Knees at Impact

[tholland]

Hello,

I have an extremely bad hook and snap hook.  I tried to fix this issue and this has lead to slices and blocks from time to time.  I recently went to a Pro and he told me that my knees are not flexed at impact. He also stated that at times my hands are faster than my body which also causes hooks.  My weight transfer at times is horrible.  Long story short I need help!  I have tried drills I have seen on line, however I cannot find a consistent swing.  I need help keeping my knees flexed, as well as weight transfer.  Any drills, tips or any solid advice will be greatly appreciated.

[vangator]

I was surprised at how much bend there is in Bubba's knees (particularly the lead knee) when he hits.

[tholland]

That seems to be the main issue.  My left leg straightens out right before impact.  After the lesson with my Pro I really started to notice it.  I can feel it as well. I wake up in the morning thinking about this.  I have only been playing for 4 years and have not cracked 95 yet!

[Skype apirlp71]

[QUOTE name="tholland" url="/t/76795/knees-at-impact#post_1046094"]   Hello, I have an extremely bad hook and snap hook.  I tried to fix this issue and this has lead to slices and blocks from time to time.  I recently went to a Pro and he told me that my knees are not flexed at impact. He also stated that at times my hands are faster than my body which also causes hooks.  My weight transfer at times is horrible.  Long story short I need help!  I have tried drills I have seen on line, however I cannot find a consistent swing.  I need help keeping my knees flexed, as well as weight transfer.  Any drills, tips or any solid advice will be greatly appreciated. [/QUOTE]

Duck hooks are traditionally inside/out hooks meaning that the golf club is coming from too far inside/out through impact. Coupled with a strong grip or a shut club face, the result can often be severe.[COLOR=000000] [/COLOR] Let´s first check your grip position. [COLOR=000000]Make sure to place the club more in your fingers than in your palms. You will have more flexible wrists that can generate high club head speed and the club is less likely to move around in your hands like it will tend to in your palms. This will also allow you to be able to control your release. With your lead hand (the one closer to the target) place the club along the base of your fingers. Try to angle it just a bit from the base of your pinky finger (where it joins your palm) to the middle knuckle on your index finger. With your rear hand hold it along the middle knuckles. Cover your lead hand thumb with your rear palm. Everyone's hands are different, but I recommend the heel of your rear hand's thumb (or right at the wrist joint) to be right at or just below the top knuckle on your lead hand. It is important to keep your thumbs "short", not fully extended. Having them stretched out or extended down the shaft makes your wrists sit up higher and thus become more stiff.[/COLOR]

Make sure to keep your thumbs connected to your index fingers. What is considered more of a neutral grip today was a slightly strong grip in days past. What most consider neutral is when a player's "V" that they form between their thumb and index finger of both hands points between their rear side ear and shoulder. The more a player rotates their hands to their rear side the stronger the grip becomes and will result in a hook if everything else in the swing is neutral. The opposite is true if they rotate their hands towards their lead side or target side. The grip will then become a weak grip and cause the ball to slice spin if everything else is neutral.

Next, let's have you work on this drill to see if you are in fact swinging too far inside/out:

Description: The Under the Pole drill is designed to help you prevent a hook by avoiding a sever inside/out swing path. Summary:

1. Take a set up with a short or mid iron at first. Then take a driveway pole (swing plane pole) and place it outside the toe of your club and about a foot down the target line.

2. If you have been hitting a true hook you have been swinging too far inside/out coming into the ball. Your goal now is to learn to come in on a proper arc and finish on a proper arc. It's a finish that goes low left instead of high right (for right handed players). Your goal here is to swing under the pole after impact.

3. Take a few slow motion swings at first without hitting the ball to get acclimated to where the pole is and assure yourself that you won't hit it. After you feel comfortable start hitting balls making sure to miss the pole and finish low left to prevent an inside/out hook.

I believe if we can make sure your grip is not too strong and get you on a better Swing plane that we can quickly solve this problem.

[tholland]

Awesome feedback, I have always felt as though my grip was too strong. I will work on this today at the range along with the other information you gave. I appreciate your help with this!

[saevel25]

Strong grip does not equate a close clubface at impact. Actually a strong grip can promote an open clubface at impact.

Check out this thread on how to grip the golf club, and some other good information on grip tendencies.

When you shorten your thumb up you apply more pressure between the thumb and the bottom three fingers of the lead hand. When you extend them the grip is much more relaxed. So extending the thumbs does not add pressure or make the wrist more stiff.

