My Swing (k14)

[UruguayanPGA]

One drill that my instructor has done with me is putting flashlights or lasers on each end of the club or a shaft.

Try doing the same it really works!

What you have to do it make the lasers follow an imaginary straight line behind the ball on your backswing and on the down swing as well. That will help even out your swing plane

[k14]

Originally Posted by UruguayanPGA

One drill that my instructor has done with me is putting flashlights or lasers on each end of the club or a shaft.

Try doing the same it really works!

What you have to do it make the lasers follow an imaginary straight line behind the ball on your backswing and on the down swing as well. That will help even out your swing plane

So you put a two lasers (one pointing down and one pointing up) on your club? And then on takeaway you can see the plane you are keeping club on and also when the butt of club is pointing at ground you can too?

[iacas]

Originally Posted by k14

So you put a two lasers (one pointing down and one pointing up) on your club? And then on takeaway you can see the plane you are keeping club on and also when the butt of club is pointing at ground you can too?

Yeah, that's the idea. The problem with that drill is that it's really easy to manipulate the lasers. Your club shaft could be purely vertical and the lasers would say you're "on plane" when you're obviously nowhere near it.

It's a good drill, but it has some very real limitations.

[k14]

Originally Posted by iacas

Yeah, that's the idea. The problem with that drill is that it's really easy to manipulate the lasers. Your club shaft could be purely vertical and the lasers would say you're "on plane" when you're obviously nowhere near it.

It's a good drill, but it has some very real limitations.

Well I just ordered 2 lasers off ebay ($0.99 each delivered) so I can give it a go in a week or so when they arrive. For the moment I think I will try and follow some of your advice from the elbow position thread and see if I can use those tips to try get me swinging a bit more from the inside. I am pretty sure my steep swing and coming over the top go hand in hand. I can get the club face square but it just ends up with a pull. Sometimes turning into a pull fade with driver and 3 wood. I am having a really hard time getting the ball to start out to the right.

[k14]

Well it's now 2 years since I started this thread and the improvement in my swing is still ongoing. Still haven't broken 80 but I am getting oh so close. Hit 9 GIR the other weekend and shot 81 with a triple and two doubles. Then had a boring round of 9 pars and 9 bogeys. I know I will do it very soon, but I am more focussed on getting a repeatable swing that will put me in the fairway off the tee. Too many of my tee shots are making par impossible and even bogey a tough chance. My handicap is down to 12.1 now although it has been pretty static for the last few months.

One very bright note is that I won my flight (12-18hdp) for club champs 2 weeks ago. It was a 36 hole final and I had a lead of 6up after the first 18 and then sealed it 8&7. So pretty comfortable in the end. The clincher was from holes 11-16 on the first round. I had 6 straight pars (only missing one green) and won all but one of those holes to my opponent. Then on the 18th he made par and I sunk a 20 footer for birdie. Really stamping my authority on it.

We're getting towards winter now down here in New Zealand so I will just keep doing what I'm doing and make sure my short game stays sharp for next summer and I reckon I will be able to get into single figures before christmas..

Any tips appreciated

[iacas]

Current pattern:

Shoulder turn too flat, arms lift up, hands and clubhead always above the plane (hence pulls and fades).

Another look at the shoulder movement. Starts down pretty well to A2, then rises and translates back and up.

The compensation for you to keep the club somewhat closer to the plane? To uncock the wrists very quickly in the downswing (hips don't go forward much at all either, priority #2 stuff).

So here's how I'd attack this problem with you. Tough to do on the Internet and in text, but here goes. 3/4 length swings AT MOST with the right shoulder feeling like it goes UP and towards the target throughout the entire backswing. Again, only 3/4 length. This will allow you to take your hands deeper while letting the shoulder tilt increase to more closely match your inclination, which will be responsible for the clubhead and hands ascending. You won't have to lift them this way, and your shoulders can rotate on the downswing.

The hands will be pulled in and up by the way the right shoulder will work. You've got work to do on getting your weight forward but for a while now, right shoulder UP and rotating towards the target with 3/4 length arm swings (if that long).

Mind your stance too.

[k14]

Thanks Erik, really appreciate the analysis. Think I understand most of it. Will report back my results.

What do you mean about my stance?

[iacas]

Originally Posted by k14

Thanks Erik, really appreciate the analysis. Think I understand most of it. Will report back my results.

What do you mean about my stance?

You point it to the right.

Your body knows it, and will do all it can to pull the ball back to the target.

[k14]

Well here is the latest. Ball striking is improved slightly, however still coming over the top and hitting pulls/fades. However I seem to be hitting the ball straighter. Broke 80 for the first time a few weeks ago, shot 77 on Friday and then 76 on the Sunday. Haven't had much chance to get out lately though.

[k14]

Well nearly another year has passed and I think my swing is looking a lot better. Annoying thing is that my scores aren't showing it. I have managed to markedly reduce the length of my swing, now only just touching parallel with my driver and well short of it with all other clubs. I haven't lost any distance and my irons are going pretty well. Just having a major struggle getting off the tee. Just can't find something that works. I used to be able to get a swing thought or feeling that would give me decent reliability with a miss that was consistent. Lately it has been just horrible, I will stripe one down the middle then next four holes it will be duck hook, slice, duff and then power fade. Going to put the driver away for a week and just play 3 wood (which plays quite well and the misses are much less punishing).

