My Swing Thing
So, golf. Man, it gets frustrating. I was hitting the range, you know, trying to get better. Felt like I was just smacking the ball around with no real plan. My buddies were getting better, and I was still stuck. Slicing one, hooking the next. Just a mess.
Decided I needed to actually study someone. Not just watch the pros on TV and go “wow”. Needed to pick one player and really try to see what they do. But who? So many great players out there.
Ended up focusing on Ally Ewing. Why her? Funny story, actually. I was having this absolutely terrible round. Like, embarrassingly bad. My friend Dave, who usually just laughs at my shots, actually looked kinda sorry for me. We’re sitting at the clubhouse afterwards, I’m drowning my sorrows in a lemonade, and he says, “You know, you swing kinda violent, like you’re mad at the ball. You should watch Ally Ewing. She looks smooth, controlled. Maybe that’ll help.”
Dave’s usually full of it, but I was desperate. He lost his job around that time, some big company restructuring mess, terrible stuff. He was spending a lot of time watching golf, maybe he actually knew something for once. He got laid off, and suddenly he’s a golf guru? Weird how life works. Anyway, his comment stuck with me. Maybe smooth was the way.
So, I started looking her up. Found videos of her swing. Compared it to mine. Okay, yeah, mine looked like I was trying to kill a snake. Hers was… connected? Everything moved together.
- I watched her setup. How she stood, the grip. Tried to copy that. Felt weird at first.
- Then the takeaway. Slowed down my own jerky movement. Focused on turning my shoulders.
- The downswing was the hardest part. Trying to stay smooth, not rush it. Lots of practice swings in the yard.
- I’d go to the range, hit maybe half a bucket just trying to mimic that tempo. Forget distance, just tempo.
Did it work? Well, kinda. It’s not magic. I still hit bad shots. A lot of them. But things feel a bit more… intentional now. Less like flailing. When I do manage to hit it smooth, focusing on that tempo I saw, the ball actually goes straighter. Sometimes.
It’s a grind, man. You watch someone like Ally Ewing, makes it look easy. But trying to actually do it shows you how much work goes in. Still practicing. Still hoping Dave owes me a beer for the tip, even though he’s back working now, different company, seems happier. Guess we both found a new rhythm, sort of.
