Alright folks, grab a cuppa, settle in. Wanted to try something new after watching Callum Shinkwin play, see if his simple tips could actually help my terrible swing. Been slicing like crazy lately, costing me strokes, you know how it is.
Started Simple in the Garage
First thing, dug out my old 7-iron, looked at my grip. Callum talks a lot about that left hand for right-handers. Mine always felt kinda… flimsy. Stronger grip, he says. Rotated that left hand clockwise so I saw more knuckles. Felt weird. Felt really weird. Like holding the club wrong. Right hand just kinda sat on top, bit more relaxed. Stood shoulder-width apart, bent knees slightly, trying not to look stiff. Practiced just waggling the club a bit, getting the feel.
Adding a Dumb Little Target
Watched one vid where he talked focus. Putting an old golf ball, or even a coin, down on the mat, something tiny to aim through. Not even at, just through. Grabbed a stray leaf. Seriously, a leaf. Placed it about two feet ahead of the ball spot on my mat. The idea was: swing smooth, try to sweep that leaf on the follow-through, not smash the ball into orbit.
- Stood over imaginary ball.
- Took a slow breath.
- Started the backswing: left shoulder turning, hands going back, trying not to rush it. Felt that left arm control.
- Started down: tried to shift weight forward onto the front foot, turning hips towards the leaf. This part feels awkward always.
- Tried to keep that new stronger left hand grip leading. Head down looking where the ball was.
- Follow-through: tried to swing towards the leaf, letting the club do the work.
Did this without a ball maybe 20 times. Just rehearsal. Sweeping towards that leaf. Felt kinda silly, but also… smoother maybe?
Hitting Actual Balls (Chaos Ensues)
Okay, time for the real test. Teed up an old range ball on the mat. Took the stance, tried to remember everything: knuckles showing, leaf in mind, smooth takeaway. Thwack! Ball flew… actually not bad! Went kinda straight for a change. NOT a big slice. Distance? Eh, average. But it went forward. Tried another. Bit of a pull. Another… straight-ish again. The bad shots felt less wild. More like “oops, turned too fast” instead of “where the heck is that going?”.
Took it to the putting green later. Short game nightmare. He talks about a solid putting stroke like a pendulum. Arms and shoulders moving together, quiet lower body. I tend to flick my wrists. Bad. Tried locking wrists, using shoulders. Felt stiff. Hit some putts. Sometimes they rolled nice. Sometimes… terrible distance. BUT, when I hit it right, it rolled end over end nice on the line. Promising? Maybe. Needs a LOT of work. Still three-putting like a champ.
The Unexpected Problem (And Anger)
Funny thing happened, NOT funny ha-ha. Was practicing a bit too enthusiastically on the little chipping mat on my patio later. Followed through hard on a chip shot… CRACK! The head of my 8-iron flew right off! Clean snap at the hosel. Plastic mat, cheap club maybe… but my frustration… oh man. All that focus practice gone in a second. Felt like screaming. There goes that club, maybe forever.
Honestly? The basics did help. That grip change felt wrong but made a difference hitting straight. Thinking about a tiny target for the swing path, not just bashing it, helped control. Putting… is gonna take forever. BUT… breaking a club because I got carried away? That just pissed me off. Maybe the biggest lesson: calm down, even when you’re trying hard. Smooth is key, strong isn’t always loud. My wallet feels that lesson hardest right now. Maybe saving for a baseball bat next, clubs are expensive! Think I’ll stick to the garage drills for now, maybe use the putter until the anger subsides.
