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Beginner - Want to help me with my swing? (video)


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http://jpdimaggio.com/other/golf/Swing_face.wmv
http://jpdimaggio.com/other/golf/Swing_side.wmv

Here's me with a 6-iron. I'm a fair beginner at this game. I was hitting some sponge practice balls in the backyard, and I happened to have my camera ready to go for a work function so I snuck a couple quick videos with it.

Good? Bad? Ugly? I'd appreciate any help, including what you think I'm doing well and what improvements I should start working on first.

I am a beginner. My goals are not distance. I simply want to be able to contact the ball correctly, and hit them straight. That is, I'm OK with less-than-superman distances as long as it is going straight. I can work on distance later. I just want to be playing straight and clean.

THANKS!

10.5* Driver (don't really ever use it)
3w, 5w
23* hybrid
5i through PW, SW
60* Wedge.....................................................................mellojoe

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Your grip is a bit off. the crease formed by your thumb and index finger should be facing the same way (typically both lines should be over your right shoulder)...also, your start your swing with your hands.....big no no! think of your arms and hands as extensions to your shoulders. you need to concentrate on bringing the club back with your shoulders, and not your arms and hands. a good drill for that would be to just take some half or 3/4 swings with your feet close together and really work on taking it back with your shoulders. having your feet close together will also help you get a feel for a good hip turn on the follow through.

♠ In the bag ♠
Driver► R7 SuperQuad 10.5º, ProForce V2 X
3 Wood► Steelhead III 15º
Hybrid► 2008 Baffler Pro 18º 2/R
Irons 3-P► 2008 Pro CB, Project X 6.0, +¼", 2° UpWedges► 52° RTG+DSG, 58º RTG+DSGPutter► White Hot Tour #1Ball► Pro V1xWhere I play:...

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gee you almost hit yourself in the head with the ball. i think you bring the club back a little too flat and laid off a little and your grip is a little off also. i really recommend youtube for instructonal videos

Driver: Taylormade R11 set to 8*
3 Wood: R9 15* Motore Stiff
Hybrid: 19° 909 H Voodoo
Irons: 4-PW AP2 Project X 5.5
52*, 60* Vokey SM Chrome

Putter: Odyssey XG #7

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

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gee you almost hit yourself in the head with the ball.

That's when I know that I'm hitting it straight.

10.5* Driver (don't really ever use it)
3w, 5w
23* hybrid
5i through PW, SW
60* Wedge.....................................................................mellojoe

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Thanks.

I will work on the grip. Obviously that's one fundamental, and I need to get it right. I had taken a lesson some time ago, but maybe I'm getting lazy with my grip which probably has caused the problems I'm having making solid contact.

Also, shoulder starts the swing. Not the hands. OK. Thank you for that. Nobody has mentioned that to me, yet.

When you say "laid off a little" do you mean that I'm not swinging THROUGH? I need to be sure to keep swinging through the ball and maybe right now I'm slowing down at impact? I'll work on that too.

Thanks a million!

10.5* Driver (don't really ever use it)
3w, 5w
23* hybrid
5i through PW, SW
60* Wedge.....................................................................mellojoe

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what i mean is that i think you take your ands too far inside too quickly and not a gradual, fluent movement. and your club at the top of your swing should be pretty much parallel to your target. i think you should look on youtube at various video on the golf swing. that's pretty much how i changed my basic and flawed swing into a consistent one which does produce pretty good ball striking most of the time.

Driver: Taylormade R11 set to 8*
3 Wood: R9 15* Motore Stiff
Hybrid: 19° 909 H Voodoo
Irons: 4-PW AP2 Project X 5.5
52*, 60* Vokey SM Chrome

Putter: Odyssey XG #7

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

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Ok. Rather than rant and rave about fix this fix that and confuse you, I am going to direct you towards making a swing plan. I suggest in this order.

1. Grip
2. Posture
3. Setup to Ball
4. Learning the Proper Hip Turn and Takeaway
5. Top Position Checkpoints
6. Downswing Transition
7. Impact and Release
7. Finish

Take it step by step, and to start with, I suggest using your 6 iron. Don't worry about the other clubs just yet. The 6 iron is a nice balanced length and will ingrain good fundamentals. Also, your 6 iron will become a very comfortable club, giving you a safe layup option on ANY hole on the course.

