Jump to content
Check out the Spin Axis Podcast! ×
Note: This thread is 4634 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

Posted

Hi Everyone,

I am new to the forms here but need some input if you can give it. I have been hooking the ball more than I want too lately. I need some feedback. I just want to see what everyone thinks of my swing and can help identify why I may be hooking the ball as of late. Any help is going to be much appreciated.

Thanks,

TGB


Posted

Hey

I might be wrong here but it could be your take away. It looks like your wrists press forward forcing the club to go way out and when you come back down its causing a hook.

Try getting a much more 1 piece takeaway.

Once again I may be wrong but thats all that really jumps out when I watched the video.

Good luck


Posted

That is a very nice swing. I am not as good a golfer as you but you might try an inch wider stance and a little straighter right leg on the back swing. That might help keep your upper body centered.


Posted

It is hard to tell from the video but your  club appears to be open 12" behind the ball, you must close it hard to get it to be closed at impact.

That is a hard timing move.  If you could get a higher frame rate I would look for and work on a slightly closed face when the club is parallel to the ground on the down swing so you don't have to close it so fast.  Releasing it fast with that much rotation is difficult over time.

Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Posted
Originally Posted by inthecup

It is hard to tell from the video but your  club appears to be open 12" behind the ball, you must close it hard to get it to be closed at impact.

That is a hard timing move.  If you could get a higher frame rate I would look for and work on a slightly closed face when the club is parallel to the ground on the down swing so you don't have to close it so fast.  Releasing it fast with that much rotation is difficult over time.


I agree with the bolded bit above.


Posted

Two key things I see here. Before I start, you have a nice tempo and generate some nice clubhead speed. Nice weight transfer and a very nice follow through and finish.

Pause the video at two spots. 1) Your takeway is the big issue. I tried freezing the video at the time when this is most obvious and put it in this reply, but I couldn't get it to post correctly. But pause just before you begin the takeway and then move it frame by frame from there you'll see what I'm talking about. When you take the club away, you open it up, and I mean it's WIDE open (I used to do the same thing myself). That normally would create a slice (as the face would still be open at impact) but like inthecup said, you've probably learned to over-correct that error and you really force it closed, so much so it's closed at impact (and probably still turning even more shut) which is going to generate a hook spin on the ball.

2) Pause it at the top of your backswing. You have the club pointed way to the right of the target line. They call that 'across-the-line.' One big problem caused by an across-the-line position is a hook. Again though, I think you're getting into that poor position at the top of your backswing due to the way you're taking the club back. Ideally, the shaft should be parallel to the line

You're breaking your wrists, which opens the clubface and is making you take the club back too far inside, leading you to be across-the-line at the top. Next time you're at the range, work on keeping the clubface square to the ball as long as you can on your takeaway. As you rotate normally it will open properly.

In my Callaway stand bag:

9.5 Degree Taylormade Burner Superfast Adilla Voodoo shaft
3 Wood: Cleveland Launcher 15 degree Adilla Voodoo shaft
Irons 3-SW: Callaway X-14 Steelhead

Lob wedge: Cleveland 60 degree

Putter: Ping Anser Karsten


Note: This thread is 4634 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • TST Partners

    PlayBetter
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FitForGolf
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-20%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack/FitForGolf, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope. 15% off TourStriker (no code).
  • Posts

