A Different Golf Swing Almost Every Day

/ The Grateful Golfer

Have you ever noticed that your golf swing can change from day to day? Some days it is a smooth as silk and others we cut more wood than Paul Bunyan. I have no rhyme or reason as to the differences, but it happens. The good thing about knowing that our swing changes, I think it is important to be able to adjust my on course strategy to account for swing discrepancies. It is the nature of golf and every played should be able to go with the flow!

I obviously cannot tell you definitively how to adjust your game because only you can do that. However, I can offer two pieces of advice that might aid you in limiting the possible damage from a less than smooth golf swing.

First, accept the short distances due to a poor swing. Generally when I am chopping wood, I have a tendency to over swing. This actually causes me to lose distance; so instead of hitting a 7 iron into the green, I am hitting a 5 or 6. This can be frustrating for most players, but I have learned to accept this result and use the longer club. It makes it tough to score, but that is how my game will go on those days and whining about it will not help.

The fact of using a longer club on approach shots means that I will likely miss more greens and have to chip more. This leads into my second tip.

Chip aggressively and hit the ball to the hole. When we are struggling with our swing, we generally become tentative when chipping. Because of this, I have to force myself to hit the ball to the hole. It is a mental battle and one that I do not always win. Regardless, aggressive chipping will usually result in the ball going past the hole and that is okay with me. It allows me to see the line coming back, but more importantly it forces me to stay focused on my game.

I suppose the real question on most golfers mind is “how do I get my swing back?” Well, I do not have a definitive answer to that question. Every player is different and need to work through there own challenges without trying every quick fix-it tip. Personally, I like to club down and slow my tempo down until I was hitting the ball properly. Then, I work my tempo back up to normal speed. It works most of the time, but not always.

I am hitting the links today and I wonder which swing will show up. Last round I stacked up more cords of wood than a lumberjack. If nothing else, golf keeps me guessing and having fun at the same time.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!

6 thoughts on “A Different Golf Swing Almost Every Day”

  1. Jim, it’s one of the great mysteries of life. Your strategy is a good one. I usually put my driver away and try to keep the ball in play off the tee. I find if I’m out of a hole too often with a bad tee shot, my mind loses focus. Keep workin’ it!

    Brian

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  2. I used to have that problem a lot. At first I thought it was all just timing. Some days I had it and some days I didn’t. But timing wasn’t the cause, bad timing was the result. The result of multiple errors in the way I swung. When I got it right it was great, but some days getting it right seemed next to impossible more than once or twice in a round. What the biggest problem turned out to be was I was swaying through the swing instead of turning. I know enough about physics to know that if my swing speed is constant, adding lateral movement to my core adds distance. And it did. As long as I got every little thing timed perfectly. But that changed not only daily, but during the round as I got loosened up. I was forever searching and didn’t find the perfect combo nearly as often as I liked. I couldn’t break 80 at the time.

    So I eventually figured I needed to learn to stop swaying and turn. And while doing that I also needed to learn to add that to my initial practice swings before I hit the first tee shot. I seldom get to hit balls before playing so I take about 20 practice swings before I get on the 1st tee. And with at least the first few of those I make sure to think about my turn. After I feel comfortable with that I can practice adding speed. I just swing and listen until hear the pitch of the club passing through the air indicates faster speeds than I plan to swing when I hit that first shot. I want to feel loose. Doing that little routine helps me in a number of ways one of which is I’m more consistent throughout my wood and iron game because I’m less likely to sway at all and more likely to make a good turn and that leads to more consistent contact. I still might be off, maybe toe to heel or something like that, but whatever it happens to be seems easier to dial in and it generally doesn’t take long to get solved if I start off poorly. I start with checking posture, grip, etc. Basic setup stuff, and I think about the divots I’ve made, and where the ball hit the face. I have clues to help me adjust. When I was swaying, it was a total crap shoot.

    That’s just my personal experience. I don’t remember seeing you swaying in any of the video’s you’ve offered so I can’t say what has you feeling off. Maybe it’s just something with the new clubs vs old ones. Minor adjustments you used to make might need to be tweeked with the new irons maybe to get your game back. One thing is sure. It won’t last forever. And better now than in a tournament.

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    • Kevin

      Thanks for the detail explanation of your process to find the right swing. I do not sway at all in my swing. The challenge I have is that I end up coming over the top and pulling the ball left. It just happens, but I am working on identifying this challenge as soon as possible. Still a work in progress.

      Cheers Jim

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  3. Well Jim, it is true I rarely have the same swing. But most days it’s pretty close, that’s why we practice – to gain consistency. What I have noticed is that as I grow older, I am not as flexible some days as others. The weather may be cooler. I can’t rotate as much as other days. My ham strings are tighter on some days. I slide rather than turn and post up on left side. If I start too early I gotta wait for the coffee to kick in 😜. It is what it is.
    I do like your approach of making club adjustments until you find all the components that make up the swing.
    Linley

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