swing video: driver

any comments, tips, analysis appreciated

Nice swing -- very nice.

very athletic golf swing. how do you hit your driver?

Thanks.

What do you mean 'how'. I'll analyze my own swing...

I tee the ball up a quarter-inch above the height of the ball. I play it forward, kind of between the heel and toe of my left foot. I like it forward on the driver now more than ever, with these new giant headed/big m.o.i. drivers it's crucial to hit the ball on the high/center of the face (where the sweetest spot is) and it's crucial to hit the ball on the upswing (to produce a low-spin, booming, penetrating ball flight that doesn't just drop out of the sky and stop, but continues forward at it's peak and gets a bit of roll when it lands). Since I learned this trick I've been bombing long and quite controlled drives.
My right shoulder hangs a little below the left, but not too much.
My feet are wide-ish (my heels align with the outside of my shoulders. My toes are relaxed, weight well balanced (occasionally if I'm forcing a draw I'll cheat the weight forward a bit (stack-and-tilt-ish) and turn it over at impact).
I try to keep my chin still back-and-through to the point of impact.
My grip pressure is loose at address to try to remember to let the club do the work.
I try to take it back wide to ensure a good, full shoulder turn. I use my hips in conjunction with my shoulders. I try to swing down the target line. I try to end my backswing at parallel and simultaneously try to start my transition. I try to swing fast and smooth and through the ball (rather than at it). On the down swing I'm driving with my core (legs, abs, obliques, traps, delts)... I'm pulling with my left triceps and forearm and dragging with my right arm.
and follow through fully.

I'd like to have the shaft at 45* at address, but I notice it's about there at impact.

It's pretty simple.

Looks solid....I'd add a bit more flair at the finish....make that club spin sooner as you hit your pose.

Just kidding.


Good looking golf swing....free and athletic. I'm sure it yeilds good results for you. What's your normal distance (carry and total)?

I'm not brave enough to even see my swing on film....much less post it here. People would be laughing forever....and it may mess up someone elses game.

Your course looks like it's wintered up pretty heavily.....how often are you able to play it? Winter time is tough on our sport.

its wierd your swing posture etc looks like mine and im also a 5 handi. hmm its wierds cept my swings shorter.

and im almost willing to bet you missed left on the swing :)

Good call!

It turned over a bit and should've been in the fairway, but with the frozen tundra to land on - it rolled out of the fairway into the left rough. It was about 10 feet off the fairway.

LOL...and I thought your were hitting golf balls on a country road.

Swing looks good maybe just try to take it back a little slower. I'm guessing you can pop it pretty good off the tee?

Jay-Bird,

Looks good. You posted this swing here for a reason, so I've got my microscope out, looking for things to criticize! :) With a swing like this, it isn't easy.

Before I say anything... where do you usually miss on the clubface? Also, what shape do you prefer? Draw... maybe a little cut? Where do your misses go? Way left... way right? How do your divots look? (probably pretty shallow on the frozen tundra... lol)

I see a few things you could tweak, but if you tell me you are playing back at 7000 yards and hitting 12 fairways and 15 greens (or similar), and you just lose 5 shots with the putter every round... well... my advice goes out the window.

Darth

Usually a little toward the toe.

Both! I

prefer a long straight ball with a little cut, but on one par 5 I have to either hit a long draw or not hit driver.

Both. Either a quick hook or a block.

OK, so I sliced up your YouTube video into a dozen or so frames, so you can see the positions. Sorry if it looks a little blurry, I did my best.

First, the good stuff:
1. Great extension right after impact.
2. Good job of keeping the feet quiet.
3. Nice flex in the right knee during most of the swing.
4. Are you Stack and Tilt?

Now, I'll be picky:
1. Look at your address position. Your feet are setting up to the right, but I can't see your left leg or your left arm. It appears that the feet are aimed right, while the hips and shoulders are already open. Also, it looks like you might be squatting a bit, and maybe back on your heels.
2. At 0:08, it seems like the club starts getting a bit too much inside. The farther inside it gets, the easier it will be to approach from the inside. Approach too far from the inside = hooks or blocks, depending on your timing.
3. At 0:14, you're at the top. Your right leg has actually shifted away from the ball several inches since address. This tells me that instead of coiling into the right leg and loading the upper body towards the right leg, your hips are just rotating back and forth, pulling the legs along. Problem is, tilting the upper body a bit away from the target works to "trap" the arms, which would help prevent your overswing at the top.
4. The positions at 0:20 and 0:22 are fantastic. The big issue I see is how you arrived there from the previous position. Your upper body needed to lift a few inches to make room, which causes some inconsistency. The more you "stand up" near impact, the more flat the plane becomes, and hooks/blocks become more likely.

Really, at full-speed, the swing looks good.

If you want to hit more fades, work on your address position, and try to get the hands a little higher at the top, with the grip a little weaker. Just small little things.

Also, try sticking a club (or something) against your right knee, to feel it staying in place during the backswing. I bet it feels strange. ;)

As always, these are just my opinions. I look at my swing a lot, it was nice looking at someone else's for a while. :) Hope I didn't offend.

Fairways and greens,
Darth

Thanks Darth,

May the 4's be with you!

-jay

Great job Darth -- the blowup and slow down really helps one see the things you point out. In the original video, the thing I could see that suggested some of what you are pointing out is the final right foot position at the finish -- the heel is tilted right hinting at a little too much inside at some point and a lower body that did not quite brace perfectly. I like the swing, and when the finish finally comes out perfectly balanced, he will know he has come inside and under. When that right foot droops over to the right in the finish it is exactly the hint of possible pushes and hooks you mention.

Something he might try is a slightly more open stance so the right knee braces earlier. By more open, I really mean parallel left, to even a few degrees left, but anything other than closed. This might firm up and speed up his lower body and keep the ball straight without over turning the finish due to the upper body taking over a fraction, which is what I think you are pointing out.

I like this swing, and there is a lot of potential, especially with improving the things you mention. I would like to see a face on version.

Couldn't agree more. His swing has an enormous amount of potential, especially with how well he releases the club.

Jay-Bird, when the ground thaws and you can hit some shots, try opening your stance (lay a club down to confirm) and weakening your grip a bit, and TRY to hit a bunch of LOW PULL-FADES. LOW = you're still trapping the ball, PULL = maybe try feeling like your hands are higher at the top, and maybe a hint of that "over-the-top" feeling to keep the club from getting too far inside, and FADE = hopefully a slightly weaker grip will keep the ball from moving left. It should feel like you are releasing the club a little LEFT of target. Keeping the right leg stable (as RC mentions above) is a huge key to consistency, IMO. The fewer moving parts, the better. But keeping the right leg flexed and braced is something that requires strength and flexibility which (in my experience) most golfers don't possess. Takes time and practice.

Two posts up, I meant to say:

He would know he had NOT come inside and under.

The NOT did not get typed in and I can't edit at this point.