My Swing (Golfingdad)

[Golfingdad]

@Golfingdad

Any thoughts you'd like to share about your work on flattening the shaft on the downswing? @Abu3baid and I seem to be working on similar feels, I'm happy with my progress and the feels that are getting me there but it would be interesting to know what's working for you.

Well @Ernest Jones , the feels that I'm trying to use are the revving motion, and also Erik's suggestion to you that you feel like the clubhead will hit your right ankle on the way down.  I like the revving because it affects so many other things in a good way.  The left wrist becomes straight instead of cupped (perhaps even a little bowed), consequently the right elbow becomes a little more pitched (Side note:  I've slacked off with the elbow work a bit but the Pipoe is now back in the trunk :)) and stays at least even with, and hopefully lower than, the left, and then on the downswing, that leads into the other feel ... of trying to get the clubhead closer to the right leg.

That is one of my priorities right now, but its slightly secondary, at the moment, to the "straight legs at impact" I'm working on.  I went to the range at lunch today and did the drill as before, but with the specific sensation of flexing the glutes as well.  It worked pretty well.  In fact, with the last couple of balls and a 6-iron, I hit some full shots with only that one feel (of flexing the glutes) and nothing else.  I wasn't thinking about jumping, straightening, revving, anything, just flexing the glutes, and those were the 5 best balls I hit all day.

I frequently have good range sessions ... where I'm able to go slow and take a lot of practice swings and do drills, etc, etc.  However, I have some trouble transferring that to the course often because (I know this sounds funny, but its relative) everything is going so fast.  It would be nice to find a simple swing thought (like "flex glutes") that could help me transition quickly from the range to the course.

Oh, and one other thing:  My long clubs, specifically driver and 3-wood, seem to have taken a turn for the better over the course of my last round and last couple of weeks at the range.  The wild, wild misses have GREATLY diminished.  I am very, very encouraged lately.

[Ernest Jones]

Well @Ernest Jones , the feels that I'm trying to use are the revving motion, and also Erik's suggestion to you that you feel like the clubhead will hit your right ankle on the way down.  I like the revving because it affects so many other things in a good way.  The left wrist becomes straight instead of cupped (perhaps even a little bowed), consequently the right elbow becomes a little more pitched (Side note:  I've slacked off with the elbow work a bit but the Pipoe is now back in the trunk :)) and stays at least even with, and hopefully lower than, the left, and then on the downswing, that leads into the other feel ... of trying to get the clubhead closer to the right leg. That is one of my priorities right now, but its slightly secondary, at the moment, to the "straight legs at impact" I'm working on.  I went to the range at lunch today and did the drill as before, but with the specific sensation of flexing the glutes as well.  It worked pretty well.  In fact, with the last couple of balls and a 6-iron, I hit some full shots with only that one feel (of flexing the glutes) and nothing else.  I wasn't thinking about jumping, straightening, revving, anything, just flexing the glutes, and those were the 5 best balls I hit all day. I frequently have good range sessions ... where I'm able to go slow and take a lot of practice swings and do drills, etc, etc.  However, I have some trouble transferring that to the course often because (I know this sounds funny, but its relative) everything is going so fast.  It would be nice to find a simple swing thought (like "flex glutes") that could help me transition quickly from the range to the course. Oh, and one other thing:  My long clubs, specifically driver and 3-wood, seem to have taken a turn for the better over the course of my last round and last couple of weeks at the range.  The wild, wild misses have GREATLY diminished.  I am very, very encouraged lately.:beer:

Awesome. I really like the revving feel too and agree that it impacts a lot of other elements too. One of those elements, for me at least, is that because I need something to rev around I've gotten much better extensor action because of the extra attention to the hands and increasing the pressure off the right palm into my left hand. Also noticed that the rolling under (rev) feel really forces the elbow to be more pitched. Good stuff. I'm very encouraged lately too! :beer:

[Golfingdad]

One of those elements, for me at least, is that because I need something to rev around I've gotten much better extensor action because of the extra attention to the hands and increasing the pressure off the right palm into my left hand.

