Need help correcting my swing!!!

[snoopdoug]

Re: Need help correcting my swing!!!

Hi Ted,

The ball flight for my irons is about 60% straight and 40% push. Which is really wierd because before i when we first started chatting i was pulling my irons. I dont know if this is bad or what but at least theyre going the same direction as my driver lol. For the most part i try to keep my hands ahead of the club head but if i actually keep them ahead thru impact im not for sure i'll have to have someone watch me too see. I think a big part of it is like dagoos said my swing is to shallow for my iron shots. And ive noticed that on alot of my iron shots i dont get a very high trajectory. I suppose that could be because of my shallow swing plane. Oh and whats that website address you mentioned?
Thanks,
Doug

[rotator]

Re: Need help correcting my swing!!!

Hi Doug,

Please read my previous post about leading with the hands. That will get the clubhead coming down in a descending angle and impacting the ball, then taking the divot.

Here's the website. Don't get too wrapped up in trying to copy the swings per se. Your swing is probably good enough, without trying new things at this stage. Just do your natural way. The website is given only to show the impact position.

http://www.aroundhawaii.com/lifestyl...chieve_it.html

Oh, I was more interested in the height of your iron shots, whether low or high, as that might have given a clue as to your holding the green problem. I suspected your flight would be low. The descending strike caused by leading with the hands will give you solid contact on the middle of the clubface (versus on the lower grooves), and the ball will have spin.

Also, as we discussed earlier, you still have a problem with your path or face angles, otherwise you would not be pushing.
Here's a couple of thoughts, on that subject.

You mentioned you try to keep your hands ahead of impact. But you could possibly be doing that by straightening your arms and "throwing" them away from the body (disconnecting from the body), with the wrists still cocked and the hands ahead with the clubhead. That would cause the face to be open with an inside to outside swing, and leading to the push. There is another thread running at the moment on keeping the arms to the side of the body, which may be of help on this matter.

Also, golfers have the impression that the key for hitting good shots is to swing from inside to out. But, they do not realize that the path is really an inside to out and then in again. The face of the clubhead will be open to the target line (although on a square plane) coming into impact. At impact, the face will be square or slightly closing. Past impact, at a certain point which depends on the type of swing of the golfer, or a particular shot he wants to play, the face will will eventually want to be closing. The analogy is to a opening and closing gate. It's this closing, which squares up the face, or even closes the face (to cause draws) at impact. It may be you are holding the face open, by not allowing the clubhead to swing back to the inside. The shoebox drill could disclose if this is a problem, if you put the shoebox outside the ball, but positioned on the target side. That way, if you swing inside to out and do not swing back inside past the ball, you will hit the shoebox.

Nobody said it's easy, Doug. You have to be honest with yourself and work diligently. Eventually, it'll make sense. The laws of physics will be heard.

Ted

[dagoos]

Re: Need help correcting my swing!!!

Hi Ted,

The ball flight for my irons is about 60% straight and 40% push. Which is really wierd because before i when we first started chatting i was pulling my irons. I dont know if this is bad or what but at least theyre going the same direction as my driver lol. For the most part i try to keep my hands ahead of the club head but if i actually keep them ahead thru impact im not for sure i'll have to have someone watch me too see. I think a big part of it is like dagoos said my swing is to shallow for my iron shots. And ive noticed that on alot of my iron shots i dont get a very high trajectory. I suppose that could be because of my shallow swing plane. Oh and whats that website address you mentioned?
Thanks,
Doug

Doug It sound like you open the clubface "or roll"it right from the start of your takeaway .....the clubface looks at the ball till your shafts reaches your waist or right pocket...a good way to check this is the bottom edge of yoru clubface would be the same angle as your spine tilt m,,,,,,from waist high to the top of your backswing is where your right forearm starts to rotate ...this is the only way you can get to the top of your backswing without hurting yourself ,,try and not rotate your rigth forearm and you will see.on the downswing the same thing happens . the clubface looks at the ball starting at waist high ,,,,,,this will feel like its closed if you have been using your hands to much. do a you tube of jack nicklaus and you can watch how his clubface stays at the same angle as his spine til about waist and then it rotates to what seems like an open face but its not open ,,,its square dagoos

[snoopdoug]

Re: Need help correcting my swing!!!

