Extremely Closed Club Face

[GolfLug]

Hello, I have been meaning to start a My Swing thread but haven't been able to. Life, kids, job, whatever. Anyway, I thought this would be a simple enough question without aid of a visual: Have you ever seen anybody (10-20 handicapper) set up with an extremely shut face; 45 degrees+ !! AND an to top that a very forward (also 45 deg. + !!) leaning shaft? I do! Guilty on both counts. No kidding this. Very intentional and I know exactly how uncouth it looks but I have been doing it for 10 yrs. now. When I have played a few weeks in a row in summer I hit 10-12 frozen rope straight hits on an average through a round. Rest are slight draws or straight blocks. Plenty of topped, fat, etc. which ruin the round. I chip and bunker this way too. I got to HC 13 last year doing this but winter golf has taken me back to 19. Anyway, one of these days I will drive up to Erik and Mike up in Erie for a serious makeover. For now just curious if you see people with closed face at address specifically and who are somewhat consistent in hitting the ball (hence the 10-20 HC group) while doing so. Also, since I know it will be asked, if I set up square (normal?) I just hit ultra block slices exclusively. Hopefully I will be able to do the My Swing thread soon and then you guys can have fun with it.:-D Cheers, V

[ScouseJohnny]

When I got back into golf after a decade's absence, and discovered that I'd picked up an horrific slice during the time away, I did more or less what you are suggesting for quite a while.

It worked OK for a bit, but the trouble is, you plateau. Choking the club face closed like that starts to limit everything, in my experience. Also, I found that after a while it became a sort of ugly, self-fulfilling prophecy: close the face to choke off the slice, but the more I closed the face, the worse the out-to-in swing became.

By the end of it, my very worst shot was becoming ever more frequent (i.e. one per hole or more): a sharply closed face and a slicer's swing, leading to the ball impacting the club in the upper part of the toe and flying relatively straight, but very short with no weight behind it all. Horrid.

Working out my demons on the practice ground and range, re-learning a swing path that allowed, at worst, a slight fade from a square set-up at address, represents the best few weeks I've invested in this game.

I read somewhere in Nicklaus's seminal, Golf My Way that band-aids in golf are a very bad idea. I don't have copy on my desk right now, so I'm paraphrasing significantly, but he definitely wrote something like that. Wise words from the great man, in my humble opinion. I personally found that the "band-aid" of the savagely closed face came to be a worse irritation than the sore it was designed to heal.

[GolfLug]

Thanks SJ. Agreed. Band aids are just that. The 'self-fulfulling prophecy' stuff scares me a bit. I think spot on. Like I mentioned I plan on getting help one day when I can. Like I said just curious for now.

[rehmwa]

Thanks SJ. Agreed. Band aids are just that.

ScouseJohnny's post - his experience is exactly my experience.

Definitely a band aid if it's to straighten out an bad flight path - if it's not a fix of some kind, then it's just bad form to start with..

We have a local guy that plays VERY good for our crowd and he pretty much has this swing.  He has a very nice little pull-fade.  But his 'bad' days are REALLY bad.

Close up the face a LOT.

Hit a Huge out to in swing.  (It's like swinging an axe)

Play with face angle until it's a repeatable fade shot.

I did it when I couldn't find a way to stop severe slicing.

It can be a pretty repeatable swing, but you stall out in progressing pretty much right there - and I think I lost 25% of my distance potential with it.  Other little problems start to crop up......

A couple lessons and a more standard swing is a better idea for the long term (or short term, really - bad habits are hard to break).  For me, I was having a hard time moving forward through my swing (LOTS of drills to help that) and my shoulders were open relative to my hips and stance (a simple change in addressing the ball fixed that).  Your issues may vary.

Now I have a lot more shot shape control - those 220-240 drives are now 270, people laugh at my swing for other reasons, lots more confidence in all the shots....it's a win-win-win

find a good coach

[GolfLug]

The demerits of compensations especially my kind are broadly clear to me. Oh, now I am really feeling the need to film my swing. :-). Some more of my band aid story - I coached with local PGA instructor for two summers three years ago. Flat out credible man. Approach was on broad movements (golf is sideways vs. chest open like baseball,etc.). Also, basics like deep hands, steady head, flat left wrist and left-center pivot very similar to TST instructors. One of the 5S keys, downswing path - this has been my undoing over time. I actually happen to have an extremely inside out swing path naturally - stuck behind the left side the block slice - club path to right of path and face open even further right at impact. More phsically aware swingers with this affliction flip at the end, I don't. I am told lot of golfers my size who lead with the left are the usual offenders. Anyway, he diagnosed it correctly; I simply close the club face to avoid flipping it. Anyway, instructions good for few weeks. Improvements were immediate and signifcant but alas, not lasting! Old habits manifest subtly and then all out soon enough especially the ones ingrained at a young age playing cricket and then later baseball. Just return to swinging IN to my left side. Oh, I forgot to mention I have crudely repaired broken left forearm as a teenager. But I cant honestly blame my form (bad form actually :-)) on it. While all good things take time and patience I would think gross compensiations would quit for good after 2-3 months but maybe I underestimate. Who knows. But I think the 5SK instructors are easily some of the best that I have read about (I have been 'lurking' for 2 years until recently joining TST) and it can only help if I see them. I want to now but will happen later than sooner. Anyway, why is it bad form though?:-\ Surely visually unflattering but it's not like farting at a state dinner with the queen. Hmm, never heard that one. Thanks rehmwa. Newbies dont get too many replies around here so thanks both. I have read a few of your posts previously and always thought them well put. Well...uh... ahem....uh...just kidding...let me quit at thanks. :-) Ah, but I forgot to mention, 270 drives? Nice. I would laugh back at the clowns who laugh at that, for ANY reason. P.S>. rehmwa, I think you figured but just in case; I meant YOUR 270 drives. People underestimate just how good that is in general. I am in the 220-240 range.

[rehmwa]

P.S>. rehmwa, I think you figured but just in case; I meant YOUR 270 drives. People underestimate just how good that is in general. I am in the 220-240 range.

meh - If I was one to brag, I'd much rather be a great short game guy.  It would help my scores more.  In any case, we have teenagers here hitting it 350 regularly apparently...   ; )

[GolfLug]

You dont come across as a brag at all. Anyway I used to hit it 350 as a teenager. Too bad I never touched a club till I was 28.

[Lihu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GolfLug

P.S>. rehmwa, I think you figured but just in case; I meant YOUR 270 drives. People underestimate just how good that is in general. I am in the 220-240 range.

meh - If I was one to brag, I'd much rather be a great short game guy.  It would help my scores more.  In any case, we have teenagers here hitting it 350 regularly apparently...   ; )

Or more on Xbox?

[GolfLug]

Ha ha ha! Here another one: 210 forward + 140 sideway = GRAND TOTAL of 350 stellar yards. Not all lines are straight. Awesome.