Alright folks, today got interesting. Found myself down at the driving range early, sun barely up, coffee still warm. Heard whispers about this “Mark Brodie Golf” thing floating around some forums lately. Sounded like a different way to think about the swing, not just some new gadget. Curiosity got the better of me, so I figured, why not dig in?
Frustration Setting In
Man, my drives lately… brutal. Felt like I was swinging outta my shoes just hoping the ball went somewhere, anywhere. Mostly topped it or sprayed it sideways. Real frustrating. Honestly felt stuck. That’s when the whole “Mark Brodie” idea popped back into my head. Saw people saying it was less about forcing positions and more about letting the club do its thing. Sounded too good to be true, but desperation won.
Getting Started (& Feeling Awkward)
So, lugged my bag over to an empty bay. Did the usual stuff first – stretched a bit, hit a few awful shots, confirming the frustration. Then I thought, okay, let’s try this Brodie method. First step seemed weirdly simple: forget about hitting at the ball. Instead, just focus on swinging the club around myself smoothly. Seriously, felt like just making lazy circles with the club head over the grass.
No ball at first, obviously. Just took the club back slow, letting my arms kinda… flow? Focused entirely on the feeling of the club head swinging on that tilted circle plane he talks about. Felt totally unnatural, like I wasn’t doing anything resembling a golf swing. Kept at it though.
The Aha Moment (Sort Of)
Okay, this took patience. After maybe 10 minutes of just whooshing the club around without a ball, I grabbed one. Told myself, “Just keep doing that circle thing. Don’t try to hit the ball. Let it get in the way.” Teed it up, took a deep breath, and… whoosh! Honestly, completely forgot the ball was there for a split second. CRACK. Sound was different. Cleaner.
Looked up – ball was soaring down the range. Not the farthest I’ve ever hit, no. But straight? Dead straight. And it felt… effortless. Like, maybe 60% of my usual grunt effort. Huh. Interesting. Wasn’t perfect, mind you. Next few I kinda fell back into old habits and topped one badly. But that feeling on the good one? That clean contact? Hard to ignore.
Trying to Lock It In
Spent the next half bucket chasing that feeling again. Took some doing. Found myself constantly battling the urge to “hit down” or “shift weight aggressively.” Instead, I focused hard on:
- Swinging the club head around me, not up and down.
- Letting the turn happen just to make room for the circle.
- Not trying to steer the face or add any wristy stuff at the bottom.
Had maybe three or four more shots that replicated that first pure strike. They were all noticeably straighter than my usual effort swings, even the slight mis-hits.
Leaving the Range (Not Solved, But Hopeful)
Sun’s getting higher now, sweat starting to roll. Called it quits. Packing up the clubs, I gotta say, the frustration’s different. It’s not the “stuck with no answers” kind anymore. It’s more like… okay, maybe there’s something to this circle idea. Saw a glimpse of it working. Didn’t magically fix everything in one bucket, heck no. But I felt something different. Something fundamentally simpler. The ball flight on those few pure swings? That feeling? That’s the hook.
Definitely needs more work. Lots more feels awkward. But I finally saw a possible path forward instead of just banging my head against the wall. Got some notes scribbled in my phone about the key sensations. Gonna chew on this “Mark Brodie Golf” thing for a while longer. Felt real, felt physical, felt different. We’ll see where this rabbit hole goes.