I feel silly because I should, but ... I don't know what this means.  Easy to explain?

[mvmac]

I feel silly because I should, but ... I don't know what this means.  Easy to explain?

Basically pressure point #1, where the right hand comes into contact with the top of the left hand. The golfer keeps his left arm straight by "pushing" PP#1 with his right hand/arm. Could be a good drill/feel for someone who over-flexes their right arm.

[Ernest Jones]

:8)    I feel silly because I should, but ... I don't know what this means.  Easy to explain?

Straight left arm. Edit* just saw mvmac answered first. Yeah, that fact that I'm aware of what my hands and wrists will be doing in transition I seem to get into a better position as a byproduct.

[iacas]

Well @Ernest Jones , the feels that I'm trying to use are the revving motion, and also Erik's suggestion to you that you feel like the clubhead will hit your right ankle on the way down.  I like the revving because it affects so many other things in a good way.  The left wrist becomes straight instead of cupped (perhaps even a little bowed), consequently the right elbow becomes a little more pitched (Side note:  I've slacked off with the elbow work a bit but the Pipoe is now back in the trunk :)) and stays at least even with, and hopefully lower than, the left, and then on the downswing, that leads into the other feel ... of trying to get the clubhead closer to the right leg.

I have a bit to say about all of this as well - namely the angle at which the arms come down.

It's kind of related to this, kind of not. I'll explain more later. I have to figure out how to illustrate it, ideally without making a bunch of swings to try to show off what I mean.

[Ernest Jones]

I have a bit to say about all of this as well - namely the angle at which the arms come down. It's kind of related to this, kind of not. I'll explain more later. I have to figure out how to illustrate it, ideally without making a bunch of swings to try to show off what I mean.

Good stuff, I'll be camping out in Gdaddy's swing thread waiting for this little nugget of gold.

[iacas]

Good stuff, I'll be camping out in Gdaddy's swing thread waiting for this little nugget of gold.

I started writing the thread, then realized I couldn't really finish it without any good examples.

Basically, consider how we measure "A6." We want the clubhead to be inside the hands (or online with the hands, or whatever). Yet what determines this? Yes, where the clubhead is, but also… where the hands are.

Let's take a look at these pictures:

In this picture, I've drawn a line down Grant and Tiger's lead arm. It connects their hand to their shoulder. Simple as that. It's just the base measurement.

Given that both players are going to strike the ball, this will be our "baseline" idea.

In this next picture, pretend both players pivot more by this point in their swings. This would put their lead shoulders where I've drawn new lines, and we'll pretend their hands stay in the same place. The measurement of their lead arm would change, though their swing may be pretty similar (in terms of club path, etc.).

But what if they swung the way they normally do, but swung their hands away from their bodies more? If they still want to hit the golf ball, they'd have to keep the clubhead tracking the same path, and it might look like this (arm, shaft, clubface leading edge):

And if they swung their hands closer to their bodies, something a bit like this:

In other words, if you swing your arms very vertically, the clubhead will almost surely "tip out" or get outside the hands because you look more like the last pictures, and because you still want to make contact with the golf ball , you need to send something "out" to the golf ball. So the club tips out. Otherwise you'd miss to the inside of the ball every time.

Or if you swing your hands way out, the clubhead will often look like it's well inside your hands because it has to stay in there, otherwise you'd swing right over the outside or top of the golf ball.

---

The simple takeaway is this: if you're struggling with A6 and the clubhead wants to tip out, take a look at how steep the angle of your lead arm is. You may need to feel like you're swinging your hands farther out away from your body (or out over the top of the golf ball or something) in order to make the club shaft lay down because you'll still want to make contact with the golf ball. If the club still tips out with your hands farther out away from you, you'd miss the ball.

I'll have to make a video eventually (pester me to do it when I'm with Mike in San Diego), but that's the gist of it.

