Yes @Vre - bought the Tour Tempo Tones app! The tones are EXACTLY what I needed. I’ve learned my backswing was way too slow. There’s that plus in another post I mention I’ve engaged a new coach and am in the process of changing my grip and swing in a sustainable way while we’re in 3 months of lockdown in UK.
So now I still have the brain yip at the top of the backswing when I’m front of the ball. But if I can successfully switch off my conscious brain during my real swing - by humming the tones in my head - I can get my real swing closer to what it should be.
Looking forward to 2021 season!
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There is no risk with a practice swing. But on a real swing, the golfer may feel that he has to help the ball to the target. Not trusting the practice swing or the hours of practice. To me this is a parallel to how so many are comfortable hitting a short iron, but feel like they have to “help” the longer clubs.
Sometimes, I have to remind myself to trust the swing, trust the club.
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The answer is not to take a practice swing. Be confident in your swing and just hit it. The longer you take the more opportunity to let negative thoughts in.
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Check it out. Seemed (to me) expensive for what I previously perceived to be “a few musical tones”. I was so wrong. The fact that it’s simple is it’s strength. If you think your tempo is off or you need a way to stop conscious thoughts during your swing then I can’t recommend this app highly enough.
Interestingly it’s discussed in one of Mike’s @Fit_For_Golf recent podcast episodes with John Novosel. Maybe listen to that first if you’ve any doubts. Enjoy!
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The individual approach may be different, but I’ve found that I alleviate tightness in my right elbow and make my practice swings come closer to my real swings by holding the club vertically in front of me with both elbows bent and with my hands on the club with pressure from by the fingertips and the top part of the palm of my hand.
I rarely feel any tightness in my right elbow this way before I bend to the ball and try to maintain that exact feeling as I bend to set up to the ball. I’ve seen a real difference between getting to the ball in this manner and setting up with either my left or right hand on the club and then bringing the other hand to the club after I’ve bent to the ball. For whatever reason, I always seem tighter in my right elbow if I bend to the ball with only one hand on the club. Getting rid of that feeling has loosened up my swing.
I’ve gotta fire fast though after I set up to the ball or that elbow tightness creeps back in.
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I’ve rethought the practice swing thing and, frankly, feel there’s too many pitfalls, as @Adamyounggolf points out. Too many negatives. If my practice swing is bad, latent lack of commitment to real, and so on.
Rather than practice swing, try spending those precious moments clearing the mind, taking deep breath, shaking out muscles to stay athletic. @jon said it best:
When fully committed, step out of Annika’s ‘think box’, step into the ‘hit box’ and let your body run the show.
ps - works for putting too. Assuming good practice groundwork and pre-round calibration, your body already has a good framework for speed. That’s 95%. Seems to work ok for Speith.
Hope this helps!
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Great point!
I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but I try to frame my pre-swing prep as a “rehearsal” … vs “practice” at the range.
Semantics, yes, but … I try to think of it as rehearsing the body movements required to execute the next intended golf shot.
Then step into that Play Box and pull the trigger!
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I tend to think of the “rehearsal” as most critical the first quarter of your swing. In other words, you’re trying to ensure that your swing starts out the way it should. From left arm parallel on the backswing through the ball, there’s too little time to think of anything, and all that happens during that time is dependent on that first quarter of a swing.
I feel that if I have the good takeaway in my head (and my feels), I’m very likely to swing in tempo and hit a good shot.
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Mike Malaska thinks high handicappers are delusional if they think their practice swing is much better compared to their real swing. His observation is that the face is never square at what would be ball contact position.
That’s a little harsh but I don’t think your swing changes much. I do think my practice swing is smoother. Maybe that’s a step in the right direction.
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I’m looking into the Tour Tempo app, but just curious if you get all the information the Tour Tempo book provides. I’ve read the 4 free chapters and would like to know more about where they left off with the Y and L training. Does the app provide this information.
thanks
I’ve gone ahead and gotten the app and now need to do the workout and practice working with the tones.
I’ve had a ton of coaching this year, changed my swing and worked a lot on tempo and pre-shot routine. I’ve dropped from 20hcp to 16. I still stand by my post from September 2020. My number 1 problem is finding a ‘cure’ to the mental interference I get over a real swing from my conscious brain. I’m learning more about this from The Inner Game of Golf - written 1981! - and describes my situation perfectly. I took videos for my coach the other day. I’m still doing it. My practice swing looks great. My real swing is rushed from the top of the backswing thro transition and often results in fats, thins and hooks. If I can crack the mental blocker I believe I can get down to my target 9.9hcp.
