I can't fix my swing problem.

[alexk]

Here is my problem.

I hit my 7 iron 135-145 yards carry. That is not long. My problem is not distance. I really think i still have 20 yards more in me. I am trying to harvest it with correct swing.

To do that i have to hit every ball straight. I do that if i really concentrate with my head down until impact is done.

My problem is from top of the swing to impact is rush of blood. I just want to slow down my downswing. Yes.

I really think there is some hands action involved in downswing with some inside out action to keep the ball straight.

At present my club comes too fast from top of the swing to slot position. I am at present adjust my club to keep in line from slot position to impact. I almost feel like i am hitting from slot position.

My question is how many of you(scratch golfers) who use only body swing ( not hands at all) during imapct ? or how many of you use hands and hip movement to keep the ball straight.

I see most people with body swing block the ball or over hoot the ball and inconsistent with swing.

Anyone care to explain?

Anyone here hit every ball straight? atleast 95% of the shot?.

[pnearn]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

Well I swing with my body and I definitely dont want to use my hands and arms in the downswing (unless its a speciality shot). If I do I get really bad results

The key in a body led downswing is weight transfer. If from a top of swing position you just pulled down/swung with your hands without moving forward the clubface would be open. This is why a lot of people slice/pull. So then people try and bump their hips to transfer weight but leave the upper body behind, which puts you in this horrible reverse C position, again leaving an open club face

I feel like I turn my chest from the top and that pulls my hands. My key on the downswing is to try and get my chest over the ball at impact so that it arrives at impact before my hands. This chest turn pulls my arms and hands which I try and keep really loose. In reality the hands will outrace the chest just before impact but thats the feeling I want to have. Like at impact my chest, right hip and right knee all arrive at the ball at the same time. If I do this I have a forward leaning shaft and lag in my swing and I am moving forward through the shot with my body

To do this my whole body has to move forward though the ball (not just my hips or my hands/arms). in a fluid motion. Its a very simple synchronised forward move and a turn. This is why you see all pro's seemingly keep the same distance between thier legs as they start down since the whole body is moving forward. What happens when you do this is at some point this forward motion hits the firm left side and the right side is then thrown forward. Its learning to feel and time how and when this happens

Have a look at this article

http://www.golfdigest.com/search/ind...304akins2.html

[frosty1s]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

When I try to duplicate the weight shift you talk about I cant find the firm left side I just slide past it and block. When I try and turn my chest from the top I feel like I'm spinning out and either pull or block slice depending on hand position. On the lesson you linked to it looks like his right shoulder drops at the start of the swing. This looks a bit different than just turning the chest from the top.
Thanks

[pnearn]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

When I try to duplicate the weight shift you talk about I cant find the firm left side I just slide past it and block.

That might be because you only slide your hips at the target, instead of working the whole body down to the ball. Try feeling like you turn the whole body back towards the ball and through. Turn dont slide. Everything moves together. The only parts that shouldnt move in the transition is your arms/hands. Try feeling like you actually hold the cock in your wrists as you work everything down together. You should feel the weight going to the left lef, the right elbow come into the side, the wrists are still cocked and the club head is still behind your right shoulder

[ChadCash]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

You are on the right track. I believe you hit the golf ball with the hips. Now of course it took me two years of using only my hands to understand this. I believe if have to go through a process. I used to only use my hands. Now I believe that my hand action got very good but I was too incosistent. You have to use the lower body on the downswing.

[frosty1s]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

I will give it a try, thanks.

[alexk]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

i see people say keep left hand straight. Left hand wrist cupped. Back left palm towards target.

How do you achieve that in that high speed?.

I see from hogan video and pros. Left hand movement stops and right hand moves until impact position. Club travel 10 times the distance of hand movement.

This is where the secret is. I have to find out how to keep my left hand cupped at that high speed.

[shootin4par]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

alex,
I have a fast tempo, and everyone has their own. if you have problems with weight transefer, work on your spine angle. if you do a good job of maintaining it when you are getting close to the top and slowing down it will occur much more naturally

[pnearn]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

i see people say keep left hand straight. Left hand wrist cupped. Back left palm towards target.

How do you achieve that in that high speed?.

