I read a message from a PPGS Inner Circle Member that said he has been working on the vertical swing for a few months now and things were really falling into place.  He said that he was playing well, his scores were dropping and his play and ball striking was more consistent and his confidence increasing.  He said that it was the best and most consistent stretch of golf he has ever played.  He was certain that the ultimate cause or underlying reason for his improved scoring and consistent play was his swing was falling into place.  The consistency in his swing had tremendously improved his ball striking.

This is something we all dream about and it’s the reason why we try to learn more about the golf swing, take lessons, practice more on our swing and all aspects of our short game.  It is all about wanting and striving to be the best we can be.  It is all about wanting to develop a more simple and consistent swing.  With a more reliable and consistent swing, ball striking improves and we hit more fairways and greens.  Then, ultimately, the final proof of improvement is scores get lower and then the handicap gets lower.   Another side benefit is that maybe we start beating that playing partner we never have beaten and for once, taste the sweet victory of getting into their pocket.

The big question now is how you can keep this new level of play and lower scoring.  How can you keep your new and improved swing and ball striking steady and consistent and in improvement mode?  The big question from the negative aspect is how do you not stagnate and, even worse, falter and start back tracking?

The first and obvious answer is quality practice.  You need to keep up the practice regimen that led to your improved swing and likely increase it if further improvement is desired.  You need to keep your stats when you play to know what is good, mediocre to bad or poor.  These stats are your guide to setting up your practice sessions.  You need to practice the good points enough to keep them good to even getting better.  But the most important practice is practicing the mediocre to bad as they are what is holding you back, and adding strokes to your score.  The bad in your game is what must be worked on the most as that is where improved performance will provide the biggest degree of lowering your scores.

One other important point that I think is most overlooked and many times not even considered by most golfers, including professionals, is videotaping your swing when swinging well and playing well.  When not swinging well, we are all quick to whip out the DVD or Flip cameras, or  now our cell phones, to record our under-performing swing.  Or we go take a lesson and with our pro try to figure out what is wrong.   We look at the swings in stop action, slow motion, back and forth and over and over, trying to figure out what is wrong with the setup and/or the swing.

When you have video of your swing when swinging well, you have yourself at your best to look at and use as the model to compare the mediocre and bad against.  When you can see the good setup and swing, and compare the now “not so good to bad” against it, the comparison is simple, and most importantly accurate.

Setup problems will likely stand out and even jump out off the screen at you.  Stance too wide, ball position way off, posture too stooped over, or arms reaching too much.  Swing problems, like the forward foot raising and knee kicking inward too much, or the rear leg straightening, and head and spine moving, even if very subtly, and stand out and are easily seen in comparing the bad to the good.

We all strive to setup and swing better to shoot lower scores.  When our practice begins to produce improvement in our swings and better ball striking, video tape it for future reference.  Think of your swing growing up like your changing life and your children growing up and all the pictures you took to document and remember all the good and happy times and occasions.

Treat your golf swing and video tape it as you improve for future reference as well as just for the same of remembering where you were and have come from.  But most importantly, video tape your swing when it is good, as that is the ultimate reference source to help you get your setup and swing back up to par.

The Surge!

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