Problems completing the swing

[alanm]

From a good top of the backswing position I have been working on a smooth transition ( bump allowing arms to fall into the slot etc) combined with the RH Drill and the Impact Drill. I am reasonably happy with strike, direction and ball flight but am aware that, particularly during a round, the follow through is becoming curtailed. Although the belt buckle ends up facing left of target, the forearms are still in front of me pointing vertically with the wrists in line with the left shoulder ( if all that makes sense).

I realise that I should have a relaxed swing that accelerates through the ball (not at it) such that the club completes the swing, finishing behind the back. Does anyone have suggestions on drills/training aids that specifically address this part of the swing.

[msklar92]

Re: Problems completing the swing

Put a rubber tee 2-3 inches inside the target line and about 6 inches in front of the ball. Swing without hitting the tee. this will help your to extend towards the target on the follow through.

[james.welsh]

Re: Problems completing the swing

My pro says you should TRY to extend your arms slightly off the the right of the target line. This way you can clear your ams out of the way properly. In actual fact you will still be clearing your arms off to the left but since you're trying to keep to the right you end up clearing less left and more on line with the target.

The thing you have to remember is what you THINK you are doing is NOT what you are ACTUALLY doing! You'd have to look at a video of yourself to know for sure.

[alanm]

Re: Problems completing the swing

Thanks for the replies.

I will take the advice to the range and see what happens. I suspect that I need to clear my mind of all the 'technical' thoughts and get back to staying relaxed, feeling the clubhead and remembering that it should be a swing not a series of connected positions.

[Simon Woo]

Re: Problems completing the swing

Sounds like it's just a simple conscious effort to make sure your club goes behind, maybe for practice purposes to feel the club touching your back. No harm taking this as the first step anyway

[pnearn]

Re: Problems completing the swing

You might need to learn to aggressively move through the ball. This might feel like you would come right across it and even hook it but you need to learn to trust this move so that when you finish your right shoulder is facing the target

I have this problem sometimes myself where I 'hang on' through impact and try and steer the ball with my arms and hands. Just really get through it with your shoulders ans uppper body rotating fast whilst staying in balance and with your head behind the ball through impact. If it goes left and right it may well be that your backswing is at fault (at least thats what I find anyway)

[alanm]

Re: Problems completing the swing

Just back from the range with mixed results.

I liked msklar92's advice about the tee. The visual reminder certainly helped with extension. I also was keen to try being more 'aggressive' through the ball as pnearn suggested.

With the tee in place and trying to be aggressive through the ball I was experiencing push fades. (Body outracing arms, face open?). I then concentrated on release, thinking of the vertical wrist-cock moving down to the ball combined with the pronation of the arms. That got the ball drawing again but the swing was being curtailed as before ( lack of distance).

I then tried to combine all of these but initially began to 'flip-hook' (Body stopping turning leading to being 'handsy'?). Paused for a breather in despair, then tried some swings without a ball and with my eyes closed just concentrating on gently accelerating through until, with the body continuing to turn, the club finished over the shoulder.

The last few practice balls flew OK with this swing. I think that possibly I have been accelerating too soon? and my rythm is off?

Thanks for your suggestions as they certainly helped but for this timing issue is there a training aid designed to groove rythm and tempo? Just watched the 'swingsetter' advert whilst recovering. Any good for this? What about whippy shaft clubs?

[msklar92]

Re: Problems completing the swing

I tried a swingsetter that my friend brought. I have to say I was surprised. It took me a while to get the magnets to click on the downswing. It really does teach you to hold the club properly and swing down behind and then through the ball. My right forearm was sore the next day - you have to swing hard especailly - on the higher settings

[paterick]

Re: Problems completing the swing

if your a two planer, then you might make sure your hips are turning first as your initail movement in the down swing. the arms and shoulders will follow.

[30yearlayoff]

Re: Problems completing the swing

I'm a twp-planer and moving the hips first gets me hooking. I start from the ground up. I start moving weight to left toe and slightly bump the knee forward, then a little hip followed by return of right elbow to side , then drop right shoulder and turn shoulders under chin...while keeping wrist c o ck as long as possible.

I find the hips clear on their own. If I try to move them, I start terrible hooks.

[pnearn]

Re: Problems completing the swing

Alanm

I think youve probably got a point where you have to find the right rythmn/tempo. Youre just a bit out of synch where either your arms are too fast/slow for your body. Welcome to golf

Seriously though, I spend every other range session just working on tempo. I think most mid handicappers spend 95% of their time on technque and 5% on timing/tempo whilst I was told by more than one pro and various low handicappers this ratio should be at least 50/50 once you know you can hit the ball solidly. Personally (and it is a personal thing), I need to have a quick backswing since this gets the club loaded properly for me and I find it easier to transition. If my backswing gets low and slow I start getting way off. Therefore rather than try different release techniques, maybe try exprimenting with different speeds on the backswing and even feeling theres a pause at the top. My bet is you will hit on your right tempo and start to hit the ball great

The trick then is finding it all the time!! Hence why personally I practice tempo/rythmn as much as I do technique

[alanm]

Re: Problems completing the swing

Thanks for responses. I think pnearn has hit the nail on the head. I went to the range and experimented a little with speed of take-away. Starting with the club hovering above and about a foot in front of the ball allowed me to smoothly swing to the top. From there I tried to move just as smoothly away from the top. I found that starting smoothly, and it felt slow, I almost automatically went right through to a complete finish when it was combined with a continuous hip turn.

