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Trapping the Ball

post #1 of 17
5/25/10 at 12:24pm
Thread Starter 
My current fatal flaw in my golf swing is my inability to get my wrist flat at impact. I have a flipping issue with my wrists. Anybody fix this problem and if so what did you do to get this fixed. I know i have read alot in articles that to make solid contact keep the back of the wrist flat at impact and facing the target. how do you achieve this consistantly?
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post #2 of 17
5/25/10 at 2:10pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

Yeh I hear ya..casting, flipping, over the top...all the same. I think your focus on impact is mis-placed. The breakdown is probably coming about half way thru your backswing and then progressively deteriorates thru transition and into your downswing. By the time you get to impact the horse is already out of the barn.

Sorry I don't really have any solution other than I think you're looking in the wrong place.
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post #3 of 17
5/25/10 at 2:33pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

You got a video camera, or at least video clips of your swing. Why don't you start a thread with your swing and ask there? Diagnosing a problem without seeing the swing is like an approach shot to the green, you'll have to be lucky to get the ball into the hole.
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post #4 of 17
5/25/10 at 2:50pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Trapping the Ball

Yeh I hear ya..casting, flipping, over the top...all the same
I would say no on this. Though they can be related they are not the same. Flipping is were the left wrist breaks down through impact. Casting is loosing the shaft angle at the top of the swing, and over the top is were the clubhead moves outside the swing path. Now casting can lead to over the top, but you can cast and still be on plane. You can lag and near impact flip. Thats why people can flip the clubhead on a chip shot, its not dependant on the top of the swing.

The breakdown is probably coming about half way thru your backswing and then progressively deteriorates thru transition and into your downswing.
Thats what this Pro and I thought, until we looked at the swing. honestly there is nothing wrong comming into the ball from halfway down near impact, its just as my hands get close to the ball they pull to the inside, flip and my left arm chicken wings to counter the flipping helping me maintain a shot. We looked at the swing plane, it biscects the area between my left and right forearms, so its in the slot. When i was able to maintain that flat wrist and extend through impact i just hit the nicest feeling shots. Then the next shot i get that pull in with the hands and i hit this cruddy shot.

I will try to get a video up here sometime, I will probably do a face on view with a focus on the were the hands travel.
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post #5 of 17
5/25/10 at 3:00pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

I have to do a lot of one armed swings with my left hand to get that "bow" feeling into my left hand. This is usually just from belt to belt. From there, I then put my right hand on the club and continue with the one armed drill. The right hand only has light pressure with the ring, middle finger and thumb. The right hand kind of acts as a guide.

To do it consistantly takes a long time. I need a lot of time at the range for it to work. Otherwise, when I take a couple weeks off without touching a club, I'll go back to a little flippage and feel like I'm hitting flop shots with a 5i.
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post #6 of 17
5/25/10 at 3:22pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

Try a stronger grip and a slight press forward. You might not need to keep it like that, but that is a way to get that flat wrist and will allow you to feel it work throughout your swing.
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post #7 of 17
5/25/10 at 3:53pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Trapping the Ball

Interesting, it crossed my mind, but i am scared to change my grip. I rather see if everything else works out first and tring to get muscle memory built before changing that.

Question about grip, a strong grip, is that when the left hand is more over the club or under the club. I think a strong right hand is under the club.
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post #8 of 17
5/25/10 at 4:01pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

In order to get the feeling of trapping the ball (which is all it really is, a feeling), when I'm at the range I hinge my wrist right before takeaway. I'll hit about 20 balls like this with my PW and then 7i. Then I'll go back to the normal swing and hinge later in the backswing. I used to hinge early all the time, that was my swing. Now I concentrate on taking a wider and higher backswing so I don't do it anymore. But it does work.
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post #9 of 17
5/25/10 at 4:03pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

Originally Posted by saevel25 View Post
Interesting, it crossed my mind, but i am scared to change my grip. I rather see if everything else works out first and tring to get muscle memory built before changing that.

