hands low

[beachwave]

Does anyone know of any drills that will help me to keep my right arm in an "L" shape and keep my hands high on the back swing. I seem to break down on my backswing, drop my elbow and flatten out my swing plane which results in me coming over the top with an out to in swing. I have tried lots of things to correct this but when I go to the course the old habits come back and my round is ruined. I recently purchased "The Coach" golf fitness and swing trainer and am trying the Ledbetter method with the one plane swing but theses things haven't produced any results yet. Does anyone know of a drill where I can get the feel of keeping my hands high in the back swing and my elbow in position?

[ubizmo]

Re: hands low

This was a big problem for me as well, and I've been working on it a lot and I've made some headway.

First, I *strongly* recommend that you videotape your swing, so you can see exactly what's happening. Even low-end digital still cameras let you record video now; that's all I use. It has been the most important thing I've done.

Second, there's a very good chance that your *left* arm is bending more than you think, causing the right arm to fold as well. And it's very easy to overbend your left arm if you're trying to get your hands up high. That's exactly what was happening to me. I found that by trying to keep my left arm quite straight, it would still get a slight, but acceptable bend at the top of the backswing. It's deceptive.

I find, however, that thinking too much about elbows and knees and wrists isn't all that productive. I've had better luck just thinking about the *shape* of my swing, the clubhead path, and trying to make it big and round. That helps me to keep the left arm extended on the backswing, helps me to sweep through the ball, and helps to go to a high finish. And going to a high finish helps to pull my hips around, and it all seems to come together.

As I say, I've really made some headway with this, but I don't think I could have without recording my swing and looking at the collapsing of the backswing and the collapsing of the follow-through. When I stepped through the frames of the video I could see that the clubhead path was more egg-shaped, and that meant I was using energy to deform the natural circular path, and no wonder I was getting no distance, when I managed to hit the ball at all.

[gord962]

Re: hands low

Here is my drill with some check points:
http://members.shaw.ca/gord962/drills/top_position.htm

[beachwave]

Re: hands low

Thanks for the tip. I will start using this drill right away and see how it looks on video. Thanks again

[Simon Woo]

Re: hands low

Hi beachwave,

I'm sure someone would say this sooner or later. First of all, you need to decide whether you want to adopt the one-plane or the two-plane swing. Follow the instructions and drills for the one-plane swing only if you decide to stick to that.

I also asked some questions regarding the right arm/elbow recently. It appears to me that if your elbow is too low, the you should try to work on the feeling that you are lifting your left arm higher. This will directly cause the right elbow to move up until your right upper arm is horizontal.

Also check the angle between your right upper arm and lower arm. If they are less than 90%, then chances are your left arm is bent more than you think/feel. Again, work on feeling as if you are straightening your left arm even more, and the angle between your right upper and lower arm should move towards the recommended 90% .

By the way I'm just a beginner, so please take what I'm saying as sharing more than any intended instructions

Cheers

[beachwave]

Re: hands low

Thanks for the info. I an trying to work on the ledbetter method for the one plane swing. I will try the things you suggested and see how they work. thanks again.