Date: April 5, 2023

I know about my bad golf swing, all along.

It is hurting my knees, it is hurting my elbows and it starts to hurt my back and shoulders.

At first, I thought it is because i played too much golf, but that too, contributes to the golf injuries I am having.

And of course, drinking beer does not help.

This is Coach Tae Kyung Kim. She is one of the golf instructors at Hidden Castle Golf Club. I have her to teach both me and my son. My objectives for her is simple:

1. Teach me the correct way of swing without hurting myself.
2. I am prepare to forget all my old golf swing.
3. I stop injuring myself from bad golf swing.

This is the blog entry to record my progress of changing my golf swing.

A Great Day To Start

Yesterday mark the lesson #13. I was quite frustrated with my some time good some time bad golf swing. I don’t feel connected from my back swing to down swing. I was starting to hit my golf balls wild. I was using my shoulder, and my swing was very handsy. My body start to sway a bit.

A day before, I was happy to learn that I don’t have to grip so tightly on my right hand for both back swing and down swing. I was able to cock and uncock my wrist during the back swing without gripping it hard with my right hand. The right thumb and right index finger is loosely forming a gun pose when I did the down swing. The only thing is to push the club forward a bit, eyes look at the ball and let the club height finish at the end by openning my hips and facing the target.

I can do it sometimes, but sometimes I just failed to perform it. And when that happen, this is what happen. Watch the video below, and observe how I top the ball and the ball hit the screen and bounce back high to land on my forehead. This is probably the most funniest video I have ever seen of me doing it.

Oh boy, it is really funny. You can see the coach was shocked to see the golf ball landed and hit my forehead at the end.

As a result, I need to put some ice on my forehead for a while. I am sure to get the blue black on my forehead.

And of course, ice can cool down your head. And while putting the ice on my head, I get to chat with my coach. Expressing some of my frustrations, how I cannot “connect” the back swing to the down swing and follow thru.

I still can chat and smile means, I am ok. It is just a bump on the forehead. No headache. Just a blue black bump.

I Finally Believe that I can do It

You know the time when you start doubting yourself. You are asking how a small hip turn can generate so much power. Without seeing it, you just cannot believe it can be done. But you know your coach can do it easily, but I just couldn’t do it.

So Coach Kim suggest that may be, I break the swing into two parts. Back swing and hold that position for 2-3 seconds. And think about how to do the down swing (drop and swing) and make sure do it together with the hip turning.

So, once I bring the club up at the back swing positon, and need not to overswing, etc. Just a small little hip turn to the right, and hold it there for 2-3 seconds. It sounded wild and strange. I did it any way. That is when I reaslise, the 2-3 seconds gave me some time to think how to do the next step. With one connected motion, turn the hip and down swing, eyes look at the ball at hitting position, stretch the club far square to the target after hitting and then flip a little to let the club finished my turn so that my body is facing the target at the end of the swing. This is like holding a badminton racquet and have a slight back swing and hold it there and prepare to serve the ball straight ahead. I can do that.

So, I told my coach, my head is fine, my head has cooled down, and I am ready to continue these swing thoughts.

To my surprises, I did the following. Using a 7-Iron. Have a good back swing. Hold it there fore 3 seconds. Then, body turn and swing and don’t have to even thinking about hitting the ball. Everything comes naturally excuted.

And I hit a 134m distance with 128m carry. With my 7-Iron. This is where I say 好朋友，你终于回来了。I meant the distance for 7-Iron. For the last 2 years I have to use hand or shoulder to achieve this distance, without a proper golf swing.

I went on and hit another shots. And the result is similar.

If I did not do it, I will never believe that I can do it. And when I do it, it is excuted perfectly, the back swing is nice, the tempo is nice, the down swing and the hip turn is nice, and the finishing is nice. And the most important thing is, effortlessly, I hit 134m with my 7-Iron.

This is where I found golf lesson is fun again. So, the next thing is to try to see if I can perform it once again after the lesson during my own time practising.

After the lesson, I intended to hit every single clubs I have in my bag to see how it goes.

