2nd swing video

[tribecalledjeff1]

I posted my swing a while back in this thread, and got some constructive thoughts that I really appreciated. I've been working pretty hard, and I've gone from hitting the ball "okay" to thinking about quitting golf (one day at the range I literally shanked 4 shots in a row off of the shaft) to the point where I actually feel pretty comfortable again. I have at least eliminated the weak slice and feel like I'm making solid contact with the ball again. My good shots are a slight draw. My misses are a big draw or a hook, and the occasional block.

I would love any feedback, but I have one specific question. I have read and seen that at the top, your club should be pointing towards the target. Mine is consistently pointing left, which I'm assuming not coincidentally is where my misses go. It may be a result of flexibility more than anything else. Should I worry about this or not? I'm certainly not hitting the ball so well that I'm not willing to make changes.

Here's the swing - TIA for any thoughts. Thanks!

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/k...=7iron76_4.flv

The old swings are all in that same album if you are interested...

[TigerTracker]

Just in advance, this info may be useless because my browser will not let me view the link. As far as your club pointing left, the main thing you should worry about is having the clubface square to your left forearm. You should not be able to see anything but the clubface. Your misses equate to one thing : An across the line position at the top. This means that the shaft of your club is pointed to the right of your forearm (standing behind you). Across the line misses include big hooks and huge blocks. Take a look at your position at the top.

[tribecalledjeff1]

http://s278.photobucket.com/albums/k...=7iron76_4.flv

This link might work better - for some reason the current one isn't working for me right now and I can't edit the original post.

My clubface looks dead square to my left forearm, surprisingly - even on some of the other videos that I took that I didn't post. I have videos of a block, a pull, a hook, and a few good shots - it is actually square on all of them.

[Avid Golfer]

I would love any feedback, but I have one specific question. I have read and seen that at the top, your club should be pointing towards the target. Mine is consistently pointing left, which I'm assuming not coincidentally is where my misses go. It may be a result of flexibility more than anything else. Should I worry about this or not? I'm certainly not hitting the ball so well that I'm not willing to make changes.

As others have stated the position at the top isn't important. There have been (and are) tour pros that have the club pointing left at the top, right at the top, and parallel to the target at the top and each top of swing position has been used to win tournaments. How far you swing your arms, and how much you turn your shoulders in the backswing will determine what position you arrive in. If you took a half swing and hit a shot your club would never reach parallel or point to the target, but that doesn't mean your shot will not fly straight to your target.

Now moving on to your swing clip(s): At setup your back is rounded, and your hips are set low and back deep behind you. From that position you will have difficulty maintaining posture and balance in the swing, and in turn you will be inconsistent. As you can see in the frame when you reach hip high on the downswing your spine angle is very different, and your balance has changed (look at how much of your body is left of the red line at setup, and compare that to how much is left at hip high down and impact). Faldo in comparison (shown below) sets up with good angles, and maintains them during his swing. Work on standing taller (and possibly closer to the ball) at setup, and you should have an easier time maintaining your balance and posture which will result in improved consistency. You might also benefit from keeping the lower body (legs) quieter during the swing (which again will help with maintaining your balance and posture). Notice how Faldo's rear heel is still low to the ground approaching and at impact.

[tribecalledjeff1]

Wow, thank you very much for that analysis, which obviously took you some time. I feel like I just got a free lesson!

Just to clarify, and to make sure that I'm not oversimplifying what you have said. I should try to make my set up look a little more like I do at impact? I think that would also be a lot more comfortable and better for my back, too. Is it ok to have my hands as high at setup as they currently are at my impact position? That would obviously result in a steeper shaft angle - is that ok?

Thanks!

[Avid Golfer]

Wow, thank you very much for that analysis, which obviously took you some time. I feel like I just got a free lesson!

While some pros (Nick Faldo, Nick Price, Sergio Garcia, and Ben Hogan for example) setup and impact positions are extremely alike (from down the target line), not all pros have the shaft on the same angles at setup and impact. Below is Ernie Els (from 2006) at setup and impact, and as you can see his shaft is steeper at impact compared to setup. So where your hands are at impact may not be the same as where they were at address.

At setup the generally prefered area to have your shaft pointed is toward your belt buckle, and if you are looking at it in video you'd ideally want to see that a line drawn through the shaft would form a right angle to the spine (is the picture(s) inside the spoiler tag below). The right angle spine/shaft relationship presets you in a position from which you are more likely to swing into other good positions.

I don't know how tall you are, but considering 6'3" pros like Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, and Phil Mickelson can setup to wedges and keep a straight back, good posture, and good balance you should be able to as well. You may find feeling like you are pushing your hips up, and back at address will help you achieve good posture and a good spine angle.