Hitting ground before Ball

[BigdazUK]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

To help me stop sliding on the backswing is it a good idea to put a shaft in the ground next too my right hip and take full swings making sure not too touch the shaft? Or is it better to stick to the table drill?

I know i'm getting ahead of myself a bit but has anybody got any other swing sugestions for me. I really want to getmy swing faults ironed out so any advice is very welcome.

[BigdazUK]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

It says on this page of the artical on 1 plane vs 2 planes that this head and hips can shift slightly right for a 2 plane swing: http://www.golfdigest.com/instructio...ingplane5.html

Is this correct? Shall i keep my slight shift right on the backswing or should I work on removing it?

[LowPost42]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

The reason they can have a slight shift back is because the hips will do a comparitively major shift forward.

Ideally, however, you're hips stay put. If I put two stakes 1" away from either hip, ideally you wouldn't touch either stake.

[msklar92]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

In general, hitting the ground before the ball is caused by too vertical a swing. You may be reverse pivoting - i.e. the weight is on the left foot during your backswing rather then the right. Make sure your weight shifts to the inside of the right foot with a full shoulder turn. On drill is too place a ball or wallet on the outside of your right shoe. This will help you to feel the weight shift onto the inside of the right foot.

[mew09]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

Just a few thoughts.

* Takeaway is too inside.
* As such, club gets too steep, (easily seen in down-the-line view). As club becomes vertical the shaft is pointing midway between your toes and the ball. It should have been pointing to the ball, or a little "outside" the ball.
* Other consequences of #1: at top of backswing, club points right of target. Moreover, hands are "behind", posterior to your right shoulder. If you let go of the club from the top of the backswing poistion it would miss you collar-bone completely.
*From this too inside position, i.e. the hands too posterior, there is nothing that the forward swing can do but become too steep. And it is.
*As the hands move away from the body during the downswing the club is released too early. This early release, (or flicking) is evident by a loss of the angle of the right wrist, a cupping (or loss of a straight left wrist) and a predicable ball flight which is too high and lacks power.
* Other issues include, hips which are not fully opened at impact, and a spine angle (in the front on view) that is too vertical revealing an inability to stay behind the ball.
As a first pass, I would suggest improving the takeaway keeping the hands inside the club head and keeping the shaft on plane. Extending the left arm more fully will help.

P.S. The issues are common and could be readily identified by a club pro.

Cheers

[smudge450]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

i've been having the same problem, tried various things like moving the ball position, nothing seemed to work and then i realised i was lifting my left heel to high on the back swing, think this made me sway and everything went to the dogs. anyway once i keept my heel down i found i'm hitting the irons ok again with no fat shots.

may not be any help to you but certainly helped me.

[leebev]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

I follow the Jack Nicklaus method of ball position, posture / weight transfer and I very rarely hit fat shots. If anything, I very rarely take a divot unless I'm using a wedge. His method is to place the ball just inside your left heel for all clubs. Weight transfer for Driver - 4i is 30%/70% left to right which allows transfer of weight to your left side on the downswing generating more power. On 5i - 7i / 8i weight transfer is 50%/50% allowing only slight requirement to transfer weight to left side. Then for your 8i / 9i - wedge, weight is 70%/30% left to right and no transfer of weight is required. Lastly keep the right knee turned in slightly at address and you will notice on your back swing that this virtually eliminates sway.

Cheers.
Lee.

[nate doggy cat]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

Just a few thoughts.

* Takeaway is too inside.
* As such, club gets too steep, (easily seen in down-the-line view). As club becomes vertical the shaft is pointing midway between your toes and the ball. It should have been pointing to the ball, or a little "outside" the ball.
* Other consequences of #1: at top of backswing, club points right of target. Moreover, hands are "behind", posterior to your right shoulder. If you let go of the club from the top of the backswing poistion it would miss you collar-bone completely.
*From this too inside position, i.e. the hands too posterior, there is nothing that the forward swing can do but become too steep. And it is.
*As the hands move away from the body during the downswing the club is released too early. This early release, (or flicking) is evident by a loss of the angle of the right wrist, a cupping (or loss of a straight left wrist) and a predicable ball flight which is too high and lacks power.
* Other issues include, hips which are not fully opened at impact, and a spine angle (in the front on view) that is too vertical revealing an inability to stay behind the ball.
As a first pass, I would suggest improving the takeaway keeping the hands inside the club head and keeping the shaft on plane. Extending the left arm more fully will help.

