My Swing (mvmac)

[mvmac]

Working on a couple things:

- Plugging in the lower ribs and top of pelvis, some call it stacking. Something I was doing well and got away from. When I do it correctly the legs feel straighter at 1, posterior side engaged, more anterior pelvic tilt (feeling). This will help my hip depth and stretch of left lat on the backswing.
- Basically feel like from backswing to downswing I'm moving farther and farther away from the ball.
- Hand path working a bit straighter back and stretching the left lat to my right foot (visual) but also want to feel some stretch and using the arms to help. I do a band drill for this.
- Downswing feeling like I'm moving ribs and pelvis away from the ball
- Pelvis shift still stays too far right for a little too long.
- Like the reaction it's creating on the downswing with getting more force into the club
 

Now that the arms have more space my handle is the deepest I've ever gotten it. And club not in and behind the hands.

[iacas]

So what's your recent tournament history?

We haven't gotten updates on those as promised! 😄

[mvmac]

On 9/16/2021 at 11:02 AM, iacas said:

So what's your recent tournament history?

We haven't gotten updates on those as promised! 😄

Trip to Oregon was no good, hit the driver terrible so I was basically scrambling every hole. Slowly working my way through my left misses off the tee. Mostly mechanics but also part mental with trusting it on the course. Can't reproduce the miss on the range.

Finished one shot out of playoff for US Mid Am and US FourBall qualifiers. 

Got a decent lead in our points race.

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Noticed that as I've been trying to improve rib cage and hip depth that the right ankle and foot would get unstable. Asked my trainer/pt about it and this is what he recommended. He just got certified in a foot program.

Fingers crossed but for the first time I can really feel myself winding up the upper torso over a solid lower body. But doing it athletically not just faking it by not moving stuff around. It's the most rib cage rotation I've had going back without trying to force it.

I like that I’m doing more work at the joint and that the joint is inside my right ankle at 4. I think the key for me with this foot tripod thing is to keep the right knee over the foot, not letting it rotate towards the middle of my stance. I can feel the "spiraling" effect.

I have high arches and when I go into my backswing the foot supinates incorrectly losing the big toe joint contact. Ideally you would want to "build" more of an arch of the foot on the backswing and use that "ramp" on the downswing.

This would be another way of explaining it. If the arch of the foot collapses then you basically lose access to the deep front line.

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[mvmac]

Progressed to these exercises for my right foot.

Thought you guys might find this interesting. Sent this to an instructor that asks me questions on IG. He says he uses "utilises bio-mechanics, motion analysis, and video in his teaching. A sound knowledge in body mechanics", but needs me to explain the difference between pelvis and hip rotation lol

 

[iacas]

In talking about the hip turn… To those of you wondering "huh?," consider this (and @mvmac can correct me if this isn't quite right), the way I sometimes/often phrase it to students is this:

• Set up to the ball in your address posture.
• Take your right hand and put it between your right testicle and your right thigh.
• Turn in such a way that you squish your nut against your hand and into your thigh, like you're pinching your hand between your nut and your thigh.

You don't get that feeling when your trail knee rotates way out.

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As for the foot stuff… I see it more often from people turning with their leg extending much too much and their hips going forward, which puts their trail leg on a steep slant.

[mvmac]

Made a visit a couple weeks to see Michael Jacobs, get a recent 3D capture, go through some of his recent findings with the body and how it can apply to my swing. Small snippet of the visit.

Priority that he saw was that I was overcommitting to the right leg on the backswing.

Mario Review from last week.

One change from other recent posts is to strengthen my grip and make sure I'm in the fingers of my left hand. Helps me reduce any left misses.

With the swing, cues are basically to move my right shoulder straight back and then towards my midline. Like if my right lat was "reaching" for my left heel. Then reverse it on the downswing.

 

[golftech]

On 10/11/2021 at 10:00 AM, iacas said:

In talking about the hip turn… To those of you wondering "huh?," consider this (and @mvmac can correct me if this isn't quite right), the way I sometimes/often phrase it to students is this:

• Set up to the ball in your address posture.
• Take your right hand and put it between your right testicle and your right thigh.
• Turn in such a way that you squish your nut against your hand and into your thigh, like you're pinching your hand between your nut and your thigh.

You don't get that feeling when your trail knee rotates way out.

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As for the foot stuff… I see it more often from people turning with their leg extending much too much and their hips going forward, which puts their trail leg on a steep slant.

This was a feel a former tour pro from the 1940’s taught me.  He was friends with Hogan and I’ve often heard this attributed to Hogan’s feel.  

[mvmac]

Hitting it great lately. Feels are pretty simple, pull back with the right shoulder/lat on the backswing and pull back with the left shoulder/lat on the downswing. Another visual is the distance from the sternum to the ball doesn't change.

 

 

[mvmac]

Took these updated cues into competition last week and overall went well. Struggled at times with some left drives but that was more of my "comfortable" tendencies rearing their head. 

Tournament was the Vegas Cup, us vs TPC Vegas and we made big comeback on the last day, winning 10 out 12 matches to win the cup back. I was in the last group, we were checking Golf Genius and when I was hitting my tee shot on 18 I thought my match was going to determine the winner of the event. In reality we had already won but regardless, hit the best drive of my life on 18, made par and won my match 2 up.

