Hitting rocks

[iblack87]

So I have been taking some lessons recently and have really formed my swing...so my coach seems to think.  Even though I am still striking the ball on the hozel, he thinks that the swing is fundementally there.  Before my most recent lesson, i was hitting 8 iron about 155, 6 iron about 175-180 and 5 iron about 190.  when i got to my lesson last saturday, my coach told me to i needed to hinge my wrists more in the back swing to create more downward force on the ball.  this got rid of the stiff wrists and feeling like i was swaying alot but also created a new problem.  I cannot seem to stop shanking the ball or hitting "line drives".  it feels like i am hitting rocks (not being able to close the club face quick enough).

Help!  what to do???  I have tried a few different grips but dont want to over compensate, i have tried to hinge my wrists only a little.  when i go back to not hinging my wrists, the swing i once had comes back!

What do you all think?

Thanks

[TidyFreak]

Why would you be trying to close the cub-face ? Is it open during the back-swing ?

I would imagine that the guys on here who are best qualified to analyse your problem and help out will want to see a video.

TF

[SpannersReady]

Originally Posted by TidyFreak

Why would you be trying to close the cub-face ? Is it open during the back-swing ?

This is what some instructor told me to do. He had me fully open the club-face on the back swing and then shut it on the way through. seemed daft to me but hey. Maybe you have to be much better than me to do it.

[rustyredcab]

I am NOT a golf pro...

If you were hitting an 8-iron 155 yards, you were hinging your wrists. Maybe not as much as your teacher wants, but if you were hitting the ball without any hinge it would be going closer to 40 yards. Almost all club-head speed comes from the unhinging of one's wrists. So, what feels like like not hinging your wrists is actually hinging your wrists at least enough to generate enough speed for that 8-iron to go 155 yards. What we feel we are doing and what we actually do are often in conflict.

What to do? Do as your instructor says or change instructors. I'd suggest you start with the former. There is no use having an instructor and then modifying the instruction on your own (or on these forums).

For a tiny change that might help, do everything as instructed (grip, setup, hinge...) and try feeling a pause at the top of your backswing. That may allow you to finish the backswing and hinge before starting down. It may feel like a long pause even though it very likely is not a long pause. On video, what feels like a long pause may be no pause at all.

[TidyFreak]

This is what some instructor told me to do. He had me fully open the club-face on the back swing and then shut it on the way through. seemed daft to me but hey. Maybe you have to be much better than me to do it.

Well, maybe the instructors have a goal in mind and their instruction is a means to an end, but I've not heard of a pro promoting such an action before. Still, I'm no teaching pro so I don't feel I can second guess them, but at the least it's intriguing and I'd like to know the logic behind it. Someone here will have the answer, I'm sure.

TF

[Harmonious]

To the OP, I would suggest you go back to your instructor with your questions.  It's very easy to get overwhelmed with conflicting information, and who better to diagnose your individual problem(s) than the person you have selected (and paid) to give you advice?

Regarding the "opening"  of the clubface on the backswing:  What is considered a "square" clubface at the top of the backswing (generally considered to be the ideal position) is actually open 90* to the swingpath.  This is due to the physical makeup of your wrists.  The only way to get back to "square" at impact, therefore, is to close the clubface during the downswing. How this should be done will vary with the individual instructor, but it must be done.

[rustyredcab]

Originally Posted by Harmonious

To the OP, I would suggest you go back to your instructor with your questions.  It's very easy to get overwhelmed with conflicting information, and who better to diagnose your individual problem(s) than the person you have selected (and paid) to give you advice?

...

+1

And, if you can video the advise you are getting, it will help with your review after the lesson.

[iblack87]

So I went to the range today and realized that I was standing to far away from the ball making me reach to far in and hitting it off the hozel.  B). As said earlier in the post, I was trying to over exagerate the wrist break causing me to slice the hell out of the ball.  C). I also realized that keeping my left elbow in more to my body allows me to make a cleaner swing plane when addressing the ball.

Thanks for all your help, repetition is what is needed now as when I hit the ball well it feels like im not even putting any effort into it!

I have a lesson this coming Saturday and will throw up a video of the swing!

igblack

[JetFan1983]

This is a question best suited for your instructor. It's his job to get you to believe in what you're learning, after all. It's not really a great sign for your teacher that you're turning to the internet for answers and not him. But you still have to ask him first.

Originally Posted by iblack87

Help!  what to do???  I have tried a few different grips but dont want to over compensate, i have tried to hinge my wrists only a little.  when i go back to not hinging my wrists, the swing i once had comes back!

What do you all think?

Don't start jumping off in six different directions. Your teacher should be the one guiding all your changes and explaining why those changes are necessary. Ask him why. Why are the shanks happening? And does his answer give you belief that the shanks are a necessary path towards improving? Because I shank all the time during my lessons, but I never once have the thought "oh god, does this guy know what he's doing??" He explains himself fully and I believe every word he says. If you can't say the same thing, then hmmm it may be time to move on.