Stumpy

I don't have any quality way to get a video, and I'm certainly basing more on feeling than diagrams. I also don't agree that the weight should in any way be hanging back, a big part for me is getting it moving forward. Like I said, I don't agree with everything, but the idea of the swing originating with the right arm pushing, instead of the left side/hips pulling, is a huge difference in FEEL and is working very well.

Glad someone found it useful. I know its been met with a lot of skepticism both here and with some of my golfing buddies. Proof is in the pudding though. I played another 9 last night at a course I've never played before. Didn't play as well as my last 3 rounds, but still played below my average, and kept it under 50. I feel like if I knew the greens better I would have been in much better shape. I did find I was pushing a lot of shots last night, which was a little odd for me, but still striking well.

Interestingly enough, I feel for the first time I understand what lag really is suppose to feel like, and I'm hitting very few fat shots. I don't agree with everything in that particular article, and I've found some better information since, but that was the start of it all. When pushing down from the top, there is no flipping or turning of my hands at all, they are completely passive. Then at the bottom they just snap over with a very thoughtless release.

I know, I totally just jinxed myself or something. But its exciting. I'd experienced the temporary fixes. But never had anything last 2 rounds in a row, much less 3 improved rounds in a row. I also feel pretty strongly that this is something that can continue to be improved upon. My ball striking is long and far more accurate, taking quality divots. My driver average has gone from about 230 to about 250, and I feel like I could get it to 280 if I gave a little more effort. If I could get my putting under control I could have something here! :) This is the article that first got me thinking about it. http://www.golflagtips.com/hitting-vs-swinging-part-1/

So I'm a relatively new golfer. Been at it in earnest about 3 years or so. I've been playing to a 26 handicap up until about three weeks ago. Its been a long-term goal to break 50 consistently (I usually only get a chance to play 9 holes at a time). I have hovered for a year around 51-52 on average. Three weeks ago I shot the best round of my life at league, with a horrible start, and then a fantastic finish. A 47. The week after, I did even better with a 46. This week, I didn't get a chance to pick up a club all week, so I was expecting a bit of a relapse. Shot a 45 Monday night. It all started because of some article I found online about the difference between swingers, and hitters. I'd never heard of such a thing. That first week I decided to do some on-course experimentation, and once I got the idea of it, started the best ball striking I've ever had. And for the record, it turns out I'm a hitter, and I'm loving it. :)

I had a major issue about 2 years ago now with this, and was to the point of considering surgical options. I found this very stretch/exercise completely at random, and it made an almost immediate improvement. As a side note, I did buy an inversion table, and while I found that in general it made my back feel good, it did not help with the pinched nerve. I also found that a lot of the stretches I was doing early on to help, were actually making it worse.. DO NOT try to stretch your lower back, it only puts additional pressure on the nerve. Instead focus on stretching your hamstrings.

My first thought would be to try a shorter swing. I know for me its a flexibility thing, and if my left arm is breaking down, its because I'm swinging past the point of my flexibility.

You just gave me something new to try on the range.

So it was time to re-grip my clubs, and I wanted to try something a little different. I read an article some time ago about Bubba Watson and how he likes to have rather built up grips, with less taper. So I gave it a try. I regripped several clubs, using a variety of techniques, sizes, and number of tape wraps. After a very interesting range session, I've decided that this is what I like. Midsized grip, 4 wraps for my low hand, and 1 wrap top to bottom. It effectively takes a huge amount of the taper out of the club. The end result is something I feel like I barely have to hold onto to put a mean swing on it, and I've picked up both yardage and consistency. FWIW I have average sized hands, and I wear a size ML glove. By standard 'fitting' I should be using a standard gripsize. My point is simply this. Try stuff, play around, and see what happens. Also as a side note, if you put the grips on with masking tape instead of double sided tape, and blow them on/off with an air compressor, you can easily re-use the grips, and play with the tape without cutting it off every time.

Thanks for all the words of wisdom. I am indeed a newbie, just started a few months ago. I've gone from shooting around 130s to around 100 in that time, but every time I go out, even just to the driving range, I feel like I make some sort of realization that has helped. Thats why i posted about this problem, its the one thing I can't seem to do, is hit consistantly, and I want to fix the problem. Someone mentioned not transferring my weight to my front foot properly/at all, so I messed around a little this morning with trying to 'throw' my weight forward on purpose, and it seems to change the position of my ball contact. My normal swing definately is more 'back foot centered'.

Tried all sorts of stance modifications, same results.

Traditional 'setup' tells us over and over again, and the proper ball position is somewhere between right in the middle of your stance for short irons, and more and more forward as the club length goes up. I tend to top the ball pretty regularly, and I've noticed recently, that on all my practice swings, divots, etc, my club is touching down a little after it passes my back foot, and is already on its way back up by the time it gets to about the center of my stance. Which seems to tell me that 'my' ball position should be a lot further back than 'traditional'. Wondering if I'm just doing something incredibly wrong, I've started paying more attention to it when watching the tour players. It seems with iron shots, a lot of tour players are playing the ball further back then the center to me. So, Any thoughts? Am I just doing something very wrong?

I just hope my kids don't have as many trips to the ER as I did growing up.

At least your in TX, everything up my way (Mass) is closing up for the year. Can't really blame anyone though. Not a ton of fun playing in 45 degree.s

I noticed for me, my biggest problem, once I became fairly comfortable with where my swing was it, was I had a weak grip. Actively changing it to a strong grip now causes me to hook the ball more often than I slice it.