Coming out of shot

[AlanN]

I searched for this topic, in the archive, but, could find no mention. Hence this request for help.

I've played in a couple of team events, recently, and have performed well below my handicap of 19. Unfortunately, my return to singles competition, over the weekend, was disastrous.

One of my fellow competitors mentioned, after the round, that I'm coming out of some of my shots too early. An unhealthy combination of blocks/ blocked slices and pulls sums up the round. A few very fat ones with fairway woods and long irons. Not with the short irons though.

I do have a tendency to swing too hard at times, which may have some bearing on the fault. Can anyone suggest other possibilities? Hopefully, there won't be too many reasons why I'm not staying down through the shot.

Thank you.

[GregJWillis]

Re: Coming out of shot

Sounds like your doing the "torso hammer" where you are raising up with your spine angle, then dropping it back down at impact.

Flex the right knee just a little more and sit in your seat - feel like a linebacker (sorry, american football - can't think of UK sport other then rugby, and that game I do not know) but you get the picture. Keep the flex and seat through to impact and that will help.

If you are still comming out (picking up the head and/or body) before impact, have a partner hold the grip end of a club but infron of your nose, this way you and your partner can see just how bad you are dropping/lifting. Your nose should stay level through to impact from the setup position.

[AlanN]

Re: Coming out of shot

Thanks Greg.

You must be psychic. Believe it or not, in my post, I, originally, wrote "I used to have a lot of upper body movement (raising up in backswing and lowering in downswing but, have practised hard to eliminate this". However, I thought that this was unnecessary information and deleted it!!!!

Obviously, I haven't eliminated this fault. I'm still doing it (at times)

No problem with the linebacker illustration. Many of us Brits (including myself) like and watch American Football. I'll go down the range later and put some practise in, as I've got a Seniors medal round, tomorrow.

Thanks once again.

[AlanN]

Re: Coming out of shot

Greg,

Thanks to your advice, my ball striking (and direction) improved a lot, today. I shot 41, on the front 9. If I hadn't taken four putts on the 1st, it could have been 39.

Unfortunately, on back 9, I hit quite a few pulls. One of them OOB. My ball striking was still very good but the direction was not.