Here's my golf swing... Can I has some help plz?

[bunkerputt]

I just noticed your new video. Now you're a bit too close. Don't focus on how close your hands are to the body. Think about trying to get the right angle in the lower back. then just let your hands hang down naturally. Take a look at a Tiger 8-iron down the line on youtube. He's got some really impressive posture.

[ajles]

bunkerputt, ive never heard so much rubbish in my life! You could spend a week with Butch Harmon and he wouldnt give you this much info! How could any beginner even begin to break this info, sorry this crap down.

[bunkerputt]

bunkerputt, ive never heard so much rubbish in my life! You could spend a week with Butch Harmon and he wouldnt give you this much info! How could any beginner even begin to break this info, sorry this crap down.

Why are you insulting the guy? I gave him all of 3 things to consider when building a golf swing. You don't even know him or what he is capable of and are assuming he's confused. Even if he is, it wasn't like I gave him a 30 second sound byte. He's free to copy the info down or make a mental journal and come back to it in years to come if he'd like. He's making an effort to be self taught at the moment. That's a tough road. What would you have anyone say to him? Relax? Keep your head down? All that simple, no-frills advice is rubbish and doesn't serve anyone's understanding of what really goes on in the golfswing. If you took exception with any piece of advice I gave, say that instead. But do it for this guy's benefit and not for your own gratification. This is my last post in this thread.

[ajles]

Why are you insulting the guy? I gave him all of 3 things to consider when building a golf swing. You don't even know him or what he is capable of and are assuming he's confused. Even if he is, it wasn't like I gave him a 30 second sound byte. He's free to copy the info down or make a mental journal and come back to it in years to come if he'd like. He's making an effort to be self taught at the moment. That's a tough road. What would you have anyone say to him? Relax? Keep your head down? All that simple, no-frills advice is rubbish and doesn't serve anyone's understanding of what really goes on in the golfswing. If you took exception with any piece of advice I gave, say that instead. But do it for this guy's benefit and not for your own gratification. This is my last post in this thread.

Who is insulting him? He quite clearly states that he has been playing for a month, and I understand that everyone must start somewhere. A mental journal - jees man the guy is looking to make his golf a little better not write a thesis on the thing! All I am saying is that if he wants technical advice he should seek it from a professional who will be able to explain it through feelings rather than the rubbish youve blurted out of Golf Monthly. Im sorry if ive came across as harsh, you obv a good guy trying to help and that but the majority of your analysis doesnt even make sense!

[k2theablam]

Dude, youve been playing for a month its vital that you dont get torn up by tecnical thoughts. You wanna focus on basics, think GASP - grip, aim, stance and posture. Try to ensure that these aspects are as they should be, seek some informal advice from someone who is a better player on THESE aspects but nothing more. You need to learn how YOU can get the ball to your target. Everyone is different and depending on many variables, mostly your generic make up and previous sporting participation but you need to feel what works for you.

You're right about learning the basics first and having fun with golf. I think that’s exactly what I’m missing right now- the foundation to build all this advice and tips upon. I'm able to hit the ball, but I want EVERYTHING to be dialed in so when I move to my long irons, woods, and drivers I’ll be able to get the full potential of the clubs, rather than hacking away and adjusting my swing all over again for the longer clubs.

K2,

I’ll have face footage next time at the range. You’ve made a great point about leading with the hips and not my upper body, a tip I’ve heard from multiple sources so I know for sure this is what I need to work on. I think the root of this problem stems from my stance and leg position. After a closer look, at my second batch of videos and reenacting those swings in my garage, I’ve found that my back is hunched over quite a bit. Not in a sense that I’m LEANING over, but that I’m rounding my rear shoulders instead of pushing my shoulder blades together, making my back straighter. This is quite possibly the reason I tend to dip my upper body on a lot of those swings. This is in contrast to my first video, where by upper back, mid back, and lower back were completely aligned, albeit hunched over quite a bit.

