Starting From Scratch After Crosswinds

My latest round of golf, played at Crosswinds Golf & Country Club, was easily my worst performance of an already poor season. I played fairly well through the first four holes, tallying a couple of bogeys and even a birdie on the par-5 second. It was the fifth hole, a par-3 featuring an island green, that ruined any hope of a good round. Playing my tee shot to the safer side of the green, my ball hit the embankment and bounced in the water. Playing my third shot from the drop zone, I duffed a chip, then skulled one over the green and into the water on the other side. After my second penalty stroke on the hole, I chipped safely on the green, only to 3-putt for an embarrassing score of 9. I hung in there for the remainder of the front nine, amassing a score of 54 at the turn. When I duffed my tee shot on hole #10, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. On hole #11, I stopped trying completely and didn't bother keeping score the rest of the way.

The only thing to do now is forget about it and start from scratch. My swing has deteriorated this year and I know I have to make improvements. The good news is that I have a fairly good sense of what the problem is. Basically, I have slipped back to my natural tendencies - the very things I have adjusted in the past with some success. Here are a few things I need to to examine as I rebuild my swing.

Alignment - I have been setting up with my feet, hips and shoulders aligned and parallel to the target line. No adjustments are necessary.

Ball position - I have been playing my iron shots with the ball pretty close to the centre of my stance. I play my fairway woods and driver with the ball closer to the front of my stance, a few inches inside the left foot. This is good. I just have to be careful that the ball doesn't get too far ahead when using the driver.

Posture - My feet are a comfortable distance apart and I have a good amount of flex in the knees. My spine angle is also pretty good. If anything, I might be dropping the head down a bit too much. Any adjustment here should be very minor.

Grip - I might be getting a little strong with the right hand, which is no good. I should make sure that the right hand is a little weaker. Also, I should check to make sure that I am not using too much grip pressure.

Takeaway - I think I might be taking the clubhead back almost in line with the target line, which is no good. Ideally, the clubhead goes back a few degrees on the inside. This promotes a flatter and more consistent swing plane.

Shoulder turn - I need to remind myself to make a nice shoulder turn. Early this season, I may have slipped back into using the arms too much. When I use the arms like that, the top of my backswing gets too steep.

Swing plane - My biggest flaw is the tendency to swing over the top or outside-in. Basically, my backswing gets really steep and off plane near the top. A good takeaway and shoulder turn help prevent that, but it also helps when I shorten the backswing.

Tempo - I need to swing in rhythm and I haven't been doing that this season. When my tempo is off, my swing gets off plane and it becomes more difficult to make good crisp contact with the ball. Recently, I have slowed the backswing too much. Smooth and easy is the key. I need to get back to that.

Weight shift - For some reason, I have recently fallen victim to the reverse pivot. I have no idea how this crept into my swing, but it has. I need to make sure that my weight is evenly balanced on the backswing and that is shifts naturally to the left side on the downswing.

Finally, I need to do all this without getting bogged down by too much thinking. The most important things for me are a good takeaway, with proper tempo and weight shift. If I can do that, I will keep my swing more on plane and hit better shots.

As for chipping and putting, I just need to practice more and get more confidence. In the last couple of years I have gotten away from playing these shots by feel. I think I should get back to that a bit more because I was fairly good at it.