My swing (gauchogolfer)

[gauchogolfer]

Hi all,
This is the first time I've tried to post a video here, so please bear with me if I'm sorting out technical difficulties along the way.

As far as my swing goes, I'm battling my nemesis, the takeaway. My bad swings (like this one) are often rooted in shoving the club away from my body and getting the clubface shut as it goes back, rather than keeping arms soft and letting my torso do the work. Coupled with that (and something I'm working on by flexibility exercises) is a tendency to lose my posture and stand up during my swing.

This is a 6-iron down the line, which ended up being my usual miss (a high shot to the right, generally (I think) attributed to getting steep on the downswing and not releasing the club.

Next time I post I'll try and find a good one to show you that I'm not really that bad.

[iacas]

The clubface should be at approximately 45° at P2 and I hate the term and practice of "releasing the club." What makes you say that your clubface is shut? Square is square - there shouldn't need to be any active "release."

Your clubface is square going back and square as it comes down... you don't need the "release."

You could side tilt more - take your left shoulder lower to the ground. Your shoulder turn is very flat and not in a circle around your upper spine.

[gauchogolfer]

The clubface should be at approximately 45° at P2 and I hate the term and practice of "releasing the club." What makes you say that your clubface is shut? Square is square - there shouldn't need to be any active "release."

I'm not sure where exactly P2 is in the backswing, but I get your drift. I guess what I'm calling shut is what feels like a lack of rotation of my forearms going back, as I tend to feel like my arms are too stiff, and they are initiating the backswing rather than following along the rotation of my torso. I certainly don't try and actively 'release' the clubhead, but I can tell when it's releasing down the line, and when it's off-line. That's more what I meant.

Your clubface is square going back and square as it comes down... you don't need the "release."

Thanks for taking a look, it's good to have a more experienced set of eyes keeping me on track. :)

You could side tilt more - take your left shoulder lower to the ground. Your shoulder turn is very flat and not in a circle around your upper spine.

This is something I've definitely been working on, improving my flexibility so that I can turn like you describe while maintaining flex in my legs. The first move I've been making is to stand up a bit on my backswing and get flat, which leads to all kinds of issues, and requiring my timing to be perfect to strike the ball solidly.

Thanks again for taking a look!

[iacas]

I'm not sure where exactly P2 is in the backswing, but I get your drift.

See my signature. P2 is shaft horizontal on the backswing.

I guess what I'm calling shut is what feels like a lack of rotation of my forearms going back,

I don't advise that you feel any rotation of the forearms going back. If they don't rotate, the clubface remains square to the plane.

This is something I've definitely been working on, improving my flexibility so that I can turn like you describe while maintaining flex in my legs.

You don't want to "maintain the flex" in your legs and the two things are different (but related).

Side tilting lets your shoulders work in a circle. Letting your right knee "lose flex" or "straighten" (not lock) slightly on the backswing lets your hips work in a circle. Your shoulders only need to rotate 45 degrees or so more than your hips to get to 90° or so on the backswing. That's plenty and I highly doubt you're not flexible enough to do that.

The first move I've been making is to stand up a bit on my backswing and get flat, which leads to all kinds of issues, and requiring my timing to be perfect to strike the ball solidly.

You're supposed to stand up in the backswing. Your back extends in the backswing... What you aren't doing that you should do is side tilt to the left. That'll let your head stay where it started.