My Swing (BC-to-MI)

[billchao]

4 hours ago, BC-to-MI said:

Finally got back out to the range a couple times this week for the first time since last fall. Ball striking has been horrible in the couple Par 3 course rounds I have played, but I didn't expect much coming out such a long layoff. Really struggling with controlling the club face right now -- lots of really bad pushes with the occasional overcorrection into a dead pull. Hopefully driving ranges starting to open up again in Michigan will help with getting my consistency back. (Will try to get face on video as well next time, but a crowded range and trying to be mindful of social distancing didn't allow that here)

 

You look like you turn way too much in the backswing.

[BC-to-MI]

15 hours ago, billchao said:

You look like you turn way too much in the backswing.

Yeah, trying to rein in the backswing has been a process. My timing gets way out of sorts when I try to shorten up. Which, as I'm sure you can guess from that, also means my partial wedges are not good.

[billchao]

44 minutes ago, BC-to-MI said:

Yeah, trying to rein in the backswing has been a process. My timing gets way out of sorts when I try to shorten up. Which, as I'm sure you can guess from that, also means my partial wedges are not good.

I’ve been having issues with my partial wedges lately, too. I’m working on something now so that I think of them less like shorter versions of my full swing and more like their own motion to reduce excessive movement.

[BC-to-MI]

Couple things I noticed here, particularly from the face on video:

1. My ball position is way farther back than I think it is. I don't know if this is a regular thing or just on this swing, but definitely something to keep in mind.

2. The ball position is exaggerated even more with how much my body shifts in the backswing then moves forward in the downswing. Wonder if this is part of why I am struggling so much with getting the clubface closed.

3. As @billchao and I were talking about, the backswing is incredibly long. In particular, it's crazy to see how much my arms continue to rotate after my hips stop.

 

[BC-to-MI]

Really tried to focus today on being cognizant of my ball position at setup and then working to shorten the backswing a little. It's something that I have always struggled with, even when I make a conscious effort to do it, so it's going to be a process.

I could definitely feel myself wanting to be longer, so I had to think about what I was doing on each practice swing and real swing, which is probably helpful for me. I have a tendency to just bang balls when I'm struggling, even though I know that doesn't do any good. I was still fighting a push and thin contact throughout the session, but I'm more concerned with the length of the backswing at this point. All that to say, looking at this backswing compared to the one from last week, it was encouraging to see a noticeable difference.

[BC-to-MI]

Still just trying to gradually reduce the backswing. It certainly feels more natural on wedges and short irons to try and shorten up a bit, but anything beyond that just feels so awkward. Also trying to remember to just focus on getting comfortable with a shortened backswing, and actually doing it, without being concerned with the result at this point.

 

[BC-to-MI]

My body does not like trying to shorten up, so it's definitely going to take a while to get comfortable with this. Even after going through a few minutes of slow motion backswings to try and get a feel for the length of backswing I want, as soon as I go to hit a ball, I revert back to the old habits. Even with the feel (not real) of a 3/4 swing, you can see how much turn I am still getting. I've started to incorporate the drills from the COVID practice plan (specifically day 3 and day 20), so the process continues.

 

[BC-to-MI]

Driver has been about as good as I can ever remember it being. A little bit shorter than it has been in the past, but way more consistent and with much less curve on the ball. On the flip side, my short irons have been up and down and my mid/long irons have been horrible.

 

[BC-to-MI]

Well, I'm officially in the wilderness with my swing at this point. I think I got so into my head trying to shorten the backswing -- which I have never been able to, no matter how much I focus on it -- that it has messed with everything else. I'm basically at the point where I'm struggling to hit 2/5 shots on the range well, and that (as the video shows) isn't due to getting used to a shortened swing. I'm just totally uncomfortable standing over the ball, so every swing feels really awkward and there is no carry over from swing to swing. Ball flights can be pulls/pushes, thin/fat, and draws/fades, just zero consistency.

(DTL video isn't the best angle, but my phone crapped out during some filming and I didn't realize until I got home)

[iacas]

Gotta extend that left knee man. That's nuts there.

I wouldn't worry about your backswing length at all right now.

[BC-to-MI]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

Gotta extend that left knee man. That's nuts there.

I wouldn't worry about your backswing length at all right now.

Yeah.... I had never really looked at that part of my swing and that's bad. I think it will be good for me to just ignore the backswing and focus on something else for a bit.

I believe earlier in this thread @billchao had talked about how my upper body shifts so far forward during the downswing, is that part of what causes me to have my lead leg like that, essentially to avoid blowing out my knee? So, would that drill he suggested where I make swings in a doorway be helpful for this, or am I completely off the mark here?

[billchao]

9 minutes ago, BC-to-MI said:

Yeah.... I had never really looked at that part of my swing and that's bad. I think it will be good for me to just ignore the backswing and focus on something else for a bit.

I believe earlier in this thread @billchao had talked about how my upper body shifts so far forward during the downswing, is that part of what causes me to have my lead leg like that, essentially to avoid blowing out my knee? So, would that drill he suggested where I make swings in a doorway be helpful for this, or am I completely off the mark here?

Your swing was different back then. Your lead knee has never looked like this that I can remember.

[BC-to-MI]

1 hour ago, billchao said:

Your swing was different back then. Your lead knee has never looked like this that I can remember.

Makes sense 👍

[BC-to-MI]

Went out yesterday and focused on nothing but that front leg. Didn't think about the backswing and didn't really care about the ultimate result.

May not be good, but at least seems better. And overall, ball striking was much better than my last few range sessions have been, even without focusing on the result of the shot.

[iacas]

Good to hear.

[BC-to-MI]

15 hours ago, iacas said:

Good to hear.

I appreciate the input. Along with an actual piece to work on in my swing that improved my ballstriking, it was good to just have something else to think about other than the backswing length. My mind needed a break from that.

[BC-to-MI]

Videos from yesterday just focusing on that lead leg. Still inconsistent with a lot of thin shots, but overall ball striking has been miles better than it was in prior weeks.

Was really trying to feel the left heel staying down in the backswing -- obviously feel isn't real here as it still lifts -- but it seems like less movement in the front leg makes it easier for me to get closer to the right position. (Bottom row is new since I wore the exact same thing)

[BC-to-MI]

Played nine yesterday and then scrambled 18 this morning. Aside from a few balls that I foreheaded, the new swing feel seems to really help with with my ballstriking. A few terrible short game shots and a complete inability to hit any putts hurt my scoring, but I wasn't really focused on that since I was actually hitting real golf shots with my irons.