Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

[snake]

Hi,
Always been struggling with reducing my back-swing.
Simple advice "stop it shorter" does not work.
there must be a mechanical reason why I can get tight at the top.
Any advice ?

[BrianW]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

It's normally associated with collapsing the elbows at the top so that the club flops over your back.

Try to keep your hands as far away from your head as you comfortably can in the backswing.

[snake]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

hi thank for the tip.
I dont know if you can view my pic.
But when I complete my shoulder turn I simplay cannot stop moving the arms until they collapse
is this just muscle memory or have I some fundamentals wrong ?

[BrianW]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

hi thank for the tip.
I dont know if you can view my pic.
But when I complete my shoulder turn I simplay cannot stop moving the arms until they collapse
is this just muscle memory or have I some fundamentals wrong ?

Ah! didn't notice the picture. Your arms collapsing doesn't seem to be the problem Try keeping your right elbow closer to your side, make some swings with a glove or head cover held under your right armpit and try to keep it there through the back swing.

[Matt10]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

Definitely try all the tips suggested by Brian - he's the tops!

If for whatever reason it doesn't work out. I managed to solve my incurable overswing by at the start of my swing, I restrict the hip turn.

So as I go back, my hips go left - this automatically creates a shorter backswing, and a lot more tension.

Hitting the ball this way for the last couple of months - it's been fantastic - no more overswinging. I'll have to post a vid to show what I mean.

[rogue]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

To be honest, when i first saw your swing i thought it was very hoganesque in his early days. Thats a complimennt.

I wouldmt bother to change it personally. Learn to get better at controlling the ball with what you do. Focus on ball control and the result may be that it shortens. If it doesnt then live with it, it's no biggie.

I used the hammer and nail idea (popular theme here) for a while on myself and as a result i gained a shorter swing. Any previous attempt to shorten my swing resulted in lots of bad rounds as it wasnt natural. Never try to do it directly - find out the reason why you are doing it - and i'm talking the deepest reason. This could be something psychological.

There is nothing wrong with an overswing. Most of the old players used to do it, its just a myth that you need to get the club parallel at the top. Monty wouldnt have won 8 order of merits if he was in a perfect postion at the top, and John Daly probably wouldnt have been as great as he was.

[rogue]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

Definitely try all the tips suggested by Brian - he's the tops!

If for whatever reason it doesn't work out. I managed to solve my incurable overswing by at the start of my swing, I restrict the hip turn.

So as I go back, my hips go left - this automatically creates a shorter backswing, and a lot more tension.

Hitting the ball this way for the last couple of months - it's been fantastic - no more overswinging. I'll have to post a vid to show what I mean.

If it work fro you then great. But thats a very unnatural compensation to make. What was the real reason you were overswinging? Why did you want to change it.

I work with trackman and the K-vest a lot and doing what you said is almost unthinkable. You will still have all the old problems there (perhaps a big arm bend, loose grip at the top, too much arm movement) yet have slapped a big plaster over it.

Although I never argue with success, if its working for you then great. But the disadvantages of doing what you are doing could be

Less speed - again another myth that more separation of the hip leads to higher speed)
kinematic seuqence completely thrown out - this sequence has been evolutionary developed in us over hundreds of thousadns of years in humans - and even millions in animals) to provide the maximum and most efficient way to move the body. Doing what you say is throwing this sequence out big time.
Potential back problems. If you are reaching your maximum stretch (that tension you feel) at the top of the swing then you have nowheere to go in the transition. If you make a good transition you will probably be putting so much stress on your spine it would lead to injury.

What do you think

[snake]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

Cheers guys, your posts are really helpful.
I sounds totally correct that I am lifting the arms too much.
I seem to get to where i should stop the backswing but cant seem to stop the arms.
When i force it I seem to get well out of sync and cant really stop at a consistent point.
I've tried swinging slower but again I cant find that torque point.
i'll pewrsevere with the short arm lift....mybe good...who knows !!!

[rogue]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

Cheers guys, your posts are really helpful.
I sounds totally correct that I am lifting the arms too much.
I seem to get to where i should stop the backswing but cant seem to stop the arms.
When i force it I seem to get well out of sync and cant really stop at a consistent point.
I've tried swinging slower but again I cant find that torque point.
i'll pewrsevere with the short arm lift....mybe good...who knows !!!

Will be interesting. Again I would prefer you find the route cause and work on that. Trying to force your body to do something usually isnt the best route and you will struggle further with those synch issues.