Question about grip, a strong grip, is that when the left hand is more over the club or under the club. I think a strong right hand is under the club.
Yes, the palms should always be opposite each other so the more you rotate your left hand clockwise, the more you need to rotate your right hand clockwise as well. Be careful changing grips radically though. If you do need to make a change, it might only need to be subtle, maybe half knuckle.
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post #10 of 17
5/25/10 at 4:08pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

Originally Posted by saevel25 View Post
My current fatal flaw in my golf swing is my inability to get my wrist flat at impact. I have a flipping issue with my wrists. Anybody fix this problem and if so what did you do to get this fixed. I know i have read alot in articles that to make solid contact keep the back of the wrist flat at impact and facing the target. how do you achieve this consistantly?
Lesson with a LIVE PGA Teaching Professional. The only way to learn. You can not get better by reading a book or artical, advice from friends or internet golf forums. A live qualified human is the only way.
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post #11 of 17
5/25/10 at 4:10pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Trapping the Ball

I have been seeing a pro, he told me a few drills to do to try to get the feeling of it. But i was curious what your guys opinions are on it.
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post #12 of 17
5/25/10 at 5:50pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

Put something behind the ball,(A strip of cardboard will work) about 3" behind the ball. Now swing at the ball and don't hit the cardboard,try to get your divot in front of the ball.
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post #13 of 17
5/25/10 at 5:50pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

Originally Posted by saevel25 View Post
My current fatal flaw in my golf swing is my inability to get my wrist flat at impact. I have a flipping issue with my wrists. Anybody fix this problem and if so what did you do to get this fixed. I know i have read alot in articles that to make solid contact keep the back of the wrist flat at impact and facing the target. how do you achieve this consistantly?
Have you tried an impact bag?
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post #14 of 17
5/25/10 at 6:06pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

He posted swing videos already:




And the answer here is simple. The fact of the matter is, with a swing that long and hard, it's hard to make contact at all, let alone consistently. I once swung that long too, and I couldn't hit irons to save my life. That's the first, and more obvious problem. The long swing is nearly impossible to control, and the only tour player who swings that long, John Daly, gets more doubles than Derek Jeter. The arms need to stay away from the body to get a good, wide arc and solid contact.

The biggest problem, however, is the strike. A lot of people get into this habit where they practice a lot with the driver, but have trouble hitting the basic pitching wedge. The key is that these swings all share one common fault, they try to help the ball into the air. The swing does not need to be hard or long to generate power. I made a video of myself hitting a 60° wedge 90 yards with a very short swing, and a fairly weak lag.



My swing is quirky, a little chicken wingy, and not that great, but I do not attempt to help the ball in the air, and the club doesn't cross my hands till after impact. Put those together, and you have a good strike, no matter how bad the swing. The other thing you'll notice, there's 16" of that swing where the club is running right along the ground. Good ballstrikers will have even more, 2' or more. David Wedzik and Iacas, for example, have about 2' in their swings where the ball can be contacted, something I'd love (and work at daily!)

Bottom line, the power does not come from a hard swing, it comes from leverage.
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post #15 of 17
5/25/10 at 6:14pm

Re: Trapping the Ball

tape 5 business cards together, slide it down the back of your golf glove on the back of your left wrist...get used to swingin without bendin the cards...ta da
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post #16 of 17
5/25/10 at 7:27pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Trapping the Ball

So if i bring my left hand over the club more, showing more knuckles that is weakening the grip? If so i do that with my left hand i would need to rotate my right hand more under the club?
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post #17 of 17
5/25/10 at 7:36pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Trapping the Ball

Luckily, thats the driver, my irons swings get progressively better the shorter they get. I am really pretty good with wedges through 8 iron, after that it gets kinda sketchy, but i hit my less than 8-iron 75% of the time anyways.

Yeah, thats the issue i have, i don't practice on a small scale, when i should. I read Jim McLeans 8 steps, and he talks about swinging with no clubs, practicing drills very slowly. He made a good point, if you can't do it slowly how can you do it at full speed. I will say rotational forces of the golf club help, but he has a good point ;b

He has a few drills in there i will try, and i got a couple to work on from my pro, i thought i give you guys a shot to. to much information, maybe, but with golf you have to find something that sticks.
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