Profiling My Golf Clubs Distance

I am using Tourstage X-blade 705 Type M 5-P irons (2011 model) with NSpro 850 G.H shafts.

I love using this old irons. Thanks to my friend Raymond, gave the set to me. I have stopped using Yamaha UD+2 (2021 model) for a year now. And I even have a similar set (X-blade 704) put in Bangkok.

Pitching (46 degree loft angle)

This is a 46 degree wedge. I hit it 97m with 92m carry.

So, 90m-100m is my pitching distant.

I hold it for 2 seconds before I did my down swing. The back spin is 6000+.

I did just a bit of the hip turn during back swing. And hold at this postion for 2 seconds. Then, with one single motion, hand, body, hip all turn together at the downswing. Eyes still looking at the ball.

I felt that I have more time to think. Not like last time kalang kabut and sway here and there.

9-Iron (41 degree loft angle)

My 9-Iron suppose to hit 100-120m distance.

So I did total distant of 121m with 108m carry. 4000+ back spin.

8-Iron (36 degree loft angle)

I should hit 120-135 with 8-Iron by right.

Result: 130m with 125m carry. 5500+ back spin.

Perhaps one of the biggest change for this new golf swing is … My clubhead is square when hitting the ball and my ball start to go straight.

When the ball start to go straight, you will not lose your balls. Later when I use the hybrids and longer irons, same result. And this below diagram illustrate just that.

7-Iron (32 degree loft angle)

I suppose to hit the 7-Iron around 135-145m.

Result: 136 with 126m carry. smash factor 1.27 with 4000+ back spin.

I pull it to the left. But the distance still good.

6-Iron (28 degree loft angle)

I can do 145-155m on my 6-Iron.

Result: 159m with 148m carry. 1.37 smash factor.

Wow, that is long for a 6-Iron. And my ball went out square and straight. The smash factor is 1.37. I had a really good hit.

5-Iron (25 degree loft angle)

I usually can hit 155-165m on my 5-Iron.

Result: 166m with 158m carry. Smash factor 1.34.

I had a good hit on my 5-Iron too.

Tourstage U4 Hybrid (23 degree loft angle)

I can hit this 165-175m.

Result: 170m with 163m carry. 1.31 smash factor.

Yamaha UD+2 U4 Hybrid (19 degree loft angle)

I can hit this 175m to 190m.

Result: 189m with 182m carry. 1.34 smash factor.

OnOff Kuro 3W Fairway Wood (15 degree loft angle)

Usually can hit 190m to 200+m.

Result: 185m with 177m carry. A bit short. But I am ok with the result.

Ryoma 2022 model Driver (9 degree loft angle)

I loaned my Ping 430 to my friend as she wanted to test driving it. Then, I am still not confident with my Callaway Paradym yet. May be later I bring to the driving range to try. So, yesterday, I only have my old man driver, Ryoma with me.

I usually can hit 200-220m with it.

Result: 190m with 176m carry. Smash factor 1.42 which is good. low spin at 1700+.

Interesting result. Because the driver shaft is so long. So, I did not hit it well with this hold-3-seconds pose.

Will continue to do research on it. Start to feel tired too.

I still have two more videos to share.

52 degree Vokey with Steelfibre shaft

Usually full swing is 80-90m.

Result: 85m with 80m carry. 6000+ backspin.

Feel really good.

58 degree (5808) Vokey M bounce with Steelfibre shaft

Usually 50-60m full swing.

Result: 80m with 78m carry??????? for 58 degree wedge? I can do that?

Need to verify some more. Hahahah

Final Thoughts

1. My understanding of tempo is slightly wrong. I always thought that you back swith with speed 1, you come down swing with speed 1. That is tempo. But you can actually create the tempo by pausing it 1-3 seconds during the back swing.
2. If I am having so much problem connecting my back swing to my down swing and finishing pose, it is not a bad idea to pause for 2-3 seconds during back swing, regroup all thoughs and just give it a nice whack with body turn. You will not lose any distance at all.
3. I still have a long way to go. But at least now I know my swing will not hurt my body with the new swing.