practice swing and actual swing are so far apart

Hi everyone,

I have been reading these forums for a long time and appreciate all the help it has offered.

However I am now ready to quit golf altogether now.

A year ago I was playing to single figures repeatedly and hitting driver just short of 290yds and straight 90% of the time, then I suffered a bad back and rather than rest for a few weeks tried playing through it and my swing got flatter and flatter trying to compensate, then I had a hamstring injury and then ruptured my calf (non golf related) anyway my swing got worse and worse and my own fault for trying to compensate with another bad move led, and so on and  so on and so on.

Now I am left with a very good practice swing as many can say, good plane, lag, full turn etc.etc. However put a ball in front of me or even pretend a blade of grass is a ball and I am extremely flat and very short backswing not getting much past horizontal. then smash.

resulting in duck hooks, topped shots, air shot and generally rubbish shots. Ive had lessons with a few pros who just tell me to swing on steeper plane and try to teach me how to which I can do in a practice swing very easily but not with a ball there. everytime I leave thinking how pointless and a waste of money that was.

I do not stand over the ball even after a year thinking I cant do it, I just set up and think of what my practice was and attempt to do it. So I think its subconscious. I have tried everything everyone has suggested and theres been plenty, but nothing seems to work. Everyone admires my practice but looks of shock come over them when I try to hit  a ball.

Any and all suggestions are welcome as I cannot enjoy golf like this, I come off the course embarrassed and frustrated and will end up packing it all in or join a pitch and putt course.

Ive run out of ideas and google searches aren't helping nor are any of the pros I know. Last one literally said " strange one, I don't know what to tell you and then held his hand out for the payment"

Hoping for a miraculous piece of inspiration.

Thanks, will try and do it tomorrow.

Great! Get a good face on view aND let see if we can figure this out.

even I find it hard to believe that I feel as though that is a full swing

Hi Iacas,

sorry about that, should be viewable now.

they dont differ this extent :)

I probably shouldn't be giving advice but it seems obvious to me.  Focus on a full turn on the backswing, focus on that and nothing else, don't worry about hitting the ball or the ball flight.  Just like your practice swing, a full turn.  And try to keep your head steady, there's lateral movement in both the practice and the real swing.  Oops, that's two things.

Certainly different but one thing I noticed is you don't "set up" in what you call your good practice swing, you kind of stay in motion, don't start things off by having the club rest behind the ball. I would give that a try when hitting, see if by not "stopping" prior too the shot might let you make a fuller turn.

Thanks No Mulligans,

to be honest I feel like I am doing a full turn, thats my main problem as well as being flat on the actual swing. I am hoping to find out why i am flat and cannot make the full turn, although being flat may have something to do with being short and nowhere to go.

The lateral movement has just crept in and can be sorted quick enough, due to working so much on the backswing other bad habits sneak their way in.

I feel if I can get steeper and longer on the actual swing everything else will drop back into place in a short time.

Sure its in my sub-conscious as i dont feel nervous or different when i address the ball, but cant find a trigger to get me out of it.

By the way all advice is welcome

Thanks Liam generally I do set up for a practice but the wife was a bit slow with the video so I carried on to a second swing