My Swing (Ernest Jones)

[billchao]

I'm probably not the best person to be offering you advice, especially considering the regular contributors to your thread, so take this with a grain of salt:

If you're really concerned about the goat humping, what worked for me was rolling my behind on a wall. I would just stand in my hallway and get into my address position without a club and shimmy my butt onto the wall. Then I would simulate my swing in slow motion and try to keep my rear end on the wall. I really wanted to isolate the muscles that I was using, where to apply pressure with my feet, etc. Once I got that kinesthetic sense down, I started to incorporate it into faster movements and eventually real swings. It felt weird at first, but after I did it enough times, it just became a normal motion to me, and the downswing move I used to do feels weird to me now.

Again, I'm no expert, so if one of the other guys comes around and tells you not to worry about it, just pretend I never said anything.

[Ernest Jones]

Thanks Billchao. For now the question is less about HOW to fix the goat humping and more SHOULD I fix the goat humping. Obviously it's a flaw but I don't know if it's anywhere near being a priority right now.

[Lihu]

Thanks Billchao. For now the question is less about HOW to fix the goat humping and more SHOULD I fix the goat humping. Obviously it's a flaw but I don't know if it's anywhere near being a priority right now.

I just watched this video about "goat humping", after googling what it meant.

http://montescheinblum.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/early-extension-goat-humping/

This probably explains why MVMAC had me setup at address a specific way.

[billchao]

Thanks Billchao. For now the question is less about HOW to fix the goat humping and more SHOULD I fix the goat humping. Obviously it's a flaw but I don't know if it's anywhere near being a priority right now.

You're welcome. I can't answer that question because I just don't know enough about the swing.

I can tell you that the goat humping used to help me get my path "on plane." Basically, it took my steep swing (which points inside of the ball) and pushed the entire arc about three inches closer to the target line. That's how I used to swing in to out. When I fixed the goat humping, my path took a hard left, which is what I'm working on now.

I guess I'm saying it caused more problems (read: revealed more flaws) in my swing, so you may want to take that into consideration.

[Ernest Jones]

That's exactly what I'm experiencing now. The path is a big issue for me so it might be a "lesser of two evils" scenario right now. I'm thinking I might be able to ingrain that path and slowly work on eliminating or reducing the humping without losing the path. Might need to consider an Evolvr check-up soon to get advised on where to go from here.

[iacas]

That's exactly what I'm experiencing now. The path is a big issue for me so it might be a "lesser of two evils" scenario right now. I'm thinking I might be able to ingrain that path and slowly work on eliminating or reducing the humping without losing the path.

Might need to consider an Evolvr check-up soon to get advised on where to go from here.

Indeed, the path is probably first, but you'll want to make certain that you're not just achieving the path with a very closed position.

You  might add a dash of this drill:

It works on path (you can exaggerate it a little bit if you want, but don't go overboard) as well as better alignments at impact.

P.S. Early Extension, EE, Goat Humping - it's not always a bad thing, and people shouldn't get into the habit of believing that to be true. Goat humping can add speed and many PGA Tour players early extend a bit.

[Ernest Jones]

[QUOTE name="Ernest Jones" url="/t/54175/my-swing-ernest-jones/306#post_919315"] That's exactly what I'm experiencing now. The path is a big issue for me so it might be a "lesser of two evils" scenario right now. I'm thinking I might be able to ingrain that path and slowly work on eliminating or reducing the humping without losing the path. Might need to consider an Evolvr check-up soon to get advised on where to go from here.[/QUOTE] Indeed, the path is probably first, but you'll want to make certain that you're not just achieving the path with a very closed position. You  might add a dash of this drill: It works on path (you can exaggerate it a little bit if you want, but don't go overboard) as well as better alignments at impact. P.S. Early Extension, EE, Goat Humping - it's not always a bad thing, and people shouldn't get into the habit of believing that to be true. Goat humping can add speed and many PGA Tour players early extend a bit.

