My Swing (Iu426)

[IU426]

I've been Playing Golf for: 30 years

My current handicap index or average score is: 10
My typical ball flight is: Varies
The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Cut/Thin hits where I get pain in my lower back on follow through

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Videos:

Sorry for the clutter on the video - I don't have a better area to shoot (or the ability to do a face on view) today.  

 

[Yossarian]

I leave the comment on the swing to more knowledgeable people (very good swing, tho), but I am expert in getting lower back pain! For that you could take a look at your posture at address and compare it to the examples in this thread

 

 

 

 

[mdl]

The thing that sticks out to me is you thrust your hips towards the ball on the downswing

Versus, for instance:

 

[IU426]

2 hours ago, Yossarian said:

I leave the comment on the swing to more knowledgeable people (very good swing, tho), but I am expert in getting lower back pain! For that you could take a look at your posture at address and compare it to the examples in this thread

 

 

 

 

I am a long-time lurker, and have read through most of the TST content.  This was the one thing that jumped out to me as well!  I referenced this post and have been working on changing my posture the last couple of days and it feels so awkward.  I guess that might be a good thing!  It has helped with the back pain some.  Thanks for the comment!

1 hour ago, mdl said:

The thing that sticks out to me is you thrust your hips towards the ball on the downswing

Versus, for instance:

 

I see what you mean.  That's not something I've ever been conscious of before.  I have always gotten my right arm back behind my shirt seam in the past with a disconnected backswing.  As a result, my hands would get stuck behind me and follow my right hip through the downswing very tightly.  My flexibility would bail me out, and I think that hip thrust might have something to do with that.  That's where the back pain comes in some now as well (not as young and limber anymore!)

I've not read much about this type of issue before.  I guess I'll just try to "change the picture" and see how it goes.  Thanks for your input!  It's greatly appreciated.

[mchepp]

Typically I would ask you for a face on video also. Just allows people to confirm things they see down the line. For starters I agree with @Yossarian that you need to read @mvmac's thread on posture. The other big thing I see is you get to about here in your backswing.

And from here on you have stopped turning and you begin letting your arms raise and go farther than you should. This causes you sequencing issues down the road. For example here we are a few frames later and you haven't turned your body much more, but your lead arm is higher.

And here we are at the top, but it has been all arms since the first pic I showed you.

I suspect that your right elbow has gone on a bit far and your early extension is a reaction to the arms being out of sequence. 

Your swing is pretty good. Do you have a local pro that you see?

[mdl]

18 hours ago, mchepp said:

Typically I would ask you for a face on video also. Just allows people to confirm things they see down the line.

And from here on you have stopped turning and you begin letting your arms raise and go farther than you should. This causes you sequencing issues down the road. For example here we are a few frames later and you haven't turned your body much more, but your lead arm is higher.

Your swing is pretty good. Do you have a local pro that you see?

Agree having a FO video as well is definitely better. And I also agree his swing is pretty good. I disagree with the arms and hands have to stop turning at the same time as the hips/core do. IMO that's advice people give because as a feel it can help people fix an overlong back swing. But as a real thing to fix with video work it's not actually what the best players do.

 

  

Neiter JT nor Rose rotate their hips more (and maybe less) than the @IU426 does from A3.2 to A4 (the positions of the first and last pics @mchepp posted). One can find many other tour pros where the same is true.

His hands are super high. JT's the only player on tour with hands that high as far as I can remember. And if at A4 his left arm was closer along the line of his shoulders like Rose's, then he'd have to not go back as far, which would reduce the portion of the swing where the hands continue to go while the hips have 95% finished rotation. But to me the question is whether his hands are too high, not whether he should try to perfectly match the time it takes the hips to rotate 45˚ with the time it takes the hands to rotate 115˚ (those numbers obviously made up, vaguely correct ones).

I don't feel expert enough to have a hard opinion on whether his hands should be lower. My gut says it doesn't matter given he drops his hands and gets flat enough by this position:

[mchepp]

1 hour ago, mdl said:

Agree having a FO video as well is definitely better. And I also agree his swing is pretty good. I disagree with the arms and hands have to stop turning at the same time as the hips/core do. IMO that's advice people give because as a feel it can help people fix an overlong back swing. But as a real thing to fix with video work it's not actually what the best players do.

 

  

Neiter JT nor Rose rotate their hips more (and maybe less) than the @IU426 does from A3.2 to A4 (the positions of the first and last pics @mchepp posted). One can find many other tour pros where the same is true.

 

Without a face on, we are guessing, but counter to your point is both JT and Rose have very different right elbow positions than @IU426. Both are much more inside their shirt seem.

To be fair @IU426 is also wearing a black shirt in a darkish room so I can't be sure. But JT's right elbow is in a much better position.

[mdl]

3 hours ago, mchepp said:

Without a face on, we are guessing, but counter to your point is both JT and Rose have very different right elbow positions than @IU426. Both are much more inside their shirt seem.

To be fair @IU426 is also wearing a black shirt in a darkish room so I can't be sure. But JT's right elbow is in a much better position.

100% agree on the elbow. I thought about mentioning that in my first post. It looks like the elbow's probably too far behind. But at least as far as the angle goes, it's probably in the 75-80˚ range, which is just more acute than it should be. And given A6 club position looks reasonable I felt like the hip thrust was the bigger issue?

Also, @IU426 you say in the OP you've been playing for 30 years. Did you start playing golf when you were 3? Or are you the youngest looking 40-something ever?!

[IU426]

1 hour ago, mdl said:

100% agree on the elbow. I thought about mentioning that in my first post. It looks like the elbow's probably too far behind. But at least as far as the angle goes, it's probably in the 75-80˚ range, which is just more acute than it should be. And given A6 club position looks reasonable I felt like the hip thrust was the bigger issue?

Also, @IU426 you say in the OP you've been playing for 30 years. Did you start playing golf when you were 3? Or are you the youngest looking 40-something ever?!

Wow, you guys' analysis is really cool to me.  Thank you!  It feels odd to hear someone say my hands are too high, because I used to have a very flat swing with low hands.  I might be able to post an older video if I can find one with decent quality.

 

I can absolutely get a new video with both views and better lighting sometime soon.

 

Also, I have been playing since I was 3 (my dad and older brother have always golfed).  You hit my real age spot on!