Swing Video: Help!

[madcityscott]

Here's my driver swing from yesterday. Everything is going high and slicing right consistently, around 200 yards. (My irons are fine--I hit my 7 straight and about 140.) Tips would be appreciated.

[golfdad]

there are some fundamental issues i think, wish i can look at it in slower frames...

the swing is more arm driven, something very difficult to do well and does not leverage the mechanical advantage within lower limbs. as a result, it becomes very difficult to attack the ball coming from inside. the moment you start your downswing, you already put your club "outside" and a slice is usually the end result.

further, your base, ie the legs, are way too aggressive and unstable. at your finish, the weight has not shifted completely to the left,,you should be able to stand your right foot on its toe.

if i were you, i would, with your driver, try to swing L to L and think about hip rotation bringing down the arms, instead of the arms trying to hit the ball. also, try to maintain a balanced finish for couple seconds, as if someone is taking a pic.

there are some other issues, like picking up the club to start the swing, but i think the leg part and balance part is more important for now.

[mm6840]

totaly agree with previos poster ! + ... no connection between left shoulder and body,... just weight shift to the right without shift to the left.

regards

[madcityscott]

Good tips, thanks!

Any drills or training aids that would help take my arms out of the swing?

[jmurdock]

You are having the same problem I was having late last season. Your swing path is coming over the ball. The club path should be coming from the inside. It looks like you are trying to make the ball go left and therefore swinging on an outside path and leaving your clubface open. Also, the weight shift is not there.

Try taking your normal address. Move your right foot back and take a couple of swings with the clubhead about a foot of the ground. This should help you get the inside swing path that you need to hit a draw shot. Also, try starting your downswing with your arms first and let the body follow. This usually puts your arms and club into the "slot". I could show you this in 2 minutes on the range, but it's a little harder to explain it in a post. Hope this helps.

[golfdad]

well, first of all, disclosure,,,i am not prof teacher, only been around my kids who play junior golf, so take what i say with a bucket of salt:)

actually driver is a good club to address this issue.

with driver, you need to flatten the backswing, so that you can come back flat and eventually meet the ball at a slightly ascending angle. this mentality is very different, or just the opposite of irons.

what i tell my kid is: slow and low . and try to track a straight line back, to as much as you can. of course, she cannot possibly keep the clubhead on a straightline for long, may be 1-2 feet, but it is this 1-2 feet that ensure

1. it is slow and low
2. to widen the arch to the fullest. (in the beginning it may feel weird or uncomfortable, but make sure you do not lose balance).
3. this is the key: i tell my kid not to actively move the hand, arm or even shoulder, but the chest , and at the same time, load the weight into your right hip . i repeat: forget about the upper limbs and the club. just turn chest and load right hip. since the arms and the chest form a triangle, if you turn your chest, automatically the apex of the triangle, your hands, will move accordingly. i tell my kid that until you see that your shaft is parallel to the ground, you do not move the wrist. at that point, your wrist will fold quite naturally into the slot and your spine motion will bring it up to the top of the backswing. in my unqualified opinion, one reason people are fascinated by anthony kim is his simple takeaway, one piece with no moving parts.

my kid has many other issues to address, but i think her takeaway is decent. take a look. slow it down and see how her 2 arms swing back on a plane almost like a putter swingback initially, without any folding or twisting. because anytime you fold or twist, you have to undo those things on the way down, and possibly put your swing out of plane from the very beginning.

http://www.swingacademy.com/swingana...l.aspx?id=2198

[golfdad]

guess while i was typing earlier i did not see a post by jmurdock in which he said something that is quite important, that is, try starting your downswing with your arms first and let the body follow.

in a way, you actually did start your downswing with your arms, but not the correct way. you started rather hard and literally throw the shoulders out so that your club immediately tracks on a outside plane. a bit like baseball.

start the arms first by quietly pulling them down, inside, some say, like yanking a bell rope straight down first, before you arrive at the right slot to go into the power zone of pre-impact. in other words, at the top of your backswing, be patient for a moment, let something happen first, softly, instead of making it happen fast and hard. as jm said, it is easier if someone can show you and verify for you.

[madcityscott]

Thanks, guys. I'll try to get to the range this weekend and give your tips a try. I'll post another video for critique.

[DrivingRangeJunkie]

Definitely coming from outside in, resulting in a slice. You can try swinging with a towel under your right armpit and try to keep the towel from falling off, this way you stay on plane. Swing from the inside out and you will be straight as an arrow.

[PingGKEN]

I was watching this show with Tiger and Anthony Kim last night and a question was asked about "most important thing in the swing". Tigers answer was: "balance". He said to take a look at every pro out there and they always finish in perfect balance. It looks like you are about to fall over after your swing. I'm guessing this is just a result of the disconnection of your upper and lower body sections. Parts of your body are going one way while others are pulling you another way.

[starchuk]

Drill: Put your right foot 14 inches behind your left ankle, but only the toe of your shoe should be touching the ground.

Make swings, hold your balance until well after you have hit the ball.

From the video, some of the OTT move may be caused by your weight still on your right foot.

[madcityscott]

What do you guys think of this? It's supposed to help teach weight shift.

http://www.apvgolf.com/

[madcityscott]

I tried out all of your tips (and a couple from other sources) and the one that consistently worked best for me was the "towel under the right armpit" drill. After I got used to the new arm position I pretty much didn't slice at all, although I pulled a few shots. It also seemed to help with my weight shift issues. Here is a video. (My next steps will be doing something about my left foot spinning out and trying to flatten the swing a bit.) Thanks to everyone for your help!

[drewdown]

In that video you are still swinging outside in, cutting across the ball. Take a look at this picture of how your swing path should look:



By watching your video yours is the opposite of that, coming outside in.

[Quinn07]

I am by no means an expert and probably shouldn't even be adding to this thread, but looking at your video it seems to me that your feet are open, and your shoulders are even more open than your feet at address. Could be one reason you coming outside-in and pulling. However that is just my opion...Like I said I am no expert.

[jmurdock]

Yep. Still coming over the top. Weight shift is better though. Watch your video. You can clearly tell that you are cutting across the ball and when you square your club head up, you pull it.

[kfowler]

IMO, the towel drill is great for teaching you proper release not for coming down on plane.

Here's the inside feel you're looking for. Address the ball and imagine that the ball is the center of a clock face. Place an object at 4 o'clock and 10 o'clock. On your downswing, try to make your club come inside the 4 position and outside the 10 position. You'll be manipulating the club at first but concentrate on the feel. The biggest thing you'll notice is that your right elbow really drives into your side.

I looked at tons and tons of drills to cure my slice. This was by far the best. The main reason is it teaches you to feel what an inside to out swing feels like.