Great tip for helping a fast swinger to mentally prepaare for a slower swing. Long live the BLUR. I can’t wait to try this tomorrow during my round. Harvey
Paul,
I don’t have trouble topping (fat is usually my miss), but I will apply your tip just to stop swinging so hard. My big question though, is related to the “blur of the club”. The title of your video caught my eye because I just saw my swing in slow motion and was shocked. My shaft was bending/blurring the opposite way from lag on the downswing (head ahead of shaft). I didn’t think this was physically possible, but it would explain why I don’t get much power. Have you seen this before and do you have any tips/videos to improve it? And yes, I do know that if I was really doing “powerless” arms, this would fix itself. However, I hope there might be an additional insight that you can give me.
Thanks,
John (54 yrs old)
Paul,
Thank you! That makes a lot more sense. I started working today on “seeing the blur” and compressing without trying to swing hard. I was not completely consistent, but I felt a lot more of those shots you describe as “effortless power”.
Thanks again,
John
Greetings Paul from northeastern ohio Cool night, the tree frogs are singing and all is well.Ok so much for that. When i am doing your favorite drill i can always see the club head pass from down swing to follow through but as soon as a ball is there i see nothing,and i am getting better at not thinking about hitting a ball but thinking about the swing.Whats going on? Am i one of those golfers that will never see the blur?.I think Hogan said even he would loose sight of the ball somewhere in his downswing. So what do you think? PS over the years i have been hitting the ball fairly well even i never see any sight of the club. Thanks coach
ya thanks Paul, another layer of the onion peeled! : ) I was one of those looking up too fast and had little idea I was until I started watching for the blur. Much better swing as a result now!
Yes, you should be watching the ball until you hit the ball. Once hit, you then swivel you head to see it take off down the fairway. In doing so, you would not see the initial flight of your ball.
Here I am asking for a link: In trying to swing easy, I seem to find that all my irons (within groups of long and short) go more or less the same distance. In trying to have “powerless arms” and making a full turn with shoulders, I am failing to keep my forward arm reasonably straight and I am not trying to cock my wrists. (I have a “lazy” back-swing.) Any good tips on the take-away that does not then lead to an over-the-top down-swing? I the “low and long” thought during take-away something to be avoided?
Your takeaway is not causing the over the top swing. Your body tilting left in the downswing is causing it. Tilt left and you will swing left. You should be starting your lower body first which would be tilting your whole upper body right in the downswing. If so the club will swing out at it.
Paul, this tip must be part 2 in keeping the head down. Previously to that you also said to look at the printing on the ball all the way down. This is another great tip. Keep them coming.
Looking at the label is good for staying down too but that tip was really to stop you skying it. If you see the label you are behind it therefore the club will not be descending on the way down.
Thanks for this Paul. I initially struggled with a lot of hip sway when releasing my hips. As I’ve worked on correcting that, I found myself tilting my upper body to the left and coming out of my shots in order to get my arms through. I now have a good feeling for both of these things and have been working on avoiding the hip sway while staying back and in my shots with my upper body. My question is that I feel like this is putting a lot of tension / pressure on my lower back – is this a sympton of something I’m doing wrong?
My swing should not be hurting your body in any way. Maybe you are trying to coil back too far. As soon as you feel the tightness in the coil as you go back you should be uncoiling the other way. Just coil the amount you can coil. Coiling back farther than that does not mean you will hit it farther.
Hi Paul,
Enjoying all the tips since I joined. Having made what I thought of as a lot of progress, I have recently found myself topping a lot of shots. I think its because in turning my legs and hips I
Paul, I rewatched this video tip and then tried it out. Man, you must have been watching me swing. I consistently rise up too quickly to see “where it went”. Watch for the Blur” is the best advice I have seen for us ball toppers. I think it will go a long way to keeping my contact solid and getting me down the fairway rather than skittering it and losing shots.
Thanks!
Cheers!
Hi Paul
Some times I can not see my ball flight at all. By the time look up in the fallow through I don’t see where the ball had landed.
What may be the cause for this? How to avoid it?
