Oh Where Oh Where Did My Golf Swing Go?

[Violinguy69]

As I write this, you'll be happy to know that I seem to have found the swing again.  My questions below are still valid however, because who knows when I'll go away again.

So, two nights ago, I was really swinging great.  With little effort, I was hitting tour clubs perfect/perfect and usually completely straight about 80% of the time.  When I missed, it was still acceptable.  Distance control is another issue altogether, but my swing mechanics were very very good for about 6 rounds of golf.  Then...

Last night I started pushing everything.  I attributed that to over-doing my  backswing motion which had been working.  Then the pushes turned to slices.  Then came the over-compensating.  Then came the fast/fast and the fast/very slow.  By the time I teed it up this morning, my swing was gone.  Completely gone.  I was designing and I couldn't hit a ball in my own fairways.  Ten tries or more and I couldn't hit one straight. 

Then I fired up the Amateur HB society and played a round and shot 79.  Probably hit 2 FWs and about the same number of greens.  No birdies.  I had dinner and played round two.  Started double-bogey-bogey on the first 3 holes and panic set in.  I felt like Roy McAvoy on the range at the US Open.  Thankfully, I tried a few things throughout the round and found a new position to hold the controller.  Went 5-under the rest of the way. 

So, how do you guys handle it when the swing completely disappears?  Hit the range?  Take practice swings before each shot on the course?  Inquiring minds want to know.

[Deleted]

I believe its all in our heads once we start to question our skills it all goes south from there

[Deleted]

Yes. Put it down for the day and try again tomorrow.

Once you get into your head about trying to fix this or tweak that, it only complicates things. Best to start fresh another day or at least in another session hours later if you have that luxury.

[Deleted]

It's not you. I know I'm gonna get a lot of flack for this but I don't care.

I've reached the point where I robotically go through this game. I don't take my time at all. i rush every shot. I put zero effort into it. Because of this, my swing has become total muscle memory and the same every single time.

After I reset my controller to the default settings, using tour clubs, the majority of my swings were close to the center of the cone. The swings that were off were at worst towards the edge of the cone, which is still off enough to produce an errant shot, especially if the tempo is slow.

This condition continued for several weeks with absolute consistency. No deviation from the pattern.

A couple of days ago, playing round 3 of the CC-A event, for the first 14 holes, every shot banana hooked. There was absolutely no reason for it. I was still rushing every shot (which eliminates slow tempo completely) which still produced the same p/p or p/f result and yet every ball banana hooked (sliced) which I had eliminated weeks ago. Then suddenly on the 15th hole, swinging the exact same way, the ball straightened out and the shots were all near dead center of the cone.

The game is flawed. Either due to server issues or frame rate issues or possibly an internal intermittent bug in the code or a combination of all 3. No one will admit it, but it is. When the game is functioning properly, I can TRY to banana hook the ball (swing stick deliberately to the right on a curve) and it won't. When the game is bugged, nothing you do will work.

I have come to accept this. Someday, it will be proven that I am right.

If I had the necessary video equipment, I could prove this by showing my hand motion on the joy stick, deliberately shanking it to the right and yet the ball still not banana hooking as long as the game is behaving properly.

Another thing, about tempo. It is totally arbitrary to a point. As quickly as I slam my stick through the zone, all my shots should have fast downswings. All of them. I should NEVER have a perfect downswing. And yet, I do. In fact, I'd say about 75% of my downswings are perfect. I'm talking about just off the tee where there is no lie to worry about. Once on the grass, all bets are off.

Fortunately, it appears that the server/frame rate/bug in code days are very few. Most of the time I'm hitting fairly straight. If I cared enough about this game to concentrate on my other shots, I might actually be able to play decently, but I don't. That ship has long sailed.

My point is, it's not you. And I can prove it. I rush through my rounds to the point where, even shooting 10 over par, I can finish a round in 20 minutes. None of my shots should be straight. And yet, almost all the time (when the game is functioning properly) they are. So when I play 14 straight holes where everything banana hooks and I'm swinging the same exact lightning fast through the zone way, yeah, it's the game.