P.S. The issues are common and could be readily identified by a club pro.

Cheers

Top post. I have been suspecting I have been doing just this. How can you correct it?

[Simon Woo]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

Just a quick thought. 9 good shots and 1 fat shot. I don't think that really suggests strongly that you need to change anything drastic in your swing. It's more of a consistency issue rather than a swing fault, I would think. I wonder if we try to over-analyse things sometimes

If it's a precision shot, I would think just try not to rush it and maybe even shorten your swing just a tad.. Might be enough to eradicate that 1 in 10 bad shot?

[Renton405]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

I have a problem with this. I rarely hit a ball thin. But I chunk behind it.. when I do this on turf, ouch it hurt..

The right wrist being cupped throughout the whole swing is important, however I can only do this with with the Greg norman secret because Im so awful at keeping my wrists in that position..... keeping the head still and moving the hips laterally first on the downswing..

your probably too 'handsy' during the swing too.. If you can, practice with your right thumb and forefinger off the club.. the right first finger is a true killer to the swing..

and as that other person said, don;'t lift up the left heel during the backswing, because you will sway too much and chunk the ball... left heel must be down..

Keep your right knee bent in at all times in the backswing. or you will lose your coil..

[fanofsaosin]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

i had the same problem till i read an article in my new golf magazine i got today. The teacher talks about the O factor, he says instead of bumping you should rotate the left hip. should give it a look at.
http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline...595133,00.html
tried it at the range today and was hitting my shots real crisp i just have to work on mainting my spine angle.

[jambalaya]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

Just a quick thought. 9 good shots and 1 fat shot. I don't think that really suggests strongly that you need to change anything drastic in your swing. It's more of a consistency issue rather than a swing fault, I would think. I wonder if we try to over-analyse things sometimes

If it's a precision shot, I would think just try not to rush it and maybe even shorten your swing just a tad.. Might be enough to eradicate that 1 in 10 bad shot?

Ha! Just what I was thinking. It's probably not a good thing to overhaul your entire swing for an occasional problem. A lot of people have been guilty of the same including me. I would say some small adjustment is all that is needed.

[jambalaya]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

That's not true. He's definitely moving, not via swaying or sliding, but returning his hips via a "2-inch" bump toward the target to start the downswing. The movement is more subtle with Els, but look at any pro swinging and you'll see that hip move toward the target a bit as the weight transfers to the left.

With something as fast as the golf swing, though, it's impossible to consciously achieve such a small movement by focusing on that part itself. That's just the effect of the weight going onto his left side to start the downswing, which in turn drops the club into "the slot". This is what the two-plane swing you're so confused about is all about. Look at Jim Furyk if you're unclear on it. He has the most pronounced plane shift in the history of golf...be sure not to try and copy his swing exactly though.

...and actually, Ernie Els is labeled as a one-plane swinger. I'm not sure I see that way either, but take a look at this really good Golf Digest article on the whole one-plane vs. two-swing issue:

www.golfdigest.com/instruction/index.ssf?/instruction/gd200505swingplane1.html

I think you'll find it really interesting...

Great article. I have been trying to not think about swing planes too much but I am definitely a two-planer according to the article. At least I better be cause I am definitely bumping the hips in the down swing and keeping the arms within the torso as best I can. But my stance is definitely not as upright as suggested in the article. I am going to have to move the ball closer to do that.

[kbp]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

.....don;'t lift up the left heel during the backswing, because you will sway too much and chunk the ball... left heel must be down.

Insisting the left heel stay down may be counter productive for some people, especially those that are older or less flexible, causing a reverse pivot or an incomplete shoulder turn. Reverse pivot, especially, can also be a cause of fat hits. IMO, to overriding goal is to get a "full" shoulder turn and weight shift. Hip rotation and left heel lift should be limited only to the degree that a persons flexibility will allow while still getting a full shoulder turn and good weight shift..
If the left heel does lift, the very first move on the downswing should be to plant the left heel back on the ground.

[Renton405]

Re: Hitting ground before Ball

whenever I lifted my left heel I always hit terrible shots... Maybe a golfer should stretch before resorting to this.. lifting the left heel also makes you lose a little bit of your coil you have in the hips on the downswing and it also causes your head to bob up on the backswing..

There are some good golfers who lift in their swing, but they are able to keep their head still and weight good.. Id say around 15-20% do lift, but barely..