Stopped chasing drills, focused on tempo, irons are pure now

[mike_harris88]

Been lurking here for a while, trying all these drills you guys post. Flat left wrist, low point control, coin drill, you name it. Every single one made my irons worse. Thinning, fatting, hooking, you name it. I was about ready to quit.

Then I stumbled on that tempo vs mechanics thread and it hit me. I've been so obsessed with positions and drills that I forgot how to just swing. So I said screw it, went to the range with one thought: smooth tempo. No mechanical thoughts, no drills, just swing at like 70% effort and feel the rhythm.

First session was weird, but by the third one I was flushing irons. Like, pure. Contact felt solid, ball flight was consistent, distance was back. I couldn't believe it. All those drills were actually making me worse because I was thinking too much.

If you're new and overwhelmed, check out this thread first:
https://usagolfers.com/threads/new-to-golf-overwhelmed-by-swing-tips-where-do-i-start.1582

And seriously, read the tempo thread:
https://usagolfers.com/threads/tempo-vs-mechanics-which-one-is-the-actual-secret.1595

Anyone else had this? Drills screw you up but tempo saves you?

[HoleInOne_Holly]

Glad it clicked, but I'd push back a bit on the "drills made me worse" framing. Nine times out of ten it's not the drill itself, it's doing six of them at once with no way to feel what's actually happening. You can't have tempo when your head is stuffed full of positions.

Been there though. I spent basically a whole winter on the flat left wrist thing in front of a mirror and came out the other side unable to hit a wedge without thinking about it. Hitting balls on a mat with three swing thoughts is a great way to groove a hitch. What pulled me out was one thought and a phone propped up on my bag every couple weeks. Not a drill, just proof.

That said, tempo isn't some universal cure either. My regular playing partner has a huge over the top move and "smooth tempo" did absolutely nothing for him, he was just smoothly coming over the top. He needed a path fix, and once he got that the tempo stuff actually took.

So how long has the flushed feeling stuck around? Mine lasted about three weeks before old habits crept back the second I started keeping score again. That's the part nobody warns you about.