Golf swing advice needed

[tiketyboo]

Hi guys

Can anyone offer any advice on my golf swing. I'm trying to make changes to it, mainly hinging my wrists more in the backswing. I've also noticed from the face on video I seem to be hitting off the back foot at impact. I'm using Greg's right hand drill just now and Greg Normans "the secret" so hopefully this will help me. Any advice on other faults would be much appreciated.

PS Sorry the video's aren't better quality, I think I need to work on these too

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gO9NzY3IlW8

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=h0golRGUCpg

[BrianW]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

You have a very nice golf swing. What are you not happy with?

[ben hogan]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

In the still face on, you're backswing should end there...
You'll see a lifting of the shoulders and head...
Weight's stuck on top of the right hip...(pivot into it)
Start you're backswing 60% favoring the left(hip on the heal)
Kinda like this...

[LowPost42]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

I'm with Brian - it looks pretty good.

I agree with you that it doesn't look like you're getting your weight onto your left side. However, does it feel that way, too? Where is your weight when you finish?

Beyond that, why are you making changes?

[tiketyboo]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

You have a very nice golf swing. What are you not happy with?

Thanks Brian. I suppose my main gripe is that I can't swing smoothly without shanking/slicing/topping, whereas if I swing hard at the ball I seem to get better results. My guess is that my timing needs to be good otherwise I'm all over the place. I suspect I'm a bit of a swayer too and that most of my problems seem to be relating to my leg movements.

In the still face on, you're backswing should end there...
You'll see a lifting of the shoulders and head...
Weight's stuck on top of the right hip...(pivot into it)
Start you're backswing 60% favoring the left(hip on the heal)
Kinda like this...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM8zE1s5qf4

Thanks BH, I'm in work just now so I'll check out your video later. I've noticed this too on other video's of my swing, just didn't know how to solve it.

I'm with Brian - it looks pretty good.

I agree with you that it doesn't look like you're getting your weight onto your left side. However, does it feel that way, too? Where is your weight when you finish?

Beyond that, why are you making changes?

It does feel like I'm alot more on my right foot than left at impact, yes. I hadn't realised it till I watched a couple of videos back. It makes me think I'm trying to lift the ball as opposed to swinging through. I've been working on grip/swing/posture etc for a couple of months now, I suppose it's a work in progress.

looks nice from the waist up

you seem to be spinning your hips, try this drill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNwSfz0_KDM


or this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-douOneC40

I assure you you get no power from spinning your hips so don't. let your legs support your upper body and they should naturally turn how they should.

i am guessing your distance isn't very good someone your size, 250 yards is minmal, if you can't drive that far, you gotta change something.

try this drill, stand on your right 90% left 10% leg weight distribution and with your right arm do a military press with a descently heavy weight. now the same but stand on your left leg 90% right10%. you should struggle a lot more on your left leg.

so with all your weight on your right side in the swing, all your strenght is in your right and you cast and release way too early. get to the top and put all your weight on your left side, you probly wont be able to realease untill your right hand starts getting help from gravity and releases nice and late into the ball.

notie how pro's right arm straitens about at there left leg? pros also happen to have weight on their left leg.

Thanks for the video's golfinguy, I'll have a look at them after work.

Your right about my driving distance, I think I only hit about 200-240yards.

Thank's for the drill tip, I'll give this a try too.


Thanks for the advice guys it's much appreciated.

[jbrunk]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

Thanks Brian. I suppose my main gripe is that I can't swing smoothly without shanking/slicing/topping, whereas if I swing hard at the ball I seem to get better results. My guess is that my timing needs to be good otherwise I'm all over the place. I suspect I'm a bit of a swayer too and that most of my problems seem to be relating to my leg movements.



Thanks BH, I'm in work just now so I'll check out your video later. I've noticed this too on other video's of my swing, just didn't know how to solve it.




It does feel like I'm alot more on my right foot than left at impact, yes. I hadn't realised it till I watched a couple of videos back. It makes me think I'm trying to lift the ball as opposed to swinging through. I've been working on grip/swing/posture etc for a couple of months now, I suppose it's a work in progress.



Thanks for the video's golfinguy, I'll have a look at them after work.

