My Swing (stricklerlee)

[iacas]

I really wish I can do this but I don't know what you mean by cocking the club up faster?

Okay. So cock the left wrist up without bending your left arm.

[motteler621]

I have been fixing the inside clubhead as well. May I ask what is the importance of him cocking the club up so it doesnt go under the plane line. Is this only to help on the downswing? Just need to understand why I and the OP would be doing this.

[uttexas]

May I ask what is the importance of him cocking the club up so it doesnt go under the plane line. Is this only to help on the downswing? Just need to understand why I and the OP would be doing this.

Everything should be done to produce the best results--ie hit the ball the most accurately, the furthest, the most consistently.

If the club goes under plane, you have to lift it up back onto plane, thus creating an additional move that may cause error. It makes the most sense to me to have a swing that minimizes the potential for error.

[stricklerlee]

True, but even without me cocking the wrist to get up there, I still come down inside the plane.

[stricklerlee]

Is it wrong of me to be so obsessed about my swing? It's a thing of beauty, that's for sure. God, if only my plane was a little bit straighter, the possibilities...

[sean_miller]

Is it wrong of me to be so obsessed about my swing? It's a thing of beauty, that's for sure. God, if only my plane was a little bit straighter, the possibilities...

I think as long as you stop short of wacking off to videos of your swing, you'll be okay. A lot of otherwise fine people are tad narcissistic.

[stricklerlee]

I think as long as you stop short of wacking off to videos of your swing, you'll be okay. A lot of otherwise fine people are tad narcissistic.

At the end of the day, it's not how far or accurate the ball goes, it's how many shots that go into the hole that counts.

[majorchamp]

overall not bad. I think the one thing that stands out to me is your swing seems to lack "structure" and what I mean by that is it seems wobbly or too much movement. I would like to see some better angles maintained on the backswing and match it on the downswing.

Your head dips about 3-4 inches on the take away. Its horizontal position is good, but if you are going to dip it..let it fall on the downswing..not going back. I'm willing to bet you are losing some torque and power by doing this.

Also, take your backswing a touch more on the outside...you seem to draw it inside quite quickly. Regarding angles...I love anthony kims swing...this video addresses his specific angles and why they are so important.

[stricklerlee]

I think the reason why I am hinging the club more than usual(or bringing the club inside) is because I'm trying to create more torque that way. My shoulders turn more than 90 degrees when I'm bringing the club more inside than usual. Other than that, when I look at my downswing, I see my club and hand inside the right range so I don't see why I need to change my backswing?

[majorchamp]

You are. You simply need to cock the club up faster. Your initial hand path isn't bad - in this video it's bad. You need to

or a hybrid of the two :)

I don't believe, in my heart, Rickies current swing will hold up over time. He has too many movements/angles happening at different parts of his swing to last forever. His timing is great right now, and because he is a pro..maybe he can get away with it...but I think at some point his swing might fail under pressure.

[majorchamp]

I think the reason why I am hinging the club more than usual(or bringing the club inside) is because I'm trying to create more torque that way. My shoulders turn more than 90 degrees when I'm bringing the club more inside than usual. Other than that, when I look at my downswing, I see my club and hand inside the right range so I don't see why I need to change my backswing?

I think "tighten" would be a better word. You don't have to change much of your backswing..but it is simply too loose and wobbly. The backswing affects the downswing..because backswing affects momentum..and if things get shaky on the backswing..you compensate for it later in the swing, which is at the top and on the downswing.

Torque is creating within your body (hips and shoulders), not whether your club is hinging one way or another. Some of the best players create plenty of torque/energy within their body, hips, and shoulders, but don't involve the arms much at all. Also, IMO you don't need to turn more then 90 degrees. One thing I am focusing in my swing is "reducing" the amount of turn my body does, because I tend to over swing..which causes me to come over the top. So I am focused on turning the club around my spine, stopping when my left shoulder touches my chin, and beginning my downswing. I literlaly try to focus on making sure my head NEVER laterally moves..and this includes any undue forces from my left shoulder touching my chin. Of course, easier to do with irons then a driver..but its still the goal I am after. You can see here I am trying to shorten it (though it does get to parallel, it was going beyond that a few days ago)

[Shanks A Million]

or a hybrid of the two :)

I don't know about that, it's not really complicated, it's just steeper going back than it is coming down. It's fairly simple, and the one thing I can see happening is the shoulders not turning so much as he gets older, but otherwise, it's a pretty solid swing. As I recall, a guy named Furyk does something similar, and he won a few times this year, despite his being nearly double Rickie's age.