Try what 'golow' suggested with the nail and hammer. It may aceive what you want in a more natural way - to which the cause was something psychological (as a change in your concept gives you a better swing).

Other than that practice punch shots, that will certainly shortent the swing. But it may be that you are more of a swinger than a hitter - think mickelson. He is often very very long at the top.

What exactly are the problems casued by this long overswing. Please dont tell me you are changing it just to make it look more 'textbook' whatever that means

[KrudlerAce]

Armpit

I like BrianW's advice with the golf swing drill of keeping a wood cover under your armpit. I have seen the touring pros using this technique many times on the course and on television. It obviously works for them so I would definitely give that a try.

[keiko]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

I wouldn't change a thing unless your consistency or shot making suffers.

Hi,
Always been struggling with reducing my back-swing.
Simple advice "stop it shorter" does not work.
there must be a mechanical reason why I can get tight at the top.
Any advice ?

[kbp]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

I don’t see a lot of what the other posters are seeing. The right elbow doesn’t seem crazy high, nor does the left arm look severely broken down. The hands do not seem THAT high. Without a DTL view, it’s hard to tell, I admit.

What I THINK I do see is a cupped left wrist at the top. This is would allow the club to drop below parallel to the ground. Flattening the left wrist some at the top will limit the range of motion and stop the shaft closer to parallel. It will also close the clubface at the top, relative to where it is with a cup, which may or may not be beneficial.

I am just answering the "how" to shorten this swing. Personally, I don’t have a problem with going past parallel if you’re on plane and not broken down. The path is an arc. Halfway up, 3/4's up, just short of parallel, parallel or past parallel or just different stopping points along the same path, if you’re on plane. However, I do not personally like a severely cupped left wrist at the top. Others will disagree. To me, it’s too loose and allows a big range of motion at the top, both "on" plane and perpendicular to the plane leading to inconsistency.

The picture kind of reminds me of John Daly, too, and some others. There is more than one way to hit a golf ball.

[rogue]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

I don’t see a lot of what the other posters are seeing. The right elbow doesn’t seem crazy high, nor does the left arm look severely broken down. The hands do not seem THAT high. Without a DTL view, it’s hard to tell, I admit.

I am just answering the "how" to shorten this swing. Personally, I don’t have a problem with going past parallel if you’re on plane and not broken down. The path is an arc. Halfway up, 3/4's up, just short of parallel, parallel or past parallel or just different stopping points along the same path, if you’re on plane. However, I do not personally like a severely cupped left wrist at the top. Others will disagree. To me, it’s too loose and allows a big range of motion at the top, both "on" plane and perpendicular to the plane leading to inconsistency.

The picture kind of reminds me of John Daly, too, and some others. There is more than one way to hit a golf ball.

well said kbp

[BrianW]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

Whether it is a problem or not is another issue. The OP said he has always been struggling with his backswing and there must be a mechanical reason why he cannot get tight at the top. I assume from this he actually wants to shorten his backswing.

Cupping as suggested by KBP will indeed drop the shaft at the top as will the right elbow pulling up and disconnecting from the side. Maybe he can tell us if anything suggested has helped.

[rogue]

Re: Overswing - any advice how to stop (see pic)

Whether it is a problem or not is another issue. The OP said he has always been struggling with his backswing and there must be a mechanical reason why he cannot get tight at the top. I assume from this he actually wants to shorten his backswing.

Cupping as suggested by KBP will indeed drop the shaft at the top as will the right elbow pulling up and disconnecting from the side. Maybe he can tell us if anything suggested has helped.

Maybe the problem is a mental attachment to a textbook swing. Head filled with a load of rubbish about the club being parallel to the ground at the top as if the ball knows this.

Looks fine mechanically to me (body wise) - not too cupped at the top, the left arm not too high or disconnected from the body (could be better). Just looks like really limber wrists to me - the angle created is very hoganesque. Like the KBP said, if everything is on plane and in line then 1/4 or 5/4 swing don't matter too much,

If we are really looking at the mechanics then his hands could be more in front of his chest at the top thus reducing the arm swing - but this would have a detrimental effect on his game. A player with that much wrist flexibility needs a longer arm swing to let the wrists catch up on the way down and to maintain their rhythm. If he changes the arm action the wrist action is going to have to change too, and for what reason??? there is no guarantee with this swing overhaull it will play any better