Wrist Hinge and Swing Slot

[MichiganLefty]

Hello, everyone! I am a "newbie" member, but have been reading threads on The Sand Trap for a few years now. Recently, I made a breakthrough for myself and wanted to solicit feedback on my thoughts. Bear with me as my knowledge is "self taught" from pouring through A LOT of various materials and trial and error; A LOT of error!

I've read "Five Lessons" from Hogan, and reviewed at various stages of my development. The other day, I was thinking of the ideal of hands and arms starting slightly prior to the shoulders (I frequently employed a swing thought of shoulders to start the backswing, ala one-piece takeaway). However, my position at impact was weak and didn't generate the appropriate ball striking that I was seeking, i.e. Norman's "The Secret" wrist hinge.

This lead me to start my backswing with the hinging of my back wrist. To my amazement, my swing plane, albiet a bit more shallow, created a crisp, solid ball strike. My shoulder rotation came much easier and the ball impact has been much more consistent in my backyard net, at the range, and hopefully in my practice round tomorrow (started my first league a few weeks ago).

To be honest, it seems as though I've picked up a little yardage as a result. Guessing possibly from de-lofting my clubs. I'm not even quite to the point where I'm focusing on my core coil and lag (one thought at a time).

So, I'd be very grateful to hear any feedback that you could provide regarding this topic. Am I on a right path? It sure feels like it. This breakthrough has the promise of being more beneficial than anything else I've done in the past few years.

One little wrinkle that I noticed at the range; if I move my arms prematurely in the downswing, it produces a hook, which is not a familiar result for me (typically have a fade with mid-irons). It has lead me to try to maintain a steady tempo to keep the ball straight. But, this could be the result of my ball placement (middle of stance) as much as anything else.

Thank you in advance for your input!

[mvmac]

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