Swing advice: It seems I can't physically swing how I am supposed to.

[Cossackred]

First of all, I'm very new to golf and not very good, so with that said, I've taken a couple of lessons, bought some dvd's, and watched mutiple youtube videos and they all seem to lead to "uncoiling" for power. It helped me hit straighter and further. Well, problem is I have a bad shoulder and back. So, any time I go through a large bucket at the range or 18 holes on the course, swinging like this. The uncoiling and twisting crews up my shoulder and I end up with twisted ribs and in the chiropractor's office a few times while being on the couch for a week with ice. So, kind of frustrating, since I'm very excited about the added distance and accuracy.

Anyways, here are my questions?

Is there a way to swing well without the "uncoiling" part?

Do you think there are adjustments that can be made to a swing to get added distance without so much twisting of the back and right shoulder?  I was told I can change my grip to a stronger grip which will help my release, picking up swing speed on the second half of my swing, but it hurts accuracy for newer golfers. Haven't tried it though.

Are there any pro's that don't do this?

Or should I just give up on golf since I'll never be able to swing right without screwing up my back and shoulder?

thanks for your time

[Elvisliveson]

You can build a swing around your body type so it is more natural and comfortable. You might consider getting this book. http://www.zipgolfer.com/laws-of-the-golf-swing-hardcover-book-jim-suttie-t-j-tomasi-mike-adams/

[Cossackred]

Do you think I could take different aspects from different builds to make a swing I could use? I fit in a couple of those. I'm tall and lean, but my swing would be based on not being that flexible.

Any thoughts on what has been called the "hammer grip"? or really strong grips. It seems easier to get speed in my release this way, but my accuracy goes way down. A friend had me hitting this way, getting all of my speed from my right hand like I was using it to push through. I was having a tough time making consistent solid contact though and it became extremely frustrating. Guess practice or getting some lessons based on where I am body wise would help, but money is at an all time low and $60 for every 30 minutes is going to be tough to come by.

The problem being I need to be able to get swing speed without a real back swing with any twisting. I can follow through just fine, but it's the twist and uncoil in the back swing that gets me out of whack and out of the game.

I'll look further into that book, but if it just sits everyone in those 3 categories, I'm not going to fit into one of them.

[WUTiger]

Quote:

Do you think there are adjustments that can be made to a swing to get added distance without so much twisting of the back and right shoulder? ...

Or should I just give up on golf since I'll never be able to swing right without screwing up my back and shoulder? ...

Since you appear to be dedicated to the game, you would be a good candidate for a swing and motion analysis by a trainer certified by the Titleist Performance Institute. TPI trainers often work with a teaching pro. Trainer takes 20+ measurements of physical strengths and motion ranges, and gives you an exercise routine to overcome weaknesses. Also, pro can help you with swing adjustments to bypass fixed limitations. I have an arthritic right hip, and I'm working with a trainer and pro now.

TPI = http://www.mytpi.com/

Also see: http://thesandtrap.com/forum/thread/41896/tpi-analysis-anybody-had-one

[tweaky]

Coss-

yer a time bomb tickin'.  i too am dealing with a bad back (two bad lower discs).  your decision is which is more important- your golf or your back and shoulder.  everybody will send you to various places trying to help (yeah, like i'm any different ).  from the sound of it you shouldn't try for more distance but go for accuracy with what you have.  if it hurts that much that you have to go thru that much aid after swinging then i can't imagine any type of swing that'll solve your speed problem without hurting as much if not more.  is it just pain or is there an underlying issue such as bad discs and/or torn ligaments?

[MiniBlueDragon]

There are a lot of adverts on TheSandTrap for the "Perfect Connection Golf Swing". Having watched a lot of his videos and signed-up for the free email course I think it may be of benefit to you if you're having trouble although for me I don't feel it's the right type of swing for my own body. Considering it's all free it may be worth taking a look at that.