Your right about my driving distance, I think I only hit about 200-240yards.

Thank's for the drill tip, I'll give this a try too.


Thanks for the advice guys it's much appreciated.

If you are hitting shanks and slices you have 2 things going on:

1. You have poor clubface control
2. You are lagging the hosel

Fix the 1st by learning to rotate your forearms through the impact zone,
Fix the 2nd by feeling and maintaining the pressure against the club with your right forefinger. You can get a better sense of this by hitting shots with your right thumb off the shaft.

DO that and report back.

[tiketyboo]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

If you are hitting shanks and slices you have 2 things going on:

1. You have poor clubface control
2. You are lagging the hosel

Fix the 1st by learning to rotate your forearms through the impact zone,
Fix the 2nd by feeling and maintaining the pressure against the club with your right forefinger. You can get a better sense of this by hitting shots with your right thumb off the shaft.

DO that and report back.

Thanx jb

I think your right on both counts. Rotating the clubface is something I suspect I don't do very well. The lagging of the hosel makes sense too as i reckon I tend to hit across the ball in an over the top swing.

As I say the slices and shanks seem to be prevalent when I swing slowly but not so when I swing quickly. I suppose thinking about it now, I should try to undestand the over the top movement too.

I'm going to the Range on Saturday, I'll try both suggestions as well as previous posters advice. Food for thought.

cheers
Stephen

[jbrunk]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

Remember that a slice is caused by an open clubface, so this needs to be fixed first. Your over the top move is a compensation you have for the open clubface.

Also, it is much easier to fix other problems (like shanks) when you have a good clubface and clubpath control.


Be well.


JB

[tiketyboo]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

I went to the driving range today to try out a few things mentioned by you guys. I think I've managed to transfer my weight to my left side a little better in the downswing than previously.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3AchgaBWulQ

I forgot to try shortening my backswing but I'll try that at the range next time.

The removing of my right thumb off of the club throughout the swing In order to stop the shanks/slices etc, I found really difficult. I'll maybe persevere with trying this each time I go to the range.

So, I'm going to work on shortening my backswing then shifting my weight to the left side in the followthrough as my main goals.

Thanx everyone for the advice, hopefully I'll make a little more progress.

[BrianW]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

Hi,

As I said previously you have quite a good swing.

Thinking about your problems I would suggest that you work on keeping your arms better connected to your body through the swing. You are probably letting your arms extend out in the downswing which has been producing the shanks and poor strikes.

Consider the position your hands are at address and work on them returning to a similar position at impact, as you swing back and through try to keep your hands in the middle of your chest. If you do this I think the weight transfer will take care of it's self. Swing easy.

[BrianW]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

that is one thing I couldn't disagree with more. Why would you want your arms to be connected to your body? or maybe i should ask how do you connect your arms to your body? that is just one of thoose terms that thoose golf mags use like x-factor or keep your head down, or getting stuck. none of that makes any sense.

your power can be demonstrated by how far your arms extend out in the DS. that clubhead weight around 40lbs at impact and it better be throwing your arms out or you arn't doing something right.

You are quite free to disagree with my opinion, it was based on sound principles though, not myths. Let me explain the logic to you.

When we setup at address the position of our hands and the clubshaft set the plane for the club to swing into the ball, the ball will be in the centre of the clubface. If your arms become detached (yes detached) they will swing further away from your body, this will have the effect of bringing the heel of the club into the ball and shanking it (I suffered from this for years so I am not making it up) If you make adjustments to stop this happening then you will bring the club over the top or steeply inside causing fat, thin and generally poor shots. Your hands should return as close as possible to the position they were set at address.

Arms that are connected do not mean they are glued to you, it means that they stay between your shoulders through most of the swing and maintain synchronization with your torso, they do not become disconnected and trail or lead the body creating pulls, pushes, hooks and slices. Disconnecting the arms also leads to chicken winging that destroys the swingplane and leaks power.

Power should not be generated by forcing the arms away from the body or forcing anything for that matter. Extension should happen by preventing the elbows from pulling in and reducing the radius of the swing arc, keeping the clubface on plane and the ball in the seetspot. Head speed is a result of applying good tempo, connectivity and releasing the shaft lag at the right moment (timing).