Hand and wrist action in the swing should all be a result of your swing mechanics. Its worth trying to learn to take all tension out of your hands and wrists at setup and just swing these 'floppy' arms/wrists/hands. These are called passive hands. You will then 'feel' the clubhead as you swing. The most important time in the swing to give up control is the transition. If you keep all tension out of your arms/hands/wrists (and certainly dont start the downswing by doing anything with them) and just turn your body back to the ball, the arms will drop onto the right plane naturally and then be slung through impact. Provided you were set up right and maintained your angles through the swing (which is far easier to do if you arent pulling,lifting or pushing with the hands) then your wrists will arrive at impact at the right place. It just happens

But for it to work you must learn to give up control of the swing to your body. Its a weird feeling if youve been an arms/hands swinger but this is the way all the good players swing, the power comes from thier core rotational speed not from their arms. Thus you get a natural release of the cocked wrists by centrifugal force. Indeed uncocking your wrists in the downswing, dorsnt preoduce all that mucgh power , real power comes from release the angle of your right elbow. When this happens uour right arm will extend and become a kind of piston rod, putting thrust into your downswing and impact through the ball.

And this happens by making sure your arms and wrists are loose. Try it for one bucket of balls. Feel like your hands and arms are like spaghetti and just use the body to turn them back and through. Fight the temptation to use in the downswing. Just try it for 50 balls. See how you go

[Teevino]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

But for it to work you must learn to give up control of the swing to your body.

Wow pnearn, that sounds like "heavy" stuff. And high anxiety . I can hardly wait to try it. I'm ready for a new rush .

I'm very much a newby to the game, roughly six months of serious play, and by instituting and practicing the instructions and tips at this forum I have taken 10 strokes on average off my game in the last month. From 118 to 108 average (lowest=98). My shots from the tee to the hole are more solid, consistent and accurate and I am more confident. Thanx to all for your feedback especially Greg, S4par, Ian, pnearn (probably leaving somebody out but thanx to you too) and also to all the "little people" like myself who ask the pertinent and dumb questions .

pnearn this sounds like the next place I need to go in my swing to shore it up even more so will be working on it today.. Thanx,, I'll get back to you.. And thanx to frosty for asking the question.

Update:Now that is wild. Haven't hit a ball yet (I find some of my best practice comes from just swinging the club w/ no worry about hitting a ball) but the feel is powerful. Problem is, I can't stop the club at belly button level on the follow through because the club is moving to fast. Even when I try to slow it down it still comes through too powerfully for me to get it stopped until the clubhead is over my head. Sheez.. Will get back again after I've actually been hitting some balls with it.. Zippadeedoodah..

[pnearn]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

I can't stop the club at belly button level on the follow through because the club is moving to fast. Even when I try to slow it down it still comes through too powerfully for me to get it stopped until the clubhead is over my head.

Great stuff, thats effortless power! Did you hit some balls? How did it go? It may take a lot of practice to harness that speed, but that is the way to swing the club faster

[Teevino]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

Great stuff, thats effortless power! Did you hit some balls? How did it go? It may take a lot of practice to harness that speed, but that is the way to swing the club faster

I hit 63 holes worth this weekend. Turning my chest resulted in straightening out my fairway (iron and hybrid) shots and definitely more distance. I also noticed that by doing this there is less strain on my body overall, evidently because the club is doing all the work instead of my back, arms etc... Even though I struggled with a new "conscious" introduction to my swing I still shot my average score which I see as a very positive result. Now, here is the catcher. I believe I would have dropped some shots if my drives off the tee were more consistent. For some reason I could not get the turn to work for me off the tee. I consistently hit sharp fades. I mean the ball would start to the left (or straight) and fade sharply back to the right. Great for dog leg rights. Why is this turn working for me with my shorter clubs but not my driver? The driver has been my nemesis from day one. I'd really like to feel more confident off the tee.

I am hitting a Taylormade 425, 10.5*, set up for a slight draw. I have had it set at neutral as well. I haven't tried an extreme draw set up yet and would rather know that I am hitting the ball well than having the club compensate for a deficit in my swing (which it doesn't do anyhow.) I may get out my Big Bertha and try it for a round to see what happens. Any ideas..

