Swing With Purpose

I get the same thing. People will ask me if everything's ok, because I'm being so quiet. Others will claim I'm being grouchy because I'm not yacking it up. I have a hard time turning it off and on like a light switch, so I have to try and maintain a certain level even in between shots. I do not like that I am so easily distracted, but, it is the truth. For me to just look at the ball is not enough, I have to look at a particular dimple or letter or blade of grass, etc for full concentration over the ball. On putts and chips I often focus on seeing the ground under the ball after contact. If I do not see the spot of grass under the ball, I must of raised too soon.

Was busy at work this morning and missed DJ's day till just now looking it over. Great round. I'll look over shot tracker later to see how he did it.

Steve

That is pretty much the same way I approach putting also. I just need to start practicing putting more. I have been spending way to much time on full shots now that I have these irons straighten out I am going to spend my range time only hitting 50 max full shots and a couple of hours putting and chipping twice a week. To get to the mid to low 70's  and my tourney scores closer to the upper 70's low 80's I have to start hitting more fairways off the tee hopefully with the new driver when I get it that happens.

37 - 40  I am happy with.  

There are always questions of alternate understandings of terms. That's why Don does these videos, and it's why his providing us this space to discuss the videos and the elements of the swing is so helpful. A perfect example was a few weeks ago when Steve Smith and I got into a tussle over whether it was a one-piece takeaway or not. Turned out, we had slightly different definitions and we'd never have known that and come to a mutual understanding without discussing it here.

I was trying to put into words that to perform in the zone the internal dialogue you have with yourself needs to put on mute so that the higher mind can let the body perform the swing needed to hit the shot desired. Kind of like an out of body experience where you are the spectator not the performer.

Good round Keith. Your making steady improvements. Sounds like the consistency is coming. Way to go.

I think what is also difficult is to firm the left arm but keep the right arm slightly more relaxed so the right doesn't over power the left. I played today and felt myself getting loose for a shot or two. I also hit a bad shot and straight away as soon as the take away began I felt too close to the ball, hence the bad shot, why I didn't stop and set up again I don't know!
  I felt myself toooooooooooo loose on one hit and I think I topped the ball.

On a positive note after only 10 months after picking up a golf club and nine months with the Surge I hit a 91 today and only 8 behind my playing partner who has been playing for years.

To sum up my progress with doing the Surge program I would say it is difficult to show and learn someone a swing as this can surely only come with time and practise but what has massively helped is how much Don stresses about the SETUP, this is imprinted in my mind so has given me a head start above anything else. Once the swing really starts getting consistent and ingrained I hope to hit some really good scores and beat a playing partner or two! I have put alot of effort to get to this point and studied the swing ALOT this cannot be taken for granted.
For now I am over the moon with 91 and my progress so far.
Thanks Surge  

Terry

Thanks . Just stick with it. It will come. Playing with fitted irons
have helped me a lot. My bad shots are not so bad anymore maybe just
short of the greens on approach shots or a little of the side of the
green on either side but I am able to get up down easy enough for pars
now. I chip really well around the greens with these irons since I had
them rebuilt must be something with the increased weight of them.

I cant wait to get that new fitted driver when it comes in.

Roger

Hi Robert F--what you wrote is a good example of what I wrote in my "Psych 100" piece the other day. Right between too tense and too relaxed is the level of optimum mental energy/arousal. Hard to identify it, find it, and stay in it, but when you do, things feel "golden," and it feels like you can't do anything wrong. According to some sports psychologists, this state i

PHD stuff I should think. Flow, zone, stored in the brain. A lot of words and words too often mean what the author hopes and not what is conveyed to those he would like to communicate with.

Rather one should think body. brain, mind and soul with the goal to align all to the same goal. Not easy when your buddies would rather chirp about how cute the cart girl is.

The zone is achieved when the barrier of the brain and mind interfere with the communication between the soul and the brain/body. The conscious mind plays more havoc, especially in golf than can be written about in many tomes of psychological treatise. Oops sorry for too many scrabble words.

I like to tell my buddies to play successful golf you have to lose 80 points of your IQ. The mind simply gets in the way of performing. By the way the link between musicians and athletes does not really exist. Wayman Tisdale. Thanks man.

Congrats Keith. You will be in the 80's before you know it.

Fully agree about cutting out the internal dialog and the "kind of out of body expeience." I have heard that cross country runners and marathoners say that when they are in the zone, they can see their bodies from the outside. I can't attest to this because I haven't experienced it. I have experienced being in the zone at least two times once against Michigan State in a volleyball tournament as a setter. After the match, the umpire told me that I got away with so many illegal sets because I did it so smoothly and so quickly that he couldn't call me on it. I still recall that day, even if it was forty years ago. I'm waiting to experience it in golf.