[Cossackred]

Originally Posted by tweaky

Coss-

yer a time bomb tickin'.  i too am dealing with a bad back (two bad lower discs).  your decision is which is more important- your golf or your back and shoulder.  everybody will send you to various places trying to help (yeah, like i'm any different ).  from the sound of it you shouldn't try for more distance but go for accuracy with what you have.  if it hurts that much that you have to go thru that much aid after swinging then i can't imagine any type of swing that'll solve your speed problem without hurting as much if not more.  is it just pain or is there an underlying issue such as bad discs and/or torn ligaments?

I think it all comes back to a shoulder injury in college I got while doing some volunteer work with mentally disabled children. But I've been swinging a club for about a year with no issue. Once I started twisting and uncoiling in my swing, the area in my shoulder that was injured before swelled up, but the feeling I got from hitting straight and long was just amazing. What happens is, my shoulder swells from the twisting and "spring" type action in the uncoil. Then the swelling pops a rib in my right upper back out, along with a nerve in my shoulder. All together, this causes a sharp pain below my shoulder blade in my back, pain and swelling under my collar bone on the right side, and the inability to lift my right arm straight out to the side passed the hight of my shoulder. The swelling goes down and the rib pops back into place, but the nerve on my shoulder that causes me not to be able to lift my arm up to the side right, needs to be put back into place by the chiropractor....which leaves my swollen and in pain on the couch for a geed 2 days and not doing anything active for about a week.

I'm guessing you're right in that I should just forget about the added distance and work on accuracy with my old swing. But the distance was so nice.

[Cossackred]

I watched the first video on grip, and it was cool. Then it said "Watch for our next Mini-Clinic lesson tomorrow. That’s when I help you perfect your set-up … because your backswing is so totally dependent upon it." So how does it work? I'll get another email tomorrow and each day from then on out? Not complaining, just wondering. I'd rather not spend the $60-70 if all I have to do is wait.

thanks again for the link!

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

There are a lot of adverts on TheSandTrap for the "Perfect Connection Golf Swing". Having watched a lot of his videos and signed-up for the free email course I think it may be of benefit to you if you're having trouble although for me I don't feel it's the right type of swing for my own body. Considering it's all free it may be worth taking a look at that.

[MiniBlueDragon]

Originally Posted by Cossackred

I'll get another email tomorrow and each day from then on out?

Yep exactly. There are a lot of emails sent out with free videos showing different parts of the swing and how they should/shouldn't be performed if you want to stick to his "injury free" swing style. I think the main video collection is more detailed stuff and in a specific order but if you're happy to wait it out and then piece together differenty things he says then that would be my suggestion to begin with.

I'd also definitely suggest taking a look at Shawn Clements stuff on YouTube as his swing seems to be really natural and driven solely on what your body can do - http://www.youtube.com/user/clemshaw

[shoulderlean13]

I took kind of have the same problem.  My right shoulder has a torn labrum, so my right arm actually hangs a little lower then my left arm.  I tend to swing more with my arms, I feel like I can't twist on my back swing very far.

I'll have to check out some of these suggestions.

[Ringworld]

I had back problems ... not to the point of convalensce, well maybe, but I changed my swing 8 years ago completely from the ground up.  I have moved to a hip turn versus a twisting back turn.  Less stress on the back and a single hinge point at my shoulder.  Tell you one thing the simplified swing is consistent.  My advice have a golf pro show you the proper technique.  It will take 22 days to break a bad habit and 22 additional days to build a new one.  Your body isn't a light switch to be turned off/on.  You need to build up to what you want.  Good luck.

[tshapiro]

The book know your swing by glenn Monday describes a target oriented swing that enfasizes the positions of the left wrist and a go with the flow action of your right side. It's a book method that is built around clean ball striking rather than core power. Using his method, I can generally drive about 200 with virtually no core muscling... And straight as could be. While using your mid section for power is nice to have on tap, if that was a problem for me I would definitely leverage the clean ball striking method.