[carlsberg21]

Background

For the last year I've been working on some of the teachings from The Impact Zone, particularly the aiming point technique. Well, I've been doing my own version because I for the life of me cannot grasp the concept of aiming my hands 4" in front of the ball. At impact my hands are ahead of the ball but inside...so if I aim my hands ahead of the ball, the clubhead will be about a foot east the ball (if you're aiming north). Well, I notice that my regular swing leaves a divot 3" behind the ball so all I've been doing is literally looking at and aiming 6-10" in front of the ball. Surprisingly enough I've had great results from never looking at the ball during an iron shot. Sure enough I started becoming so focused on that divot that I started coming OTT and slicing everything. Started with the driver and ended with my short irons. Very frustrating.

My ball was for the most part a straight push with a side of slice. I started working on (actively) releasing my wrist while coming from the inside. The result was hitting draws for the first time in my life. While it was fun, very quickly I found out that this type of swing is not very consistent. Not only did I have no confidence but I just wasn't striking the ball crisply. It was going far (i.e. PW flying 150 yard greens [I have strong lofted D11 irons so no I'm not HE-Man]) but every shot left my hands stinging. I just wasn't happy with my consistency.

I became very frustrated with this game I love and felt like I needed to start from scratch. I'm trying everything to strike with that FLW. I can chip no problem but from chips to full swings, my dynamics would change and I'd flip every time. I don't plan on ever giving up but I'd be lying if I said it didn't negatively affect me far more than a hobby should.

Yesterday I was bored at work so I was reading about SliceFixer. I've heard of him, read his ET, seen his videos but never gave it much of a try as his swing seems far too difficult to attempt to learn without his instruction. I love the thought of having passive arms and having no active hand manipulation. Last night I start to give it a shot in my backyard...just little chips and pitches. Still flipping. I go back and study his videos again and again and keep at it. Long story short, I finally got on a streak of using my pivot to hit the ball. I was taking divot waaay further up and my arms felt like jello...meaning no manipulation whatsoever. The rest of my night I was happy and smiling. Obviously I know that my swing looks and is absolutely nothing like a SF swing however I was given hope, hope that I can improve.

Everyone here knows the trials and tribulations of the sport that we hold so dear. We enjoy buying clubs and clothes almost as much as we enjoy playing the game. For me at least, the idea of golf is what I enjoy. A new belt, hat or shirt makes me smile. A well struck ball that sticks a green is euphoric. A great ball-striking round with a bad score card trumps a good score with bad striking (case in point I was estatic with a 90 because I was learning a new swing and hit a draw on every swing versus the slice the previous week, but the next week I was disappointed while shooting an 84 while striking the ball terribly). When going through a rut, if I read a new drill to practice I am excited the rest of the day to go home and give it a try. When it's a range day, I am happy all day.

For those that get frustrated, remember that everyone can become at least decent so take comfort in knowing that there is hope. Growing up, I enjoyed Christmas eve more than Christmas. The anticipation factor is what does it. Trying to get to the top of the mountain can be just as fun as getting there.