My Swing (Mdg74)

I've been Playing Golf for: 5 years

My current handicap index or average score is: 16

My typical ball flight is: draw

The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: shank/ hook/ push (I think these are all related)

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Videos:

Great videos, thanks! I've struggled with "getting stuck" for quite a while and I know it's the cause of many of my issues. I was just never sure why, but this makes a lot of sense.

Hi,

The reason you have these shots is because your backswing is flat. With a flat backswing your club will get caught behind you and from there the only thing you can do is block it straight right or hook it (or a shank if you come far enough inside). There are two ways to fix this: either your back swing need to be on plane or you need to compensate for your flat backswing on your downswing. The latter is less often coached however some of the best ball strikers on the planet have a flat backswing but they compensate for it by looping back across to come down on plane. Sergio Garcia has a very flat backswing:

If you look at 51-54secs however, he loops his club back over so that it is on plane. If a downswing is on plane when the club is parallel to the floor it will be pointing at the target and in line with the feet. Again, look at 54s, you can clearly see his club is in line with his feet and pointing at his target. If you strike the ball really well you may want to try this because a backswing is not a fundamental in golf at all. What is fundamental is what happens in that video from 54s until impact where every top player in the world has the same swing at this particular point. As I say most coaches will try to 'fix' your backswing but it depends how well you strike the ball normally. You may want to try filming your downswing and try to get it going down that plane I just described.

This is a useful video about getting the club on plane in the downswing. This is by Jim McLean who, in my opinion, is the best golf coach on the planet and has coached many of the world's best players.

Trying to swing back on plane may be the most beneficial but it does take patience and lots of practice. I had a few friends with this problem who I helped. I would recommend getting a mirror and placing it down your target line (i.e. the mirror will be facing where your ball would go if it went straight (you can do this indoors). Swing half way back then look at your club in the mirror. The following check points tell you if your club is on the correct plane:

1) Your shaft should bisect (cut in half) your right shoulder.

2) Your left arm should be straight

3) Your left arm should be parallel to the floor

4) Your left should be above the line of your feet (i.e. your left arm should not go across your body).

5) If you imagine a straight white line going along where your club is aiming that also extends behind your club, the butt of your grip should be pointing at this line.

Keep repeating this many many times, making corrections as you see fit when looking in the mirror. You can also try this on the practice ground where you swing half way back to this position 3 times then on the fourth time just swing and hit a ball. Eventually you will run through these stages in your swing and this will stop the faults you have. If you look at someone with an orthodox swing like Rory Mcilroy, you can see that he has all of these 5 points beautifully when he is half way back. Check this video out at 5seconds in to see for yourself

From this ideal position your club is perfectly on plane and from here you simply turn your shoulders, maintaining the angle between your shaft and body. Some coaches show you that from a front on view at the half way back position your body, arms and shaft form a box. From here you simply turn your shoulders and maintain that box. This video below shows Ernie Els doing this perfectly. Watch from 13secs until the top of his swing where you can see he maintains that box formed at 13secs until the top of his back swing. Again you can do this with a mirror. At the top of your backswing your shaft should be parallel to the floor and pointing at your target.

Sorry for all the information but hope that helps!!

Thanks for all the info, I've seen that Jim McLean video, and that's the reason I've given up trying to fix my backswing. I know it looks terrible, but my ball striking has improved greatly since I've given up trying the "traditional" backswing. I can usually loop my club over the top to get back on plane, but once on a while it drops further inside, leading to the shank, hook, and other round ruining things. Basically I'm looking for validation that my backswing is viable and that if I work at getting the club on plane on the downswing that everything will be ok. Since the majority of my bad shots happen late in the round, and it's often over 90° when I play, I think fatigue may be my biggest issue at this point. You're correct that the first thing inductors want to change is my backswing, but I think I'm going to give this a year and see if I can work it out. Here's my swing as of last season, the problem was I could never repeat it consistently. [VIDEO]https://youtu.be/FU8o2GeLzV0[/VIDEO] A ton of over the top weak slices and fades. At least now I get decent trajectory and a good draw. Thanks for all the feedback, I'll take it all in and see what works!

It is difficult to say whether any backswing is viable because it depends on how well you strike the ball and how well you can repeat it consistently. Although someone like Sergio Garcia is a great golfer there are many golfers who, if they had a swing like his, will always struggle to hit the ball and would benefit from a more orthodox swing. Try practicing hard at looping back over to see if it works for you consistently. A great drill for this is to swing to the top with your normal backswing then slowly bring your club onto the correct plane and down to that perfect position I described when the club is parallel to the floor and pointing along the line of your feet. Swing back to the top and again repeat this. On the third attempt swing back to the top and just hit the ball. If you do this enough it will eventually train your body to bring your club back on plane.

I would also have a good go at trying the more orthodox backswing as you may find this works really well. You need to stick at it though to see if it will work. I know when I first started playing I would do that drill in the mirror I described in my earlier post 30 times every day. To see if a more orthodox backswing works you really need to work at it hard for a while.

Good luck!

So I took every video you guys posted and worked my ass off trying to not get my hands so deep and keeping my backswing on plane. I was about to break 80 for the first time on Saturday, but on the 16th the shanks returned and I shot 83. My swing is in much better shape, but I think I'm still getting stuck and maybe a bit of early extension? [VIDEO]https://youtu.be/eN7uTdx8zn8[/VIDEO]

After going out and shanking the ball all over the course last month, I decided to go back to the fundamentals. I dusted off my copy of Ben's 5 lessons and have been grinding away at the set up, take away and transition. I've noticed that with a deliberate backswing, my right arm is not nearly as deep, as  @boogielicious noted. I haven't gone back to the course, but my range sessions are great- nice penatrating flight with a slight fade. I have noticed that I hit one fat every dozen or so balls. I'm not sure if this is just because I'm tired and losing posture, or if there is something mechanically wrong that I'm doing. I could be releasing a bit early, but I don't want to consciously hold my release. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Thanks for all the advice @boogielicious     @mvmac  and @Alfie- it's really helped me out and I went from shanking 2 or 3 shots per round to not shanking at all since January. I went from hitting fat shots to hitting some thin shots and I'm still pushing some out to the right. I don't know if my turn through the ball is good enough or if  something else is going on. Does anyone notice anything obvious? thanks!

 

I've been working hard on my swing- eliminating unnecessary movement, shortening the backswing, etc. I'm now struggling with contact, and I think it's because of my early extension. I have a lot of pushes, thin shots, and the occasional shank. Any feedback would be appreciated. 

Thanks!