First Swing Evaluation at Growth Golf – Honest Takeaways
I finally decided to bite the bullet and get a lesson. I went to see Chris at Growth Golf—the same coach Lucas has been working with—and I’ve been really impressed with the improvements Lucas has made. After one session, I can already see why.
First Impressions
I showed up a few minutes early and was greeted by Chris. We headed back into the lesson area where he had cameras set up from both down-the-line and face-on angles.
I warmed up with some 7-irons and hit a good number of balls while everything was recorded. After that, we sat down and talked through what I thought I was doing in my swing—which, according to Chris, was actually more awareness than most golfers have walking into a first lesson. When I say more awareness I mean I am way too far in my head and really have too many swing thoughts. Gonna have to remove those along the process.
What I’m Doing Well
There were definitely some positives, which honestly made the lesson more encouraging:
- Backswing position is solid
Despite other issues, Chris said my backswing actually gets into a good position. - Not coming over the top
I always suspected I might be over-the-top, but that’s not my issue. - Swing speed is there
He said I generate enough speed—it’s just inefficient right now. - Distance potential is huge
At one point, Chris hit a ball with my clubs and it carried about 40 yards farther than my normal shot with similar swing speed, crazy if you ask me.
👉 His takeaway: there’s realistic potential to gain that kind of distance consistently.
What Needs Work
This is where things got interesting—and a bit eye-opening:
- Posture issues
My setup needs work. I’m not maintaining a straight back, which limits rotation. I have bad posture so this will take some work. - Lack of proper turn
Because of posture, I’m not turning effectively, leading to compensations. It was amazing how much more I could turn with proper posture. - Sliding/swaying
Instead of rotating, I tend to slide, which throws off consistency. - Backswing path (too far inside early)
I’m taking the club too far inside right away—something I didn’t realize at all. That one really blew my mind. - In-to-out path (too extreme)
I thought I might be over-the-top, but it’s actually the opposite—I’m coming too far from the inside. Same comment as backswing. - Casting the club
I’m releasing the club too early (casting) about halfway down. This one I knew but no matter how may videos I watched I could not correct this. This one I really want to fix so I can compress the ball. - Lack of forward shaft lean
This ties into the casting issue and impacts both compression and distance. - Coming up through impact
Something I already suspected—losing posture through the swing. I call is humping the ball. Moving my hips forward during impact
The Game Plan (Simple but Focused)
Chris didn’t overload me, which I appreciated. This was just my swing evaluation and the real lessons start in a couple weeks. He gave me two key things to think about from not til then:
- Take the club straight back in the backswing
Avoid rolling it inside early. - Rotate through the ball with the body
Focus on turning through and clearing the left hip instead of sliding.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this was exactly what I needed to hear about my game. Instead of guessing or trying random YouTube fixes, which never worked, I now have:
- A clear understanding of what I’m actually doing
- Confirmation that some things are better than I thought
- A simple, focused plan to improve
And honestly, the idea that there’s 40 extra yards in there just from becoming more efficient is pretty motivating.