Why are you insulting the guy? I gave him all of 3 things to consider when building a golf swing. You don't even know him or what he is capable of and are assuming he's confused. Even if he is, it wasn't like I gave him a 30 second sound byte. He's free to copy the info down or make a mental journal and come back to it in years to come if he'd like. He's making an effort to be self taught at the moment. That's a tough road. What would you have anyone say to him? Relax? Keep your head down? All that simple, no-frills advice is rubbish and doesn't serve anyone's understanding of what really goes on in the golfswing. If you took exception with any piece of advice I gave, say that instead. But do it for this guy's benefit and not for your own gratification. This is my last post in this thread.

Who is insulting him? He quite clearly states that he has been playing for a month, and I understand that everyone must start somewhere. A mental journal - jees man the guy is looking to make his golf a little better not write a thesis on the thing! All I am saying is that if he wants technical advice he should seek it from a professional who will be able to explain it through feelings rather than the rubbish youve blurted out of Golf Monthly. Im sorry if ive came across as harsh, you obv a good guy trying to help and that but the majority of your analysis doesnt even make sense!

This isn’t necessary. The information in this post is exactly what I’m looking for, and has given me goals and key points to look for when I practice. Instead of simply going to the range to smack balls, I can pinpoint what I want, and target troubled areas in my swing based off of valuable information provided for me in this post. Trust me, nothing here is above my head at this point as far as advice and information, the only thing left for me to do is apply it, analyze the results, and come back to the drawing board if the results need work (with the help of this forum of course.) ANY help is appreciated, and I hate to police my own thread but this back and forth stuff isn’t going to help me, or anyone else who may be reading with my problem learn anything. Special thanks to everyone in this thread providing constructive feedback and helping me find my swing. It'd be great if you all could drop in time after time and provide input on my progress. I plan on updating this thread regularly with videos and thoughts based off advice given.

[GamerJG]

I'll definitely check this book out today. The reviews look very promising and it'll help me cover some bases that I know I've missed.

an inside-out swing is exactly how you were told to swing. if you were watching your swing from behind while facing the target, you would take the club back at about 7 o'clock(inside) and your path on the downswing would be pointing towards 1 o'clock(out) with your clubface pointing slightly right of your target on the follow-through. i like what you said about pulling down like a rope but that is on the downswing. on the backswing, i would start the club back with a one-piece takeaway(arms, shoulders together as one)with a nice low path while extending those arms out(think sweeping the floor backhanded). remember get a nice big shoulder turn, taking the club back so your back is facing the target. this swing should give you a nice powerful, slight draw. it will give you alot of clubhead speed and you should see a big increase in your distance. on the video, i was pointing out that you were swinging inside-inside not inside-out meaning instead of 7 o'clock to 1 o'clock, you were swinging 7 o'clock to 11 o'clock. i think you have the right idea, now you just have to get your body to do it.

[GamerJG]

I just noticed your new video. Now you're a bit too close. Don't focus on how close your hands are to the body. Think about trying to get the right angle in the lower back. then just let your hands hang down naturally. Take a look at a Tiger 8-iron down the line on youtube. He's got some really impressive posture.

exactly what i was seeing with the new video. stick your butt out a little and bend forward at the waist, down toward the ball while keeping your back straight. then let your arms hang down straight. in the first vid, you were reaching your arms out to the ball too far, and in the new vid, your hands are too close to your body. so if you get them in between, you will be in the correct position. the swing is looking alot better, you are definitely improving.

[SQ Bimmer]

Watching the second video, your 3rd, 4th, and 5th swing I believe, you set up to the ball really nice, then at the last moment you took a step forward about 2 inches or so. Look at the video closely and watch how you naturally set up to the ball with your arms hanging down naturally, and then watch that step forward. I think minus that step forward, and you are good to go and start worrying about other stuff.

How is your grip? You REALLY need to make sure your grip is SOLID before you go much further...

