I practiced mostly on full swing but not much on chip and putt. Some low handicapper told me to spend more time on chip and putt but when your driver is short and nowhere on the fairways, it is hard not to practice full swing and as a result not much of time left to practice chip and putt.
My major journey to improve golf swing started when I had near mental break down about golf in end of year 2012. I was at the cross road of quitting or major overhauling my game.
As soon as I admitted how bad my game was and result of tomorrow will be same as long as I stay in my comfort zone. When I said I am the worst guy on the busy range, I became humble and willing to try what ever because my game could not get any worse.
As a guy with a science back ground, I decide on bench mark test results of my improvements if I make any. In year 2012, I installed golf sim in my basement which can measure club head speed. If I made improvements to my swing, speed should increase on the golf sim as a proof.
Highest my driver swing speed was close to 90 mph and average was 85mph at the beginning of this journey. I spent few month on the sim to break 90mph. I even tried speed training with broken driver shaft at that time but it did no improvement what so ever. I kind wrote myself off thinking '" I am too old and may be not flexible enough and not strong enough". I even bought Somax Hip trainer to increase hip flexibility and I gave up on it after few month of hoping and dreaming with sweat.
In winter of 2012, out of frustration, I thought I should try opposite of what I have been doing those days. I strait jacketed my self with club head covers under both armpits. Swing was too restrictive and I could hardly swing the club. But my golf sim said, I swung 90 mph with 3 wood!!! I could not believe my sim reading and tried with the driver and I was getting more than 90mph consistently!!! So I tied my arms to my trunk using my son's martial art uniform belt so I did not need to re-stuff head covers under armpits. I spent couple months doing that drill but club head speed did not passes 95mph. But I ingrained my swing to ultra compact one.
Back in those days, Tiger Wood was big in golf and his coach Sean Foley made some youtube clips saying about centered rotation. I decided to give it a try and I made big break though on club head speed. I break through 95mph mark. I was extremely happy with result. In the season of 2013, my handicap went down to 14 and I won some league trophies as a result. But I did not know why I was doing better. I was super compact and flat. I ran into slump of hooks and slices and golf became hopeless again.
Early spring of 2015, my back broke down on me. I did little too much of winter woodworking and resulted herniated disc. I did not know how bad disc herniation can be. I could not stand straight and balance myself. I had hard time getting up from bed and walking to bathroom. I was consumed with thoughts of unable to work at my job and to function as a dad of family. Armed with determination and body anatomy, I worked diligently to fix my back. After a month and half of recuperation, I was able to grab a club. I was extremely happy about golfing possibility in future.
After couple months from back problem, I was playing golf but extremely careful about my swing. I put conscious effort to protect my back and eventually looked for new swing that can incorporate lumbar lordosis. This is how I made 180 degree flip on my swing. I changed from restrictive compact flat to loosey goosey upright with flying elbow.
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