As pnearn suggested I experimented with different speeds and it seemed that with a slightly faster take-away I was passing through all the 'postions' almost automatically and staying smoother. I definately think the key to this 'completing the swing' problem of mine is tempo, i.e. accelerating at the right time in the swing and preventing bits of the body from interfering with a full completion and causing deceleration on the way.

I shall try to track down one of these 'whippy tempomaster' training aids but they seem to be thin on the ground over here.

[pnearn]

Re: Problems completing the swing

As pnearn suggested I experimented with different speeds and it seemed that with a slightly faster take-away I was passing through all the 'postions' almost automatically and staying smoother. I definately think the key to this 'completing the swing' problem of mine is tempo, i.e. accelerating at the right time in the swing and preventing bits of the body from interfering with a full completion and causing deceleration on the way.

Thanks Alan, I make this point a lot but far too many golfers (and I know as I used to be one) become mechanics bound rather than target bound. Does a baseball pitcher think about what he's doing with his left arm and right knee when he throws, does a boxer think about his wrist supinating as he tries to punch his opponents lights out? Of course they dont, so why should golf be any different

If you focus on the target and trust your mechanics you'll play way better. NO-ONE has a perfect swing, not Tiger, not Hogan, not anyone. Everyone swings the club slightly differently but all the great players have great balance, timing and rythmn. This is why IMHO you should practice this at least 25% of your time on the range (the other 50% being the short game and 25% mechanics)

If you stand over the ball consumed by what different parts of your body must do you are hosed before you start

[pnearn]

Re: Problems completing the swing

If I can Im going to copy another post from another forum which details how important it is just to forget mechanics and learn how , with the basic set of mechanics which all mid hcpers have, then just swinging the club and being target focused is all you need

Indeed this is why I think that Ernest Jones "swing the clubhead" methodology is the best book in golf

http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline...468870,00.html

And note his famous truism

The most amazing thing about the game," said Jones, "is the fact that the poorest players are the ones who try to do the most. I am not speaking of the rank beginner, but rather of the golfer who has been struggling along for years trying remedies suggested by every person with whom he plays

Now the other thread which details how one guy was taught this by his pro

Adding further, this after a lesson with Gary today. I was just amazed. I am lefty. When I started hitting, they were going a little left-- he said I was not finishing the circle-- that I was pushing the club toward the target instead of allowing it to describe a circle around me.

He said I should look at the target, then envision the clubhead describing a circle first back and then around and over my shoulder. The clubhead just happens to pass through the ball, but the hands do nothing differently at impact, just keep it going.

It took me a while to get it-- but when I got it right they started going like a frozen ropes--time after time. He finally handed my my 3i and I hit some pro quality shots off a tight lie--190+ and beautiful trajectory. Amazing.

I asked about the transition. Gary said "there is no such thing as a transition." He also said that Hogan made that big weight shift toward the target as he finished his backswing because he was totally focused on target-- and making his club go there. The move we interpret as "transition" just happens

NO discussion of details, grip, setup, weight, hips, knees, etc. He said all that is taken care of by our body doing what must happen in order to make the clubhead describe the circle going back-- and then around after the ball position. Wow! He said if I saw myself on video I would find that I did all that stuff perfectly-- took it back on plane, shifted my weight, began the downswing with a weight shift forward, etc. etc. When you make the clubhead swing on a circle, it is always on plane.

Now the art is not in getting setup details right, but in getting into the right mental preparation-- focusing entirely on making that circle-- with the target in mind even though you can't see it when you setup to start the swing. The details are not important, your body will overcome many things -- unless your grip, etc. are just too far out to function.

I will get better and better at this-- just barely even looking at the ball itselfThe big deal is that we should not fix anything, make no technical changes, because if the ball goes straight a few times, it should do that from now on. That proves that there is no technical problem. SO, when the ball does not go straight to the target the fault is NEVER something technical-- but simply a failure to make the clubhead describe the circle. No more need to focus on endless details-- Now we need only to take responsibility for making that circle -- You can't blame anything else, clubs, shafts, etc. etc.

It works for chips, pitches, and even putting. The putterhead describes an arc--opens on the backswing and closes after impact. The golfer envisions the ball's path and then makes it happen.

I hope this helps some people. It certainly helped me

[GreeBoman]

Re: Problems completing the swing

an important thing to remember is that players of other sports *do* think about what they are doing with their bodies, but only when the train or are being coached.
When they play, they play.
A lot of golfer try to fix stuff as they go, a pro never does this.
You have to make the best of whatever swing you appear to have with you on the day.
If it looks you are going to shoot 100, try for 99.
It will make you a better player.