Swing Habits

Often, I’m asked if “swing drills help.” My answer, and I’m sure any instructor would agree, is this: they help if you do them long enough and often enough. The reverse of that is what you might expect - they don’t help at all if you don’t. That is, it’s an all or nothing situation!

Put simply, years of bad habits cannot be changed by executing a new motion a few times. It is foolish to think otherwise. Let’s say you play two to three times a week, practice between sessions on occasion, and warm up before each round. That is a lot of “grooving” a swing motion. It becomes part of your golfing DNA and cannot be easily or soon changed.

So how long and often are we talking about? One theory has claims that 60 times day for 21 days can change a motion habit. I really can’t tell you if that’s true because I’ve never had any student carry it that far! But I do know this - the new motion must become as habitual and as “built in” as the old; that is, you must do it until you are not even aware you are doing it, just as you did with the fault you were trying to correct. Here you see the problem - very few will stay with the drill if it does not work immediately. In fact, if you are not an ardent practice golfer, it is unlikely ANY drill will be of much help. Drills and practice aids are ubiquitous on the net, in golf magazines and/or on the golf channel. I use drills but honestly, as soon as the practice aid or short-term drills are done, the old habit comes back almost immediately.

So, what is a golfer to do? Let me make this very clear - drills and some swing aids DO WORK - I’m not saying they do not! But you MUST give them time and do them diligently. The other point is a player must know precisely what drill fits their particular swing issue. It is an “if-this-then-that” relationship. That is why all-encompassing, one size fits all drills can never work. You must be aware of the swing issue and be advised of the drill that might help.

I would be happy to suggest drills for you if, A) you send me a video and B) you discipline yourself to do them “till the cows come home.” Good Luck!