If you disagree with what I have explained then I am sorry for that but it is based on what I have found to work by experience and understand to be correct.

[BrianW]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

thanks for the explanation. i guess is it just one of thoose things that is hard to make sense of with words. i agree with the stay between the shoulders part, but that is about it. i still disagree with the fact that you are trying to throw your hands out as far as possible, but that is just my opinion. if i tried one of thoose "connection drills" by keeping the glove in my armpits i couldn't hit to save my life. but then agian i only learned fundementals from golf mags the swing i learned by obseverving and using my own logic to find power.

i can hit it about 270 just letting the club do the work and using lag and timing ect. but real power comes from using your right arm, i get another 40 yards or so with my right arm.

you can't look at the swing in 2-d. i feel too many do that and mostly think up and down. i never swing down on the ball. i hit out at it and the swing plane i have happens to make the contact down on the ball, but i never swing down on the ball. why would your BS swing away from the ball if you couldn't use that power to hit out at it?

I have not said that the arms should be thrown out, quite the opposite, I am saying they should be kept as near as possible at impact to where they were at address otherwise you will run the risk of shanking, they should extend downwards to maintain the swing radius, not out. I have not mentioned keeping something under your armpits either. The arms must lift away from the chest at the top of the backswing and follow through but should stay between the chest the rest of the time.

You have mentioned a number of things I have not suggested or even subscribe to. Have a read of my two articles "Plane and Path" and "Plane and Path 2" recently posted in the Golfing Discussion area, this will give you more of an idea on what I subscribe to the golf swing.

[tiketyboo]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

Hi,

As I said previously you have quite a good swing.

Thinking about your problems I would suggest that you work on keeping your arms better connected to your body through the swing. You are probably letting your arms extend out in the downswing which has been producing the shanks and poor strikes.

Consider the position your hands are at address and work on them returning to a similar position at impact, as you swing back and through try to keep your hands in the middle of your chest. If you do this I think the weight transfer will take care of it's self. Swing easy.

Thanx for the advice Brian. Any chance this is a result of rushing the followthrough. I think this is a problem I suffer from badly. I feel like I'm hitting at the ball as soon as my backswing finishes. I've read that the followthrough should begin slowly then accelerating quickly as you approach the hitting area.

it seems to me that your head is moving back too much in the BS. that prevents your from winding up. but the rest foward weight shift looks much better. have your distances improved at all? also can you get a video from the back? it looks like you might have pulled that shot or faded it or some kind of out to in shot.

Thanx to you too Golfinguy. I never looked at the head moving back in the backswing before.
I've read that the backswing should have some head movement, does this mean that I'm overdoing the amount I'm moving. I'm going to try and reduce the length of my backswing from here on in, do you think this might help reduce the amount of head movement.

I felt my distances did Improve with the weight shift to the left. The contact felt better and I felt alot more confident. The general shape of the shots were small draws to the left, and pulls, nothing too bad. I'm not sure whereabouts the ball went in the above video.

Here's a video from the back, apologies again for the quality :

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dNspxmD2xjc


I tried jbrunks idea of taking the right thumb off the club for alot of the session which was a little tricky, but I feel it was helpful. I'm definitely going to persevere with trying to do this too.

[BrianW]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

Thanx for the advice Brian. Any chance this is a result of rushing the followthrough. I think this is a problem I suffer from badly. I feel like I'm hitting at the ball as soon as my backswing finishes. I've read that the followthrough should begin slowly then accelerating quickly as you approach the hitting area.

Your swing in the down the line video looks really good, you should be able to hit nice shots with it.

You are correct that a smooth tempo helps keep everything working together and the release of speed should happen when you are halfway down.

One final small piece of advise: In your follow through allow the club to swing on around your body on the same plane as it went back, this will assist in solid ball contact, don't get hung up about your arms needing to be high at the finish, let them freewheel to a natural end position.

[tiketyboo]

Re: Golf swing advice needed

Thanks again for the advice and the comments guys it's really inspired me to try and understand my golf swing better and ultimately improve my game. I've got all these new swing thoughts to try at the range, so hopefully I can post a video in the coming weeks with the changes incorporated in my swing.