My Swing (saevel25)

[saevel25]

I played 18 holes today. I wanted to list some things that I did on some of my best shots. 

Set Up
Preset a bit more weight forward to get that 10 or so degrees of spin tilt. Make sure I was looking down at the ball better. I have a tendency to keep my head too up from time to time. 

Backswing
I tried to open my hips a tad sooner and make the backswing slower and methodical like my previous range session. This helps me feel the top of the backswing better and keeping the club short of parallel. 

Downswing
Drive that right side through, hit the ball with my right side. On some swings I can do this too much and lose my steady head and I end up hitting a low pull or pull draw. When I don't I hit some really good push draws. 

Overall I was happy with my ball striking. 

[iacas]

1 hour ago, saevel25 said:

I played 18 holes today. I wanted to list some things that I did on some of my best shots. 

Set Up
Preset a bit more weight forward to get that 10 or so degrees of spin tilt. Make sure I was looking down at the ball better. I have a tendency to keep my head too up from time to time. 

Backswing
I tried to open my hips a tad sooner and make the backswing slower and methodical like my previous range session. This helps me feel the top of the backswing better and keeping the club short of parallel. 

Downswing
Drive that right side through, hit the ball with my right side. On some swings I can do this too much and lose my steady head and I end up hitting a low pull or pull draw. When I don't I hit some really good push draws. 

Overall I was happy with my ball striking. 

Good to hear. You're doing the right things.

[saevel25]

It's been a long break since I could go to the range. Luckily the weather is going to get better the next few days. Has spring finally come :)

I've been working on my backswing in doors. I like how it is progressing. It's much easier now to set the club earlier in the backswing. I am really feeling that hands more out in front of me at A3 now. 

What's been bothering is my putting practice. I always seem to struggle with this though my putting is terrible. It's not good either. It pretty much sits around average for a scratch golfer. Putting has the least separation value between handicap ranges. 

Here is my struggle. I am trying to stop taking the club too far inside on the putting stroke. When I try to not do this I end up feeling like the putter is moving in like half  figure 8. Sometimes the putter just goes inside too much. Other times it goes outside with a closed clubface and then it feels like I need to open the clubface so I hold the putter toe from turning over, like if you hold off the face and chicken wing an iron shot. 

It's just feels like a jumbled mess right now on trying to figure this out. 

 

[saevel25]

Pitching notes

1. Keep head steady over ball with the backswing 

2. Fan the club more

3. Chest to target

4. Feel club pass the hand more. Bad habit of dragging hands toward target. 

 

Distance wedges

1. Keep head down more, chin more to chest. 

2. Hinge more. 

3. Turn right side to target. Don't let head fall back and down.

4. A good check is the finish. Does the head dip and then turn to the target or does the hands finish naturally higher and upper body and head has a higher finish. 

 

Putting

1. Garbage. Nothing feels good. Heeling and toeing putts. Can't consistently take the putter back the way I want. Set up feels different between putts, not consistent. 

[mchepp]

2 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Putting

1. Garbage. Nothing feels good. Heeling and toeing putts. Can't consistently take the putter back the way I want. Set up feels different between putts, not consistent. 

I have used a putting mat similar to the one shown here. I have found that using this on the green helps me to visualize the stroke while still making my normal stroke. Since you are a good engineer you can probably make one yourself and save the money.

[Jakester23]

2 hours ago, saevel25 said:

Putting

1. Garbage. Nothing feels good. Heeling and toeing putts. Can't consistently take the putter back the way I want. Set up feels different between putts, not consistent. 

Maybe I've missed this but how do you grip your putter? Have you tried left hand low, claw, prayer ect..? I'm just wondering if your fighting your grip. Sorry if this has been addressed before.

[saevel25]

Just now, Jakester23 said:

Maybe I've missed this but how do you grip your putter? Have you tried left hand low, claw, prayer ect..? I'm just wondering if your fighting your grip. Sorry if this has been addressed before.

Double reverse overlap. 

I can't stand left hand low or the claw. My grip is already in the palms of my hands a good deal anyways.

[Jakester23]

6 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Double reverse overlap. 

I can't stand left hand low or the claw. My grip is already in the palms of my hands a good deal anyways.

