My Swing (Derek Ong)

[Derek Ong]

Hello everyone,

Here's my swing with a 6 iron. Still have issues with overswinging a little and not turning my hips enough on the downswing. Also slight early extension. Appreciate your feedback.

I've been Playing Golf for: 5 years

My current handicap index or average score is: 18

My typical ball flight is: Straight/Push Draw

The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Hooks

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Videos:

[ayouden]

Im no expert on this so I can only point out the things which stand out. I notice you have quite a large over swing. Over swings can be catered for like John Daly. However he is 1 out of many many good players. Most players on Tour don't have this over swings and generate insane power, Rory Mcilroy is one who creates lots of power with little or no over swing. When you over swing and at the top of your swing it looks like your chest moves towards the target. This suggests that your weight is mostly on your left side rather than your right. With no weight transfer you will generate little power. Also with the weight being on your left side it make you come over the top and hit the ball to the left and hook it sometimes.

For A fix I would try and get into the mindset of hitting a 3/4 swing. If you do that with the amount of shoulder turn you generate already the club should be nice an horizontal at the top of your swing.

As I say, I am no Pro, but I do think that the Over Swing may be causing your hook shot and possibly lack of power.

here is a video of Rory Mcilroy and if you notice his back swing and where it stops compared with yours there is a huge difference...

[Derek Ong]

Thx ayouden for the feedback. Really appreciate it. :)

Now i think about it, perhaps it's the angle which i'm taking the video. I don't have a tripod and i'm pretty much setting my iphone up on a "summer" chair (the white low chairs that are lower than my waist) that are provided in the range. I've been very concious of my overswinging and in the video i'm pretty much swinging 3/4 swings.

I really didn't think much about how i took the video before your post so i thank you for leading me to it. If you look at Rory's swing, the shoot is aimed higher than mine. I think i need to get a tripod to really know if i am really swinging like Daly.

[ayouden]

If thats the case and you are only doing a 3/4 you could be over rotating your shoulders. You may want to reduce your shoulder turn and hopefully your club shaft will be horizontal at the top of your backswing.

[nevrino]

Put a glove under each armpit so you don't let that right elbow fly, you need a more compact swing. Also look at the takeaway your back is bent forward as it should be but on the downswing you raise it, needs to be fixed.

[Derek Ong]

Ayouden: I'll try that, thx.

Nevrino: I agree with the downswing early extension. Am trying to figure out if it;s my posture or i've been at the range too much.

[Derek Ong]

Didn't have a chance to try anything new (suggestions from the few here) with the swing but am feeling good about it. Shot 92 yesterday, which really shouldn't have been breaking 90s. That is my first time out on the course after my swing changes. Before i was hovering closer to 99s.

Have to re-calibrate my distances as i was overshooting by 10m on my iron shots (6 iron 150m instead of 140m before) so i missed a few crucial greens, esp on the par 3s.

Also found how much the bushes love me yesterday - got a few unlucky bounces on the first cut and ended up with no clear sight so had to take medicine and punch it back to the fairway. :(

A few big push slices with the driver so i had to give that up and use my 3 wood off the tee. I really need to practice my driver as i can't do that in the range near my house (max range distance is 180m so i got a few telling off for hitting over the limits).

All in all, feeling good about the swing, solid consistent contact. Just need to tweak a little and i'm looking to get mid 80s next round.

[Derek Ong]

Hit the range today for a short while. Apparently i did not early extend as bad as i usually do. Haven't figured out why.

[Beachcomber]

Derek, have you experimented with shortening your backswing?

[Derek Ong]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber

Derek, have you experimented with shortening your backswing?

God knows i've tried. Really tried. To the point where now like i said in a few posts above, that it may be the angle of my camera phone that causes me to look so bad overswinging. In fact today at the range, i dropped my iphone and cracked the back because i was trying to position it level to at least my waist on the lazy white chair and the ball bucket on it! and it fell... grrr..

All my swings, i'm very conscious on shortening the backswing and i'll keep trying.

Anyways, other than that, do you see something i can improve on? Contacts are pretty solid, consistent but majority of my misses are really straight draws (10meters). I called them hooks in my ori post but with a 6iron, it's hard to tell the difference.

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by Derek Ong

God knows i've tried. Really tried. To the point where now like i said in a few posts above, that it may be the angle of my camera phone that causes me to look so bad overswinging. In fact today at the range, i dropped my iphone and cracked the back because i was trying to position it level to at least my waist on the lazy white chair and the ball bucket on it! and it fell... grrr..

All my swings, i'm very conscious on shortening the backswing and i'll keep trying.

