My Swing (Golfingdad)

[Golfingdad]

[Beachcomber]

Nice!  Congrats on getting the new i20's!  Those have gotten great reviews.  I've never hit them, but you can't deny the numbers.  178yd carry with 85 swing speed is legit!   Very nice.

When you get them in, lets go do a range session together.  Maybe over at Oak Creek?  Since that's where you'll pick them up I'm guessing??

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Nice!  Congrats on getting the new i20's!  Those have gotten great reviews.  I've never hit them, but you can't deny the numbers.  178yd carry with 85 swing speed is legit!   Very nice.

When you get them in, lets go do a range session together.  Maybe over at Oak Creek?  Since that's where you'll pick them up I'm guessing??

Thanks!  Yeah, I was never excited about Ping anything (except putters and bags) but once I hit them, I changed my mind.  I realize that all of the GI junk built into these irons is hidden anyway.  Looking down at address, they look hardly different than my DCI's.

They're actually getting delivered here to my house, but yes, I would love to practice over at Oak Creek.  That practice area is amazing!  I've never seen a range that was as wide (almost) as it was long!  And the short game area looks pretty kick-ass too.  I'd love to spend a couple of hours over there getting to know the place.  And one of these I'd also like to actually play there.

He said their turnaround time is usually a couple of weeks, but this might be faster because their headquarters (where they are getting built) is in Scottsdale and Ping is in Phoenix.

(I was happy to see - after I already ordered them - that Mike reviewed them very positively on here.)

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Thanks!  Yeah, I was never excited about Ping anything (except putters and bags) but once I hit them, I changed my mind.  I realize that all of the GI junk built into these irons is hidden anyway.  Looking down at address, they look hardly different than my DCI's.

They're actually getting delivered here to my house, but yes, I would love to practice over at Oak Creek.  That practice area is amazing!  I've never seen a range that was as wide (almost) as it was long!  And the short game area looks pretty kick-ass too.  I'd love to spend a couple of hours over there getting to know the place.  And one of these I'd also like to actually play there.

He said their turnaround time is usually a couple of weeks, but this might be faster because their headquarters (where they are getting built) is in Scottsdale and Ping is in Phoenix.

(I was happy to see - after I already ordered them - that Mike reviewed them very positively on here.)

Awesome.  Yeah I'll send you a PM so we can coordinate.  I played Oak Creek today... The course was in pretty good shape.  Not perfect, but better than Rancho! LOL  They have the best practice facility in Orange County IMO...

Also, about playing out there... I have a few passes left that can get us out there for a discounted rate... Maybe we can get a foursome together and go have some fun?

[Golfingdad]

Today was a very frustrating day, swing wise.  I could not hit the ball at all, and on top of that, I didn't have a clue what I was doing wrong.  Normally, when I make a few bad swings I have some general idea of the issue, so I can take a deep breath, regroup, and make a better swing.  Today, sadly, that was not the case.  I got new irons yesterday and I'd like to blame my issues on those, but the problem today was mostly with the driver.

The good news is that I did not have nearly as bad of a round as I could have because once I got within 100 yards of the green, I was down in 2 almost every time.  All of my wedges, pitches and chips ended up pretty close, and I made every putt.  If I could hit my long clubs even remotely straight, I'd be in the mid 70's.  Heck, just take away my penalty shots today and I'm already at 78.

Hopefully, I can get back out on the range and work this out tomorrow.

[Golfingdad]

My focus today was working on getting my right leg straighter at the top of my backswing, as well as getting the hips turned more.  From my last lesson, I learned that for the last bit of my backswing (after my right leg stops straightening) my hips stop turning, and the arms start to separate from the body.  From the top of the backswing, I was trying to keep my right leg straight and the arms straight and together.

I realize looking at this video that I don't think my right foot was flared out enough to start.

[nevrino]

Looks nice and consistent

[Beachcomber]

Swing is looking better.  A few things I noticed....

A1 (Frame 1) it looks like your head is directly over the ball - and the ball is in the middle of your stance.  You may want to move the ball up an inch or so forward (closer to your left foot)?  But keep the handle in the same location - don't press it forward moreso than you already have it.  The setup looks pretty good... And your feet look fine to me.

A4 (Frame 2) it looks like your left arm could get a little higher - from the Caddy View it looks too flat to me?  But I'm not sure how much of a priority that is?  Evolvr gurus will be able to address that moreso than I.