[Ernest Jones]

I started writing the thread, then realized I couldn't really finish it without any good examples. Basically, consider how we measure "A6." We want the clubhead to be inside the hands (or online with the hands, or whatever). Yet what determines this? Yes, where the clubhead is, but also… where the hands are. Let's take a look at these pictures: In this picture, I've drawn a line down Grant and Tiger's lead arm. It connects their hand to their shoulder. Simple as that. It's just the base measurement. [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/91107/] [/URL] Given that both players are going to strike the ball, this will be our "baseline" idea. In this next picture, pretend both players pivot more by this point in their swings. This would put their lead shoulders where I've drawn new lines, and we'll pretend their hands stay in the same place. The measurement of their lead arm would change, though their swing may be pretty similar (in terms of club path, etc.). [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/91108/] [/URL] But what if they swung the way they normally do, but swung their hands away from their bodies more? If they still want to hit the golf ball, they'd have to keep the clubhead tracking the same path, and it might look like this (arm, shaft, clubface leading edge): [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/91109/] [/URL] And if they swung their hands closer to their bodies, something a bit like this: [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/91110/] [/URL] In other words, if you swing your arms very vertically, the clubhead will almost surely "tip out" or get outside the hands because you look more like the last pictures, and because you still want to make contact with the golf ball , you need to send something "out" to the golf ball. So the club tips out. Otherwise you'd miss to the inside of the ball every time. Or if you swing your hands way out, the clubhead will often look like it's well inside your hands because it has to stay in there, otherwise you'd swing right over the outside or top of the golf ball. [rule] The simple takeaway is this: if you're struggling with A6 and the clubhead wants to tip out, take a look at how steep the angle of your lead arm is. You may need to feel like you're swinging your hands farther out away from your body (or out over the top of the golf ball or something) in order to make the club shaft lay down because you'll still want to make contact with the golf ball. If the club still tips out with your hands farther out away from you, you'd miss the ball. I'll have to make a video eventually (pester me to do it when I'm with Mike in San Diego), but that's the gist of it.

Wow. Talk about food for thought. You certainly don't need validation from me but I just want to say that you are really, really, really good at what you do! :-)

[Golfingdad]

Wow. Talk about food for thought.

You certainly don't need validation from me but I just want to say that you are really, really, really good at what you do!

Definitely ... good stuff!  Thanks!

[saevel25]

Wow. Talk about food for thought.

You certainly don't need validation from me but I just want to say that you are really, really, really good at what you do!

100% agree on that. Makes sense to me, though a video is always welcome :)

[mvmac]

I'll have to make a video eventually (pester me to do it when I'm with Mike in San Diego), but that's the gist of it.

Noted

[Golfingdad]

Really annoying, but I have apparently acquired the disease where you cannot transfer your driving range swing to the course.  I hate this.

Also, I am in a period where I hit the ball entirely too low.  I'm wondering if simply moving the handle back a little at setup might help me hit the ball a little higher??

[iacas]

Really annoying, but I have apparently acquired the disease where you cannot transfer your driving range swing to the course.  I hate this.

Also, I am in a period where I hit the ball entirely too low.  I'm wondering if simply moving the handle back a little at setup might help me hit the ball a little higher??

Good. @mvmac and I have timed it out perfectly then, with only a few days to go…

(More ass squeezing, "dick in the sink", "hump the giraffe" - and either commit to scoring or "practicing your swing" in rounds on the course, but not both).

[Ernest Jones]

"Dink in the sink" ??

Lol, I now know far too much about Gdaddy's priorities.

[iacas]

"Dink in the sink" ??

Yep. :) Powerful imagery…

[Abu3baid]

Yep. :) Powerful imagery…

I guess it is, just think about it, right before swinging saying to your self ok dick in the sink, or when the wife asks, hey what are you working on, oh nothing honey just making sure I get my dick in the sink after A6.5!

[Golfingdad]

"Dink in the sink" ??

Lol, I now know far too much about Gdaddy's priorities.

LOL ... yeah, this is the first time I heard that one.

Yep. :) Powerful imagery…

I'll say.  Hey, if it works I'll do it!  (Not the giraffe, but the sink)  Gotta draw the line somewhere.