Need help with distance and ball striking

[aevans410]

Hello everyone, my name is Allen, and I'm new around here, although I have been lurking for quite a while. I've read a lot of good information (and conflicting information :D) on here, but the people seem friendly and knowledgeable, so I figured I'd join the community and see if I can get a little bit of help.

I apologize in advance for the book, but I want to put every aspect of my game down so I can get as much constructive help as possible.  I started playing golf when I was a teenager, took some lessons, hit balls on the range like a mindless monkey, never really got any good (broke 100 a few times, but never consistent). 3 weeks ago, I made a commitment to myself to get my golf game up to snuff. I videotaped my swing and noticed a few flaws (taking my backswing too far and over rotating my hips in the back swing) and worked on fixing those a bit.

I have uploaded a swing to the swing thread, but I'll put it here also ( I hope that's not against the rules. If it is, I'll gladly edit the post and remove the vid).

My ultimate goal is to be less than 5 handicap.

My short term goals are (in order of importance to me)

Hit the ball with crisp clean contact with consistency

build respectable distance ( 240 yard drive, hitting 7 iron to 150)

Score under 90

Here's what I'm fighting :

Inconsistent ball striking - Mostly hitting fat with my irons (although I do hit a few thin shots/skulls), I don't take much of a divot either on a full swing.

Lack of distance - I get 160 carry tops with my driver (although I admit, I haven't been working with the driver too much) and 120 carry tops with my 7 iron, not much more with my 6 iron. This makes most holes over 310 yards very tough for me to play.

Here are my swing weaknesses that I think I have

Lack of a proper weight shift

Poor timing with my weight shift/hip rotation in relation to my swing

What I have working against me :

Due to financial concerns, I cannot afford lessons right now. As much as I would love to take a private lesson, its out of the question.

Due to the same financial restraints, I can only go out and play 18 holes once a month, although I do get to go to the range more often. These conditions will loosen up over the winter, but right now, it is what it is, and I have to overcome that.

Although I realize I need to practice smarter, when I get frustrated I migrate back to ball smashing monkey. I'm developing a effective practice routine.

What I have going for me :

I'm highly motivated to get this down. I want to play good golf. I have since I was young, although now I'm a bit older (37) and have a lot more mental discipline.

My wife is very supportive and wants me to improve. She knows actually going out to the golf course relaxes me (even when I hit the ball like crap).

I have an open mind and willingness to change/do what I need to do to create good swing habits.

Any and all advice/discussion is appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Allen

[tomvk77]

private video

[aevans410]

Originally Posted by tomvk77

private video

Sorry, It should be fixed now.

Thanks

[Slice of Life]

Get them hips forward. You're rotating, but there's no weight shift (you already know this). It also looks like you're flipping, which is killing your ball striking and distance. Though getting the hips forward may start to fix that.

I'd focus on that right now. But I'm no pro...hopefully Erik or Mike or anyone good will comment.

I'll try to keep up with your swing thread...keep posting progress!!!

EDIT: You're also bringing your lead (left) knee inward on the backswing...try not to do that...I had the same problem. See if flaring your feet and flexing the left knee/quad during the backswing helps that.

[Strandly]

I'd take this with a massive grain of salt considering my current skill level but I think the biggest thing that jumps out at me is you're yanking your head up to see where the ball is going.  You would be amazed at how badly that jacks up your ability to hit the ball cleanly.

Also, I would suggest watching golf help videos on youtube, that helped me tremendously.