Anyways, other than that, do you see something i can improve on? Contacts are pretty solid, consistent but majority of my misses are really straight draws (10meters). I called them hooks in my ori post but with a 6iron, it's hard to tell the difference.

A couple of things...

1.) If you are using your iPhone to record your swings... You should checkout www.protosports.com.  They have a nice holster which attaches to an alignment stick and will enable you to film your swing with better success.

2.) Go to Youtube and look for videos on 'Connected Golf Swing'.  You need to keep your right elbow closer to your side.  By doing that - and keeping pressure under both your left and right armpit - it will automatically shorten your backswing.  I think you could really focus on that - and then re-film once you feel comfortable with the 'connected' swing.

[mvmac]

Just to add to what Beachcomber is saying about shortening the back swing.

Get a small soccer ball or something to put between your elbows, I'm doing this below with a Pipoe ball

[Derek Ong]

Hi Beachcomber, mvmac,

Thanks for the great inputs. I've been trying to keep my trail arm more connected in my backswing (tried the thing under armpit drill as well) but it's wreaking havoc on my contact. Coming in way too flat and underplane (because i test underplane by hitting the 3wood off the deck). Also, unfortunately, i don't have that ball but i did saw on ebay you can buy it.

Nevertheless, after a lot of self analysis and experimentation, I think my high flying trail elbow may rather be an effect rather than cause. Even consciously 3/4 swinging, in transition, i would drop the clubhead and lift my trail elbow.

When i stop myself at impact and compare it to Luke Donald or Rory, it's clear i'm losing the pitch elbow positioning (as very importantly explained by Beachcomber in another thread here), and my trail arm at impact is rather straight.

So i came to a premature conclusion that i'm flying my right elbow so i don't crash to badly into my side on the downswing and hit it fat or flip it.

As a fix, i'm actually trying to get to impact position with more trail pitch elbow action and then see if i'm still over-swinging like that.

Last weekend, what got me into a more pitch elbow position at impact could be my posture which is preventing me from getting my elbows low enough on the downswing. I'll keep improving on this and try to get a new video this week.

If it doesn't really work out, i'll get that ball from ebay (the one that has cutouts for arms on each side of the ball).

[mvmac]

Like I said, try to make some swings where the elbows are closer together.  You don't have to wait to get a ball to do that.  Try that for 20 swings (with good practice swings for each one), then film it and see what happens.

[nevrino]

Originally Posted by Derek Ong

Nevertheless, after a lot of self analysis and experimentation, I think my high flying trail elbow may rather be an effect rather than cause. Even consciously 3/4 swinging, in transition, i would drop the clubhead and lift my trail elbow.

I don't know what you're trying to say here and I don't mean to be rude, but the cause is simply that you aren't squeesing your elbows together, it's not a effect from anything else you are just letting your right elbow slip away from you which causes it to be in a bad position at A4. So try what mvmac is proposing, a small ball or anything similiar that will drop to the ground if the right elbow lose contact.

[Beachcomber]

Originally Posted by Derek Ong

Hi Beachcomber, mvmac,

Thanks for the great inputs. I've been trying to keep my trail arm more connected in my backswing (tried the thing under armpit drill as well) but it's wreaking havoc on my contact. Coming in way too flat and underplane (because i test underplane by hitting the 3wood off the deck). Also, unfortunately, i don't have that ball but i did saw on ebay you can buy it.

Nevertheless, after a lot of self analysis and experimentation, I think my high flying trail elbow may rather be an effect rather than cause. Even consciously 3/4 swinging, in transition, i would drop the clubhead and lift my trail elbow.

When i stop myself at impact and compare it to Luke Donald or Rory, it's clear i'm losing the pitch elbow positioning (as very importantly explained by Beachcomber in another thread here), and my trail arm at impact is rather straight.

So i came to a premature conclusion that i'm flying my right elbow so i don't crash to badly into my side on the downswing and hit it fat or flip it.

As a fix, i'm actually trying to get to impact position with more trail pitch elbow action and then see if i'm still over-swinging like that.

Last weekend, what got me into a more pitch elbow position at impact could be my posture which is preventing me from getting my elbows low enough on the downswing. I'll keep improving on this and try to get a new video this week.

If it doesn't really work out, i'll get that ball from ebay (the one that has cutouts for arms on each side of the ball).

I'd also add... Try these drills with a 6i or lower... 7/8/9/PW... Something easier to swing for now.  Until you really start to feel comfortable with the mechanics.  Trying to conquer it by hitting a 3W off the deck is going to be frustrating.  Heck, I'm a low 4 handicap - and still have issues getting consistent contact with my longer clubs.  So I really think if you use a shorter stick... And focus on the drills of being connected, shortening your backswing - you'll ultimately find that your ball striking will improve dramatically.