My Swing (DanStock)

[DanStock]

Hey guys, my name is Dan and this is my very first post here as well as my first time posting my swing online for anyone to critique.  I could really use some advice...

Just a brief background of my golfing "career" first.  I'll try to keep it as short as I can

I started playing when I was about 12 years old, but it was a good 2-3 summers before I did anything more than hit the range or practice greens.  I'd play a hole or 2 here and there, but I was a very slow starter.  By the time I was 15 I was playing quite frequently and shooting consistently in the mid-to-high 80's.  This was maintained for a few years until I turned 18 and then life took over and I dropped down to playing a few times per summer at the very most - occasionally even going for a full season without getting out on the course.

I am now just about to turn 27 years old and I usually manage to get out about a half a dozen times per year at least and I'm comfortably shooting mid-to-low 90's.   I'd really love to get back into the game again though...

With that in mind, earlier this summer, I finally decided to upgrade my equipment.  Up until then I had been using the same cheapo clubs I had bought brand new when I was 12 (the whole set was around $100, not to mention they were women's clubs because I wasn't tall enough at the time for men's).  I ended up getting fitted for a set of Ping G15 irons and later picked up a Ping G15 driver (9 degree, stiff shaft).  I've gotten out for 3 rounds since I got the irons but only one with the new driver.

I looooove the new irons.  I hit them consistently, I'm starting to really be able to dial in my distances and my short game has been better than ever.  I picked up an old Ping My Day putter too and my putting has been spot on as well (29 total putts last round).  However, my driving has been terrible .  Off the range I can bang out fairly straight, long drives pretty regularly.  Occasionally I'll see a mild fade and once in a while my huge slice comes out to bite me.  Still, it seems like a great improvement over my cheap old driver.

So, after a few weeks of practice I finally found time for an early morning round yesterday.  I was very excited to see if a new driver would improve my game as much as I expected.  Unfortunately, I ended up going the whole 18 while hitting only 3 fairways and lost my drive on the first 4 holes (all waay to the right) setting the pace for a horrible day off the tee.

I only had my cellphone with me at the time but, by the 16th hole, I decided to get some video of my swing in action to see if I could dissect the problem.  I had my father video my drive from face-view (on the par 5 16th) and from behind (on the par 4 17th).

My cellphone camera doesn't have a very high frame-rate, but maybe you guys could still give me some tips based on these videos.

The first swing was a loooong, high, hard slice ending up on the adjacent fairway about 230-240yds.  The second swing was a hiiiigh shot with a mild fade that ended up dead center of the fairway, probably about 240ish.  It would have been what i considered a great drive if it hadn't gone so high in the air causing it to balloon and go no where once it hit the ground.

If you guys have any tips I'll gladly give them a try and post up new videos with the results!  Thanks in advance!

[brgolf68]

first off, set up wise i would stand closer to the ball.  your arms look tense and not relaxed, your arms should be dropping almost straight down and should be very relaxed.  ex: at :26 you can see an upside down "v" shape formed between your arms and body, this "v" shouldnt be this big and should almost look like a right triangle with points at your belt, hands, and armpit area.  this big "v" that you have goin on now could be resulting in you hitting the ball off the toe of the club causing it to go right

your swing could also be the problem.  i notice on your downswing, you take a steep angle to the ball instead of a more "around your body" swing.  in other words, when you begin your downswing, you come "over the top" and hit the ball with your club moving from the right side to the left causing the ball to spin right, making the ball slice right.  if you understand what i mean, when youre at the top of your swing, try having your club and arms more like the swing on the left with a straight left arm instead of the one on the right:

this should help you swing more around your body and making cleaner contact with the ball instead of slicing across the ball. it also might help you hit more of a draw.

hope this helps

[haddockd]

Hi DanStock,

I am not a pro by any means, but I think you could really help your slices by turning your shoulders and not your arms on the back swing. What I mean is actively turn your shoulders to the top and make your arms passive. I think it can help with any plane issues you may face.

Just my 2 cents. :)

[DaSportsGuy]

From what I see, you swing the club like it's a baseball bat. When I first started a couple years ago I did too since I've played baseball my whole life(and still do).

