Full Extension after impact?

[kleraudio]

Hey guys, Im having a problem with full extension after impact.. When I consciously try to do it I usually mess up my shot..

Any drills or anything like that that will teach me full extension after impact and be able to roll my arms over?

I think that will help me tremendously in ball striking.

Jim

[Thaddy]

Stick a glove under your left armpit and take some practice swings. If you can release the club properly and roll your wrists over, the glove shouldn't fall out. My dad always did this while taking his practice swings before we would tee off.

[iacas]

Stick a glove under your left armpit and take some practice swings. If you can release the club properly and roll your wrists over, the glove shouldn't fall out. My dad always did this while taking his practice swings before we would tee off.

Also recommended by Michael Breed last night on The Golf Fix.

[Thaddy]

Also recommended by Michael Breed last night on The Golf Fix.

Yeah, he's my Dad, where do you think I got the tip?

[DavidFehertysBike]

Yeah, he's my Dad, where do you think I got the tip?

Only being an 8 handicap, you might have just shot your dad down...lol

[Thaddy]

Only being an 8 handicap, you might have just shot your dad down...lol

Yeah, I'm not really his son though, just his red-headed step child

I'm just joking though, he's not my Dad. Although, my real Dad used to do that drill...

[RC]

One of the least understood things about a great swing is if you take your finish position as a final reference, and were to draw a diagram of the semi-circle of the club head has traced on the plane of your target line, the distance of the club head from your body (in the finish position) is greater on the backswing than the follow-through. Think of it this way, if a 3-D picture of your swing viewed from the side facing the golfer was pressed into 2-D (as any video image taken from this vantage point actually is) then the extension back is longer than the extension forward from your body's "in-balance finish position" toward the target

At no time in the follow-through does the club extend toward the target line more than it extended away from the target line on the backswing. Of course, there is a weight shift in most swings toward the right side, and the body moves forward to the finish position, so this is not an absolute measurement of distance from your center of mass (that would be very close to the same,) but it illustrates a key point noted above, a connected swing does not require your arms to over extend toward the target. This does not mean you should not extend down the line and release, only that there is a lot of extension during the backswing in the most powerful players. If you get that right, and shift weight correct while clearing your hips, you will get good forward extension automatically.

I've seen this in many noted swings, and I happen to notice it again in the swing of Anthony Kim recently. His swing was shown as a series of superimposed frames where you could see the path of the club back and through, and Kim was frozen in his finish. The semi-circle was very long on the backswing at 3:00 o'clock, showing a good weight shift forward had to follow. The modern rotary swing goes left pretty hard after impact.

Don't believe it? See Golf Magazine (Sepember, 2009, page 100.) This point might generate some good debate.

[kleraudio]

Thanks guys, I tried that glove tip but I couldnt get to a finishing follow through without dropping the glove.

At what point can I drop the glove? When the club gets to parallel to the ground in the follow through? Trying to keep it in the whole time is REALLY awkward and not very natural at all.

Thanks RC, VERY thorough!

Jim

[kleraudio]

selfish bump

How long should the glove stay under your left arm after impact?? When is it ok for it to fall out? (on a full swing)

Thanks!

Jim

[TN94z]

The glove will have to fall out. Don't try to leave it in the entire time.

[nlowplacez]

Also recommended by Michael Breed last night on The Golf Fix.

That dude is the worst golf personality who ever lived. bad advice and hateable personality. sorry. personal thing

[Zeph]

What helps me is visualising that I'm chasing the ball with my arms after impact. I often pull the club with me to the inside and at the same time open the clubface. I have a mental image of a player doing this, kinda like this picture, only from down the line: http://lh4.ggpht.com/GreggDourgarian...age%5B3%5D.png

Good extension through the ball. I can see and feel this also on the finish position, where my arms and hands are.

[kleraudio]

Hey Zeph, that link didnt work, but I can imagine what your saying.... I do need to work on full extension after the shot...

I think if I can train myself to clear my hips that the extension will come...

Thanks!

Jim

[Zeph]

Here's the picture along with two others to show what I meant.

[Happy Dragon]

When you try to fully extend at and after follow-through, you're looking for trouble. It just happens when you hit it flush and you're an athlete.

Who really cares if you have full extension if you're shooting in the high 90's. Work on chipping, putting, and course management. When you get down to a 10, then work on the minute mechanics. At this point it doesn't matter that much. Just keep it in play.

[Zeph]

Doesn't matter that much? That depends how you approach the game or what you plan for your game. I've been working almost only on the full swing this season. I'm putting and chipping like an idiot, but I don't care, I'm working on the swing plane and can't expect to be great around the green when I don't practice it. Getting better can be done in different ways, a good swing is the hardest thing to accomplish. Everyone knows chipping and putting matters, but when they ask for help with the full swing, telling them to go to the putting green doesn't help much.

If someone play in the 90's, how do you know which part of their game is the biggest problem?

Nothing happens naturally in golf, except if you're born with the ability. Pulling the club to the left through the ball will give you trouble, focusing on where the club is after impact can help with this. It may tell your body to get the club more from the inside in order to get out there after the ball, but then you've achieved what you wanted.

[kleraudio]

Thanks Zeph! I'm looking for help on the full swing, especially after impact. Im not looking to find out how to chip, (in this thread).

You know I actually felt that extension a bit at the range yesterday, was hitting my 9 iron to a target about 130 away. I just wanted to stay smooth and not try and hit it hard like I'm used to. Well, I started turning my hips more after the top of my swing (this is what I'm working on now), and your right, if everything else is in order, you will extend your hands, but this only felt really really good for about 20 balls, then the place was closing...

I hope I dont lose that feeling as I want to build on it next time around

So thanks guys!

Jim

[TN94z]

Doesn't matter that much? That depends how you approach the game or what you plan for your game. I've been working almost only on the full swing this season. I'm putting and chipping like an idiot, but I don't care, I'm working on the swing plane and can't expect to be great around the green when I don't practice it. Getting better can be done in different ways, a good swing is the hardest thing to accomplish. Everyone knows chipping and putting matters, but when they ask for help with the full swing, telling them to go to the putting green doesn't help much.

I have actually been doing the same thing this year. I have only been focusing on my full swing and trying to get it as good as I can. I have been missing more greens because of my swing changes not being ingrained yet....but this has actually made my short game get much better.

Anyway, to the OP...I have found that if you "try" to force these things like full extension after impact, your body tends to tense up and that is a swing killer. If you free up your muscles, and swing on plane while clearing your hips, then full extension will come. The full extension is going to come from the momentum of the club. The club speed will force your arms into full extension.