Solution for Breaking Old Habits!

I developed GOLFSTR to break my habit of bending my leading arm in the backswing and then swinging over the top causing a slice. It really does take a lot of effort to change. GOLFSTR+ gave me the reminder that I needed, especially as I played while wearing it for 18 holes. The key for my success [AND FOR ANY BENT ARM SLICER] is to limit your backswing, lag your wrists and swing from the inside to outside across your ball. Unfortunately old habits are hard to break so you SHOULD list your tips AND READ THEM OFTEN to avoid falling back into old habits.

This blog was written for golfers who want to avoid Bad Banana Slices.

If you swing from the outside to inside, you will create the Big Banana Shot.

The more confidence that I build with great shots the more I build up the threat of an occasional BIG BANANA SLICE. It sounds easy to just swing with a straight leading arm but when your game is going well, the Bogey-Man jumps on my back and asks for a little more power. That’s when the bent arm and extra backswing returns to create a tremendous slice, right out of the blue. What were you thinking?

Fortunately I have learned a few things to keep my mind under control:
1/ Write down Your Tips for Success: In very brief points, list the special things that you do in your setup and swing for each type of club. It may only be 1 tip for each club but when you know how to correct a swing flaw or habit, write it down and make that correction for every swing.

2/ Limit Your Backswing: I don’t have a lot of flexibility in my spine but I need to use the rotation (avoiding shifting to the back foot) that I have in order to generate power. Leaving your weight on your trailing foot is a shot killer.  [If you can’t shift your weight to your leading foot during your follow-through, try setting up with a narrower stance.]

3/ Lag with my Wrist for a 90 Degree Bend: Power comes from lagging your club by cocking your wrist and letting it release at the bottom of your swing. Don’t rush your backswing. Make sure that you create lag at the top of your swing even if you only create a ¾ or ½ backswing. Learn to lag using your GOLFSTR+ to feel your trailing arm pulling your leading wrist to a 90 degree bend.

4/ Down Swing from the Inside to Outside: Especially on my driver and fairway woods I have to start my backswing with a wide takeaway. This forces me to loop my club at the top of the swing so that my club drops slightly to the inside. Brooke Henderson won the Ladies Canadian Open this year using that motion. The commentators highlighted her move as “a little unconventional” but it really works for her and it works for me too. [It can lead to a push or a pull so make sure that you don’t raise your trailing heal as you swing through impact.  Of course you have to lift your trailing heal as you finish your swing.]

You can’t change your swing thoughts without writing the points down and then practice them at the range. Slightly looping your driver at the top of your swing requires attention. Don’t swing in autopilot. This is a game for focused golfers. Buy a GOLFSTR+ today to get your game back on track at www.golfstr.com