The moment where we begin downswing, what are u focused on?

[looseleftie]

Hi, have been playing recently, and practising at home regularly, but seem to be caught in the situation where I struggle to get the transition part of the swing consistant.. I am beginning to hit some reasonable shots, but then theres the common problem that I seem to make contact and the ball goes straight but too much to my left (to the right for a right hander) missing my target by some 30-50ft on 7 iron down to the driver..

The ball isn't sliced, just don't know whether I am not sliding the hips before the downswing begins, or I am coming too inside by forcing the club too quickly, changing the allignment of shoulders??  Or is the downswing occuring at the same time as the hips sliding/bumping sideways?

Just wondering if theres something that I should focus on at the beginning of  the downswing?

I am learning the right sided swing by the way, it is taking a lot of time to get right, and still long way to go..

Thank u in advance.

[mvmac]

Check out these links, good place to start.

http://thesandtrap.com/t/61376/5sk-video-thread#post_791160

http://thesandtrap.com/t/66573/how-to-effectively-create-lag-on-the-downswing

[KyleAnthony]

what's helped me is keeping my right (im right handed) elbow close to my hip on the way down, i have a fade tho so it helps me make good contact. maybe it'll help you

[looseleftie]

Cheers guys, appreciated... both good advice. I'll work at the elbow Kyle, or at least vid myself and see whats going on.

Hey Mike checked your link, I really like the process of the squishy ball underneath your food for that weight transference.. Do u feel like the downswing and the hips sliding with the ball under foot is at the same time, or is there a slight delay with the club creating lag??

[Ernest Jones]

Hi, have been playing recently, and practising at home regularly, but seem to be caught in the situation where I struggle to get the transition part of the swing consistant.. I am beginning to hit some reasonable shots, but then theres the common problem that I seem to make contact and the ball goes straight but too much to my left (to the right for a right hander) missing my target by some 30-50ft on 7 iron down to the driver..

The ball isn't sliced, just don't know whether I am not sliding the hips before the downswing begins, or I am coming too inside by forcing the club too quickly, changing the allignment of shoulders??  Or is the downswing occuring at the same time as the hips sliding/bumping sideways?

Just wondering if theres something that I should focus on at the beginning of  the downswing?

I am learning the right sided swing by the way, it is taking a lot of time to get right, and still long way to go..

Thank u in advance.

That is called a Push and it plagues me too!

I've been working on feeling the hips get completely open at contact. This IS NOT what is actually happening but it is a feel that seems to help me complete my pivot. I think (I'm a hack so definitely go with what mvmac suggests if it conflicts with what I'm saying!) that what happens when I hit pushes is that my pivot kinda stalls out around A6 to impact so my hips and torso are pretty square at impact which doesn't get my face closed to the path, it just kind of stays lined up with my path which is going in to out so, voila, perfectly straight well struck ball that flies dead right.

Another thing I would look at is what your trail knee is doing on the downswing. My natural tendency is to drive my trail knee out towards the ball which is at least a part of the reason that I stall out. When I work at getting the knee to work towards the target rather than the ball it's a lot easier and natural to keep pivoting all the way through.

Again, keep in mind that I am high cap, I'm just telling you about my journey which may or may not apply at all to you. Follow up on the links mvmac gave you and work at it piece by piece with partial swings and slow motion swings until you feel like you can amp it up a bit. The squishy ball drill will also help you continue to pivot all the way through because it's pretty hard, if not impossible, to pivot around your front leg if your weight is predominantly on your trail leg.

[Strandly]

I try to remember not to overswing, if I do it's almost always a guaranteed push to the right.

[mvmac]

Hey Mike checked your link, I really like the process of the squishy ball underneath your food for that weight transference.. Do u feel like the downswing and the hips sliding with the ball under foot is at the same time, or is there a slight delay with the club creating lag??

For the most part lag happens.  Squishing the ball helps the weight get forward via hips slide and left knee staying flexed longer.  So yes at the same time.

[GaijinGolfer]

I fight a push too and for me what helps is to focus on initiating the downswing with a slight lateral weight shift onto my left side.  That helps me to be able to post up on my left leg and turn through the shot.

