Played Great and NOW I SUCK! How Does That Happen?

[@ChaoRacingLeauge]

The funny thing is that even professionals go through the same thing. There is no 100% repeatable swing for golf otherwise we would have found at least one golfer who has truly mastered the sport that would never miss a fairway or always be 100% GIR. I do agree though that "knowing what you are doing" with your swing is extremely important. Best way to achieve that is through repetition and reflection after each shot. If you succeed you ask yourself; what did I do to succeed on that shot? If you fail you ask yourself; what did I do that caused the error and what should I do next time to correct that error? I think self reflection and taking accountability for each swing is the key to improving repeatability.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

The crazy thing is that literally no one can tell you exactly what they do in the golf swing. Everyone will say, "It feels like ... I kinda ... then I feel ..." No one says, "I swing the club that way. that's all I do." Every good golfer has figured out how to use the golf club without actually knowing exactly what it is they're doing - they only know how to do it. I know that sounds crazy but it's true.

[@richyclubsport5155]

Oh how true is that, a couple of weeks ago on a windy cool day i played a new course to me, a testy tight par 68 course with water on just about every hole, shot level par, one bogey one birdie, par on the others. Wednesday i played that course again in a seniors match, perfect conditions, warm no wind, and lost five balls, shot 83

[@767driver]

Shot 75 Tuesday, shot 92 Wednesday. Golf!

[@stiggsmasta]

that explains me this year.handicap up 3 strokes already. cant evn get in a comfortable back swing

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

The golf swing should not be a mystery or just a feeling.

[@stevetrevino5346]

I've gone to the mental place of working my mentality as is. Like physically playing a ball as it lies. Take whatever is there at the moment. The flow state comes and goes. Maintain a mentality.

[@vinceschiavo5385]

It's REALLY HARD to argue with that...

[@toma9976]

I’ve been using your tips and have hit the longest balls with 60 degree to driver ever. However this week I’ve also added 10 strokes. I think it’s because I’m going into new areas with the distance and that changes my game in two ways. 1. I need to recalibrate my clubs and stop over shooting the greens. 2. I need to play more strategically with my newfound distance and stop blocking myself out of the next shot. Anyway, these are good problems and thanks!

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Yeah, that's kind of a fun problem to have. "That was an easy 8 and it's over the world ..."

[@djpoints]

Yeah your very refreshing insight into this game actually reminds me of the most pervasive and disturbing aspect of youtube golf --- that being the complete focus of a dynamic motion in total isolation. It's all so entertaining, but i really think it's all so incredibly misleading to the average viewer in that context. So I love your holy grail, bc it reminds me of my thought process so let me pick your brain for a moment, bc i think my holy grail is along the same lines. To me the whole key to flushing the ball is to simply *aim for the inside of it* . That's it, nothing else! The same way a hitter attempts to put the barrel on the ball, with arms extended. If you simply maintain this one and only thought all the ideal motions and movements that golf pros (particularly on social media) study in isolation happen naturally. When simply aiming for the inside of the ball your hips load and then have to clear, creating lots of space for you to naturally find the ideal slot to deliver a blow from the inside with arms fully extended. Put another way you simply cannot cast, early extend, sway, come over the top or commit any of the most common swing faults when aiming for the inside of the ball. Incidentally ive been sharing this simple tip on the range and guys are instantly smashing the ball. Admittedly it would make for an awful youtube channel though. Or maybe we could reverse engineer all the isolated movememts the youtube pros have reversed engineered. Basically a double integration of some sorts 🤓

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Interesting. Are you talking about glancing the inner edge of the ball with an open clubface or something else? Also, I don't think any of the instructors on KZbin reverse engineer anything ... They literally see a pose and think that's the reason for whatever.

[@djpoints]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf yeah I just can't imagine how the golf scene here is actually helping anybody. Maybe?? But it's at least entertaining. I run into all sorts of folks on the range who follow all these guys. They are hacking away trying to achieve whatever position the yt algo fed them that day. Which can be fine as long as you keep the most important overarching goal in mind --- which to me is to smash the ball with an inside to out delivery and squared face. In my experience this is the most significant universal golf truth or holy grail. A glance can be helpful at first i suppose, but it eventually just becomes so second nature as mechanism to lock in an inside to out delivery. And regarding clubface, definitely square throughout. Standard takeaway, face matching spine, neutral/bowed lead wrist at this point but by impact absolutely must be bowed for a squared smash (def not open), in transisiton club naturally shallows as your brain clears your hips out of way to make room for a collision into the inside of the ball. I assume the reason this delivery is so universal to great contact is because like putting the barrel on the ball this is the surest way put the most meat of the clubface on the ball. All other paths (straight-->straight, outside-->in, inside-->inside, etc etc) reduce the sweet spot's chances of impact and or occur with your body in a much weaker position. Anyway I digress, just nice to talk to somebody on here who is able to think and talk outside whatever box they are in that day! Edit: in summary note the famous water bottle drill.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