[majorchamp]

I don't know about that, it's not really complicated, it's just steeper going back than it is coming down. It's fairly simple, and the one thing I can see happening is the shoulders not turning so much as he gets older, but otherwise, it's a pretty solid swing. As I recall, a guy named Furyk does something similar, and he won a few times this year, despite his being nearly double Rickie's age.

true..but how many players on tour have a Furyk like swing? Someone with his swing has to be very dedicated and focused to maintain that over years. maybe Rickie will.

[CPT]

Thanks for sharing, stricklerlee. It's always cool to see player who has a strong will to improve.

I'm just going to point out what I saw, and hope my post can help you, more or less.

Your swing is;

- Mainly an "arm swing". You have very, very little help from your upper body when you take the club back. Your arms do the turn, but your body isn't. Your take away is not a 'one-piece' take away.

- Since there are very little body turn, the tendency of your back swing is "to lift the club up", in order to generate power. Thus, it sometimes makes you think you are swinging too 'flat'.

- Then comes the down swing, your arms need to catch up with your body (since your body hasn't turned fully), therefore, creating the tendency to 'jump/bounce' a little bit before impact. This is very clear when you swing the driver. The jumping/bouncing caused you to lose balance in the follow through.

[Zeph]

This thread is not about Rickie Fowler. Nobody is saying he should swing like Rickie, but use the visual image of him when working on his hand and club path.

Try to do like Charlie on the picture below. You are moving the hands out from your body, they should be deeper/closer. It may feel to you like the club is moving very far out, and hands very deep. Use a mirror and take it slow going back while you look in the mirror to see when you are in the right position. From there, keep hitting balls while you check the mirror every now and then.

[iacas]

I think the reason why I am hinging the club more than usual(or bringing the club inside) is because I'm trying to create more torque that way.

Trust me - it doesn't work that way. It feels powerful to whip the club around behind you like that, but your hands are what generate the power, and they're not gaining a lot of depth when the clubhead whips around like that. Plus the clubhead weighs a fair amount, and if that's off-plane you're going to have to adjust it constantly.

This thread is not about Rickie Fowler. Nobody is saying he should swing like Rickie, but use the visual image of him when working on his hand and club path.

Right. I was giving the guy a feeling, not telling him to swing exactly like Rickie Fowler. Rickie's hands go in and his clubhead stays out (too much, I think, but since the OP's goes way, way under while his hands go out, he has to feel "more" like Rickie Fowler).

[stricklerlee]

Thanks for sharing, stricklerlee. It's always cool to see player who has a strong will to improve.

Wow, I kind of noticed it too now. I guess I'll have to go to basics since this jumpy swing isn't right.

[Shanks A Million]

Trust me - it doesn't work that way. It feels powerful to whip the club around behind you like that, but your hands are what generate the power, and they're not gaining a lot of depth when the clubhead whips around like that. Plus the clubhead weighs a fair amount, and if that's off-plane you're going to have to adjust it constantly.

Golf is a game where power feels weak. That's the reason so many of us have a hard time believing that a 20 handicap can hit a 300 yard drive. His perennial excuse is that he's athletic, and all that jive, but it just ain't so. World long drive champions are not big body builder types; the longest driver out there is 5'11", 165 lb Jamie Sadlowski, who's a scratch golfer.

The moral of the story is that what seems powerful, in golf, is weak. Taking the club back flat with shallow hands feels strong, but it's not. Flipping the club at the bottom of the swing feels strong, but it's not. When learning to hit a golf ball, the proper technique will feel both extreme, and weak. There's a period of settling in after each swing change as well. When you do these things people here are telling you to do, it's going to feel like you're losing power. Don't worry, you're not.