball. Moreover, the slice usually comes out at the worst times (i.e. Hole #16 last Saturday at Tierra on my second shot on the Par 5 that I sliced out of bounds). I do not like this ball flight. So I asked myself 'what do I continue to do incorrectly that produces this type of ball flight?' This can be easily identified by a swing coach, but not so easy to identify by yourself as you can't see yourself. This is the main problem facing people in the third category mentioned above.

After some digging, I found that I am attacking the ball too steeply. This is the most common problem with all slicers. It can all be attributed to an improper shoulder turn. Instead of turning my shoulders on an even plane, I am tilting my shoulders (dipping my left shoulder and raising my right shoulder). This makes you come down too steeply and attack the ball from outside-in. This is most commonly referred to as 'coming over the top'. Have you ever popped up a drive (do you have scars on the top of your driver)? Do you ever hit fat shots? Do you slice the ball? Do you have an issue with balance from time to time in your finish? If you can answer yes to these questions, it is almost 100% certain that you attack the ball from too steep of an angle.

Thanks to the teaching videos of Hank Haney, I was able to identify (1) my problem and (2) the solution.

Eliminate the fat shot with a level shoulder turn:

Keep your shoulders back in order to let your arms and hands catch up to allow for the club face to be squared up at impact:

Level out that shoulder turn for the proper trajectory and greater distance:

And finally, a good drill from Steve Bann (great instructor) to see if your swing is on plane or not (should be done with a buddy watching):