Just gotta keep at it. Keep believing. Keep working, hitting balls in the net.
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I was at the range at the weekend. Hit a load of balls then tried an experiment from The Inner Game of Golf where I consciously attempted to swing with no muscle tension. WOW! I can’t explain what happened but my ball speed with a 7i went up 5mph consistently and average carry went up from 151 to 162yds!
Then (for a laugh) I got out my 4hy which I have hardly been able to hit since 2020 without slicing. WOW! Stripe show!
This reminds me of a comment on this forum about swinging faster not harder. It’s taken a long, long time but I got a glimpse of what that means in practice. Needs further work… 
♂:boom:
Then went out on the course the following day and sent one into orbit with my driver (my avg is 250yds) 
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Wow, I was searching for a place to state my “issue” and decided on mental because, while swing based, it has to be mental.
When I take a practice swing, use a divot board or any other means of tracking a swing path, without a ball, it is almost a perfect 2 degrees right of path so inside out. I played this swing to be a +1 in my earlier years. I close the face about half of that amount and the result is what I call a sling draw. It worked for me and a pretty decent 3-5 yard draw with decent enough trajectory.
Now, when I am actually hitting a ball, I get over the top about about 2-3 degrees and, I guess through feel, I open the club face to self-correct. The result is a “double-wipe” which is seriously challenging my already 75 year old age impaired distance. It probably costs 10-12% of my typical distances. Now, sometimes on the course, my natural path comes back but it is not reliable. I have been battling this for over a year. Help!!!
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Wish I could offer some help, but… This guy has the same hangup - range good, course not so good… 
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Here’s my thought on gadgets and “swing helpers”… UGH! In general, everyone has their own own personal swing. Especially going back in time, you look at Ray Floyd, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer etc. I grew up and Mr Hogan’s 5 fundamentals were drilled into me. Today’s players, because they have all started so early with the same training all kinda look the same. Then, for some unknown reason, start looking to change. That said, my main teacher, whom I thought was the best in the biz, was a huge proponent of routine. I have a very specific routine that I am comfortable with and use no matter where I am at. Even on the range. My teacher said wrap yourself up in that routine, it will become a security blanket. And it has! He was a believer in practice. ONE CLUB AT A TIME! My practice sessions, would be with a club… pick it… that’s it. one club…300-400 balls with a 5iron or 8iron or whatever. I can hit my 5iron a standard 170-175ish. I can also hit it 100 yds. I can stretch my 8iron out to about 165yds because I learned through practice how to do it, but a normal 8iron for me will go 145-150ish. I can also hit it 100yds. My teacher wanted me to learn different flight patterns, how to flight balls etc. Yea, I know, way too advanced, but, you won’t learn anything with a small bucket. The biggest thing he taught me was FUNDAMENTALS… ask the pros, FUNDAMENTALS… Grip, Posture, Alignment, Ball position, etc. I check that every single swing I take with my pre-shot routine. Is it perfect? NOPE, but for a Senior Player that only gets out about 48 times a year or less and carries a 7cap… it’s OK. Go to the range, and beat your brains in…with a purpose. The range is to help you develop consistency, you will NOT get consistent, nor will you develop confidence hitting a few with the driver, the 2 more with a 3w, then maybe 5 or 6 with each of your irons. Won’t happen unless you are that special player. Most of us are NOT that special player. The only tools I use are that I use long irons for alignment sticks, I use tees on the green. I use a tall mirror in my house that has masking tape on it to check arm and club position… I use my cell to record a few swings. When I’m on the range, my divot tells me alot, my ball flight and distance tells me alot… but you won’t learn didley being all over the place with your practice… I know I’m repeating my OP. Even though I draw my “woods” and fade “irons”, in general, I have taken the left side of every hole out of play 90% of the time. Golf is an imperfect game, first get the fundamentals down pat, second try to get real good one club at a time, third develop that solid pre-shot routine (that has a purpose… grip, alignment, feel the conditions, ball position etc) finally, understand manage your misses and you are going to miss! Just is the miss going to be the entire field or is your miss going to be a bit more specific. Hope that helped!
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