Yeah, I know. I should shut the game down, reboot the PC, and start it up again and most likely the problem will go away. But the point is, the game is flawed. It shouldn't do what it does.

So don't stress it.

It's not you.

[Deleted]

It's strange because my swing was pretty solid and i didn't really have tempo issues the first few days of the game but now it couldn't be any more different.

I will be joining you Wags down in CC at some point. oh my...

[Violinguy69]

The difference between the good swings one day and the awful swings the next was enough to make me think the controller was bad, or the batteries were dying. I charged it and it was still bad. Needless to say, today I'll be taking advantage of practice swings on every hole.

Just like real golf, there are days where you hit it great and think you have the game figured out, and then it all goes ti@#s up the next day.

[Deleted]

Sept 29, 2017 8:14:30 GMT -5 Violinguy69 said:

The difference between the good swings one day and the awful swings the next was enough to make me think the controller was bad, or the batteries were dying. I charged it and it was still bad. Needless to say, today I'll be taking advantage of practice swings on every hole.

Just like real golf, there are days where you hit it great and think you have the game figured out, and then it all goes ti@#s up the next day.

Except we're not talking about a complex golf swing with arm motions and real clubs. We're talking about pulling a joy stick back and pushing it forward. You shouldn't be hitting near dead straight for weeks and then suddenly one day you're banana hooking the ball off the tee every shot for 14 holes and then miraculously, on the 15th hole and for the remainder of the round, everything is near dead center again.

Not buying it.

[paulus]

Sept 28, 2017 19:57:02 GMT -5 Violinguy69 said:

So, how do you guys handle it when the swing completely disappears?  Hit the range?  Take practice swings before each shot on the course?  Inquiring minds want to know.

I just grind - lots of practice swings - until it slowly starts to get better.

Occasionally I will reboot if it's really bad - this seems to help sometimes - but suspect strongly that's just the placebo effect at work.

[Deleted]

Sept 29, 2017 8:26:38 GMT -5 paulus said:

Sept 28, 2017 19:57:02 GMT -5 Violinguy69 said:

So, how do you guys handle it when the swing completely disappears?  Hit the range?  Take practice swings before each shot on the course?  Inquiring minds want to know.

I just grind - lots of practice swings - until it slowly starts to get better.

Occasionally I will reboot if it's really bad - this seems to help sometimes - but suspect strongly that's just the placebo effect at work.

No, it's not. It's the game. Amazing how nobody will admit there are problems with it.

[billybudd0623]

Count me in as agreeing with Wags....I feel that the game has problems. Still fun though, if you don't take it too serious.

[Deleted]

The swing has to be FPS connected.

I don't believe HB when they say it isn't. Two letters come to mind. 'BS'

[kitbo]

I have the same sort problem, doesn't matter how i hold my joypad  i nearly always slice my drives even compensating by drawing to left doesn't really help, even worse are the wind conditions which make it twice as difficult, just a tad frustrating at times, but i only persevere because it's such an amazing Golf game & i'm totally addicted to it lol. 

[CiB0RG]

It's actually a very easy fix for me. I go make myself a Rum and Coke and start drinking and my swing always magically comes back! It's sad, I know, but I think alcohol calms my thumb down...

[Violinguy69]

Sept 29, 2017 11:19:15 GMT -5 CiB0RG said:

It's actually a very easy fix for me. I go make myself a Rum and Coke and start drinking and my swing always magically comes back! It's sad, I know, but I think alcohol calms my thumb down...

Good call.  I'm about well enough after gallbladder surgery to get back to my homebrews and (non-homebrew) wine.

On the subject of the swing, I've gone to an "anchored" method of holding the controller now.  I hold it as normal and put it on my lap or on the ottoman in front of me.  I still swing with my thumb, but the anchoring seems to help with consistency.  After a few good swings, I'll gradually go to holding the controller traditionally, but as soon as I snap-hook one into the fotch, I'm right back to the ottoman (an empire based on putting your feet up - Seinfeld).

[ozthunder]

On my PS4 was playing absolutely dreadful on tour level - try 21 over on one round. Just on a hunch I swapped the swing to left hand and lo and behold completely perfect swings. It is not me, but the PS4 controller the right was just random outcomes no matter.