Shitty swing thoughts thread

[legitimatebeef]

This will be the collection area for all swing thoughts and ideas that you maybe once adopted but now reject as folly.

In my case I am currently recovering from 'lead with the hips/lower body' as well as 'don't flip with the wrists'. I am a victim goddamnit. These ideas, like many other swing ideas, might work for some, within the specific context of their universe of feels and perceptions etc.

For me they led to a positively execrable separation of arms and shoulders from everything else and a piss poor release, respectively.

I could be wrong, but I do not believe I ever needed to think about 'lead with hips'. Only a real shithead would think to throw down the club as the very first move from the top, while any shlub who half-understands that the swing is an athletic motion is going to figure out the right way to do it.

[bryan k]

"Keep your head down."

Worst swing advice ever.

I used to have a terrible chili dip on my swing. It developed because I concentrated so hard for so long on trying to keep my head down. People were always saying "you lifted your head". What was actually happening is that I was dipping down and then lifting up.

What I have learned since then is that if I have the proper set up, the proper allignment, and the proper mechanics, it doesn't even matter if I can see the ball or not. I can close my eyes and hit a good shot, provided I can keep my balance (which tends to be an issue with my eyes closed).

So to all of those "keep your head down" folks out there, I have this to say: "shut the hell up".

[legitimatebeef]

Keep your head down (and its after-the-fact cousin "You lifted your head") is an all-time classic. Probably the shittiest of all shitty swing thoughts. If shitty swing thoughts can be thought of as afflictions, then keep your head down is like, the heart disease of shitty swing thoughts. The #1 killer.

[jasonfish11]

There are so many bad swing thoughts. In reality any 1 thought could be bad for any person and could be a good thought for another person.

Some other typical ones, that people don't really do enough analysis to apply correctly.
"Swing to right field (or more recently swing to left field)"
"Lag = power = good"

[GBOGEY]

Any swing thought where the main intent is to increase distance is bad in my book. When I first started out I would constantly mess myself with all of the distance tips from the Golf mags. Firmly believe that you only increase distance reliably through better contact.