please critique my swing

[bukemdano]

Hi everyone
I was wondering if you could take a look at my swing and tell me what the most obvious thing (or things I am doing wrong here. I cant seem to hit the ball consistent. One week I am hooking it and the next pushing it with my long irons. I am not hitting it as fat as I used to. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry about the lighting in the video.

Thanks
Dan

[BrianW]

Re: please critique my swing

Hi Dan,

There are a lot of good things going on with your swing, well done.

It is not easy to see exactly what is happening with this video but you seem to be starting your downswing with your shoulders and this is making you throw the club from the top and get a little outside the ball. Try to get your hips sliding towards the target at the start of the downswing while your arms and shoulders do nothing but drop down by the hip action, then unwind your shoulders and arms through with your head back.

The other thing is to maintain a flattish left wrist through the swing. I think it may be moving and opening or closing the clubface.

[GregJWillis]

Re: please critique my swing

Brian's right there.

I also noticed the early hands in the takeaway, and this takes them way on the inside. If you start the takeaway with just the shoulders for the first 6 inches, this will keep your hands in place and in a better position at the top to allow the lower body to start the downswing.

Early hands always have a way of releasing too early, and this is a good chance that you use them to square the face up, rather then using your full rotation into impact to do that for you...where you will be much more consistent in trajectory and line.

[bukemdano]

Re: please critique my swing

Thanks for the great tips and your very right. Sometimes I forgot what I should be doing or just don' know. I am going to work on this. Thanks again !!

Dan

[nor]

Re: please critique my swing

I agree with the first post there. Some very good things going on there. Nice tempo, nice accel good turn and very nice alignment and fundementals.

However, you're a bit like me in that you're hands are going to determine where the ball is going. What you need to do is fairly simple and it ties in with the suggestions above.

In my opinion a simple swing thought of having the sensation of swinging the club back by the flat of your left arm (the fleshy area that faces the target between your shoulder and elbow). This should help your hands get to the proper position at the top, allowing them to do what is natural on the way down.

Dont start trying to change whats going on half way thru or at the end of your swing, it's what you do when you take the club away at the beginning of your swing that will get everything as it should be on the way down.

Keep up the good work though and try hard to just have 1 'swing thought'. You've got a good natural game there buddy so you dont need to mess with too much.

[jamesh]

Re: please critique my swing

Nice swing. I too have been starting my swing from the top - actually it is all I have known. I found this video helpful, as always, your opinion are apprecaited.

Here is a tip I found useful:

http://www.1st-beginners-golf-swing-...g-trigger.html

Any other tips on this subject are most welcome!


James

[Timothy Slaught]

Re: please critique my swing

Hey Bukemdano:

Tying in to what Greg Willis pointed out, you are way inside with your takeaway. It does look like your wrists/hands are dominating this first crucial move in the swing. I was able to pause the clip exactly when the club is parallel to the ground in your backswing and the club is pointing way to the right of your target line (down the line view). At this critical juncture, your club should be parallel to your target line and roughly over a line running directly in front of your toes.

In your case, this inside, off plane takeaway forces you to lift the arms to try to get back on plane at the top. From there, this inside and up backswing plane usually results in an over the top move to impact. This is extremely common for amatuers.

Fortunately, you seem to have a good athletic swing and your timing is good as well. You will need to work on the takeaway and work on achieving the club parallel to the taget line when it reaches parallel to the ground. The best way to practice this is slowly and with a mirror. Done in slow motion, you will feel that the wrists/hands should play a very subtle role in this initial move from the ball. You should feel a very slight upcocking of the wrists only when your hands get to your right thigh in the takeaway. Your current move shows you dragging the club inside immediately, which is setting you up for a swatting motion overall. The wrists should only cock up and down, not side to side. This all starts at the takeaway.

Improve this and my bet is the rest of your good swing qualities will dominate and your consistency will improve. I recommend an old favorite instruction manual by some guy named Nicklaus who has a great description of the one piece takeaway in GOLF MY WAY.

Best Of Luck.

[bukemdano]

Re: please critique my swing

Thanks a TON for the excellent advice. It's makes sense and really helps when someone can explain what's happening and why. I have been working on the one piece takeaway in the last couple days and setting the club parallel like you guys explained and delaying the wrist setting and it's working out really good. Big difference ! I also noticed with that initial takeaway that my arms are no longer crashing into my chest at the top of my bs. Still lots to learn. Thanks again for all the help

Dan