[pnearn]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

Tee

The driver is the hardest one to "let go" of. You automatically want to apply force with the hands/arms since its the big dog and your brain is telling you to rip it! .. I still struggle with the "hit" action on the driver .. its really hard to learn to trust it. However saying all that if you have found the core rotation with soft hands and wrists is working for you on the irons then keep at it .. youre definitely on the right track I think. When I first started making the same swing changes I told myself I didnt want to driver any more than 200 yards. That way I would swing easy and wasnt disappointed when I didnt hit it 300 yards with a gentle draw. Once you can hit it 200 easy you can then maybe start to try speeding it up. Get the mechaincs nailed first, then start trying to turn faster whilst staying in balance

One other thing to think of, if youre driver is killing your score, try leaving it in the car boot for a round and just play a 3/5w or even a hybrid off the tee. Once you get the confidence from keeping the ball in play and lowering your scores you can start practising more with the driver until you feel comfortable with it?

[Teevino]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

Tee

The driver is the hardest one to "let go" of. You automatically want to apply force with the hands/arms since its the big dog and your brain is telling you to rip it! .. I still struggle with the "hit" action on the driver .. its really hard to learn to trust it. However saying all that if you have found the core rotation with soft hands and wrists is working for you on the irons then keep at it .. youre definitely on the right track I think. When I first started making the same swing changes I told myself I didnt want to driver any more than 200 yards. That way I would swing easy and wasnt disappointed when I didnt hit it 300 yards with a gentle draw. Once you can hit it 200 easy you can then maybe start to try speeding it up. Get the mechaincs nailed first, then start trying to turn faster whilst staying in balance

One other thing to think of, if youre driver is killing your score, try leaving it in the car boot for a round and just play a 3/5w or even a hybrid off the tee. Once you get the confidence from keeping the ball in play and lowering your scores you can start practising more with the driver until you feel comfortable with it?

Very interesting. I told my golfing buddy the other day, when he starts struggling to go to what works and gives him confidence (he really struggles a lot). Yet I don't heed my own advice (not instruction). But hearing it from you makes all the sense in the world. OK, gotit. I'm gonna slow way down on the tee. How about if I think "ok, I'm just gonna shoot to hit up there to the ladies tee and then when it actually goes straight and beyond the ladies tee I'll be delighted ."

I did try to remember to keep my arms and hands very loose over the weekend. Found I did this better in the fairway because I had a lot of confidence there. In fact I was very impressed with myself for having so much confidence in my fairway shots. I caught myself tensing up on the tee because I don't have confidence there..

I'll also keep in mind my other clubs. I do hit the 3 wood a good bit on one course because of a lot of doglegs and do fine with it. But then I pull out the driver for a long par 4 or par 5 and I'm corking off the pines or worse the ball zooms way up over the pines and it's bye bye birdie (not the golf kind, but real birdie kind, just flying away into never never land.) Even when I hit a real good shot with the driver, I don't know how to repeat it.

So I'll slow way down and go from there. I'll report back and thanx pnearn..

P.S. The car "boot" eh, I'd say my friend must be British.. What a nifty word. Does sound better than "trunk" as we refer to it here in the U.S.A.

[pnearn]

Re: I can't fix my swing problem.

How about if I think "ok, I'm just gonna shoot to hit up there to the ladies tee and then when it actually goes straight and beyond the ladies tee I'll be delighted

LOL, well actually you might be! As I said even now if my drivings off I just think swing easy and get it out there 180-200 yards nice and straight. A lazy swing with the driver and a good roll will get it out that far and then youre in play and in the fairway .. much better than 3 off the tee or hacking out the woods

I did try to remember to keep my arms and hands very loose over the weekend. Found I did this better in the fairway because I had a lot of confidence there. In fact I was very impressed with myself for having so much confidence in my fairway shots. I caught myself tensing up on the tee because I don't have confidence there..

Good stuff, youre proving this to yourself which is great. Did the fairway shots go well. Good approach shots, good distance and accuracy?

P.S. The car "boot" eh, I'd say my friend must be British.. What a nifty word. Does sound better than "trunk" as we refer to it here in the U.S.A

You say tomayto we say tomahto etc etc