My collapse today and would just a picture of my stance help at all?

[jrode]

Unfortunately, I think my video camera is outdated and there's no way I can get video onto the computer from it, so the best I could do would be to post a picture of my stance face on and from the back. Would any of you on here really be able to tell me much from that or should I not even bother?

Up until today, I thought things were going well. I've had a slice as long as I can remember, but recently I thought I had it fixed as I was able to pound out about 6 or 7 out of 10 straight drives at the range and I was hitting my irons pretty good.

Today on the course, I just collapsed. I only hit two, maybe three sliced drives that were really bad, but my main issue was just being able to get the ball in the air. I was topping tee shots, topping my irons, pushing my irons a bit and a few pulls and it was just an ugly day and by ugly, I mean just absolutely atrocious. I probably looked like I had never golfed for half of the round. I shot at 123 and up until today, I thought I was going in the right direction. Last time out I shot a 108 and thought I was on the path to being able to shoot in the 90's on a consistent basis, but I guess not.

It probably doesn't help that my irons are probably too short for me. I've done the online measurements and entered them in on Ping's website for example and I need +0.5 - +1 I think. I know my this doesn't help, but I also know my struggles go well beyond my clubs.

[gills]

this is just an aside, but how tall are you?

[JackLee]

Sure, myself and others can tell you if your stance is good, or what's wrong with it if it's not, but, obviously, you need more help than that. I am curious to know how long you have been playing, and what instruction books or videos you have tried. Also, have you taken any lessons from a teaching pro?

[jrode]

this is just an aside, but how tall are you?

6'3", 38" wrist to floor I believe.

[jrode]

Sure, myself and others can tell you if your stance is good, or what's wrong with it if it's not, but, obviously, you need more help than that. I am curious to know how long you have been playing, and what instruction books or videos you have tried. Also, have you taken any lessons from a teaching pro?

I just got back into playing on a regular basis this summer. Otherwise it had been about oh, I'd say a three year layoff where I only played once or twice at most a summer.

I can't really name any books or videos, but I have done quite a bit of reading and browsing online. I took lessons a long time ago, probably when I was 13 or 14. I'm 21 now.

[m11]

Sure, myself and others can tell you if your stance is good, or what's wrong with it if it's not, but, obviously, you need more help than that. I am curious to know how long you have been playing, and what instruction books or videos you have tried. Also, have you taken any lessons from a teaching pro?

anything that can give us insight on what you are up to can help.

If you can actually provide a face view (meaning that the camera man is standing at 3 oclock if the target is at 12) and down the line view of your setup..that would help a lot. A lot of golf problems start with an improper setup

[$2 Nassau]

6'3", 38" wrist to floor I believe.

Almost exactly my measurements. I was fitted with +1/2" and 2 degrees upright. but it depends what clubs you are buying though, some lie angles may be different on certain clubs so your specs may slightly differ.

The +1/2" was the biggest thing for me, huge difference in your ability to comfortably address the golf ball.

[JackLee]

6'3", 38" wrist to floor I believe.

Here is some information that may be helpful.

My wrist-to-floor measurement is 37 inches. My present irons are 1 inch extra length and have a 3 degrees upright lie angle (5 iron = 39 inches and 63 degrees). This fits me, but a normal setup with my shortest irons puts the ball too close to me to make a good swing. I would have to swing too upright. So, I just stand a little further from the ball and bend my knees more. That makes the lie angles of these irons a bit too upright, but I have not decided yet whether to flatten them any. Another option would be to add more length to my irons, and flatten the lie angles some. The downside to that is the heavier swingweight, and I might need stiffer shafts. A swing that is too upright makes it difficult to rotate the clubface properly through impact. My driver is 44 inches and 58 degrees. Usually, the most extra length that anyone will recommend is 2 inches. That makes the swingweight quite heavy, so stiff or extra stiff shafts are usually used. However, my son-in-law uses 2 inch extra length Dynamic Gold R300. This is supposed to be regular flex, but it is the same as a TT Lite XL that has been tipped for stiff flex. Go figure. You need clubs that fit you for length and lie angle, but it would be a guess as to what shaft flex you need until you develop a good swing. I think, if I were you, I would try to find some used clubs that fit for now. You may be able to find some locally, or online. Having your present clubs altered is another possibility. Just my 2 cents.

[jrode]

Never thought a picture would show so much, but I can tell from a few pictures of my stance that there's definitely a lot wrong. This is not how I had envisioned my stance looking. Way too upright I'm assuming.

Kind of embarrassing actually, I look really goofy.

I'll also see if I can find some way to upload a video of my swing.

Here I am with the driver...




And 7-iron...

[JackLee]

Yep, too upright. Your hands are too close to your body, and you are bending your spine. You need to bend at your hips and keep your spine as straight as possible.

I cannot see anything else that looks bad. It looks like your right foot is on higher ground than your left, or it may be that your stance is closed some to your target line.

[Bluenoser67]

Yep, too upright. Your hands are too close to your body, and you are bending your spine. You need to bend at your hips and keep your spine as straight as possible.

What he said. Top of your grip should be a hands distance from your body. Straight back not rounded.

[damkader]

it is quite amazing to see what your swing actually looks like. My golf game showed the most improvement after I took video lessons. Nothing like visual verification to show you how you are doing.

The summer that I studied for the CPA exam I played quite a bit of golf. Just can't sit in one place for more than 10 hrs a day. I took 2 series of 4 lessons that included video taping. I went from shooting in the 100~110 to shooting mid 80's consistantly. By the end of the summer early fall I didn't have one round over 90.

If I didn't have mirrors in my house I would think I looked like Brad Pitt.

[jrode]

Could this poor posture lead to slicing a lot of drives? The more I look at it, the more it looks like it could.

I'll try to get new pictures of an improved posture taken and then you guys can tell me if it's better. :)

[JackLee]

Could this poor posture lead to slicing a lot of drives? The more I look at it, the more it looks like it could.

Yes, it could cause slicing, and it would also cause other problems. I think there is no way that you could make a decent golf swing with that posture.

[Ian]

what he said ^

[jrode]

Yes, it could cause slicing, and it would also cause other problems. I think there is no way that you could make a decent golf swing with that posture.

Well, believe it or not, I've hit some darn good shots with that posture before, lol.

Unless I subconsciously only do it at certain times during the round, which is actually a possibility. I took those pictures after I went for a run and I was a bit tired. Lately I've been noticing my play to get worse in the middle, back of my round. Might be that as I get tired, I get sloppy and hunch over.

[m11]

Well, believe it or not, I've hit some darn good shots with that posture before, lol.

you've hit good shots because you've learned to create compensations for what you have going. The issue is that those compensations are very difficult to carry over from day to day. You want to create a swing that becomes repeatable in the sense that although you'll miss your target sometimes, you'll still be making solid contact and you'll be able to obtain feedback on those mishits.

[jrode]

you've hit good shots because you've learned to create compensations for what you have going. The issue is that those compensations are very difficult to carry over from day to day. You want to create a swing that becomes repeatable in the sense that although you'll miss your target sometimes, you'll still be making solid contact and you'll be able to obtain feedback on those mishits.

Oh, absolutely. I was just saying that surprisingly, I've hit good shots with that terrible stance. Now that I know that's what my stance used to look like, it's ingrained in my mind, so I make sure to bend at the hips now and get a nice posture. Hopefully the rest of my swing is okay and this helps quite a bit.