Try standing closer to the ball and dropping your hands a little bit rather than having them in a straight line with the club. Also, try to keep you're front leg stiff upon impact. You have good hip action but keep that front leg stiff just like you're turning on a fastball haha.

[Hankster]

Originally Posted by DaSportsGuy

Try standing closer to the ball and dropping your hands a little bit rather than having them in a straight line with the club. Also, try to keep you're front leg stiff upon impact. You have good hip action but keep that front leg stiff just like you're turning on a fastball haha.

100% agree with DaSportsGuy.  When I started I held my club like that, straight with elbows locked.  This stance works, but it's not ideal.  You need to relax your arms and drop them straight down.  Your arms and club should not be in a straight line to the ball.  Check out any PGA players teeing off and you'll notice their arms "fall down" from their shoulder.

[DanStock]

Quote:

first off, set up wise i would stand closer to the ball.  your arms look tense and not relaxed, your arms should be dropping almost straight down and should be very relaxed.  ex: at :26 you can see an upside down "v" shape formed between your arms and body, this "v" shouldnt be this big and should almost look like a right triangle with points at your belt, hands, and armpit area.  this big "v" that you have goin on now could be resulting in you hitting the ball off the toe of the club causing it to go right

Thanks!  I've never really video'd my swing before (or even had a lesson for that matter).  I just always remembered hearing, "keep your left arm straight!" so I guess I've always just locked my arms at setup and tried to maintain that as best I can.  I haven't had a chance to swing my clubs since I read that, but I can tell you that I had a real "lightbulb" moment when I saw it.  I can't wait to try everything with the correct address position and more relaxed arms.  It might take a while to re-learn, but I have high hopes that it will make a big difference.  I'll practice and try to get some videos to report back with.  Thanks very much for your input!

Originally Posted by haddockd

Hi DanStock,

I am not a pro by any means, but I think you could really help your slices by turning your shoulders and not your arms on the back swing. What I mean is actively turn your shoulders to the top and make your arms passive. I think it can help with any plane issues you may face.

Just my 2 cents. :)

Anyway you could give me some clarification on this one?  I'm trying to picture in my mind how to focus on "active shoulders", but I'm having a tough time.  Got any videos or maybe I just need a little more explanation... sorry, it's been a long day at work and my brain's a little mushy lol  Thanks very much for your advice, though!  I'd definitely love to try it.

Originally Posted by DaSportsGuy

From what I see, you swing the club like it's a baseball bat. When I first started a couple years ago I did too since I've played baseball my whole life(and still do).

Try standing closer to the ball and dropping your hands a little bit rather than having them in a straight line with the club. Also, try to keep you're front leg stiff upon impact. You have good hip action but keep that front leg stiff just like you're turning on a fastball haha.

I haven't swung a bat in maaaaany years, but I would have still been playing ball when I originally "learned" my swing mechanics - so I can definitely see how some of that may have trickled over (although, I was always more of a hockey player than anything lol).  I think most of it was just the lack of anyone every really showing me how to do it.  Since I started pretty early in life and alwasy did "good enough" for just playing for fun, I never really had anyone look at my swing or give me any type of instruction before.  Like I said above, I always just heard the old, "Keep your left arm straight" tip a million times and I guess I just put too much credance into that?  Who knows... but I'm definitely dying to try it out with a more relaxed stance.  I'll try to get out tomorrow and hit a bucket (if time/weather allows) and report back!  Thanks sooo much for the advice.  I'll let you know how it works out!

Originally Posted by Hankster

100% agree with DaSportsGuy.  When I started I held my club like that, straight with elbows locked.  This stance works, but it's not ideal.  You need to relax your arms and drop them straight down.  Your arms and club should not be in a straight line to the ball.  Check out any PGA players teeing off and you'll notice their arms "fall down" from their shoulder.

I'm definitely going to give it a try.  Hopefully tomorrow!  I'll let you all know how it goes.

[DanStock]

So I finally made it out to the range today.  Hit a whole large bucket with just my driver and focused on the areas I wanted to improve.  By the end of it, I was really getting into a groove!  Not every single shot was straight - but I bet at least 60% of them were!  The rest were mild fades, the occasional slice and, once in a while, even a few nice draws!