That's a great help, thanks @iacas very happy to hear you echo my own thoughts on this including using the drill you referenced. That's exactly what I'm working with as you can see from the post below. Haven't had much luck getting the hips to open but I'm trying to feel like I turn them hard at around A6, I think it's something that will improve very incrementally and I just need to be patient with it. [quote name="Ernest Jones" url="/t/54175/my-swing-ernest-jones/300_100#post_918525"]Tried a few sessions with a rope stretched from the rafters to a weight on the floor, didn't like it, way too obtrusive. Now I'm experimenting with a second golf ball (thanks @cipher ) placed behind my ball about 9 inches back along my target line. Can't hit my ball without hitting the back ball unless I come from the inside. It's working well so far, flatter shaft coming down and knees are under control. Hitting balls like this and mixing in [URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD0b6wDS_WE][U] this drill [/U][/URL], even though it's being presented as a Key#2 drill it's also a great drill for path and pivot.  On full speed swings I'm immediately banking my right foot onto its instep while simultaneously bringing my arms down to A6, this really gets the weight forward. Trying to get the foot to finish banking at the same instant as my hands reach their address position then just pivot left as fast as I can. Still not very open at impact but it's really helping with the path and I think if I keep at it and just focus on my priority piece (path) I'll slowly start to see more open hips at impact as a side effect. [/quote]

[Ernest Jones]

I'm a touch closed at A6 and more or less square at A7. I am working on getting more open at impact but is it OK to be a little closed at A6?

[iacas]

I'm a touch closed at A6 and more or less square at A7. I am working on getting more open at impact but is it OK to be a little closed at A6?

Square-ish at A6 is probably more the mid-point of that measurement.

[Ernest Jones]

Not a lot of change but the path seems to be something that I'm starting to ingrain well.

A5 nice, it's where I want it

A6 - from Iacas' comments the other day I'm guessing that this is too closed, hoping to get better here by really working on getting the hips to start opening earlier.

A7 - more open at A6 will really make this impact position much better, need to get the hips WAY more left.

Post impact - trail knee is heading in a better direction. I think that focusing on that knee and getting the hips to open earlier and faster will be the goal for now unless I see regression in my path. Keeping the right heel down a little longer will probably help too.

All in all I'm very happy with the path improvement even if I am cheating by being so closed, I think that's something that I can improve incrementally.

[saevel25]

VIDEO IS PRIVATE

[Ernest Jones]

Damn. I'll fix it at work. Don't know how from my phone.

[Ernest Jones]

Fixed. Video available now...

[Ernest Jones]

Starting to see some good stuff here but WAY too many swing thoughts! Gotta get some of this shit on autopilot!

I love what's happening to the club shaft at around the 00:12 second mark.

Swing thoughts notes to myself:

1. keep the BS feeling shorter and keep the club face looking at the ball
2. at A4 drop that club head HARD really exaggerate this move
3. as soon as I feel the weight of the club dropping behind itself open hips hard to the left

Screen capture from that video, liking the path but obviously my hips could stand to be more open. Working on getting that path without being too closed.

Here's some captures from another swing where I really felt like I got my hips nice and open, unfortunately I seem to have come OTT as well.

Unfortunately, at the moment it seems when I get myself more open (meaning square in my case) at A6 I lose the path a bit but I am seeing some incremental progress.

[JetFan1983]

I dunno if you need to tilt your neck down that much , but other than that nit-pick, it's looking better! Sweet.

[iacas]

@Ernest Jones , you know cmd-E or "Export" in the toolbar will export. You don't have to take screenshots. :)

[JetFan1983]

@Ernest Jones, you know cmd-E or "Export" in the toolbar will export. You don't have to take screenshots. :)

Oh yea, one of us probably should've mentioned that a while ago. Oops!

[Ernest Jones]

@Ernest Jones, you know cmd-E or "Export" in the toolbar will export. You don't have to take screenshots. :)

LOL, thanks.