Hitting and Swinging

After four-and-a-half years of learning a golf swing, I'm still mostly a hitter rather than a swinger. Until recently, my "swing" (I'm using the term loosely) ended at impact. I just wanted to hit the ball. My lessons at Mohansic with Max Galloway last fall helped me think about using the lower body and doing some turning, and lessons with two other pros this spring have helped me immensely.

Brian Flanagan, at Fairview Golf Center in Elmsford, NY, saw my problem right away and started urging me to coil and uncoil, to continue turning the hips all the way through the swing. It took me about six weeks to feel comfortable even attempting that. Then I took a single lesson from Brian Lamberti, a pro at Golfworx in Baldwin Place, NY, who basically told me the same thing, along with a few other valuable comments.

Brian is a touring pro and is getting ready to play in the sectional qualifier at Canoe Brook CC in Summit, NJ, this coming Monday, June 6. He just played a practice round at the Trump course in Briarcliff, NY, and shot a 29 on the front nine en route to a final score of 64. I'm going to go down to Summit and watch as much of the 36-hole qualifier as I can. I told Brian that I'll pick up my lessons with him, sometime in late June, after he wins the US Open.

Both pros told me, each in his own way, to think about the whole swing, rather than focusing on individual parts or positions. And this advice was crucial. Brian also gave me an idea for a learning aid, using a club shaft and a bunji cord to help me maintain connectedness through the swing. I'll have more to say about that in the next post. For now, you can see where my swing currently is in the latest video.