Keith’s Ramblings

Welcome Kilt golf
I started this web site to track my progress after a Lesson from Mike at Felicita Golf course. I have golfed for about 10 years since the trips to Myrtle Beach with my brother, I was never a good golfer. Last year my wife decided that she would like to play more, which was great because I got out more, but horrible because I realized that I was not that good and I was not improving much. Last year I broke 100 a few times but there was no way to know when it was going to happen. I took my first lesson on April 29th, and although the last few rounds I haven’t had noticeable score improvements my golf game is much improved. After two rounds of 18 and two rounds of 9 I decided that I needed to spend time at the range to get the swing engrained better than it is, so for three days I have done nothing but hit the range.
The lesson in review:
I was really nervous about going to the lesson, I knew I needed help, but I didn’t know how much I needed. I went to the range and warmed up a little bit. Mike came out with a video camera and taped me hitting a few shots with a 4 iron and my driver. They were my typical shots, of the three I hit with each club one was pretty good two were slices, that was typical for me for hence the reason I was taking a lesson. We went and watched the tape, the first thing I noticed was that I had put on a truckload of weight again around the middle, then he asked what I saw in my swing. I didn’t notice much let’s face it if I knew I was doing something wrong I would have fixed it long ago. So he pointed out that my grip was really strong, i.e my right hand was well under the grip, he also noted that I was very stiff at address, not relaxed at all, finally he pointed out that I left all my weight on my front foot throughout the swing. So basically there was nothing in my swing that was good. At first I was very discouraged with this, but I then realized I am paying the money for a lesson because I get so frustrated after I play because I don’t hit the ball anywhere near straight. We went back to hit balls again, and I listened to everything he said and tried to do it to the best of my ability.
The first thing he had me do was to bring my right hand way over the club, this was very uncomfortable for me, mainly because it was such a difference. Now two and a half weeks later, I am pretty used to it and that is just how I hold the club now I don’t think about it.
The second thing he had me do was to get my arms hanging more down from my body and less at an angle. By that I mean that my old swing my arms and club shaft were on the same angle, now my arms hang straight down from my body and then the club goes to the ball, that wasn’t to hard for me to understand and I find that if I am relaxed over the ball this is just how I stand.
Next we worked on my take away I think because in hockey I was always taught that you should come straight back and straight through the puck for a slap shot that I thought in a golf shot it should be the same way. I remember practicing this at the range when I used to go, putting a ball or a tee behind the ball I was going to hit and making sure I came back over that ball or tee. He said this isn’t right and worked with me to have a very different take away, right now I am over exaggerating this as he told me to do.
Finally he asked me to take the club back to my waist and then work hard on snapping my wrists through the ball, we did this over and over again. Concentrating on not only snapping through the ball but also the grip, posture and take away. Now the balls weren’t going very far but the ones I caught good I could feel it.
We had talked earlier that we were not going to work on my weight shift at the first lesson because we wouldn’t have time. But since I was progressing well we decided to work on this as well. My old swing when I turned I would straighten my right leg and flex my left knee which was still bearing the weight of my body, he told me this wasn’t right. So we worked on getting me to turn my upper body and when that happened the weight automatically went to my right leg.

Went to the range yesterday to work on the inside out swing.  I have never hated golf before, but yesterday did it.  I am torn between giving up the lessons completely and just figuring out how to play on my own or going back and keep fighting it.  It just seems that the hour that we have in a lesson I don’t learn what I need to learn to actually do what he is asking me to do when I get to the range on my own.  He wants me to come inside when I do I get either a straight push or a slice never a dray, if I come inside a little less I hit the ball straight.  It seems like he is having me over do everything and by doing that the frustration is growing really

Finally improving after a full summers worth of playing.