Have you tried just gripping it like you do the rest of your clubs? Obviously it's more through the life line of your palms instead of heel pads. Don't even feel obliged to respond or try it I just wanna see you putt better. I think I speak for most of us when I say we wish we could hit the ball like you. 

[saevel25]

12 minutes ago, Jakester23 said:

Have you tried just gripping it like you do the rest of your clubs? Obviously it's more through the life line of your palms instead of heel pads. Don't even feel obliged to respond or try it I just wanna see you putt better. I think I speak for most of us when I say we wish we could hit the ball like you. 

No problem man. I don't think it's my grip. I like how the putter feels. I am just struggling with my putter path.

I just video taped my putting and I am back to my too inward path in the backstroke. I just struggle with taking it less inward because the club head goes up in the air and the putter face feels really close.

---

Edit update,

I just tried putting right handed only. I can keep the putter head from going too inward on the backstroke and was hitting flush putts. I'll try right hand only drills for a while. At least it allows me to get the putting path I want easier. 

[Jakester23]

4 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

No problem man. I don't think it's my grip. I like how the putter feels. I am just struggling with my putter path.

I just video taped my putting and I am back to my too inward path in the backstroke. I just struggle with taking it less inward because the club head goes up in the air and the putter face feels really close.

---

Edit update,

I just tried putting right handed only. I can keep the putter head from going too inward on the backstroke and was hitting flush putts. I'll try right hand only drills for a while. At least it allows me to get the putting path I want easier. 

That's cool you'll get it dialed in.  You gotta be happy your more concerned with your putting than your full swing.

[klund]

33 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

No problem man. I don't think it's my grip. I like how the putter feels. I am just struggling with my putter path.

I just video taped my putting and I am back to my too inward path in the backstroke. I just struggle with taking it less inward because the club head goes up in the air and the putter face feels really close.

---

Edit update,

I just tried putting right handed only. I can keep the putter head from going too inward on the backstroke and was hitting flush putts. I'll try right hand only drills for a while. At least it allows me to get the putting path I want easier. 

Like your update above. When my putting is out of sync i do similar. I saw this video of Thomas Björn years ago and depending on the issues i follow this. Usually i struggle more on pace and strike the middle of the putter head than line so it has happened i have putted right handed only on the course with remarkable results. I agree with you with not changing grips as soon as it "stops" working. We are not Ernie Els are we!

 

Edited April 13, 2016 by klund

[DaveP043]

I'd never think to make suggestions about your full swing, you know more about your swing than I'll ever know about mine.  In putting, though, I'll offer two suggestions.  First, I'd check your set up, particularly your distance from the ball.  I find when I get a little further away, my path becomes erratic.  Its as if the stroke "wants" to be a specific distance from my toes, not matter where I actually set up.  The other suggestion is some form of "gate drill".  Two tees to make gate, or maybe a series of gates, to force your putter head on a specific path.  You might even combine the two thoughts, vary your distance from the ball until you find a set up that makes it easier to achieve the desired path.

Good luck, I know you want to be putting at your best when you get to Pinehurst!

[saevel25]

1 minute ago, DaveP043 said:

Two tees to make gate, or maybe a series of gates, to force your putter head on a specific path.  You might even combine the two thoughts, vary your distance from the ball until you find a set up that makes it easier to achieve the desired path.

I have a few bad habit with my set up. 

1. I get my hands set up too high, getting the club toe-down. 
2. I can stand with my arms too extended. 
3. I can get too upright with my upper body. 

Right now I've been using two clubs, about an 1.5 inches outside the width of my putter as a visual training aid. I am just trying to make slower putting strokes to feel the path better. It seems to be helping. 

 

[DaveP043]

You'll figure it out, I know.  BTW, did you get the list of restaurants I sent a couple of weeks back?

[saevel25]

4 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

You'll figure it out, I know.  BTW, did you get the list of restaurants I sent a couple of weeks back?

Yep, I passed along to the guy who organized the trip. 

[DaveP043]

Cool, have a great time!    Oh, and try to keep it out of the pine straw, that stuff is a PITA.

[saevel25]

22 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

Oh, and try to keep it out of the pine straw, that stuff is a PITA.

I highly doubt I will. 

[saevel25]

My wonderful shot dispersion on 15 yard pitch shots. 

i somehow can block these shots up to 10 yards right