A7++ (Frame 3) you can see your left leg is bending/breaking down a little.  This is a pivot issue.  Sounds like Evolvr has you working on your pivot with your right leg (hip) - focused on the backswing?  The next piece once you have nailed the backswing (A4 pivot looks pretty good to me) should be the downswing/sequencing of the pivot.  And looking at Frame 3 - you can see there is some work left to do.

[iacas]

Over-extension in the backswing makes the head go forward, has to move backwards during the downswing. Rates are off because you're not loading #4 across your chest much.

Yes, they'll get to that in evolvr. :) So that's all I'll say for now. If it's cryptic, it's meant to be a little bit. Just stick with your evolvr plan - things are looking good.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Swing is looking better.  A few things I noticed....

A1 (Frame 1) it looks like your head is directly over the ball - and the ball is in the middle of your stance.  You may want to move the ball up an inch or so forward (closer to your left foot)?  But keep the handle in the same location - don't press it forward moreso than you already have it.  The setup looks pretty good... And your feet look fine to me.

A4 (Frame 2) it looks like your left arm could get a little higher - from the Caddy View it looks too flat to me?  But I'm not sure how much of a priority that is?  Evolvr gurus will be able to address that moreso than I.

A7++ (Frame 3) you can see your left leg is bending/breaking down a little.  This is a pivot issue.  Sounds like Evolvr has you working on your pivot with your right leg (hip) - focused on the backswing?  The next piece once you have nailed the backswing (A4 pivot looks pretty good to me) should be the downswing/sequencing of the pivot.  And looking at Frame 3 - you can see there is some work left to do.

Thanks Beach ...

A1 - You know, this is the most glaring thing to me in comparing my perception of where I think the ball and my head are while over the ball vs. where I see they actually are in video.  I'm working on inching that ball forward but maybe I have further to go.

A4 - It's not a priority yet.  Brian (and James this last time) have me working on leg/hips issues right now ... but I actually think that I have a goofy problem where my shoulders are too flat but my arms are on the steeper side.  I think it just looks flat form this angle because I have a short backswing.

A7 - Yup.  That is one of the first things Brian started me on correcting.  I slide my hips too far, legs both break down ... its a mess.

I'll get there. :)

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by iacas

Over-extension in the backswing makes the head go forward, has to move backwards during the downswing. Rates are off because you're not loading #4 across your chest much.

Yes, they'll get to that in evolvr. :) So that's all I'll say for now. If it's cryptic, it's meant to be a little bit. Just stick with your evolvr plan - things are looking good.

Yes, it is cryptic.  Perhaps it'll be explained to me a little better in 3 1/2 ish weeks or so ???

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Thanks Beach ...

A1 - You know, this is the most glaring thing to me in comparing my perception of where I think the ball and my head are while over the ball vs. where I see they actually are in video.  I'm working on inching that ball forward but maybe I have further to go.

A4 - It's not a priority yet.  Brian (and James this last time) have me working on leg/hips issues right now ... but I actually think that I have a goofy problem where my shoulders are too flat but my arms are on the steeper side.  I think it just looks flat form this angle because I have a short backswing.

A7 - Yup.  That is one of the first things Brian started me on correcting.  I slide my hips too far, legs both break down ... its a mess.

I'll get there. :)

A1 - to expand a little.  The ball placement - when you look at it in the video - ideally should be on your left ear.  If you dropped a line directly down from your left ear - that is where I believe you should try and have it.  This ensures your head is slightly behind the ball at address (secondary axis tilt).

Regarding A4 - I believe your lower COG is solid.  It appears your upper COG is off and could very well be too flat on the shoulder turn?  This could be why your left arm looks flat - and I mentioned it could be more vertical like I highlighted (red line in A4).

[Beachcomber]

I think this video could help so you can see what the upper COG should look like on the backswing - by using a centered pivot.  Mike does an excellent job of pointing out what the left shoulder should be doing.

[Golfingdad]

Attended a 5SK School yesterday with Dave, Erik, Mike, and Bob, and had a great time.  Learned a ton of stuff, and made a lot of progress in a really short period of time.  It's really quite amazing when you are given the right priority piece to work on and what such seemingly small tweaks can do to the overall picture.

A slight neck tilt leads to better spine alignment which leads to a better turn (also a longer turn), which leads to the hips being in the right place, which leads to the right arm not getting stuck behind the hips/torso, which leads to a more consistent swing path on the way down, which leads to consistent high push draws.  My misses were all straight pushes, and were totally playable.  As I work this piece into my swing, I feel like am going to lose (or really minimize) the big push-cut (that's really too polite ... more like a push-slice).