Keeping it simple. Feeling like my arms/hands do nothing on the takeaway as the pivot starts with my sternum and ribs or right side pulling back and then reverse it coming down. Some days the pulling back cue works better than the sternum/ribs cue but the main point is the arms feel like they're hanging at address and are "slung" back. Very hard for me. My tendency is to start the move with my left arm adducting into my body.

Very functional right now, hitting it great even though there are several things I'm not liking with the mechanics.

 

[iacas]

Well, at least your team is capable of winning some team events… 😉

Congrats!

[mvmac]

Sticking with the same feels as my last post. Sternum moves first, "drags" the arms back, "ribs spiraling". 

To help with reducing the left arm adduction in the takeaway I've been using the Gravity Fit training aid where I'm feeling my back push into the paddle to stretch out the arms. Also gives me some good feedback in transition, keeping the tension on the bands creates the room on the downswing.

Last swing here is with some fitness chucks as a slant board for my right foot. Amazing how that little change gives me a great feeling  of"climbing" into the right side (left hip doesn't shift out towards the ball early). Then 6 is really good, illustrating for me how important the body motion is to the club travel.

 

 

 

[mvmac]

On 11/24/2021 at 11:10 PM, mvmac said:

Sticking with the same feels as my last post. Sternum moves first, "drags" the arms back, "ribs spiraling". 

Same feels just adding some right hip flexion to help spacing and rib spiraling. Get some hip flexion then add more. Idea is that the belt buckle never gets closer to the ball. Could have more "leave the arms behind" but this is the best my pelvis has looked on the backswing. First two swings were flush city.

 

[mvmac]

On 12/2/2021 at 9:45 PM, mvmac said:

Same feels just adding some right hip flexion to help spacing and rib spiraling. Get some hip flexion then add more. Idea is that the belt buckle never gets closer to the ball. Could have more "leave the arms behind" but this is the best my pelvis has looked on the backswing. First two swings were flush city.

Same goals with some updated feels. Best I've ever hit it. Continuing to see the club pitch out nicely on the downswing, not in at 6.

- Setting up more on my heels, femurs back. Foot shuffle waggles on my heels which helps my trunk balance and create some momentum in the takeaway.

- Sternum stays the same height but pulls back and away from the ball on the backswing.

- Right palm faces camera at 3. Should feel a lot of tensioning in the obliques. Second swing video.

 

 

 

[iacas]

9 hours ago, mvmac said:

- Setting up more on my heels

Feel ain't real, because you've tended to get too far onto your toes/balls of your feet, or actually back in your heels?

From Mario talking about your ass being engaged, would imply to me you are still fairly well balanced in your feet. And I'd say this is a fairly mid-foot balance point (just behind the balls of your feet).

[mvmac]

Some gym practice that I'm pretty happy with. Couple drills I'm doing that's helping me "spiral" my torso better. I'm hitting these shots with a 7-iron with a putter grip on it. The flat part of the grip is rotated on there about 45 degrees. Similar to doing the closed face and hit a push drill. I'm just trying to rotate the flat part "on top" around 2 and then right palm faces the camera at 3. The putter grip just gives me a great awareness of where my hands are, especially on the downswing.

On 1/3/2022 at 6:17 AM, iacas said:

Feel ain't real, because you've tended to get too far onto your toes/balls of your feet, or actually back in your heels?

From Mario talking about your ass being engaged, would imply to me you are still fairly well balanced in your feet. And I'd say this is a fairly mid-foot balance point (just behind the balls of your feet).

Yes I meant to say "feeling more on my heels", which is true because me being 50/50 is more on my heels. Like I just texted you, I think it comes down to more of a femurs back/less knee flex deal. With that swing I feel like I have very little knee flex, it's crazy.

 

[mvmac]

On 1/2/2022 at 9:03 PM, mvmac said:

Same goals with some updated feels. Best I've ever hit it. Continuing to see the club pitch out nicely on the downswing, not in at 6.

- Setting up more on my heels, femurs back. Foot shuffle waggles on my heels which helps my trunk balance and create some momentum in the takeaway.

- Sternum stays the same height but pulls back and away from the ball on the backswing.

- Right palm faces camera at 3. Should feel a lot of tensioning in the obliques. Second swing video.

Basically same stuff and putter grip drills.

 

[mvmac]

Adding a little more flow to the motion. Trying to create some more momentum to the pivot. "Tossing" the club and arms more in front of me on the takeaway. 

 

 

[mvmac]

Been a few months since my last update. Overall been a struggle but think I'm working my way out of it. Weird mix on the course of hitting some great shots with some awful ones, typically left misses. Common theme with previous posts is my tendency to lower down and forward towards the ball on the backswing, which limits space for me to work with on the downswing.

Long story short, was recommend by a PT at my gym to reach out to this guy and it's been very beneficial. Learned some cool stuff about my body and why my tendency is to dump my left side forward.

Feeling/cues are:

- Maintain connection to the ground with the inside part of my left foot on the takeaway. Foot, knee works more inward, towards the center of my stance.
- I know I did it correctly when I feel the pressure "hit" my right foot and my right hip shifts higher. Ideally this keeps my pelvis from spinning and frees up with upper body to wind up more effectively. 
- In transition (or even end of backswing) keep my back towards the target as I shift my body forward.
- With this swing below, my pelvis is a bit too shifted to my right foot on the backswing but overdoing the feel a bit.

For more of a body initiated "one-piece" takeaway. I flush it almost every time I do this drill.