A spin axis that promotes a slice is only due to the difference in the swing path to the clubface angle in such a way that the path is more left than the face angle. Majority of slices occur with a closed clubface to target, but a very open clubface to swing path. This is why most slices start left and go right.

There isn't that much correlation between a grip and how the ball curves. There are golfers who hit a slice with a strong grip, and those who hit a hook with a weak grip, and vice versa.

---

Hello,

I have an extremely bad hook and snap hook.  I tried to fix this issue and this has lead to slices and blocks from time to time.  I recently went to a Pro and he told me that my knees are not flexed at impact. He also stated that at times my hands are faster than my body which also causes hooks.  My weight transfer at times is horrible.  Long story short I need help!  I have tried drills I have seen on line, however I cannot find a consistent swing.  I need help keeping my knees flexed, as well as weight transfer.  Any drills, tips or any solid advice will be greatly appreciated.

I recommend creating your own swing thread here, http://thesandtrap.com/f/4180/member-swings

Check out this thread for guidelines on how to video your swing,

http://thesandtrap.com/t/38240/my-swing-video-threads-rules-please-read

Sounds to me like you have a lot going on in your swing. It is hard to give advice with out actually seeing the swing.

Generally a snap hook is caused by an extreme angle between the clubface and the swing path. Usually the swing path is too from the inside. Again, its hard to say what is actually causing these issues in your swing with out seeing it.

[tholland]

I will post a video this evening once I return from the range. Any feedback you guys can provide will be appreciated.

[Gboroman]

tholland,

Hopefully, you can post the video.  Even if you do, can you provide a little more information about your swing, your swing thoughts and what you've done?

Is it just off the tee you are experiencing this?

Have you tried changing your ball position?  If so, what were the results?

How did you try to fix the issue that led to blocks and slices?

Do you take a divot with your irons?  If so, what does it look like (direction, deeper on one-side, etc.) and is it properly in front of the ball?

What is your swing thought re: transferring your weight?  Where is your weight (at address, top of back-swing, impact) and what part of your feet do you feel the weight (toe, heel, instep, outer) at each of these positions?

There are many pros who straighten one or both knees at impact (Furyk and Bubba being notable exceptions), so I'm not convinced that is your problem.  However, if your pro is telling you your hands are faster than your body, combined with your weight transfer issue and, frankly, your experience, would lead me to guess that you are just really "armsy" with your swing instead of properly using the trunk of your body to generate your power.  Spine angle could be an issue, too.  I hope we get to see your video and let the pro instructors (not me) give you feedback.

[Golfingdad]

Hello,

I have an extremely bad hook and snap hook.  I tried to fix this issue and this has lead to slices and blocks from time to time.  I recently went to a Pro and he told me that my knees are not flexed at impact. He also stated that at times my hands are faster than my body which also causes hooks.  My weight transfer at times is horrible.  Long story short I need help!  I have tried drills I have seen on line, however I cannot find a consistent swing.  I need help keeping my knees flexed, as well as weight transfer.  Any drills, tips or any solid advice will be greatly appreciated.

Welcome tholland!!

First off, I don't know that I understand your pros diagnosis because I don't think flexed knees is a requirement at impact.  A lot of people nowadays "post up" their swings and have quite straight legs at impact.  Bubba Watson, for example, does not have a lot of knee bend at impact.  He has a ridiculous amount of right knee bend at the top of his backswing, but at impact his legs are both pretty darn straight.  He's basically jumping off the ground.  Granted, I'm not an instructor AND I haven't seen your swing, but I'd bet that it's probably not lack of knee flex that is causing hooks.  (I certainly hope not because my instructor - who is very good - has me specifically working on the opposite these days ... straighter legs at impact. :))

For me, what frequently causes pull hooks is a flexing of the right knee (I'm a righty) TOWARDS THE BALL in the downswing.  My knee dives out to the ball, heel comes up, and I hit ugly pull hooks.  If I BANK my right foot, and get the knee flexing towards the target instead, I hit it better.  Here are a couple of drills that helped me with that:

And regarding getting your weight forward, maybe look into this thread as well: http://thesandtrap.com/t/29616/the-biggest-secret-slide-your-hips/0_30

Good luck!

[tholland]

Sorry for the delay's,  I had a gout flare up in my ankle that took a week to get over.   I have uploaded some footage from the driving range in the "My swings" section. When you guys have a moment, please review and provide your feedback.