The Bandon Dunes ’23 trip provides great motivation to play better golf. The goal I set is to lower my index down to a single digit. Today, I sit at 17.0. Recognizing this is a long process that will require discipline and a great deal of practice, I’ve committed myself to make this happen.
This will be a 3-part program.
- Start a walking, sometimes running, program using golf oriented weight exercises as a supplement. Bandon Dunes is walking only with an average of 6 miles per 18. Goal is to play 36 a day or 12 miles walking.
- Start taking golf lessons.
- Practice all parts of the game.
The golf lesson journey started with a visit to Golf Tec in Southlake. Golf Tec provides electronic evaluation using multiple cameras to record and denote swing positions and how my swing aligns with standards. These markers would become my first baseline. The baselines are critical to denote and review along the journey to monitor progress.
We begin with a brief conversation about my game. He asked me to hit a few 7 irons to warm-up before a shot was recorded. It was evident I was swaying a bit, not turning at the shoulders, standing to close to the ball, and front foot heel was slipping during the swing. The coach quickly posted an image and drew the lines for comparison. He made a few quick changes…
- Flared feet outward
- Feet shoulder width apart (originally way past shoulder width)
- Feet further back from ball with the butt end over my shoelaces for reference
- Left knee bend and point knee straight ahead, not towards or away from ball
- Right leg stiffens on backswing
The coach quickly compared the new stance to that of two tour professionals. Not to say my swing is now like theirs, but more that the stance is standard on tour.
The next few balls were hit pure and slightly beyond my normal 7-iron. Carry distance before the stance change was 150. Carry distance after was 160 (on 3 straight shots) with 2 of those on a baby draw. I was shocked.
More discussion about the swing and practice dedication came before the coach/salesman appeared. This was the part I was dreading the most. The long and short of it was they take your current index and your goal index and state it will take a year to get there. A year was expected. The unexpected was a weekly 30-minute lesson or a 60-minute lesson every other week. They also go to a course and coach you through a 9-hole round, provide a practice program, get a bag fitting, and offer indoor practice time using their cameras. All this for well over $3k to be paid up front.
Although I liked the immediate results, I must be realistic. Practice time will be difficult. A more likely cadence would be once every 3 to 4 weeks. This cadence would allow several range sessions, or swings at home, to try and build upon the previous lesson.
The sale ends at the end of March, so I’ll continue to think about cadence and offered programs. Until then, I’ll work on the stance changes above and continue working on my goal.
One swing at a time….