[golfdad]

k2, i think you are quite talented, meaning, with issues invariably faced by all beginners, you can manage to maintain decent contact.

there are many issues already brought up, essentially all helpful if you can one by one tackle them. in what sequence it is tough to speculate.

one poster earlier mentioned something about lower body leading the upper body. i would like to expand on that, because to most beginners, it is not that intuitive, and if it is, the body needs some getting used to. with video tech, it is quite easy to plot your progress on that. unfortunately with the utube video, one cannot slow it down, only pause it. i have played around on your video with the play and pause buttons to try to freeze the frame i am looking for. if you can, try to do the same and find that frame where your clubhead contacts the ball (or somewhere near there) and then look at where your belly button is facing.

somebody else corrects me if i am wrong, but from what i have seen in that frozen frame, your belly botton pretty much did not move much, indicating that your lower body did not turn toward the leftside/target much, so so far you are pretty much upper body driven. essentially, you move your lower body AFTER you hit the ball. more advanced players try to clear the hip, as the saying goes.

here is a video of one of my kids some time back. she has other issues to work on, but this video format allow you to slow the playback and focus on the point i am discussing. try at play speed at 2% and see where her belly botton is facing during impact (2:16-2:20). often, it is important to get a visual to go along with a thought http://www.swingacademy.com/videoplayer.aspx?id=2198

to go onto another level, think about this proper sequencing of lower body leading the upper body. it may take some time/practice to get used to this but with it you can leverage your existing core strength more efficiently, imo.

good luck. nothing can trump someone who is interested to improve,,,

[Scots Golf]

I thought I would post this as there has been a fair amount of drivel posted and I don't want to see you hampered by the nex David Leadbetter!

Totally agree with aj on this one. I'm a qualified golf coach and you need to work on the basics, Grip, Alignment/Aim, Stance/Posture before you think about anything else. Trust me lol!
Although people mean well your head will be filled with a lot of useless information, you've only been swinging (no pun intended!) for a month or so. If you were to go for a lesson he/she would tell you exactly the same (there are some things we all agree on!)

It is very hard for people to comment on your grip as we can olny see from behind you. It does look better from the second of your videos though.
The main point is that your alignment (feet, knees, hips and shoulders) are all pointing a little right of where you want to be hitting ie where the clubhead is pointing (aim). Could you put down two clubs, one pointing to where you want to hit the ball and the other where your feet are aiming, i bet they're not parrallel! Think train tracks, the two cluvbs should be pointing in the same direction.

[Seven Iron]

You are too close to the ball, this stands out a ton to me.

[Seven Iron]

...aaaannnnndddd another one.

I noticed that you are standing a bit too close. I paused the film at about :28 seconds and it looked like a good distance to stand away from the ball. I would maybe check that and try to get like that. Another thing I must say is that the reason golf is so amazing is that no two swings in the world are exactly the same yet everyone can become good with what they've got. I would keep in mind to know what should be done but still keep what works and feels right for you.

[k2theablam]

Thanks everyone, you're helping me out more than you may think.

exactly what i was seeing with the new video. stick your butt out a little and bend forward at the waist, down toward the ball while keeping your back straight. then let your arms hang down straight. in the first vid, you were reaching your arms out to the ball too far, and in the new vid, your hands are too close to your body. so if you get them in between, you will be in the correct position. the swing is looking alot better, you are definitely improving.

I'm reading Hogan's book now. On the second batch of videos, I tried to stand up too straight and my back was rather slouched. This is already fixed...I've put in some mirror work at my house since the last time I've been out to the range and I'm ready to try this the right way now.

Watching the second video, your 3rd, 4th, and 5th swing I believe, you set up to the ball really nice, then at the last moment you took a step forward about 2 inches or so. Look at the video closely and watch how you naturally set up to the ball with your arms hanging down naturally, and then watch that step forward. I think minus that step forward, and you are good to go and start worrying about other stuff.