@@djpoints So, you're controlling the club throughout? You know there's a way to swing the club that requires no active manipulation at all - the way the club is designed to be used. I asked about glancing the inside edge because it's virtually impossible to do. The physics and engineering of the club take over and close the clubface. I think YT is just selling confusion under the guise of instruction. I watched one guy tell a student, who had a really nice natural swing, to stop doing this and that ... but those things are exactly what he advocates in just about all his other videos. Then of course the guy got worse and he says, "yeah, you're gonna have to work on it ..." So, the guy had a pretty good swing but needed a bit of work to make things better and instead he left with a much worse swing.

[@djpoints]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf oh man I bet. Silly YT. And when i worked at the course i saw the same contradictory crap there too. No shortage of 2c flying around! But i assure you what I'm referring to here is very powerful insight similar to your holy grail but perhaps im not conveying it properly. It's all based on the very few universal golf truisms. I'll try to elaborate a bit more because the whole reason I brought this up is because just like your holy grail there is *zero manipulation of the club* in my method. Well not totally my method. It's mostly based on David Lee's gravity swing, not sure if you are familiar with his method, but the grip is light, the back swing is a literal heave, the transistion is a classic Hogan hip thrust that naturally slots the hands, and the lead wrist naturally bows at top due to weight of clubhead as the hands naturally fall into the slot due to gravity, and it naturally remains bowed into impact. Through the entirety of the motion the hands are 100% passive. I think that's the whole beauty of it. It reminds me of your holy grail principles but maybe I'm missing something. It looks really effortless and dare I say, elegant. Interestingly, the aiming to the inside of the ball actually happens in the transistion and it's really initiated by the lower body. That single thought forces you to clear hips in the transistion to provide space and power for the optimal inside to outside delivery, you know what I mean?? All you home gamers can see for yourself. Can practice with just a club in slow motion Note how this naturally forces all parts in the right place at the right time. A good way to see how effective it is is to do the opposite and aim for the outside of the ball. And note how all parts are in the wrong place. Just like your holy grail you should see how this singular thought is so bloody effective!

[@pat26mi]

I enjoy your insights and they are very helpful. What is your diet, exercise and supplements routine?

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Sure, I've been intermittent fasting for a few years now. I eat once a day at dinner. The rest of the day it's just water. I work out in the gym maybe 3 days a week lifting fairly heavy but almost no cardio. I should do more cardio. I take creatine but that's about it. I'm 59, I'm 6'-3" and weight 195. I recommend intermittent fasting. Your body gets used to within a week or so and at dinner I literally eat as much of anything as I want. Although, because of the fasting you get full faster so although really looking forward to dinner you don't end up eating like a wolf. It's easier than you think.

[@pat26mi]

Thanks

[@xk3v1nPx]

Hi, love your videos and had a question. Should the swing here be considered across all clubs? Was wondering since a lot of the training videos were with longer clubs.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Yes, all golf clubs work the same way. I often use a 5 wood just because it's fun to hit.

[@xk3v1nPx]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf the shoulder turn video was a masterpiece, thank you.

[@faroutgolf3650]

My Nephew from Pasadena we were talking about parrots because of the arboretum. I said there is one here in Nipomo that resides in the palm trees. I got a sack of parrot food for the bird. Maybe the parrot will bring me good luck in my golf game...

[@AlphaPoppa38]

I think the main thing I have issues with is wrist angle. Trying to figure out how to to get a straight wrist in the backswing kind of changes everything about my swing. I feel like I can’t turn as much and have a Jon rahm type of swing. While it feels good and I seem to be able to hit more consistently, it’s hard to adjust to a completely new swing feeling.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

It sounds like you're attempting to actively manipulate the club through impact. If you grip the club correctly and swing it in the proper direction, no active manipulation is necessary. Swinging it in the wrong direction ... you must manipulate it.

[@AlphaPoppa38]

I feel like my natural tendency is to hold the club back with my hands and not allow it to “release” around my body. Almost the opposite of manipulation. Traditional golf instruction says basically keep the club face down throughout the swing, I feel much more natural with the club head opening up in the backswing as it allows me to feel the release so much easier.

