Flat backswing need help!

[burnie24]

Im currently suffering with a flat backswing,the ball sometimes go straight or i hook it or there is about a 10 yrd slice! i know im doing it yet cant seem to fix it! the swing always feels restricted pretty much with every club! Can anyone out there reccommend a youtube vid or training drill for me to work on PLEASE!!!! or a quick fix.

[jambalaya]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

Well I can't give you very specific advice without seeing your swing but you are asking: How can I make my swing more upright, more vertical thus giving me a steeper angle of attack. How about turning back using just your torso and lifting the club straight up rather than pulling it behind you right away. That will give your swing more verticality. However, how to execute incorporate that into a swing may not be so simple.

Hank Haney has a pretty good explanation of it, what we call the pivot. He tells us to keep our arms out in front of our torso and not get it stuck behind us. We have to know more about your basic swing though. Are you a single or two planer? What is your handicap? If you are a really good golfer your flat swing might be a small matter, a subtle adjustment.

[burnie24]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

Im not honestly sure if im a single planer or not,im a 23 handicap but my last 3 rounds have been 84,85,87 on a par 71 course.Ive had lessons but cant seem to get a steeper backswing! my swing is on youtube for everyone to watch its under: 6 iron swing and my user name is beautybotty.

[slater170]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

Im not honestly sure if im a single planer or not,im a 23 handicap but my last 3 rounds have been 84,85,87 on a par 71 course.Ive had lessons but cant seem to get a steeper backswing! my swing is on youtube for everyone to watch its under: 6 iron swing and my user name is beautybotty.

hi burnie24
1st of all dont put your bag where it blocks the view of the camera
ist impressions are the you are swinging out of your shoes, you need to bring a bit of control to your swing.
there isnt enough close detail in your video to see any specific faults
is your grip too strong?, are you whipping the club inside too much?

[Avid Golfer]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

Im currently suffering with a flat backswing,the ball sometimes go straight or i hook it or there is about a 10 yrd slice! i know im doing it yet cant seem to fix it! the swing always feels restricted pretty much with every club! Can anyone out there reccommend a youtube vid or training drill for me to work on PLEASE!!!! or a quick fix.

You say you hit some straight, hook others, and slice others. Sounds like your inconsistant with your game.

I looked at your swing:

First off, your camera is in a bad postion. Ideally you want the camera half way between your feet and the ball, and positioned at belt buckle high. That is the postion the pros are recorded at, and the best position to eaxmine your swing.

Going off the swing you posted on youtube.com it looks like you are:

At address:
Standing too far away from the ball, too bent forward with your upper body relative to your lower body position, and your arms and hands are then hanging too far from you at address.

During the swing:
Your legs appear to move around excessively, and your seem to shift your balance and change your posture.

I'd recommend trying to stand closer to the ball and taller to correct your posture and balance at setup. (Model yourself after the picture of a good tour pro).

Durning the backswing try to maintain your knee flex.

If you would like a drill to work on hang a club from the center of your right shoulder (downline view) and make sure it hangs near your knee caps and the balls of your feet. (In your current setup it would hang more towards the ball to target line). After that put the club across your sholders and feel like you make a level turn around your spine while you maintain your knee flex.

If your backswing is still flat you may want to double check that your left elbow is pointed in the area of your left hip at setup. If it is pointed out to the target at setup you will have no support to prevent the left arm from rolling over excessively in the backswing (putting the club excessively behind you). You might also want to take half swings where you feel that your left elbow points to the ground when your left arm is parallel to the ground (half way back), and check that the butt of the club is pointed some where in the area of half way between you feet and the ball. (If it points outside the ball -downline view- then your arms may be rolling excessively, or your arms may be seperating from your body).

[BrianW]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

Your biggest fault is lifting your spine angle through your downswing. Work on rotating around your spine angle and staying down through the shot, it will help with all of those problems.

Take a look at this site and especially the "Maintain Spine Angle Drill" video

http://usatoday.golfserv.com/apps/in...lf/archive.asp

[burnie24]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

hi burnie24
1st of all dont put your bag where it blocks the view of the camera
ist impressions are the you are swinging out of your shoes, you need to bring a bit of control to your swing.
there isnt enough close detail in your video to see any specific faults
is your grip too strong?, are you whipping the club inside too much?