The areas I focused on were staying closer to the ball and keeping my hands down and arms more relaxed.  I also concentrated on my swing plane and making sure I wasn`t coming over the top or outside-in.  Lastly, I tried to keep more weigh on my left (front) foot during the whole swing and that seemed to really help!  Overall, I think I took major steps today and now I just have to practice more and make all these things my new habits.  I`m excited!

I tried to get some video, but all I had was my cellphone.  It was hard to get it setup on my bag correctly and actually get the whole swing in the shot.  I got a few decent ones, I think, but here`s a video of one that was a nice long perfectly straight ball using my new and improved swing:

Thanks for the helpful advice guys and definitely keep it coming!  I still have quite a ways to go...

[MPS67]

Hi Dan,

You have a very nice swing! There's one thing that I suggest you work on to improve. And that is to maintain your posture (spine angle) when viewed from the "down the line" perspective. I've attached an image of your address position above one of your impact position for comparison. You're guilty of what is labeled a "hip extension" where your hips move towards the ball and you stand up thru the swing. You will lose consistency and power with this fault. For example, notice how both your head and the club's head are farther away at impact? You're probably missing the sweet spot and hitting by the toe of your club face at times.

If you want to fix this, you'll need to turn your knees, hips, torso, and shoulders more effectively. There's another individual on this forum that has had the same issue recently. I'd suggest you take a look at some of the remedies members have posted.

Here's a link to the post --> LINK

Here's another video that may be of help:

[DanStock]

Originally Posted by MPS67

Hi Dan,

You have a very nice swing! There's one thing that I suggest you work on to improve. And that is to maintain your posture (spine angle) when viewed from the "down the line" perspective. I've attached an image of your address position above one of your impact position for comparison. You're guilty of what is labeled a "hip extension" where your hips move towards the ball and you stand up thru the swing. You will lose consistency and power with this fault. For example, notice how both your head and the club's head are farther away at impact? You're probably missing the sweet spot and hitting by the toe of your club face at times.

If you want to fix this, you'll need to turn your knees, hips, torso, and shoulders more effectively. There's another individual on this forum that has had the same issue recently. I'd suggest you take a look at some of the remedies members have posted.

Hey, thanks for taking the time to analyze my swing and thanks for the kind words!  My swing definitely could stand to be much more consistent, so I'll focus on maintaining my posture as well.  I'm sure I can make progress now that I know what areas to focus on.  As for distance, when I actually get ahold of it I'm definitely happy with it, but it's just a matter of doing it right every single time.  Hell, I'd be fine hitting a shorter ball as long as I knew what direction it was going to end up! LOL

I'lll definitely have a look through that other thread and check out that video as soon as I get a chance (I'm at work currently haha), but thanks again for all your help!  I really appreciate it.

I'll keep you posted as I progress.

[DanStock]

Got some practice swings in today... things are definitely coming along!  Still not quite there, but I'm hitting a lot more good shots than not.  Here's a video of 10 real-time swings from today, and one slowed down a bit.  Any opinions on what I should be working on?  Thanks in advance!

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

Your move from the top down is sort of "all arms".  You swing back (a bit too far for best consistency, BTW), and then the next thing to move is your shoulders and arms starting back down the way they came.  This is a problem that will rob you of power and make you tend toward slices, pulls, or a combination of the two.

I'd try this, first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW5AhI36LJg&feature;=related

That drill will help you get the feeling of a more appropriate backswing (as opposed to yours which has too much arm involvement), and will help you get the feeling of how the shoulders make the transition from backswing to downswing without coming over the top.

Then, you need to work on getting your hips to slide forward, ahead of your upper body, to start the downswing.  This will promote dropping the club into "the slot" and swinging through from the inside once your shoulders and arms do start to swing forward.  It will also help you build a lot more power, from the ground up, since moving your lower body first creates a lot of torque through the large muscles of your torso, which in turn apply that force to the shoulders/arms.

There might be other things you need to work on, but I think you need to focus first on less arms and more lower body.

-Andrew