I was really starting to hit the ball with some power by lesson #12. My backswing was so much better but my downswing was definitely still a work in progress. With each lesson, Patrick harps on the importance of the backswing but it can be frustrating because the downswing is what hits the ball, correct? I trust him 100% but there are times that I just want to hit a really solid shot. More to come on the importance of the backswing.
There was a tendency to shorten my backswing the more I thought about my downswing. Every time Patrick explained a different aspect of the downswing, my backswing would get very short and quick. I noticed this but didn’t really know how to address it. At that time, I tried to hit the majority of the balls at the range thinking about take away or backswing. That said, it was hard, because I wanted to hit the ball well. Remember, Patrick still does not care about where the ball is going so I shouldn’t either. But it is hard.
UPDATE: We are now on lesson #111 in March of 2020 (Conoravirus!) and I am still focused on the importance of the backswing. While we are now definitely working on the downswing, there is no downswing without a great backswing. Also, still 111 lessons in and we have not talked about where the ball is going with each swing and shot. I now know why some shots go left, but it is not something Patrick even worries about. If the ball goes left, he tells me to focus on a full backswing with my core and taking my arms out of the swing. Easy enough, right? Give it a try.
