My Swing (nick4501)

[nick4501]

Hi guys.

I recently started playing again, after about 10 years absence. I traded in my Dad's old hand-me-down Ping Zings for a set of Mizuno MX100 2 weeks ago. I did a lot of research before buying them, and I'm really pleased about how forgiving they are, but I'm still struggling.

I went out today and shot 98. Whilst doing so, I got a friend to film me taking a swing. I was shocked about how far around my back my backswing seems to go...surely it should be much higher?!

Anyway, I'd appreciate any comments or pointers!

I will apologise in advance for the noise of the wind...it wasn't a very nice day (hence the hood!).

Thanks.

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By nick4501

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[delav]

Nice weather out there, huh? Your swing looks good for just getting started. The position of your hands at the top is a bit less of an issue as your balance at this point. For now, I'd Work on finishing with your weight forward on your left foot, and get in the habit of holding your finish.

[nick4501]

Thanks for the pointer. I don't normally immediately drop out of holding my finish...not quite sure what I was doing here.

I've also noticed that my back seems to bend a lot at the end of my swing. This would probably explain why I have been getting back pain. Do you agree?

I had my first lesson last week and I told him that all I wanted to do was concentrate on getting my back a bit straighter, to try to cure the nagging back pain that I've been getting just below my left shoulder. I'm trying to implement what he taught me in the swing that you see in that video (yes - before then my back was even more curved!).

I can't help but think that my backswiong looks...tight(?!) and a bit awkward. What am I doing wrong?

[DavidFehertysBike]

your backswing position is ok. Like delav said, your balance is the biggest issue in that swing. The poor balance could also be the cause of your back pain. You hang on the backside and then you get that whole reverse c thing going on.

[nick4501]

Hi DFB.

Thanks for your opinion. I really didn't expect to hear about balance concerns, but obviously it's a problem!

Could you explain what you mean by "hanging on the backside"?

Any suggestions about either arm positions?...The more I watch the video, the more I'm noticing problems...it looks like my left arm is almost wraping around my head on my follow through!

Thanks!

[DavidFehertysBike]

Thats an issue, but your balance is the biggest one from the swing i saw. Hanging back means you still have your weight on the back foot as you swing to the ball. You will fall backwards through the shot when you do this and arch your back on the finish.

[Shanks A Million]

He also takes it back WAY under the plane. His downswing plane sort of shifts as well. The biggest error I see is the hang back, which causes a huge flip. The hands are nearly behind the ball at impact. For all those reasons, the swing is nearly all timing and judgment, almost impossible to repeat.

Just learn to press forward and you should see improvement.

[motteler621]

Im no pro. But on the backswing it looks like hes coming a little inside, I think this can cause you to hit flat shots.

[nick4501]

Hi guys.

I'm absolutely desperate for some advice.  After frequent playing on a pitch and putt course, I've picked up a truely horrible slice.  It's uncontrolable.

I had a friend record one of my swings, in the hope that someone could explain where I'm going wrong.

To me, it looks like I'm crushing my right elbom into my body during the back swing, but I'd appreciate any advice!

Please note - I don't actually slice the ball in this video, but I think you can see that I'm close to doing so...!

Thanks in advance.

Nick

[senorchipotle]

from this view, you're not doing anything i can tell which would cause you to slice the ball. so if you're making the same moves but ending with a different result i'd say it is probably ball position or grip, or perhaps you short armed it and shortened your swing arc and caught the ball when your arms were coming back inside, effectively coming over the top.

[walk18]

I'm going to suspect (without a side view) that you're hanging back at impact. Keep your weight moving forward through the shot. You should end up with most of your weight on your front leg.

[senorchipotle]

his hips are coming around really well and he's keeping good posture and balance throughout the whole shot. so i don't think he's hanging back.

[simland]

Looks pretty good.  I think you are casting the club a bit.  I would recommend trying a few swings where you try and hold back as long as possible.

[nick4501]

Thanks for all your replies guys.  It's nice to know that my swing is not a complete disaster!

What exactly is "shorting the club"?  One other pretty important fact is that about 80% of the time that I slice, I can see from the ball imprint on my club head that I have skimmed the shaft.  Annoyingly, this isn't always the reason for the slice, but they do seem to go hand-in-hand!  How can I stop doing this?  What is causing it?!  Doing a half swing almost guarentees a slice.

What are your thoughts on my right elbow position?  It's not easy to see in this video (I'll try to get another one soon), but it looks to me like it's far too close to my right hip, and restricting the arc of a natural (normal!) swing...

[inthecup]

Originally Posted by nick4501

Thanks for all your replies guys.  It's nice to know that my swing is not a complete disaster!

What exactly is "shorting the club"?  One other pretty important fact is that about 80% of the time that I slice, I can see from the ball imprint on my club head that I have skimmed the shaft.  Annoyingly, this isn't always the reason for the slice, but they do seem to go hand-in-hand!  How can I stop doing this?  What is causing it?!  Doing a half swing almost guarantees a slice.

What are your thoughts on my right elbow position?  It's not easy to see in this video (I'll try to get another one soon), but it looks to me like it's far too close to my right hip, and restricting the arc of a natural (normal!) swing...

You swing looks good for a beginner.  If you have a cash I would take a lesson right away before you get into bad habits.

Your right elbow should be at your side coming into the ball.  In this swing your club path came from the inside.  This means the club traveled from behind the ball on the left side through impact.  That swing (inside out) is the first key to not producing a slice.  The second key in my opinion to a good swing is keeping your elbow into your side and swinging by rotating your hips.

This will also help produce lag.  Go to you tube and look at swing vision professional swings.

Here is a video of Sergio maintaining lag and swinging by rotating his body with the elbow in.  It is extreme in the case of lag but it illustrates the point.

[nick4501]

Well the depressing thing is that I'm not really a beginner...I've been playing on and off since I was about 12, but the slice has only crept into my game since I started heavily playing on my local pitch and putt course (ie, constant use of short irons).

Here is a link to another video that a friend took about a year ago (sorry about the noise - it was extremely windy.  I suggest just muting the video before watching!).  Sadly, it's not a side angle, but I think you'll be able to see why I'm concerned about my right elbow position during the backswing.  Am I the only one that think I look awkwardly cramped?!

Note that my swing may have changed since this video was taken (as I had a couple of lessons about 6 months ago to straighten my back a bit) and I wasn't actually slicing the ball at this point, but I still think that I have a terrible swing path...

[walk18]

Originally Posted by senorchipotle

he's keeping good posture and balance throughout the whole shot.

You must have stopped the video before the end. Not a balanced finish.

[nick4501]

Originally Posted by walk18

You must have stopped the video before the end. Not a balanced finish.

I think this was me bending subconciously, in a desperate attempt to alter the direction of the ball!

Any other thoughts?  Still no-one questioning that right elbow position...!