Hey Ted,

Well im still having a lil trouble taking divots but it is gettin better. As for the height of my iron shot theyre mostly lower than id like to see them. I read a thread on keeping my arms to the side and i know thats not the problem. I tried the tip about puttin the headcover under your arm and seeing if it stays thru the swing. It did everytime. Ive even hit my right hip with my right elbow a few times before on my downswing.

The past couple of rounds ive played ive went back to slicing the ball on my drives just about everytime and i cant figure out why. As far as i can tell im not doing anything different. ill give the shoebox drill a shot tomorrow. How far away do i put the box from the ball?

I know this is not an easy game. And i appreciate all the help you have giving me so far. Oh and i bought that Callaway Xhot 3 wood and i absolutely love it. The feel and sound of the ball off the clubface is just awesome.

Doug

[rotator]

Re: Need help correcting my swing!!!

Hi Doug,

The box position from the ball depends on your tolerance. If the box was 2" away from the toe of your club, it would be a good test. If you can tolerate 1", it's a greater challenge, but a better test.

Also, as described earlier, there are different positions to test for inside to outside path or outside to inside path.

You have to re-read and understand the Laws of Flight in my earliest post (No. 2 in this thread). You can then diagnose which paths and which face angles, or what combinations of these, result in your flight problems.

Look at Fig. 2.2. Tee the ball at the intersection of the intended flight line and the club path lines in this schematic diagram. To test for this outside to inside path fault, again in the schematic diagram, place the box so the "top" of the box is even with the ball and the whole box is "below" the ball. The left side of the box is about 1"-2" from and parallel to the intended flight line. You can see that if you swing outside to inside to hit the ball, you will hit the box.

Likewise, look at Fig. 2.3. To test for inside to outside path fault, place the box so the "bottom" of the box is now even with the ball and the whole box is "above" the ball. You can see that if you swing inside to outside to hit the ball, you will hit the box.

Doug, these are just tests to see if you have the swing faults according to your description of your shots. From here, the members could possibly offer meaningful suggestions. At the moment, it's speculation about what is causing your problems. It could be anything.

It's important to realize the more accurate the symptoms reported, the better the diagnosis and suggestions will be.

Ted

[snoopdoug]

Re: Need help correcting my swing!!!

Hey Ted,
Yeah i know this is all just speculation but any help is better than no help. If i could only afford lessons right now haha! But i did try the shoebox drill and my swing path is straight almost every time. As for the face angle im not so sure about. I think im gonna try and video tape my swing and see if i can figure something out. If i do ill try and get it on here and let ya check it out.
Thanks
Doug

[snoopdoug]

Re: Need help correcting my swing!!!

Well i played nine today and it was the total opposite of my past few rounds. I hit the driver very well but i was pushing my iron shots. Its like if i drive well i do poorly with the irons and vice versa. I just dont get it LOL!!! I guess that sjust how it goes. But as for my driving i think(think bein the keyword) what a big part of my problem was, i wasnt keeping my back completely straight and i was swinging too hard. Today i concentrated on good posture and slowing down my swing speed and wow i was really suprised on my first drive. I aimed well left of the target as i usually do to compensate for my wicked slice and BAMMM, i hit straight and long with just an ever so slight fade. I did this for 6 of the 7 driving holes and the one that got away from me really wasnt that bad. I just wonder if my concentrating so much on my driver it screwed up my iron play. I just dont know. Hopefully it dont rain tomorrow so i can find it if my driver was just a fluke today or if maybe i figured out what ive been doin wrong lately. Any ideas on why i was pushing my irons.

Doug

[BrianW]

Re: Need help correcting my swing!!!

One of the biggest reasons people push the ball, fade and slice with any club is due to lifting up and around through impact to see where the ball is going. This gets your arms behind your body and will stop the club releasing so the clubface is open.

Try hard to keep your head just behind the ball position until the ball has gone and maintain your spine tilt.