Starting my golf practice
Got to the driving range yesterday thinking I’d crush it like Tiger in his prime. Grabbed my trusty 7-iron, did my usual waggles, and absolutely chunked five shots in a row. Felt like swinging a shovel in mud. Noticed my buddy Dave shaking his head – that’s when he dropped the bomb: “Dude, your wrists look stiffer than my grandma’s hip replacement.”
First mistake: Death grip disaster
Took slow-mo videos of my swing later. Freaking horror show – my knuckles were whiter than fresh snow! I was squeezing that club handle like it owed me money. Here’s what I tried:
- Tossed some old golf balls between my palms during setup
- Hummed “Sweet Caroline” out loud to stay loose
- Pretended the grip was a baby bird (sounds dumb but worked)
Took twenty shots just focusing on grip pressure before anything felt natural.
Second screwup: Hinge timing chaos
Rewatched my videos frame by frame. My wrists were flopping around like fish outta water at totally wrong moments. Tried this stupid drill: stuck an alignment rod through my belt loops to force my hips open before hinging. Looked ridiculous but holy cow – stopped that “casting” crap immediately when my wrists didn’t jump the gun.
Third blunder: Over-hinge madness
Kept cranking my wrists back so far the clubhead nearly scratched my back. Coach made me do the “waiter drill”: held a golf ball on a tee tray throughout my entire backswing. Dropped that sucker twice before finally keeping it steady. Turns out you only need enough hinge for shortstop throwing mechanics – not pitching a tent.
Putting it all together
Spent today mixing all fixes: grip pressure check -> hip rotation trigger -> lazy waiter hinge. First few tries felt like patting head while rubbing stomach. But after fifty balls? Started seeing straight shots with baby draw action. Dave walked by and muttered “Look at Mr. PGA Tour over here.” Felt good man.
Biggest takeaway? Your wrists ain’t supposed to work hard – just relax and let physics do its thing. Still not perfect but at least I’m not digging craters in the range anymore.
