One Swing Thought?

Click the pic to enlarge.

I guess I have to post this classic video with that pic.



Remember that swing thoughts are 95% bad. Ideally, you should get the kinks out on the range and have nothing burdening your mind while on the course.

I guess the only "thought" that I would permit my pupils is this:

Decide whether you are going to take a 7:30, 9:00, or 10:30 swing length.

(I have also added the 8:15 and 9:45 swings.)

Of course this is Dave Pelz's theory of club swinging, primarily for calibrating wedgeplay. I have also heard Tiger on television talking about "the hands of the clock".

Recently I have been applying it to my entire game. I have been spending all my time on the range taking 7:30 and 8:15 swings from wedge right up through my 2-iron and driver. It does wonders for your rhythm - try it out.

It makes sense too. Figure that if you can't make a short swing with a club, any club, and hit the ball cleanly, straight, high, and without sidespin, then what business do you have thinking you can master a full swing?

Without getting too technical about mechanics, I believe that primarily two things are the bane of the Hacker,

1) Full swing practice before short swing mastery.
2) Target-based ball beating, rather than process-based practice.

More on this later.