The best free resource of instruction i have found is this...

www.shawnclementgolf.com

He puts out a series of instruction videos on youtube (the Youtube Shawn page) which are top notch instruction. It is imperative that you stick with one methodology, and Shawn has a lot of good analogies and drills to make golf very easy to understand and perform. He focuses on achieving crisp contact in balance, with distance being achieved through effortless momentum.

Lastly, don't be too hard on yourself to start with and take your time learning.

Enjoy the journey!
Favorite Practice Course:
Z Boaz Municipal, Fort Worth <<< Ben Hogan grew up playing here!
--------------------------------------------------

In the bag: 983E 9.5*, Fuji Speeder S RPM LP, 4W, Neutral Bias STAFF Ci6 irons, S (going up for sale soon) Tom Watson PVD 08 Wedges (G.S,L)... and a 4...
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Hi, Melloe

Unlike some others, I don't have a problem with your grip. It is in the safe zone of a strong grip. One thing about your hands, put them slightly ahead of the ball at address. Your posture has some common and pretty easy to fix items. Stand more erect - your knees are flexed to the point that it will be hard to "cover" the ball. ( I don't want to go into that now - you'll know what it is when move through the ball and your right shoulder goes under your chin ) After you are standing more erect, let your arms hang straight down and address the ball where that puts the clubhead: i.e., you'll be a little closer to the ball. Rather than explain how to get into the correct posture, try some tips from Jim Flick: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/story?id=1542425 The big one - Your Backswing: Build a solid foundation. The right knee does not change position and the right knee does not change flex. I recommend hitting at least a hundred balls concentrating only on that. The other items won't help until this is fixed. You will feel your plane develop as you swing with this fixed point as the anchor of your backswing. ( If you have to, have a friend crouch behind you and hold the grip end of a club against the outside of your knee while you swing ) Your right knee flexes/breaks down and you sway on your backswing. Your weight is over shifting onto the outside of your right foot. The hips don't rotate at all (not that they should rotate a lot). Your hips slide back at least a foot - hard to return to address from there. That's from the breakdown of the knee.

Best, Mike Elzey

In my bag:
Driver: Cleveland Launcher 10.5 stiff
Woods: Ping ISI 3 and 5 - metal stiffIrons: Ping ISI 4-GW - metal stiffSand Wedges: 1987 Staff, 1987 R-90Putter: two ball - black bladeBall: NXT Tour"I think what I said is right but maybe not.""If you know so much, why are you...

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Wow. Thanks for the advice. I'll definately try to work on those things.

Don't get lazy with the grip.
Don't let the right knee breakdown.
Start the swing with the shoulders and not the hands.

Those seem like the main points here and the first ones I should start to work on. Thanks.

10.5* Driver (don't really ever use it)
3w, 5w
23* hybrid
5i through PW, SW
60* Wedge.....................................................................mellojoe

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The best free resource of instruction i have found is this...

You can actually obtain a solid golf base from watching these videos. They do a good job not over complicating the golf swing. A large portion of the time, when you go out to the range or course at this point in your golf development and you are thinking armstraightkneesbenttakemyfootoutmyasstakeadivotheaddown.. usually it ends in a mess. In addition to Shawn Clement's videos, i'd recommend Ron del Barrio's as well. http://www.rdbgolftips.com/ He does a great job getting you on the right track of understanding how to make a nice golf swing.

TMX Carry Bag
Tour Burner 9.5*
Burner 3W 15*
Burner Rescue Hybrid 19*
r7 TP 4i-SW Dynamic Gold S300s 60* CG-14 Circa 62 #2 & Studio Stainless Newport 2 Pro V1x

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Just going to mention a caveat with online instruction sources...

It is imperative that you find one source, with one methodology, and stick with it. I have watched Ron del Barrios videos, and many other videos on youtube for golf instruction (including Brian Manzella, also very good). I found it very useful to stick with Shawn Clement and his method. Several reasons for this...

1) Consistent instruction
2) Drills tailored to achieving a specific swing form
3) Complete series on performing all aspects
4) He responds to questions about the swing and how to practice correctly

I warn that if you forever skip around in search of the "next hot tip" your golf swing will never be consistent. Pick a method and stick with it. Ron's isn't exactly a complete instruction series online and requires very good timing and swing form. In my opinion, it is not easy for beginners (you are certainly welcome to try it however).

