First time posting my swing

[tribecalledjeff1]

I really want to get better and would be happy to hear thoughts/suggestions on my swing. Thanks for anything you offer!

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/k...t=MVI_0783.flv <--6-iron

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/k...t=MVI_0782.flv <-- Driver

[Spectrums]

Well, I noticed on your driver swing that your feet were not lined up to the club you had down. Do you hit the ball left on your miss?

Besides that, you are coming over the top. Any chance we can get a down the line?

[gsu_paintballer]

I'm just a new guy, but I agree with the above. Looks like you arent squared up, which could cause a hook in your case.

[lolzzlolzz]

"body line up" isn't true.

Driver is best when the front foot is higher than the back foot. This is because the shaft is the longest of all the clubs, which give you the most time to get the hips out of the way in the downswing. It is the opposite with the shorter clubs, you should open up your stance.

Also, hips should be pointed left as your right knee points in.

My advice is that you should fix your posture. You are slouched over. Bad for your back and your golf swing.

[tribecalledjeff1]

Well, I noticed on your driver swing that your feet were not lined up to the club you had down. Do you hit the ball left on your miss?

What's really bizarre is that while I was over the ball, I was 100% convinced that my feet were square. I was shocked when I watched the video and saw like you did that my feet were closed. And yes, my misses were left.

I guess I'll need to basically step ON the club to make sure my feet are straight :)

[tribecalledjeff1]

Well, I noticed on your driver swing that your feet were not lined up to the club you had down. Do you hit the ball left on your miss?

I squared my feet up, I'm still hooking the ball (but the alignment definitely feels better). My backswing looks too flat, and I am laid off at the top. Is this the problem? If so, how would I fix that? I feel like when I try to take a steeper backswing I start slicing the ball. But when I'm laid off I can feel it and I come over the top as a way to compensate. I just can't seem to find the slot where I'm in the right plane.

Here's a little better view down the line: http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/k...t=MVI_0912.flv <-- 6 iron http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/k...t=MVI_0916.flv <-- driver

[x-forged]

I noticed that at the top of your back swing, your spine angle tilts upward a little bit and then it comes back down on the follow through(dont worry, its not severe at all). this could affect ball striking consistency, so try to work on maintaining the same spine angle throughout the back swing and follow through.

Other then that, you have a nice, smooth swing.

[tribecalledjeff1]

I noticed that at the top of your back swing, your spine angle tilts upward a little bit and then it comes back down on the follow through(dont worry, its not severe at all). this could affect ball striking consistency, so try to work on maintaining the same spine angle throughout the back swing and follow through.

Thanks for the thoughts and the compliment.

I think that I realize my club is laid off, and the spine angle tilt is an attempt to get the club back on plane, as is the slight over the top move. I'm hoping that if I can get the club in the right slot at the top, those things would be relatively easy to eliminate as they are just compensating moves. I hope!

[Chas]

Yes, there's no doubt that you are consistently laid off at the top of the backswing - something I'm working on as well. You manage to compensate for this quite well at the start of the downswing but it must be taking away some of your power as well as affecting consistency. You're rather athletic so you seem to handle it well. Do you find that many of your misses are either pushes or hooks? Looking at your position half way back, sometimes the clubhead is aimed nicely away from the target, sometimes it's already on the inside (i.e. handle points to the right of target). If you first work on getting the shaft lined up well in this position, the rest of it should come easier.

In my case, even though I haven't had a tendency to slice in years, I think there's a residual fear of coming over the top, which causes me to drop back inside on the backswing and either hook or push the ball. When I do get myself on plane at the top it feels like I'm way too high and am going to either cut the ball or pull it left - not true of course. I've made some progress in retraining myself but it isn't easy.

The smoothness and consistency of your swing tells me that, when you manage to get yourself on plane at the top (clubhead pointing at the target, not to the left), you're going to see a big change in your game in terms of consistency and accuracy. I really like your position 40 deg or so after the ball is on its way, a good "hand-shake". Nice high finish as well.

[lolzzlolzz]

Looking at the back swing is useless if you haven't fixed your posture. Your back is rounded, which is dangerous for your golf swing and your back itself. It needs to be straight, just as it is when you walk down the fairway.

Reasons (I always like to give a reason for everything):

-The torso muscles must be "activated" as Hogan says. The back is activated by just being straight. The abs are activated by being slightly contracted. The chest is activated by pressing the upper part of your arms against them. Only when your muscles are activated can you create the correct tension between the upper and lower body.
-Your lower back is made for stability, not mobility, meaning it needs to stay straight all the time. Rounding the back is bad, so is hyper extending it. Mobility is the job of the hips and upper back.

Also don't forget my advice about opening up the stance slightly with the shorter clubs. Part of Ben Hogan's fundamentals is that the hips should be open slightly, not opened up. As the club gets longer, your back foot goes backwards (which closes the feet). Shorter clubs: back foot goes forwards. This is because with the shorter clubs, you have less time to get the hips out of the way. It's smart to get them out of the way at address. Check the pic in this thread: http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showpos...42&postcount;=5

[tribecalledjeff1]

Looking at the back swing is useless if you haven't fixed your posture. Your back is rounded, which is dangerous for your golf swing and your back itself. It needs to be straight, just as it is when you walk down the fairway.

I certainly heard your advice, and worked on it some today. This felt straighter to me, and looks a bit straighter. Is it straight enough? I do have some lower back problems and this is a concern of mine.

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/k...t=MVI_0916.flv Thanks :)

[Soup Fan]

I am in no position to criticize anyone's swing. I just wanted to post and say that A Tribe Called Quest is amazing.

[tribecalledjeff1]

I am in no position to criticize anyone's swing. I just wanted to post and say that A Tribe Called Quest is amazing.

That's always welcome.

[Spectrums]

It now seems to me that you have a lot of arm/hand motion through the swing. You need to work on getting your arms to work with your upper body. Also, I think that it'd be beneficial to take the club up to your waist and hit the ball as hard as you can from that position. This will activate your hips, which to me don't seem as active as they could be. Get your belt buckle facing the target during your follow through.

What kind of grip (strong, weak, neutral) do you have?

[tribecalledjeff1]

It now seems to me that you have a lot of arm/hand motion through the swing. You need to work on getting your arms to work with your upper body. Also, I think that it'd be beneficial to take the club up to your waist and hit the ball as hard as you can from that position. This will activate your hips, which to me don't seem as active as they could be. Get your belt buckle facing the target during your follow through.

I'd say weak/neutral.

I would love to have a swing where my arms/hands were as passive as possible, I just don't know how to do it. Do you have any drills that you could suggest? When you say take it up to my waist, then hit from there - you mean as a drill, right? I know that I don't get my hips through all the way - it's because I'm afraid that if I do I'm going to hook it worse than I already am.

[lolzzlolzz]

If you have a weak grip (thumb directly down the shaft), I suggest one of Hogan's secrets.

Just before impact, make a conscious effort to turn your left elbow directly at your left hip. This will square the club head, each and every time, with no conscious hand action.

I can almost guarantee you will notice an improvement if you do this trick.

[tribecalledjeff1]

If you have a weak grip (thumb directly down the shaft), I suggest one of Hogan's secrets.

Wow. If this works on the range half as good as it feels in my living room, I'm going to love it. Looking forward to trying it out tomorrow - thanks :)