Being very visual and a graphic artist, I like this drill!
I have noticed on a lot of your videos, your practice swing you swing towards the target first then back into your set up position. Is that to get your wrists lose or?
Glad you liked it. This is a simple habit to get in to.
Not sure what you mean about the practice swing. I am doing practice swings to get the thought of the swing and what I am about to do in my mind before I hit it. It could be staying loose for you if that would help. My wrists are loose so when I do practice swings, I am thinking about coiling. I get this feeling then apply it to my shot.
Really enjoying the practice tips. I was really topping the ball on a lot of shots, but in one of your tips you spoke
about staying behind the ball on the downswing and keeping focused on either the balls logo or a particular dimple on the
back side. Along with relaxing my swing and staying loose my shots really show improvement.
Good stuff!
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27 Responses to “Watch for the Blur”
June 4, 2014
HarveyKirkGreat tip for helping a fast swinger to mentally prepaare for a slower swing. Long live the BLUR. I can’t wait to try this tomorrow during my round. Harvey
June 4, 2014
Paul WilsonHarvey,
Glad you liked it. Thanks.
June 4, 2014
JOHNROTONDOPaul,
I don’t have trouble topping (fat is usually my miss), but I will apply your tip just to stop swinging so hard. My big question though, is related to the “blur of the club”. The title of your video caught my eye because I just saw my swing in slow motion and was shocked. My shaft was bending/blurring the opposite way from lag on the downswing (head ahead of shaft). I didn’t think this was physically possible, but it would explain why I don’t get much power. Have you seen this before and do you have any tips/videos to improve it? And yes, I do know that if I was really doing “powerless” arms, this would fix itself. However, I hope there might be an additional insight that you can give me.
Thanks,
John (54 yrs old)
June 4, 2014
Paul WilsonJohn,
The reverse bend is the effect of the camera. http://www.tutelman.com/golf/measure/focalPlaneDistortion.php
This is not reality.
June 5, 2014
JOHNROTONDOPaul,
Thank you! That makes a lot more sense. I started working today on “seeing the blur” and compressing without trying to swing hard. I was not completely consistent, but I felt a lot more of those shots you describe as “effortless power”.
Thanks again,
John
June 4, 2014
johnhoyleGreetings Paul from northeastern ohio Cool night, the tree frogs are singing and all is well.Ok so much for that. When i am doing your favorite drill i can always see the club head pass from down swing to follow through but as soon as a ball is there i see nothing,and i am getting better at not thinking about hitting a ball but thinking about the swing.Whats going on? Am i one of those golfers that will never see the blur?.I think Hogan said even he would loose sight of the ball somewhere in his downswing. So what do you think? PS over the years i have been hitting the ball fairly well even i never see any sight of the club. Thanks coach
June 4, 2014
Paul WilsonJohn,
This is a tip to get people to keep their spine angle. If you do not see the blur and you still hit great shots that’s fine. Most people don’t.
June 4, 2014
Tomthanks Paul!
June 4, 2014
Tomya thanks Paul, another layer of the onion peeled! : ) I was one of those looking up too fast and had little idea I was until I started watching for the blur. Much better swing as a result now!
June 5, 2014
Paul WilsonTom,
Very good. This stops you coming out of it. We all get a little exited sometimes.
June 4, 2014
NelsKlyverHi Paul,
Thanks for the tip. Is this the same as keeping your eye on the ball through impact? This is what most people say.
Nels
June 5, 2014
Paul WilsonNels,
Yes, you should be watching the ball until you hit the ball. Once hit, you then swivel you head to see it take off down the fairway. In doing so, you would not see the initial flight of your ball.
June 5, 2014
JuleHerbertHere I am asking for a link: In trying to swing easy, I seem to find that all my irons (within groups of long and short) go more or less the same distance. In trying to have “powerless arms” and making a full turn with shoulders, I am failing to keep my forward arm reasonably straight and I am not trying to cock my wrists. (I have a “lazy” back-swing.) Any good tips on the take-away that does not then lead to an over-the-top down-swing? I the “low and long” thought during take-away something to be avoided?