[c peterich]

Think about going behind and under your right shoulder ..during the transition. Do that correctly, and you should be in the proper angles and have your body prepared for the "hit". Never go above the right shoulder

[Alan Lee]

Push is better than pull.  I think you just need to release the club.  You have to hit around a stiff left side and push through with your right side.  A good swing thought is to keep turning your shoulders throughout the swing until the right shoulder is under your chin.

[mvmac]

Push is better than pull.  I think you just need to release the club.  You have to hit around a stiff left side and push through with your right side.  A good swing thought is to keep turning your shoulders throughout the swing until the right shoulder is under your chin.

Do you read a lot of Golf Digest? Yeah just covered why this can be dangerous information http://thesandtrap.com/t/70570/push-or-slice-but-not-push-slice-my-hybrid-almost-every-time-what-causes-this#post_912584

Most people that slice the ball have no problem releasing it, their clubfaces are aimed left of the target, golfers that draw it will tend to have a face aimed RIGHT of the target at impact.

Both these guys draw the ball, look at the face angles.

[Alan Lee]

Do you read a lot of Golf Digest?   Yeah just covered why this can be dangerous information http://thesandtrap.com/t/70570/push-or-slice-but-not-push-slice-my-hybrid-almost-every-time-what-causes-this#post_912584

Most people that slice the ball have no problem releasing it, their clubfaces are aimed left of the target, golfers that draw it will tend to have a face aimed RIGHT of the target at impact.

Both these guys draw the ball, look at the face angles.

Are you just hunting down every post that has the word release in it?  Read the post.  The original poster is a left hander and he loses his shots to the left and neither he nor I ever mentioned anything about a slice.  He's not over the top.  He's inside out and doesn't square the face.

[mvmac]

Are you just hunting down every post that has the word release in it?  Read the post.  The original poster is a left hander and he loses his shots to the left and neither he nor I ever mentioned anything about a slice.  He's not over the top.  He's inside out and doesn't square the face.

I've already responded to the OP, my post was responding to same old, wrong advice you'll find in any golf magazine.  Trying to achieve a square club face is not only very difficult but not needed.

[Mr. Desmond]

Push is better than pull.  I think you just need to release the club.  You have to hit around a stiff left side and push through with your right side.  A good swing thought is to keep turning your shoulders throughout the swing until the right shoulder is under your chin.

If he is pushing, then he may have a path issue. His club face is open at impact and his path needs to be closed to the face angle (more inside out).

To the OP: at the moment I am at the top, I am getting my weight on the front foot.

[c peterich]

So many little things.. Right hand turning opening clockwise.. Left hand counter clockwise closing face.. And working on inside out. Not out to in approach. People shun away from inside out thoughts, but I played so well like that for a long long time. A lot of ways to do this silly game

[c peterich]

If he is pushing, then he may have a path issue. His club face is open at impact and his path needs to be closed to the face angle (more inside out). To the OP: at the moment I am at the top, I am getting my weight on the front foot.

Agree Desmond with weight forward at transition.. But really that should be a natural action to the transition.. Or setting up with a 60/40 weight distribution at address.. Front to back weight

[Mr. Desmond]

Agree Desmond with weight forward at transition.. But really that should be a natural action to the transition.. Or setting up with a 60/40 weight distribution at address.. Front to back weight

Nothing is natural about the golf swing .. lol.

I'd say, yes it is natural to go to the front foot, but a lot of people do not realize you must aggressively get that weight forward - that front foot weight must be pushed into the ground almost immediately - there is a good vid on this featuring Grant Waite in one of our threads about weight pressure.

I also observe a lot of golfers on the range and play with older guys - getting that weight forward aggressively is a tough task - most are not successful. That... and the arms collapsing on the back swing and hitting their neck or shoulders... see a lot of that, too.

[c peterich]

Agree Desmond.. A unnatural motion for all of us.. Very frustrating at times.. I had a old pro once tell me, if thee golf ball was played on a high peg like "t ball".. The game would be a piece of cake, because the ball is on the ground and we play on a tilted angle.. Throws all of our senses off... My 2 cents Also we all battle the bit syndrome as amateurs