My Swing (jon8105)

[jon8105]

Here is a video of my swing using a 4 Iron. The ball seemed to hit good and straight but I want you guys to tell me if you see anything wrong (which I am sure there is something wrong ). Thanks

[Ole_Tom_Morris]

You remind me of me back when I had hair, both in body type and swing. Couple of observations.

1. Your practice swings are different from the swing you use to hit the ball. The practice backswing is shortened, and the follow through is different. I suggest a practice swing that is exactly like the swing you want to use.

2. Looks to me like you may not be taking a full shoulder turn, but using your arms to get to the top position instead. Not sure. Do you feel you are pointing your left shoulder at or behind the ball on the backswing? If you are not, you might try some stretching to loosen up the lumbar region.

3. You have a flat hoganesque swing as I do. I am partial to the compactness of this swing, and the fact that one doesn't have to loop the club down to begin the downswing.

4. Can't tell if you are "crossing over" at the top. Maybe others have an opinon. If the ball flight is okay, why worry--unless you are compensating in some unhealthy way, like changing your grip as a fix. (I do not approve of compensating fixes that do not address the root problem.) Your ball flight is straight, right? not a fade or draw?

5. A follow through tends to mirror the backswing. There is a general symmetry in a good swing. A vertical swing results in a finish hands high with the clubshaft pointing down the back. A flat backswing results in a follow through where the shaft is somewhat horizontal behind the head or neck. I suspect that you are bring the shaft down your back either because it feels good (I used to like the stretch) or because you think it is the way to do it. It can also be caused by an incomplete release or pushing the ball or blocking the left side--but I don't think those are problems for you.

[jon8105]

You remind me of me back when I had hair, both in body type and swing. Couple of observations.

1. Yeah, I have a bad habit of just using the practice swing to loosen up, but I don't do the same swing when I hit the ball.

2. I would say my shoulder is probable pointing at the ball, not behind it. How far behind the ball should my left shoulder be pointing? 3. Is this a good thing? haha 4. I don't change my grip or have any fixes. Sorry for my ignorance but I am not real sure what you mean by "crossing over." Also, my ball flight with my irons is usually straight. I rarely have any fade or draw in my ball flight (except with driver, which is a different issue..ha). 5. Honestly this is the first time I have taken a video of myself, so I was unaware my club was pointing down my back. Is there a way to correct this? Thanks for the analysis.

[Ole_Tom_Morris]

If you are hitting the ball well, then don't let me mess you up.

Crossing over and its opposite, laying back, refer to the way the clubshaft is pointing at the top of the swing. I was not sure if your clubshaft was parallel to your line of aim or not. It could be that the shaft pointed a tad to the right of the target, which is "crossing over." I can't tell.

As for #3, yeah, Hogan is way cool these days.

[jon8105]

Yeah, I am hitting the ball pretty good, I just want to make sure my mechanics don't have any major flaws. Thanks again. I would love some more input though.

[bshack]

I would just agree with ole tom morris and have to say that your practice swing needs to be different. It looks like you dont really follow through. You want to make as many practice swings as possible like you would hit the ball til it feels right. I know it may not make a lot of sense now but it will lead to more consistent results. As far as major flaws I dont see huge ones. Everyone has unique swings. However watch your hands a little bit. Dont let them get too close to your body that will lead to an eventual draw on every shot... When practice you may want to exagerrate the length of the ball away from your stance. Maybe stand normally and then push the ball out another inch before you hit...

Just a suggestion. Its what my golf pro told me when my hands got too close.
My problem is im 6'4 and if my hands get to close to my body then I pull and hook the ball too much pushing it out an inch is what I was told.

[RIduffer]

So what would you like to improve in your full swing? Distance? Accuracy? What are the misses like? If you hit your irons straight, but struggle with the driver, maybe you should post a driver swing video so you can get some feedback.

[jon8105]

So what would you like to improve in your full swing? Distance? Accuracy? What are the misses like? If you hit your irons straight, but struggle with the driver, maybe you should post a driver swing video so you can get some feedback.

Right now I get pretty good distances and my accuracy isn't too far off. I would say my biggest problem with my irons is judging distances close to the green, which I am working on now. The main reason I posted this video is to see if my swing has any major flaws. I understand that as long as I am hitting it good then don't worry about it, but since I am fairly new to the game I thought if anything major was wrong then now would be a good time to try and correct it.

I plan on making a video with my driver soon and I will post it. Thanks guys for the help.

[jon8105]

Here is a slow-motion video of my swing in case that will help any. Looking at the swing, is there something that is causing me to have the club pointing down my back instead of more horizontal to the ground?

[Golf Guru]

Make sure you keep the head down all the way through, there is no major flaws to say, oh and i know (Ole_Tom_Morris) has already said, but in your practice swing try and do the proper swing. Try and get a drive with a Driver up to so we can have a look.

[jon8105]

I will work on my practice swing and keeping my head down. Thanks Golf Guru

[iacas]

I will work on my practice swing and keeping my head down. Thanks Golf Guru

Heh heh heh.

http://3jack.blogspot.com/2010/05/go...marketing.html

So, if I was an instructor at a club with a membership base I would greatly promote myself debunking the myth of 'keeping your head down.' If anything, I would show that keeping the head down does not mean you will get the ball consistently airborn and that I can show a student how to consistently get the ball airborn.

[Shanks A Million]

Heh heh heh.

Yeah, Richie is a good guy, he's helped me with my swing in the past. He's right, some of the best ballstrikers lift their heads. Allenby, for example, his head is up long before the ball is gone. The truth is that the sternum has to stay down. Keeping the head down helps, but if the rest of you lifts, it ain't no good than, is it?

My head raises 1" from address to impact. Mostly, it's merely due to the fact I look down at address, and begin to move my head back up during the backswing. I work sometimes on keeping my sternum down throughout the swing, as my spine angle tends to lift sometimes. Luke Donald has mentioned having the same problem, and he works on it as well. I like to sometimes feel like I'm lifting going back, and dropping coming through. It really helps, and an occasional small bucket of balls is all it takes to keep it ingrained.

[jon8105]

Heh heh heh.

uh oh..haha. Okay, so should I not try and keep my head down? Or should I just keep doing what is comfortable as long as I am getting good hits?

[iacas]

uh oh..haha. Okay, so should I not try and keep my head down? Or should I just keep doing what is comfortable as long as I am getting good hits?

The point is that I've never heard of any reputable instructors (and by that I mean anyone who isn't known to be a complete moron of an instructor) tell a student to "keep your head down."

People do. Very, very few people actually look up in their golf swing, yet the worse the player, the more they seem to be concerned with "not" doing it. It's way, way down on the list of things to work on, and by the time you fix the things above it, it usually disappears.

[jon8105]

Ok, here is a couple of videos with me swinging the driver. The first video shows three hits with the balls going all over the place (first is slice, second is hook and third is low & to the left). The second video is a slow motion version of the first hit (slice). Help me out guys if you can.

Note: Ball is on the inside of my left heel for each shot.

[jon8105]

Could it be on my drive that I am shifting too much forward? Would that cause me to hit the ball before my club face is square?

[te3point5]

I really have no constructive input to contribute, but man, I wish I had a giant field to hit golf balls into...