[@JvoxProductions]

Yeah I have been thinking that it's better to learn how to feel your way into your stance and set-up, rather than memorize positions. Like take a few practice swings and then freeze your swing at the point of impact, with your body tensed the way it will be at impact, and look at the clubface and now set up so it's square to the ball.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Well, you’ve got the right idea but at impact you should be completely relaxed. In order to let the club crash into the ball at full speed any tension will impede speed.

[@JvoxProductions]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf I'll definitely have to work on that, thanks so much for the advice!

[@ristoaksila5677]

I notice that when I'm a bit sore in the muscles the swing is not the same. Obviously I can't perform the same. Even a little bit of soreness causes restrictions. Did this help? Lack of sleep, hangover, etc. could impinge.

[@DESCENDINGDR]

Hi Greg, do you always place the ball that far back in your stance for your fairway woods?

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

This is a 17º fairway wood and I'm aiming a bit right because of the sun but you definitely want a downward strike with this club. It's much easier to strike a ball that is too far back in your stance than one that's too far forward.

[@kurtheitman552]

@@HolyGrailOfGolfI’m not sure you’ve ever done a video on ball position for all shots. Might be a good idea.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

@@kurtheitman552 I was thinking about that. Good idea.

[@DESCENDINGDR]

Thank you

[@Thataintnothing]

Check out Marcus Edblad for Back in Stance ball positions ,He was on Long Drive Tour ,few Years ago .

[@roamann]

What club are you using? I saw in a previous video awhile back- it was in your backyard- you were using an Adams/tight lies wood I believe.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Close. It's an Orlimar Trimetal 17º. I have several of them the one you're talking about is a 9º. I think they're great clubs and everyone makes fun of me for using an old club until I let them hit it. It nearly swings itself. I think almost every eagle I've ever made involved that 17º. You can get them used just about anywhere and they're cheap.

[@roamann]

Thank you-I’ll be looking for one! Great channel by the way!

[@alanduncan9204]

Rory just sucked 2 days running. Maybe he needs to watch this channel?

[@pubmeatman]

Ain’t that the truth. Last 6 rounds same course 76-78-75-86-86-76.

[@es2056]

My biggest challenge is getting through what I call "toe torture". In one round I am hitting all my shots pure and I'll post a round in the 60's. The next time I play a round I'll have trouble hitting it square and most of my hits are on the toe. I'll be lucky to score in the high 70's. That's golf for ya'.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

People who strike the ball toward the toe are attempting to swing or move the clubhead in the direction of desired ball flight ... When you do that golf isn't really much fun and leads to a lot of frustration because you're basically fighting against the physics of how the club works.

[@ahkau4612]

Phillis Meti 2016 vs 2023.

[@rickegan4096]

Just wondering if yiu have added anything that will persuade me to subscribe to your paid site? I’m really tempted, but I need something to,push me over!

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Well, it's dumbfounding to me that no one other than me teaches how the golf club actually works and what direction you have to swing it in order for it to work properly. Literally, every video book, magazine and video tutorial is useless because they all completely unaware of the basic functionality of the golf club. They all seem to believe it's a mindless stick that must be manually manipulated in order to work properly ... but what they fail to realize is that if you don't swing it in the proper direction, it won't work properly and you would have to manipulate it. Look at any pro or good player and you can clearly see they're just swinging the club without a lot of thoughts or manipulation and once you understand how the club works all you have to do is swing it. It's truly a marvel of engineering when used properly but all that engineering is somehow completely unknown by almost everyone. Everyone seems to think that if you can replicate a position we're familiar with that you'll somehow achieve or create the intention that caused that position and it's completely backward. Golf should be ONE thought ... or even no thoughts when you truly understand it. Welcome to the website!

[@bradscott4273]

Can you give me link to sign up for paid site. Thank you

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

@@bradscott4273 Overhandgolf.com

[@Zack.G23]

Played against this old man yesterday that couldn’t hit it further than 100yards and he kicked my ass.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Yeah, "Old man golf." I remember beating a kid half my age who could smoke it 350 by 10 shots or more. He was pissed. And he was a professional caddy!

[@tombeach1262]

This is the longest explanation of “shit happens” I have ever heard.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Yes, but it's also about how to prevent shit from happening ever again.

[@tombeach1262]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf Good luck with that.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

@@tombeach1262 Why wouldn't you want to prevent "shit from happening?"

[@tombeach1262]

@@HolyGrailOfGolf There is an infinite number of reasons why swings fail. Shit always happens.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

@@tombeach1262 I never knew someone wanted to fail so badly. No, actually, I think you probably have a lot of excuses as to why you failed that aren't your fault.