My grip is great actually. I read some verbal queues that really helped me out a lot. Keeping my hands and club shaft tight and cohesive, bringing my forearms closer together and keeping the "triangle" as tight as possible. This actually makes my shoulder turn more since I can't really compensate with my arms so it's helping out my backswing as well.

k2, i think you are quite talented, meaning, with issues invariably faced by all beginners, you can manage to maintain decent contact.

I relate this to throwing a punch, with the force starting from the ground transferring up toward your fists. I think this will be the hardest for me to get down but I know my stance will help with a smoother hipturn. I think I just have to mentally drill it into my head until it becomes nature.

I'm at work right now, but I'll get the screenshots and a swing analysis up tonight-both before and after. I'm also hitting the range again with all this in mind so we'll see how it translates in full swing. I'll have another batch of videos up tonight for sure...stay tuned.

[k2theablam]

Double post

[k2theablam]

Alright everyone. I've made the adjustments, and have a new angle for you to take a look at as well. The issues I worked on today were primarily stance and grip. I was able to hit the ball okay, but not as accurate as I'd like.


Let me know what you think.

[doubletake]

In your second video (face-on) your ball position for an 8 iron looks too far back to me. In my opinion it should be slightly forward of the middle of your stance. Yours looks a few inches back of center....could also just be the camera angle but maybe could explain why you get thin shots that start right.

[Happy Dragon]

Good for you man, as a beginner, you swing better than most of my friends. Must be a decent athlete. Don't listen to anyone on the internet about swing dynamics, especially those not listed close to scratch and that includes me, as we are not qualified to analyze our own swings, let along yours. Kind of a pet peeve of mine around here.

I think this may have been mentioned in earlier posts, but it helps to get an instructor. Early on, a good instructor will key in on the things you can do correctly before you even swing. This includes posture, ball position, stance, grip, etc.

Good luck and most importantly, have fun with your buddies and play fast!

[bunkerputt]

Thanks everyone, you're helping me out more than you may think.

My apologies AJ. I'm breaking my word to keep silent because this guy's attitude toward learning is so impressive.

K2, You've gotten a lot of info from several people. I'm sure it can be quite confusing because there are a lot of finer points in the golf swing. Sometimes we can all get confused because we are blending finer points with fundamentals. And I've noticed that a lot of times in golf, people's advice tends to be clouded by whatever they are working on at the moment. This is, in their minds, the "last thing holding them back." This is why golf instruction is so tip-oriented... Everyone is assuming that you've gotten all the fundamentals down and you're on the verge of a huge breakthrough. The best thing I think you can do right now is to focus on fundamentals. Don't get bogged down by finer points like whether you should have your left thumb to the left of the shaft or on top, whether you should be breathing out on your backswing, etc. Those will come in time. You've got a great start reading Hogan's book. I think some people mentioned grip, alignment, and posture. That is definitely the starting point. I'd take a look at Joe Dante's four magic moves book. It's a lot clearer and less mysterious than Hogan's, IMO. It basically breaks the swing engine down into posture, grip, takeaway, top of backswing, starting down, and impact. But why should you focus on fundamentals? Because of the biggest and most important thing in golf: impact. Fundamentals are fundamental because they play a much, much bigger role in getting you to the correct impact position. So I might argue that, in addition to static fundamentals (grip orientation, posture, alignment, equipment) and dynamic fundamentals (grip pressure, takeaway, wrist hinge, turn, transition, and downswing), think of understanding impact as a fundamental. You have to know where you want to get to in your swing if you want any chance of getting there at all. Like Harvey Penick said, think of good advice like medicine: don't drink the whole bottle. BTW, I had to do a double take on where you are from. That range looks exactly like one here in Texas. Same curvature, same ball holders, same mats and stall separators, same covered and uncovered areas. The lights in the background give it away, though. There must be a "Driving Range Franchise Kit" out there somewhere that they are both using. That, or a freaky coincidence. Good luck. Find a good teacher. They are way better than a forum.