It’s turned cold. There was frost on the practice range this morning (shown in image above)…
…but the cold doesn’t bother me. So long as it’s not windy and raining I’ve been practising.
What’s been going well
Whether I’m practising or playing on course, I feel like I know what I’m doing when putting, chipping and pitching. Full shots with irons and hybrids have also been getting much more consistent and I’m gaining confidence. I get all these things wrong from time to time, but I often know why. I trust the process for the next shot and know I’m likely to see something better.
I have a clear plan for putting practice, adding in a “round the clock” session when I have time. This has made a huge difference on the greens.
For the rest of my shots, I think I’ve got a good feel for taking my grip consistently in the fingers and not too tight (but should probably get this checked again by my coach). For chips, pitches and full shots (longer wedges, irons and hybrids) my practice has a well-developed setup process (that I take to the course).
Chipping practice has been going well (for both release 1 and release 2) and paying dividends when I’m on course.
On the driving range, I concentrate on rotation that counterbalances the club, staying balanced over the ball (not swaying) and following through to a final balance point. If I do this then, together with the work I’ve done on grip and setup, I can hit the ball satisfyingly well. Thinking about Harvey and Andy’s discussion about hidden forces helps my rhythm and balance in the shot.
What’s not been going so well
Inconsistency and lack of confidence driving off the tee - worst with my driver, but also sometimes having issues with my fairway wood (a 3 wood setup with 4 wood loft) - is the thing I’ve struggled with the most over the last three or so weeks.
I did have a lesson and gained a bit of confidence shortly after that, but I haven’t been able to develop a good feel for my driver swing since then.
Unlike all my other clubs, I struggle to feel like I know what I’m doing with my driver. Sometimes this carries over to where I use my fairway wood on the tee, although this generally has been better.
I have been trying a few things when practicing with my driver on the range. I find the “feet together drill” reminds me not to sway and also gives me a feel for a square clubface through the ball. I’ve also been trying to rotate in a sequence that works with the rhythm of my swing keeping balance and not being pulled out by the club.
When it comes together I drive the ball really well. But, just when I think I’ve got an improved feel that I can take forward and repeat, it goes wrong again, where wrong is now a slice (more often than not) when it used to be a pull/hook left. I had strategies to straighten things up if I was pulling my drives, but I seem to have nothing for the slices!! I need more coaching help with this, I think.
I just want to feel the same confidence with my driver (and fairway wood tee shots) as I do with the rest of my game. I get that things go wrong - there’s a lot going on - but I’d like to feel I can trust my driving process and take that forward to the next tee each time.