The other big piece I worked on in the afternoon was a proper banking of the right foot on the downswing, as opposed to picking up the heel and kicking the knee out toward the ball ... which would lead to the occasional, really ugly pull hook - especially with the driver.  I don't have the pictures of that one, but the drill (as a reminder to myself) was basically a pre-set drill with the weight forward, right foot already banked in, and short swings with a really abbreviated follow through.

Also, not swing related, but got to participate in an Aimpoint class Saturday.  I really think my golf game is taking a big turn in the right direction after this weekend.  Can't thank all of the guys at 5SK enough!  (Or my wife for giving me the entire weekend to do this ... she rocks!)

Will post videos soon but have to take a couple of days off ... I think I must have hit 600 balls yesterday. Seriously, have no idea how the pros do that regularly.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Yes, it is cryptic.  Perhaps it'll be explained to me a little better in 3 1/2 ish weeks or so ???

Heh heh heh. Sounds familiar. :)

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Attended a 5SK School yesterday with Dave, Erik, Mike, and Bob, and had a great time.  Learned a ton of stuff, and made a lot of progress in a really short period of time.  It's really quite amazing when you are given the right priority piece to work on and what such seemingly small tweaks can do to the overall picture.

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

A slight neck tilt leads to better spine alignment which leads to a better turn (also a longer turn), which leads to the hips being in the right place, which leads to the right arm not getting stuck behind the hips/torso, which leads to a more consistent swing path on the way down, which leads to consistent high push draws.  My misses were all straight pushes, and were totally playable.  As I work this piece into my swing, I feel like am going to lose (or really minimize) the big push-cut (that's really too polite ... more like a push-slice).

All those pieces fall in line with the proper amount of extension throughout the backswing. Just be glad we didn't start talking about how the jaw alignments can affect the diagonal sweetspot path and loading patterns of your accumulators (etc.). :)

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Also, not swing related, but got to participate in an AimPoint class Saturday.  I really think my golf game is taking a big turn in the right direction after this weekend.  Can't thank all of the guys at 5SK enough!  (Or my wife for giving me the entire weekend to do this ... she rocks!)

Kudos to the better half!

And to you for putting in the work. NICE job.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

A slight neck tilt leads to better spine alignment which leads to a better turn (also a longer turn), which leads to the hips being in the right place, which leads to the right arm not getting stuck behind the hips/torso, which leads to a more consistent swing path on the way down, which leads to consistent high push draws.

Note to self:  Don't forget the "Stricker feel" that Bob had you working on in correlation with the above.

Went to the range today and did not see quite the same results as Sunday until I remembered to try and feel like Steve Stricker (minimal wrist cock in backswing ... leads to abbreviated follow through for me as well).  It actually feels like no wrist cock, but it's not.  And when I did that, my distance dropped a 1/2 to a full club, but the dispersion was so much tighter, and it felt "easy."

[Golfingdad]

It's been awhile since my last videos and I've been working on a handful of different things in that time - mostly Key #4 stuff and some Key #1 stuff too.  In this video, I am trying to work on getting my left elbow above my right elbow at the top of the backswing.  In addition to what I'm doing in the video, Stephan also has me doing a drill at home with a rubber ball between my elbows.  It's definitely a different feel for me, but I like it.  There's something I never really liked about the way I looked at the top of my backswing, but I do like the way I look here while doing this drill.  I was also going back to one of the first lessons I got with Evolvr ... getting the left shoulder under the chin.  For now, at least, I think that really needs to be my swing thought while I play, because when I'm do that I seem to hit it well, and when I don't, that's when things start to get ugly.

The other thing I am working on currently is getting a little less extension and later extension in my right side.  I am, however, having a problem reconciling a couple of things.  To do this, I'm supposed to feel like my right pocket is going towards the target.  That is what I'm confused about ... if my right pocket is going towards the target, then it seems like it's getting further from my right foot, thus creating more, not less, extension.

I'll figure it out though. :)

[Beachcomber]

Ahhh the elusive right pitched elbow. I feel your pain brother. I feel your pain!! On the right pocket placement comment, go back to the posterior view model in my swing thread, which Mvmac references. And you will see the right pocket goes toward the target on the backswing (right leg straightening)... This is when you are getting extension in the backswing... And then you regain flexion on the downswing. Not sure if Evolvr is working with you on extension in the backswing? Or what? But sounds like they want you to get more extension with a pitched elbow in the backswing which makes sense to me. PS. It looked like you murdered the ball on that iron shot.