Opinions please!!! Takeaway

[acq111]

When I pitch/chip my takeaway feeling is that my right elbow is going almost straight back. Still connected and not flying out everywhere just real compact, but I feel like my right elbow goes straight back on the takeaway. I have been wanting to try this on my full iron swing as I never put much thought into my iron swing cause I don't want to screw things up. When I pitch, or anything from say 90 yards and in I feel this elbow straight back motion and I always make crisp clean contact. Is this "the" feeling I should be looking for on my full swings with my midirons. If someone can stand up and get in your pitchng stance and just feel what I'm trying to describe then it will be much more clear. I don't know if I explained this good enough, but if someone knows what I'm talking about please respond. i don't have much time to go to the range these days so I basically practice while I play. That's an expensive bucket of balls.

Thanks in advance,

Nick Acquaviva
Manteno, IL
5.3 HC

[Martin Levac]

Re: Opinions please!!! Takeaway

Visualize the swing as a single motion. Imagine the path that the club takes in the air. Take the club back in this path and bring it back down in the same path. Now imagine single positions within that path. The first one is address, the second is top of the backswing or transition, the third one is impact, the last one is what we call the post. How you get to each position is not important, what is important is that you get to these position precisely.

Address position is what sets up the entire stroke. A little bit off on one side or the other or too close or too far and that's going to bring problems later on during the swing.

The transition position is very important because that's where the downswing begins. Logic says that if you begin the swing in the right position, it will be that much easier to achieve a proper impact position and subsequently make proper contact with the ball. If that position is off, impact position will probably be off as well if you don't bring corrections.

The impact position is the most important of all because that's where you strike the ball with the club. It's the only moment during the swing where you have any control over the ball. It only lasts a fraction of a second but it must be very precise indeed.

The post position is the least important because the ball has already been struck and there's nothing anybody can do about where it's going at this point. Nevertheless, it can tell us a great deal about the previous positions. It can tell us, for instance, if you were in balance. If you weren't, it's going to be obvious.

I wrote that how you get to these positions is not important, I lied. It is important but only insofar that it allows you to achieve these positions properly. So, if you must take the club back this way or that way to achieve this transition position properly, then do so. It's important to understand that because of momentum of our own body, some methods will be more difficult than others. For example, if I move quickly to the top, I'll have more momentum than otherwise so I'll have to deal with that before I begin the downswing.

Bear in mind that no matter what position you achieve at any point during the swing, what's more important than anything else is making proper contact with the ball to send it to a target. So, whatever method you choose, select it to allow you to make proper contact above all else.

[cyc53870]

Re: Opinions please!!! Takeaway

Looks like it works! Dont fix it if it aint broke...