Sorry--something happened to my computer and my post got posted as "Guest" and was posted before I completed the last part.

I was writing "according to some sports psychologists, finding this point that Robert F describes as between tension (too tense)  and relaxation (too relaxed) is a pre-cursor to being "in the zone," where you feel like a runner feels that he/she can fun forever, where the tennis ball and baseball look as big as melons, and where the basketball hoop looks much bigger than it actually is.

Sorry--the link I was referring to was not between musicians and athletes, but between the physical and the mental, in both athletes and musicians.  While they engage in different  activites are different,  the mental processes that gifted athletes and gifted musicans use are similar according to the neuroscientists who did the fMRI research. 

When you bring in the soul, you go beyone my realm of comprehension.   As far as IQ and sports performance, I think it depends on how the person uses his/her IQ.  I thought I heard over the weekend that one of the top women pros, either LPGA or at Wimbledon, has an IQ of 168.  I also just read that Frank Ryan, all-pro QB, earned a PhD in Mathematics from Rice.  I imagine that there are examples a the other end of the spectrum.

That's fabulous, Keith!

Don't beat yourself up too much about not stopping on some of those swings. I've been doing this a lot of years and I still find myself swinging even when I know my setup is off and I should step back and start over. You'll be winning club championships before you know it at this rate.

Hi Surg
you speak about being athletically ready for your golf swing but what about putting
do you need to follow the same rules and proceedures

And let me be the first on here to congratulate DJ on a very nice 4 under par round today! Keep up those fairways and greens, DJ.

Ilike a lot your videos,  I learn a lot
thank you, i'ts work!!

I really like this video as it adresses perfectly one of my "faults" in my swing. I do have a tendency to be "loose" on my backswing which results in a lot of bad angles (my left elbow bends and my wrists get loose (i'm righthanded) and I loose all feeling of the swing, causing me to hit fat shots and even shanks occasionally. Whenever that happens I try to "firm" up my swing, and most of the time I''m back to hitting solid shots. Staying "firm" throughout my golf swing is definitely a key element for me. I've been using the Surge Swing for 8 months now, and during this time I've had more sweetspot hits than in the previous 15 years of rotational swing. I've never had injuries or back problems in my 15-20 years of golfing, but converting to the Surge Swing has made me hit more solid shots than ever before (with all clubs), so thank you Surge! Keep it vertical.

Anders

I fight that no peaking thing all too often Roger. It almost always ends up causing me to pull my putts. I'm consentrating on keeping my eyes over where ball was for a few extra seconds.
A so so 77? Hmmmn. Don'T feel too bad for you but we all have different goals and what we would consider sucessful. I'm working on breaking 80(again for the first time in many years) and eventually average below 80. I guess when i get there I'll want to go lower too. It's human nature.

A good strong finish here will put him well over the half million mark in winnings for this year. Not too shabby for 3 July.

Your so right it is a fine line and can even change with
our temperment each day WHAT A GREAT SPORT
Being on top one day and the next day being served
a good slice of humble pie.
Or is that just me
Ron from Qc, Canada...

Thanks, Don! The toughest part for most of us is finding that point between tension and relaxation where we're ready but not tight. Finding that spot makes it all so much easier, though. :)

Steve, I have decided to just take my putter and wedges to the practice tee for a while. At minimum they need to become 80% 0f my focus.

Amen, Robert.  I was rooting so hard for that eagle putt on 16 I could taste it.  Six birdies on that course is really good stuff.

Lynn42

All

Today's round shot 77 was a so so round. Hit 8 FW's  cant wait much longer
for that new driver. 10 greens in reg. should of been a few more. Greens were
not holding shots real well and rolling a tad slow on putts. Had 31 putts
missed 3  6 - 8 feet birdie puts and  2 or 3 par puts from 3 - 4 feet
could not keep myself from sneaking a peak before I made contact with the
putter. I think I am going to get my long putter out tomorrow and get to the
course earlier tomorrow and get some practice in with it and see how I roll it
tomorrow it will usually cure what ales me with putting.

Roger

Robert,

I agree, that middle ground is a very fine line for me,as well.  I had forgotten that earlier post til Surge mentioned it.  I tinker with tempo depending on how I happen to feel that day and whether it's a social round or maybe serious concentration when I happen to play alone.