How do you mean when you say 'swinging out of your shoes'? played a round on sunday and out of no where i started shanking every shot!!!!??? couldthis have something to do with my flat swing?

[BrianW]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

How do you mean when you say 'swinging out of your shoes'? played a round on sunday and out of no where i started shanking every shot!!!!??? couldthis have something to do with my flat swing?

I know you posted this to Slater and he will answer you. I still think your biggest problem is that you are not stable enough in your swing, you are lifting up and probably swaying back and forwards, it is not possible to be consistent with your ball striking when this is happening. Get a good solid stance, keep your spine angle through the swing, keep centered as you rotate and keep your head behind the ball.

[bdbl]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

I know you posted this to Slater and he will answer you.

I expect he will Brian, but would you take advice from someone who wears yellow kecks? Sorry "Burnt Ochre".

[slater170]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

I expect he will Brian, but would you take advice from someone who wears yellow kecks? Sorry "Burnt Ochre".

feck off robin
someone who wears yellow kecks and playing to just under 13

[slater170]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

How do you mean when you say 'swinging out of your shoes'? played a round on sunday and out of no where i started shanking every shot!!!!??? couldthis have something to do with my flat swing?

burnie
if it were me then i would try to be more stable in the the swing, its all over the place and it looks too fast and causes your imbalance.
try this drill place a 2nd ball behind the ball you intend to hit and push it back 6 inches, that should have your takeaway coming back on your traget line, you appear to bring the club to the inside straight from the off

[bdbl]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

feck off robin
someone who wears yellow kecks and playing to just under 13

Booger I knew choosing the powder blue was wrong - next time I'm going for yellow.

[LowPost42]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

I haven't looked at your swing. However, I had the flattest, deepest swing at one point - I never, ever lifted my arms, I simply turned my shoulder. This got me across the line, too deep... a whole host of problems.

The answer is to actively lift your arms. I've been following one plane instruction, and it feels very two plane to me to lift my arms, but if I don't feel like I'm lifting my arms high, I'm too flat.

[Martin Levac]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

Bernie, I deduce from your video that you intend to strike the ball upward. It is obvious that you try to apply power upward. Perhaps because you believe that you can give it a bit more power doing that. Don't do that please, the ground is in the way and the ball flies shorter than otherwise and less precisely than otherwise as well.

Search for and learn about the fundamental principles of colliding bodies and the Magnus effect. It will teach you what you need to know to make the ball do what you want. Study those principles and apply them to the club and ball.

Strike the ball downward. As you strike the ball downward, a few things happen. There's no power loss or precision loss because you're not fighting gravity and you don't strike the ground before the ball. The ball launches lower and spins higher. Everything combines to make the ball fly farther and straighter.

Striking the ball upward is more of a problem. As you strike the ball upward, you may strike the ground before the ball so power is lost and precision is lost before you even get to the ball. Immediately, the ball will fly shorter and probably not where you aimed. Fighting gravity is power lost that could have otherwise been used to propel the club and thus the ball. Then there's the launch angle and spin. The ball will launch higher and spin slower. The end result is the ball flies not where you aimed and certainly not as far as you'd like.

[Avid Golfer]

Re: Flat backswing need help!

I'd recommend trying to stand closer to the ball and taller to correct your posture and balance at setup. (Model yourself after the picture of a good tour pro).

Durning the backswing try to maintain your knee flex.

If your backswing is still flat you may want to double check that your left elbow is pointed in the area of your left hip at setup.

If your backswing is still flat after checking the things noted above other things to take a look at would include your grip and foot flare.

A strong grip (left hand on top, right hand underneath) promote forearm rotation, and swing the club behind you. Weakening your grip would promote the club to stay more in front of your body.

Flaring the right foot (back foot) frees up the knee, hips, and shoulder to turn behind you (again leading to a flatter swing). Sqauring up the back foot will reduce manuverability in the knee, hips, and shoulder (and also promote the club staying more in front of your body and a higher position at the top).