June 5, 2014
Paul WilsonJule,
Your takeaway is not causing the over the top swing. Your body tilting left in the downswing is causing it. Tilt left and you will swing left. You should be starting your lower body first which would be tilting your whole upper body right in the downswing. If so the club will swing out at it.
Watch:
Body Tilt – Left Right: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-pulling
Stop Coming Over the Top: https://ignitiongolf.com/cure-stop-over-the-top/
Takaeway:
One Piece Takeaway: https://ignitiongolf.com/master-one-piece-takeaway
One-Piece Takeaway Drill: https://ignitiongolf.com/one-piece-takeaway-drill/
June 5, 2014
KennthBovaPaul, this tip must be part 2 in keeping the head down. Previously to that you also said to look at the printing on the ball all the way down. This is another great tip. Keep them coming.
June 5, 2014
Paul WilsonKenneth,
Looking at the label is good for staying down too but that tip was really to stop you skying it. If you see the label you are behind it therefore the club will not be descending on the way down.
June 5, 2014
EPThanks for this Paul. I initially struggled with a lot of hip sway when releasing my hips. As I’ve worked on correcting that, I found myself tilting my upper body to the left and coming out of my shots in order to get my arms through. I now have a good feeling for both of these things and have been working on avoiding the hip sway while staying back and in my shots with my upper body. My question is that I feel like this is putting a lot of tension / pressure on my lower back – is this a sympton of something I’m doing wrong?
June 5, 2014
Paul WilsonEP,
My swing should not be hurting your body in any way. Maybe you are trying to coil back too far. As soon as you feel the tightness in the coil as you go back you should be uncoiling the other way. Just coil the amount you can coil. Coiling back farther than that does not mean you will hit it farther.
June 5, 2014
PhilipBarryHi Paul,
Enjoying all the tips since I joined. Having made what I thought of as a lot of progress, I have recently found myself topping a lot of shots. I think its because in turning my legs and hips I
July 11, 2016
BradleyPaul, I rewatched this video tip and then tried it out. Man, you must have been watching me swing. I consistently rise up too quickly to see “where it went”. Watch for the Blur” is the best advice I have seen for us ball toppers. I think it will go a long way to keeping my contact solid and getting me down the fairway rather than skittering it and losing shots.
Thanks!
Cheers!
July 11, 2016
Paul WilsonBradley,
Glad you liked it. Can’t see the blur if you look early.
November 28, 2016
VenuKoosuriHi Paul
Some times I can not see my ball flight at all. By the time look up in the fallow through I don’t see where the ball had landed.
What may be the cause for this? How to avoid it?
Thanks in advance
Venu
November 29, 2016
Paul WilsonVenu,
You just need to keep doing it so you know where to look in the sky. You are have not done it long enough.
Stop Thin and Topped Shots (pick out of sky): https://ignitiongolf.com/stop-thin-and-topped/
Maybe you are looking at the ball too long. This can happen. As soon as you hit it, look for it.
November 30, 2016
JohnBensonBeing very visual and a graphic artist, I like this drill!
I have noticed on a lot of your videos, your practice swing you swing towards the target first then back into your set up position. Is that to get your wrists lose or?
JB
November 30, 2016
Paul WilsonJB,
Glad you liked it. This is a simple habit to get in to.
Not sure what you mean about the practice swing. I am doing practice swings to get the thought of the swing and what I am about to do in my mind before I hit it. It could be staying loose for you if that would help. My wrists are loose so when I do practice swings, I am thinking about coiling. I get this feeling then apply it to my shot.
December 1, 2016
JohnBensonOn most of your videos when you do a practice swing you swing to your left towards the target then swing back up into your backswing position.
It’s probably so natural to you that you don’t even notice it
🙂
you can delete this after you read it JB
May 4, 2017
FrankFreitagReally enjoying the practice tips. I was really topping the ball on a lot of shots, but in one of your tips you spoke
about staying behind the ball on the downswing and keeping focused on either the balls logo or a particular dimple on the
back side. Along with relaxing my swing and staying loose my shots really show improvement.
Good stuff!
FF