    • Day 1: 2025.12.26 Worked on LH position on grip, trying to keep fingers closer to perpendicular to the club. Feels awkward but change is meant to.
    • Please see this topic for updated information:
    • Please see this topic for updated information:
    • When you've been teaching golf as long as I have, you're going to find that you can teach some things better than you previously had, and you're probably going to find some things that you taught incorrectly. I don't see that as a bad thing — what would be worse is refusing to adapt and grow given new information. I've always said that my goal with my instruction isn't to be right, but it's to get things right. To that end, I'm about five years late in issuing a public proclamation on something… When I first got my GEARS system, I immediately looked at the golf swings of the dozens and dozens of Tour players for which I suddenly had full 3D data. I created a huge spreadsheet showing how their bodies moved, how the club moved, at various points in the swing. I mapped knee and elbow angles, hand speeds, shoulder turns and pelvis turns… etc. I re-considered what I thought I knew about the golf swing as performed by the best players. One of those things dated back to the earliest days: that you extend (I never taught "straighten" and would avoid using that word unless in the context of saying "don't fully straighten") the trail knee/leg in the backswing. I was mislead by 2D photos from less-than-ideal camera angles — the trail leg rotates a bit during the backswing, and so when observing trail knee flex should also use a camera that moves to stay perpendicular to the plane of the ankle/knee/hip joint. We have at least two topics here on this (here and here; both of which I'll be updating after publishing this) where @mvmac and I advise golfers to extend the trail knee. Learning that this was not right is one of the reasons I'm glad to have a 3D system, as most golfers generally preserve the trail knee flex throughout the backswing. Data Here's a video showing an iron and a driver of someone who has won the career slam: Here's what the graph of his right knee flex looks like. The solid lines I've positioned at the top of the backswing (GEARS aligns both swings at impact, the dashed line). Address is to the right, of course, and the graph shows knee flex from the two swings above. The data (17.56° and 23.20°) shows where this player is in both swings (orange being the yellow iron swing, pink the blue driver swing). You can see that this golfer extends his trail knee 2-3°… before bending it even more than that through the late backswing and early downswing. Months ago I created a quick Instagram video showing the trail knee flex in the backswing of several players (see the top for the larger number): Erik J. Barzeski (@iacas) • Instagram reel GEARS shares expert advice on golf swing technique, focusing on the critical backswing phase. Tour winners and major champions reveal the key to a precise and powerful swing, highlighting the importance of... Here are a few more graphs. Two LIV players and major champions: Two PGA Tour winners: Two women's #1 ranked players: Two more PGA Tour winners (one a major champ): Two former #1s, the left one being a woman, the right a man, with a driver: Two more PGA Tour players: You'll notice a trend: they almost all maintain roughly the same flex throughout their backswing and downswing. The Issues with Extending the Trail Knee You can play good golf extending (again, not "straightening") the trail knee. Some Tour players do. But, as with many things, if 95 out of 100 Tour players do it, you're most likely better off doing similarly to what they do. So, what are the issues with extending the trail knee in the backswing? To list a few: Pelvic Depth and Rotation Quality Suffers When the trail knee extends, the trail leg often acts like an axle on the backswing, with the pelvis rotating around the leg and the trail hip joint. This prevents the trail side from gaining depth, as is needed to keep the pelvis center from thrusting toward the ball. Most of the "early extension" (thrust) that I see occurs during the backswing. Encourages Early Extension (Thrust) Patterns When you've thrust and turned around the trail hip joint in the backswing, you often thrust a bit more in the downswing as the direction your pelvis is oriented is forward and "out" (to the right for a righty). Your trail leg can abduct to push you forward, but "forward" when your pelvis is turned like that is in the "thrust" direction. Additionally, the trail knee "breaking" again at the start of the downswing often jumps the trail hip out toward the ball a bit too much or too quickly. While the trail hip does move in that direction, if it's too fast or too much, it can prevent the lead side hip from getting "back" at the right rate, or at a rate commensurate with the trail hip to keep the pelvis center from thrusting. Disrupts the Pressure Shift/Transition When the trail leg extends too much, it often can't "push" forward normally. The forward push begins much earlier than forward motion begins — pushing forward begins as early as about P1.5 to P2 in the swings of most good golfers. It can push forward by abducting, again, but that's a weaker movement that shoves the pelvis forward (toward the target) and turns it more than it generally should (see the next point). Limits Internal Rotation of the Trail Hip Internal rotation of the trail hip is a sort of "limiter" on the backswing. I have seen many golfers on GEARS whose trail knee extends, whose pelvis shifts forward (toward the target), and who turn over 50°, 60°, and rarely but not never, over 70° in the backswing. If you turn 60° in the backswing, it's going to be almost impossible to get "open enough" in the downswing to arrive at a good impact position. Swaying/Lateral Motion Occasionally a golfer who extends the trail knee too much will shift back too far, but more often the issue is that the golfer will shift forward too early in the backswing (sometimes even immediately to begin the backswing), leaving them "stuck forward" to begin the downswing. They'll push forward, stop, and have to restart around P4, disrupting the smooth sequence often seen in the game's best players. Other Bits… Reduces ground reaction force potential, compromises spine inclination and posture, makes transition sequencing harder, increases stress on the trail knee and lower back… In short… It's not athletic. We don't do many athletic things with "straight" or very extended legs (unless it's the end of the action, like a jump or a big push off like a step in a running motion).
    • Day 135 12-25 Wide backswing to wide downswing drill. Recorder and used mirror. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.