The Quest for Solid Contact

So I decided this weekend I really need to work on my wrist action and improve my contact. Been having way too many open face slices / fat shots lately, especially with longer clubs, and I suspect I am throwing / flipping my hands at the ball.

Here is the approach I am taking.

1) Reviewed Ben Hogan's writings on supinating the left wrist.

2) Practicing this movement with chipping, to strengthen the left wrist and forearm.

3) Working this move into pitching to learn solid ball first contact without flipping the hands.

4) Start with short irons and move up.

I already noticed, just trying the move, that it makes a huge impact on the control and balance of my swing. Flipping the hands throws the entire body sequence out of whack (for me anyways). I end up fighting the club rather than simply directing its momentum.

Any comments, drills, or suggestions as I continue forward?

The swing thought i use is to remember to hold off the release of the long as long as i reasonably can. This actually keeps your torso in the correct position and even brings your backswing to the proper tempo.

If you're backswing is too rapid or you are throwing the club over the top...it is impossible to hold the release until the proper moment because momentum will throw the club forward. Eventually, it becomes second nature...and when you start releasing properly, but when i notice that i'm starting to mishit some shots...i tend to go back to that swing thought. Its helped me a lot and thats the only thought about mechanics that i have before each shot..

Good thought. My problem is that I would probably still flip my hands in the release, making contact very difficult. Have to stop pronating and start supinating!

I found my swing with a simple wedge swing:

1) turn the shoulder and arms in one piece so that the shaft is down the target line, parallal with the ground and toe pointing up
2) break my wrist and take the club up to a full backswing, my hip and shoulder are fully turned
3) begin the downswing starting with only my hips and shoulder with a light grip on the club and let the hands automatically come back to the ball for solid contact with an easy swing.

remember solid contact is the focus and not distance or power

Update:

Just returned from the range. Chipping is going awesome, and pitching is coming in line. The best news however is with full shots. I had one of the best days at the range I have had in months. My massive slice and deep divots were practically gone and I was drawing most shots. Besides the pronation, I focused on keeping the right leg solid and making sure my backswing was on plane. Then just rotate through the shot.

Ben Hogan, right as always. You have to pronate. I was hitting 130 with my pitching wedge today (normally I guess 95-100 for that club!).

More to come...

Personally, I think the value of the setup is not fully appreciated by many golfers. Your backswing is largley a result of your setup. Now, assuming you've got a good setup that leads to a good position at the top, I find that leading with the hips and maintaining relaxed wrists so that they release are the keys for good contact. If you've lead with your hips, relaxed wrists let the energy flow and snap your hands at impact. If you are trying to be too controlling with your wrists, the club never releases well and your contact is off.

Something I discovered on my own was the lack of stress put into your right arm. When you hit the bottom of your swing, you should push your right hand heel into your left. It helps create a break in your wrist to give you some forward shaft lean and in result, you can turn over a bit later and create a little more whip to your shot. Don't push too much, but make your right side an active part with your swing. Forward shaft lean is one of the most important parts of solid contact in my opinion. But make sure your whole body is following through or your alignment will be completely off and hitting the ball is more of a problem than hitting the ball cleanly.

Update 2: Had a lesson with the local pro this Saturday. He said my problem is loosing connection into impact with the upper left arm (relative to the upper torso) and as a result I have to flip the hands and can't maintain shaft lean. My chest ends up way open at impact and my hands just aren't fast enough to compensate.

I am way out of sync with arms versus body. He also noted I move the club handle too much down the target line and away from myself and not around my body, which just accentuates the fade. Basically I am making it really hard to square the face and keep the path straight at the same time. This is something I never would have thought of by myself. He has me working on swinging with a glove under the left armpit and making sure I finish around to a complete finish position. My flexibility is an asset, but he said I need to "tighten the screws" before I go using my flexibility for more power.

So far so good. At the range on Sunday I could already see it was making a big difference in my shot consistency. My timing with the arms vs. torso must have been way off. Now we just have to see how long before this change helps straighten out the long clubs (practicing 3/4 shots with short irons right now, under the pro's advice). Then I can get back to actually playing real golf.

My advice to everyone. If you get as stuck as I have been (3 months and counting), go find a pro you can trust. The good ones really do want to see you play better golf.

Sounds like you have a very goodteacher!