[cipher]

Your swing is looking so much better from three years ago.  The one thing that has stayed the same for much of that time is your move down from that really high position at the top.  I would try and figure out your transition from the top this year.  I am not sure if the answer is to change the position at the top or transition better from where you are.  If it were me I would try and change the position at the top to be lower with the club a bit more behind.  The wrist angles start coming undone almost immediately in transition.  I know you know all this, but that would be my goal for the season.  The changes in lower and upper body stability are much, much improved IMO.

[k14]

Originally Posted by cipher

Your swing is looking so much better from three years ago.  The one thing that has stayed the same for much of that time is your move down from that really high position at the top.  I would try and figure out your transition from the top this year.  I am not sure if the answer is to change the position at the top or transition better from where you are.  If it were me I would try and change the position at the top to be lower with the club a bit more behind.  The wrist angles start coming undone almost immediately in transition.  I know you know all this, but that would be my goal for the season.  The changes in lower and upper body stability are much, much improved IMO.

Thanks for taking the time to have a look at things. You actually bring up a good point. I was working on that with my instructor two lessons ago and I think I got on top of the problem then and moved onto a few other little bits (trying to shallow out the top of my swing). But in the last week I may have resorted back to my old unhinging wrists at the top of the swing because I have become very inconsistent again.

Here is a slightly newer video which is probably technically the best my swing has been. Still got a long way to go though! Tell me if you think this video improves over what you were seeing in the previous vid?

[cipher]

Originally Posted by k14

Thanks for taking the time to have a look at things. You actually bring up a good point. I was working on that with my instructor two lessons ago and I think I got on top of the problem then and moved onto a few other little bits (trying to shallow out the top of my swing). But in the last week I may have resorted back to my old unhinging wrists at the top of the swing because I have become very inconsistent again.

Here is a slightly newer video which is probably technically the best my swing has been. Still got a long way to go though! Tell me if you think this video improves over what you were seeing in the previous vid?

I would say it is an improvement for sure.  It looks much better to me in the transition, nice work.  I have the opposite tendency to lay the club down to much at that top.  Time to take it to the next level.

[k14]

Well I thought I would update this thread again. I have signed up for Evolvr and am really excited as to the improvements it will bring. I sent through my first videos this week (below) and have got my first lesson back. The instructor is having me focus on two things. Firstly to try and flatten my wrist at the top of my backswing, it is slightly cupped. Secondly he is trying to get me to feel like my back/bum is more closed to the target for longer to try and get my post impact position better, not exiting left so quickly as you can see in the photos.

I have had a few days to practice this and am seeing some promising results. Having a little bit of a struggle getting my wrist in the right position but the feeling closed at impact seems to be helping improve my ball striking and getting a bit more of a consistent draw going. Will keep this thread up to date!

[cipher]

Originally Posted by k14

Well I thought I would update this thread again. I have signed up for Evolvr and am really excited as to the improvements it will bring. I sent through my first videos this week (below) and have got my first lesson back. The instructor is having me focus on two things. Firstly to try and flatten my wrist at the top of my backswing, it is slightly cupped. Secondly he is trying to get me to feel like my back/bum is more closed to the target for longer to try and get my post impact position better, not exiting left so quickly as you can see in the photos.

I have had a few days to practice this and am seeing some promising results. Having a little bit of a struggle getting my wrist in the right position but the feeling closed at impact seems to be helping improve my ball striking and getting a bit more of a consistent draw going. Will keep this thread up to date!

Nice, hope you have fun with it.  I really think you will like the Evolvr lessons.  You have a lot of potential there in that swing.

[mchepp]

Originally Posted by cipher

You have a lot of potential there in that swing.

I definitely agree with this statement. You have a great opportunity for improvement.

[k14]

Thanks guys. I have been practicing pretty hard and seem to be having some success with the flat left wrist. As always I need to keep reminding myself to be patient. For the first week to 10 days after a lesson I always have some really bad range sessions but as I get to 2 weeks the changes usually begin to click and I start hitting some really nice shots. Played 18 yesterday and had an 81 off the back tees. Nothing too special but I was 5 over after 2 holes and then also had a triple on the 2nd to last hole. Three birdies was nice. Just need to tidy up my short game a bit cause that is where I lost some of the shots. Looking forward to Saturdays round. Will probably send some more videos through on the weekend.

[k14]

Well it has been about 5 months since I started evolvr and have been pretty happy with the results. Dropped my handicap down to 8.4 but I feel like things are just starting to click. Although I am training for an ironman in February now so golf is on hold till after then, so I have stopped evolvr. I will however most definately be starting it again in February.

At first it was difficult to adjust to the style of teaching. Having in the past always had 1 on 1 lessons in person with an instructor it took me about 4 weeks to work out a way of putting into practice the advice from the video lessons. Since I did that I have made some decent improvements. My ball striking has improved immensely and am hitting a lot more greens. I still have those days where I am all over the place but they seem to be less regular now. I have also learnt a heck of a lot about my tendencies and how to fix them myself. Just yesterday I was at the range and was hitting it pretty crap. So I took a few videos and within 15 mins I was back to hitting nice little push draws with all clubs.

Still working on getting the club to go out and up more (DTL) after I hit the ball so it appears closer towards my shoulder. Also my wrist is very cupped. It is a bit of a problem area that we tried to fix but I am not sure if it is possible for me to get it flatter. Five years ago I had a pretty nasty accident and broke it in 10 places. So it is not very strong when flat and also can be quite painful if I hit the ball fat or thin. So I think I have subconsciously developed the cupping as a protection mechanism to avoid any further injuries. However I think I may be able to find some middle ground. Only time will tell.

Here is the latest videos: