Comments on my swingvideos

Hi, Claes from Sweden here

Here are a couple of swingvids I would like you to comment. I know I have a very short backswing and a really bad tempo. And I also know that I have a very flat backswing but I dont know how to fix it, I've tried almost everything but my hands always end up behind my body with the club pointing well outside the ball. Anyone have an idea what I should do?

I have 10 hcp and for example I hit 140m with my 8iron and 200m with spoon.

Sorry for bad spelling, Im from Sweden

8iron back


8iron front


Spoon back


Spoon front

I mean it's not that bad, you have a good setup, grip, take away and follow through, but if you wanna gain more distance which your going to have to, your gonna have to lengthen your backswing. Try lengthening it day by day until you get it almost parallel to the ground.

You really have to hit longer than 140meters with 8iron and 200meters with spoon? I thought it was about average but I might be wrong!

Thx for your comment!

Well, here's a different opinion. You are not even close to maximizing the length of swing you have, so it makes no sense to attempt making a deeper backswing. It is much easier to learn to control a shorter swing than a long one. Learn to strike with authority with what you have then if you want to lengthen it you will have developed the correct feels with which to do so.

A few observations:

Grip is just a tad weak. You might rotate them on the shaft about 1/4 inch so both palms are square to the target. It also looks like you are gripping too tight. Loosen up and get the grip in your fingers; just barely enough pressure so the club doesn't slip in your hands.

Your initial move is with you wrists and this is causing an early release of the club coming down. You might try to think of takeaway with the left shoulder and try to keep the wrists very quiet early in the swing, just making the shoulder rotation keeping everything moving together. Relax your shoulders and don't extend from the shoulder joints. This will also help the around about swing and get it more upright.

Lastly, you are straightening the right leg a bit and allowing your weight to get on the outside of your right foot. Be sure to feel your weight on the inside of your feet at setup and keep it there by maintaining the flex and the kickin of the right knee. You want to feel as if you are "sitting down" on the inside of the right hip at the top, almost as if that hip is dropping rather than rising as it is.

An 8 iron should be good for 140+ Yards for an average player. I used to get 165 with it the same length swing you have, but age has shortened it down to 150. A few adjustments and you should be seeing significant improvement in distance.

Maybe a bigger shoulder turn if you are flexible enough.

140 meters for an 8 iron (about 155 yards) is good length. 200 meters (about 220 yards) is a little short for your spoon.

One thing to remember is that your swing is a direct victim (or benefactor) of your set-up.

Your grip looks only very slightly weak with the right hand but strong with the left hand.

Your hands are already slightly hinged at setup. I suspect this may be the reason for your takeaway with the wrists. Often a takeaway with the wrists brings you too far inside the line resulting in a flatter swing plane.

Looking at your set-up I would pay attention to your grip and hand set-up position. Try bringing your hands forward a fraction so that your hands are just inside your shoe lace's when you look down at them. Remember the club is desinged to sit flat and square when the hands are in front of the clubface.

Thanks for all comments

About my grip, should I take a stronger grip with my right hand and a weaker grip with my left hand?

Start with a neutral grip with both hands, and adjust slowly to find what works for you. One trick I also use is with my right hand little finger I just apply a little pressure into my left index finger. It helps me to keep the hands working together.

Ok, thanks

It feels as if the club lies in my palm if I take a weaker grip with my left hand. When I put it just below my fingerna the grip looks really strong right away. Could it be because I have very small hands?

It is possible that it relates to hand and grip size but not likely. The club should start just under the fleshy part of the palm of the left hand with the index finger curling around the club. you should be able to see 1.5 to 2.5 knuckles when you look at your grip.

When you look at your grip you should be able to see 1.5 to 2.5 knuckles on your left hand. Grip the club and bring your arms up to waist height to inspect it.

Ok, hmm, I will try some different grips and see if it has any effect on my swingplane and takeaway!

What I do is place both hands on the club so the palms are facing each other and are square to the target, then counter rotate them to the top of the shaft ever so slightly. To answer your question, yes, your left looks a tad strong and your right a tad weak.

What kind of problems are you having as a result of your flat backswing? 140 meters or 155 yards with an 8 iron is fine. The length of the backswing is fine. Taking it up to parallel will probably cause you all kinds of timing problems.

If you do want your swing plane to be more upright I would suggest not rolling your wrists as you do at the start of your backswing. That is the main thing that gets your club inside so early. Instead, break your wrists straight back and turn your shoulders to start the swing.

Then again, your contact with the spoon ( I guess you mean 3 wood) sounded pretty good. Why change?