I happened on something that seemed to help while just swinging the driver in the backyard this afternoon.  My tendency is to be very deliberate in the BUS and then pick up speed in the FUS.  As I've said before I have a tendency to overthink ( now there's an understatement)...lol.  I'm distance challenged like a few people here so after I warmed up with a few swings with the driver I gradually worked up to the point that I decided to see just how fast I could swing.

I found that when I swung to the point of coming out of my shoes my tempo on my BUS just naturally increased as did my FUS.  The most important part though was I had no time to think about it.  WOW,  what a great idea.  Oops, there I go thinking again.

I backed off on the tempo to the point where I could control the swing and still not think about it.  I'm onto something that I need to work on and see how it translates  I know it's not an issue for many people, but one more piece in the puzzle for me.

Thanks for the reminder, Surge

Lynn42

Congratulations on today' score, Keith. I'm sure they will continue to get lower and like you said will get better as you practice.Enjoy the moment & look forward to continued lower rounds.

Psych 100 my butt. I think maybe Psych 367.

From my point of view being in the zone has two important components. Physical and mental.

The physical is being parallel to the aim line. While it is nice to have the feet, knees hips and shoulders parallel the absolute most important to have parallel are the eyes. The best example I can field is Lee Trevino. He learned from the oak tree lined fairways that accuracy was the grail. He found that when aiming straight he would hit a major block shot or a big top spin lob hook left. To solve it he learned to aim way left to the point that he could hit a soft block fade. His body lines were 20-30 degrees left and his eyes only a few yards or so. It took him over ten years to learn how to aim a few degrees to the right and hit a soft draw when needed. Oh and after winning majors.

When the eyes are parallel to the aim line the mental part of being in the zone comes pretty easy. Seeing the shot lets the focus or intent create the swing needed. As CharlieY states everything seems magnified, time slows and the goal looms larger and blocks out the outside world's distractions. This lets your creative mind create what is intended and not what could go wrong.

Robert

A so so 77. Just a little tongue and cheek this was a good score but only hitting 8 fairways not so hot hence the new fitted driver most of the 8 hit were with 4w's and hybrids on shorter par 4's I hit 2 fairways with the driver in this round.My goal is to get to the mid to low 70's in non tournament play and my tourney scores closer to the upper 70's low 80's.My home course is not that difficult of a course I should be in the mid to low 70's every time I play it one of my playing partners shoots 74 - 77 every time we play there these are great scores. My lowest career score last year was a 73. Yes I would like to beat this score even if by only one shot. Will I be disappointed if I do not meet these goals heck no I just love to play golf.

If its not our goals to improve and become more consistent what ever level we are at then what are we doing here ?

I self taught myself to a 8 handicap off Jack Nicklaus's video Golf My Way with in 2 years of taking up the game. Then I made the mistake of taking lessons from the wrong person that wanted to turn me into a rotational drawer of the ball and went from 8 to 16 with in 8 months and have been fighting it ever since. That is until I found this system now there is hope.

Robert, I was just slipping in to check his score. I must confess after his 4th hole, I couldn't keep my head up any longer and had to go nap. Congrats, DJ!

edit p.s....just checked the play by play..impressive

I like that phrase, Jim.

Congrats Roger, Your improvement is far exceeding that of mine. I am as tickled as a pig in slop to be knocking on the door of 39's and 79's several times this summer.

Shortgamewizard--you're always one step ahead of me.  Good point about mental and physical.  That's why it is so difficult to get into the zone.  There is another psychological phenomena called "flow," and it has become a very "in" topic in applied psychology.  Some people think that flow and the zone are the same, but I have no evidence to prove that they are the same or different.  Having experience both, or what I think are episodes of both, I can describe the difference.

Your statement of the zone being physical and mental is backed up by fMRI research on the brains of elite musicians and athletes, where they found some evidence on how they link physical and mentall aspects holistically, how they develop them, and where they are stored in the brain. Those of us who are not gifted just have to get as close as we can, and understanding the proces of the gifted is one way for us to try to emulate them as best we can. If we can get some of these gifted golfers to post their experiences, we can learn from them.

The research on the process by which elite performers ingrain their musical skills or athletic skills stresses that the mechanics have to be mastered, some way or another.  Some do it consciously and the gifted can do it unconsciously (but I don't have any evidence that they do it unconsciouosly because all of the elite musicians and athletes that I have had conversations with tell me about the hours the spect on technique.)

I hope you'll post more--your posts make me think about things I haven't through about for some time.  Are we still at Psych 367?