The "Honeymoon" Move

[PocketGroove]

Hey everyone,

I can happily say I've come a long way since I picked up the game again this summer! But now I could use some help from the more experienced players here. Here's my story:

I hit a first plateau after a month of hard work, where I finally dialed in my meager distances with my irons and developed some consistency. Granted, I was bending my left arm severely, (thus robbing myself of a big arc), I wasn't making a full shoulder turn (not coiling up for fear of whiffing), and I wasn't shifting my lower body weight properly to initiate my downswing (ie. starting the downswing with my hands and arms), so my club-head speed was slow. But, I did have some success with my Super Game Improving Irons doing the work for me. After a month, I was comfortable with and able to repeat this busted ass swing enough to make things happen on the course, have fun with friends, and not be (that) embarrassed.

Well, I've now gained insight into my previous swing flaws and remedied them with a straighter left arm, fuller turn, and lower body move to start the downswing. So, my 8 iron used to be my 135yard club and now it's rolling out to 150yards!

I haven't developed consistency with my new, upgraded swing yet, because of a nasty chunking thing I'm doing. My buddy calls it the "honeymoon" move.

He says my hips are doing something funny, thrusting forward and whatnot. Can anyone tell me more about the honeymoon move and how to fix it? I'd appreciate it!

Thanks

[Scots Golf]

Have never heard of the Honeymoon move, but I would say to try and keep your weight on the left side a bit instead of moving your hips when you swing back. This will make you feel like you are getting through the ball more.

[DJYoshi]

in your backswing you should be able to completely lift up your left foot (if you're a righty) and still be balanced.... then to power transfer make your swing when you step down and then you should be able to pick up your right foot and be balanced off of that.... (for getting the weight transfer feeling).

for a more stable lower body...what I do when I'm practicing is stand with my foot together and swing that way..... hit a good 15 - 20 balls....
don't try to crank it... it'll get you to make a full shoulder turn and stay balanced since you're feet are together...it's harder to stay balanced thru the full swing since you don't have a stable base....
take the swings....concentrate on your full shoulder turn and keeping your arm straight...but most importantly...concentrate on your tempo...the same tempo you have in that drill...take that into the full stance and let me know if your hip move has become more silent

[iacas]

in your backswing you should be able to completely lift up your left foot (if you're a righty) and still be balanced....

No... disagree completely there. Your weight shouldn't go anywhere near that far to the right at any point in your golf swing.

[Chief Broom]

I played the other day with a guy who broke both arms a good 90 degrees at the top of his back swing. Really sloppy looking, but he was consistantly stripping the ball with every club he hit. Solid contact everytime. We played 9 and he finished 3 over. He did have good hip motion and got his whole body into the swing, but his arm action looked terrible. Hard to argue with his results. Not that I would try to copy that, but it does illustrate that people can make just about anything work.

[zrlaegel]

keep your head down

[O.B. Right]

I saw a golf tip video on youtube the other week but I can't find it now. . .

Basically, it's a drill where you stand at address with your butt up against a wall. Imagine a handkerchief hanging out of each back pocket.

Slowly take the club back - Keep both butt cheeks on the wall until you get the club shaft parallell to the ground. As you continue with your backswing, your left cheek comes off the wall and you "wipe" the wall with the hankie in your right pocket.

When you start your down swing, you have one butt cheek touching the wall. As your down swing progresses, your left cheek touches the wall without the right one moving. This was the emphasis of the drill . .to teach you what the transition should feel like.

In your follow through, you lift your right cheek off the wall and you imagine yourself wiping the wall with the hankie in your left pocket.


I think, basically, your hips and lower body should not be moving all that much. I see some golfers making an exaggerated swaggering type movement in thier hips . .they sway back on the backswing and forward on the downswing to follow through.

For me, a high-handicapper, I focus on trying to keep my lower body "quiet". That is . .allow the weight to transfer but try to keep my legs, hips and lower trunk relatively still. I think if you try to quiet your lower body you will stop doing "the honeymoon move" . .which I have never heard of but can imagine :)

[iacas]

Basically, it's a drill where you stand at address with your butt up against a wall. Imagine a handkerchief hanging out of each back pocket.

[kennay92]

in your backswing you should be able to completely lift up your left foot (if you're a righty) and still be balanced

NOOOOOO. do not do that.. thats one of the worst habits to get. one of the easiest ways to throw off your balance and chunk or hit thin shots.