Okay, so I got this idea in my head about the Hadwin golfer thing. Saw Adam Hadwin play, specifically noticed something about his setup or maybe it was his follow-through, can’t quite recall which bit grabbed me first. Looked real solid, you know? Thought maybe I could try and bring a piece of that into my own game. Seemed simple enough on the surface.
Getting Started – The Awkward Phase
First thing I did was head to the practice range. Stood there trying to mimic the stance, or maybe it was the takeaway I was focusing on. Felt completely unnatural. Like wearing shoes on the wrong feet. My body just didn’t want to do it. Took a few swings. Oh boy. Let’s just say the ball didn’t go where I wanted. Didn’t even go much at all sometimes. Felt stiff, robotic.
It’s funny how you see a pro do something, it looks smooth as silk, then you try it and you feel like a rusty gate. The main problem was integrating it with the rest of my swing. It felt like this one separate piece that didn’t fit with anything else I was doing. Lots of duffs, lots of thin shots. Pretty discouraging stuff early on.
Figuring it Out – Slow Motion and Repetition
Realized I couldn’t just jump into full swings trying this new Hadwin element. Had to break it way down. Started doing practice swings super slow. Like, painfully slow. Trying to feel the position, the weight shift, whatever that specific element was. Did this without a ball first. Lots of mirror work at home too, trying to see what it looked like compared to what I saw Hadwin doing.
Then back to the range, but only hitting short chips or half shots. Focused solely on getting that one piece right. Here’s kinda what my practice looked like:
- Super slow-mo practice swings, focusing on the feel.
- Hitting maybe 20-30 balls with just little wedge shots, trying to bake in the move.
- Gradually trying slightly longer shots, like with an 8-iron, but still not full power.
- Stopped immediately if it felt wrong. Took a break, did more slow swings.
It was tedious. Really had to fight the urge to just blast driver and forget about it. Patience isn’t my strong suit.
Seeing Some Progress (Maybe?)
After a few sessions doing this, grinding it out, started to feel a bit less awkward. It wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but it didn’t feel quite as alien. Hit a few shots that actually felt pretty good. Solid contact. Maybe a touch more consistent flight, sometimes. It’s hard to tell if it’s real improvement or just wishful thinking when you’re in the middle of it.
The biggest change was feeling a bit more connected. Like that part of the swing wasn’t fighting the rest of it quite so much. Still got a long way to go, though. Under pressure, on the course? Bet my old habits would come right back out. Need way more reps for it to become automatic.
Final Thoughts for Now
So, this whole ‘hadwin golfer’ experiment is ongoing. It’s not some magic bullet. Didn’t suddenly shave 10 strokes off my game. But it’s been an interesting process. Forced me to really think about swing mechanics again, which is probably good. It’s still a conscious effort every time I practice it. Doesn’t feel natural yet.
Will I stick with it? Probably. I’m invested now. Put in the time, might as well see where it leads. It’s a reminder that golf improvement isn’t quick fixes. It’s mostly just showing up, doing the drills, even when it’s boring or frustrating. We’ll see how it goes next time I’m out there.
