My Swing (bplewis24)

[CarlSpackler]

The only similarities I see with his swing are that I have a club in my hands and my arms also move.

Look at his hip flexibility, and the amount of power he is getting! He is getting nearly 90% of his body weight into that swing!

Brandon, you're a plus handicap in the making!

There is definitely good flexibility there. Long gone are the days where I was that flexible. The similarity that I am seeing is when I put my pointer at the left ear at the beginning of the swing and notice where it is at impact.

[bplewis24]

P.S.  Couldn't believe that it's been a year and a half since you updated this thing!!

I hate seeing myself on film.  Something about the turn that I don't like.  It may have something to do with the way my left knee sways so far inward or something.

The swing does look powerful.

@bplewis24 , anyway you would be willing to post distances?  Before and after?

I have no problem posting distances afterwards.  My distances right now are sporadic.  At my best, it would look like this:

Dr: 275

3i:  210

7i:  155

I tend to have a pronounced flip and thus I hit the irons pretty high and (I think) lose some distance compared to other people I know who hit their driver that far, but hit their irons 10+ yards longer than me.

At my worst (like the past few weeks), I can't hit my driver at all.  Everything is an over-the-top push/slice that goes around 200 yards.  And some days I'll have virtually no hip slide forward and hit my 7i like 145.  I've never been able to find consistency in my distances unless I practice every day.

[Golfingdad]

I have a hunch they'll say something about your right heel coming up in the downswing as well.

[Lihu]

I have a hunch they'll say something about your right heel coming up in the downswing as well.

I just assumed that he needed to put all his weight into the swing. Bubba does it.

[bplewis24]

More video from today.  Also 9 iron.  I wanted to get some video without the stalls in the way, as well as attempt to eliminate some of the excess movement and my right heel coming up so fast.  I noticed my knees separate a lot on the downswing on some of the clips.  Still, swings felt a bit better than yesterday and I think the video is better quality.

[mvmac]

Sorry didn't see the latest video until now, doesn't change what we think of the priority piece.

[iacas]

I'm finishing up a book today, but I talked briefly with Mike and we both saw the same things. I'll be chipping in here shortly, but Mike's got you started on a great path. Thanks @bplewis24 .

[bplewis24]

Thanks guys.  My plan is to then record video of myself attempting this drill/these pieces over the next couple of days as Mike demonstrated them, correct?

[mchepp]

@bplewis24 what kind of camera are you using? If you would like I have a Casio FC100 you can use for this project. It shoots at 240fps. It doesn't have the controllable shutter speed, but it is an option to get a little higher frame rate. Since you are close I can ship it to you and you can use it for the project. It is a little beat up as I have owned it for 7-8 years but it should do the job.

Let me know. Maybe @mvmac and @iacas think that your camera is good enough also. Maybe they can chime in.

[bplewis24]

@bplewis24 what kind of camera are you using? If you would like I have a Casio FC100 you can use for this project. It shoots at 240fps. It doesn't have the controllable shutter speed, but it is an option to get a little higher frame rate. Since you are close I can ship it to you and you can use it for the project. It is a little beat up as I have owned it for 7-8 years but it should do the job.

Let me know. Maybe @mvmac and @iacas think that your camera is good enough also. Maybe they can chime in.

It's a Canon vixia HF M40.  It's HD but I believe is limited to 30FPS.

If you are offering the camera I would take you up on it through the end of June.  It's up to you though.  If you do, I'd like to extend an offer to come out to my club for a round of golf.  $15 w/cart.  Can't beat that :-)

[mchepp]

I will send you a PM and we can get you the camera.

[bplewis24]

Well, that was disappointing!  Went home a bit early to eat dinner and change, then hurried to my club planning to get 50+ practice balls in of the drill I was shown.  I get there around 5:45, and all of the range buckets had been taken down 15 minutes prior.  So I had to hit the last 5 range balls I could scrounge up, plus some of the top-flites I keep in my bag in case anybody ever asks to use a golf ball .

On top of all that, I couldn't get comfortable with the drill at all.  It felt like I kept bailing out at the last second (before impact) and flipping my wrists, or instead just chunking it.  Appears my right heel was still coming off the ground too.  What do you think (video below)?  I was trying to focus mainly on "loading" my left knee and lowering my arms faster, as instructed.

[mvmac]

Decent first attempt, it's not an easy piece. I'll let Erik get into it more and just share these two pics for you to consider.

Would also like to see you flare both feet at address, don't want to see those knees pinched in at address

[Hammer 4]

Well, that was disappointing!  Went home a bit early to eat dinner and change, then hurried to my club planning to get 50+ practice balls in of the drill I was shown.  I get there around 5:45, and all of the range buckets had been taken down 15 minutes prior.  So I had to hit the last 5 range balls I could scrounge up, plus some of the top-flites I keep in my bag in case anybody ever asks to use a golf ball .

On top of all that, I couldn't get comfortable with the drill at all.  It felt like I kept bailing out at the last second (before impact) and flipping my wrists, or instead just chunking it.  Appears my right heel was still coming off the ground too.  What do you think (video below)?  I was trying to focus mainly on "loading" my left knee and lowering my arms faster, as instructed.

Haha, Mike has me doing that drill. I'll say this, it was very hard at first, but if you stick with it, and Relax while doing the drill, it becomes Much easier. After doing that drill, guessing about 200 times, I can get good contact about 80% of the time now. Kinda funny, people at the range look at me like I'm Crazy, spending good $$$ for balls, yet only hit them about 25 yds most of the time.

When I do miss, or make lousy contact, it's usually because I tried to hard. I do 99% of mine with my 8i...Keep at it..

[iacas]

I plan to film a bit later, but  I'd like to see about 1000% less of the "herky jerky" look. I'd like these drills to be done smoothly. Even in slowed down motion the drills appear as though you're rushing them. The more times you do them, the less forward the hips go and the more rotation takes over, and the slower the hands come down.

Smooth and Slow are the thoughts here. The balls should only feel like they're going to go 50 yards (they may go 120 with a 7-iron or so, but feel like they're gonna go about 50).

Video later. Agree about the feet. It's only going to help you. I'll show you that in the video if I can remember as well.

[CarlSpackler]

Decent first attempt, it's not an easy piece. I'll let Erik get into it more and just share these two pics for you to consider.

In this pic, I see you going vertical and getting up on your toes whereas in the pic to the right, the weight is moving to the forward foot. Keeping your heels down and "rolling them" might be something good to focus on too while doing this drill too. I think this video describes it very well. Hopefully this isn't piling on too much.

[colin007]

hey brando - i have a pronounced flip as well, i dont have trouble with jumping on my toes too early, but definitely with getting the weight forward.

what has helped me is - feeling like my weight is going forward longer .  just thinking of weight forward gets inconsistent results, but getting it forward LONGER really helps me stay down, and delays the flip.

[nevets88]

@iacas , @mvmac , please interject if this does more harm than good, but what about trying it at 1% of full speed? Just get the ball literally rolling - I mean literally, purposely, hit a worm burner, a wimpy one at that. Once you see on the vid that the heel stays down, increment the speed just a bit more, rinse and repeat. Screw the funny looks you might get.