In short, don't expect super fast progress, pick a method, and stick to it!
Favorite Practice Course:
Z Boaz Municipal, Fort Worth <<< Ben Hogan grew up playing here!
--------------------------------------------------

In the bag: 983E 9.5*, Fuji Speeder S RPM LP, 4W, Neutral Bias STAFF Ci6 irons, S (going up for sale soon) Tom Watson PVD 08 Wedges (G.S,L)... and a 4...
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It is imperative that you find one source, with one methodology, and stick with it.

Thanks. That is a good point, and one I agree with. Its one of the reasons I take what people say on the course with a grain of salt. I don't want to go crazy trying to learn everything and nothing at the same time.

However, I greatly appreciate the comments here. Thank you all.

10.5* Driver (don't really ever use it)
3w, 5w
23* hybrid
5i through PW, SW
60* Wedge.....................................................................mellojoe

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Paused the video of the side view a couple of times and it looks as if you may be staying very flat or keeping the club head almost square to the ball through a lot of the swing. Try to get it pointing straight up at waist high on the take away and the follow through. Also try not to bend quite so much at the knee. Watch the hips. One of my biggest battles was getting my hips too active. Hips beat hands through the ball, block to right. Hands too fast through ball pull left. It is all about timeing. Your swing speed is a good pace to allow you to really work things out. Nothing takes the place of a few good lessons. Hitting the practice balls in the back yard is good but being able to see your ball flight will also tell you a lot.
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Well, I'm headed to the driving range tonight. I'm going to see if I can put alot of this in practice. I want to get my right knee a little less active, and I want to be sure to secure my grip a little, and I realized I break my wrists as I start my swing instead of swinging with my shoulders keeping my right arm straight as I start my backswing.

Starting there, it should give me a better look at the ball and better foundation.

10.5* Driver (don't really ever use it)
3w, 5w
23* hybrid
5i through PW, SW
60* Wedge.....................................................................mellojoe

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HELPED A TON!

Went out last night. I started off really poorly. Then, my partner in the cart said, "When you take your practice swings, you are really relaxed. When you do your real swing, you really tense up." I guess I was worrying too much.

Well, I relaxed, and played the best 3 holes of my life (the last 3 of 9 that day). I kept my grip strong. I kept my right knee from breaking down on my backswing. And I started my backswing slowly from the shoulders, not from my hands/wrists.

Those three things helped tremendously. I hit some beautiful shots.

On a Par 5, I was less than 5 feet shy of reaching the green in regulation. I've never hit a Par 5 green in 3 shots. I'm happy to reach in 5. I chipped onto the green too softly, and left myself a 2-putt for a Bogey. Bogey golf on a Par 5 is GREAT for me.

In fact, I Bogey'd the last 3 holes (a 5, 6, 6) which was brilliant golf, since I consider myself a double-bogey handicap.

Note:
Since we were playing 9 after 5:00pm, we played 1-5, then skipped to 15-18. It makes it a fun out and back, starting and ending really close to the parking lot making it really simple. I chunked up the 18th losing a ball off my drive, but I did have a GREAT rescue shot. But 15, 16, and 17 were absolutely perfect holes for me.

Thanks to you guys.

10.5* Driver (don't really ever use it)
3w, 5w
23* hybrid
5i through PW, SW
60* Wedge.....................................................................mellojoe

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Good for you.

That relaxation thing - wow, what a breakthrough.

I find that if I start with relaxed hands, that radiates up and through the rest of my body.
Just the opposite if I grip it hard. If I'm gripping it hard I need to find a way to slow down my brain*.
In a pinch, I'll do some deep breathing just like they taught me to do before a foul shot.

*(Now some of you may think my brain is already too slow but you don't have to live inside it. There's way too much going on in there for me.)

Best, Mike Elzey

In my bag:
Driver: Cleveland Launcher 10.5 stiff
Woods: Ping ISI 3 and 5 - metal stiffIrons: Ping ISI 4-GW - metal stiffSand Wedges: 1987 Staff, 1987 R-90Putter: two ball - black bladeBall: NXT Tour"I think what I said is right but maybe not.""If you know so much, why are you...

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Note: This thread is 5754 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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