My Swing (billchao)

[billchao]

Cliff Notes version of the bad shots in my round, @iacas

Hole 1: Hit driver low heel right into the hazard

Hole 2: Topped driver and subsequent 3 wood

Hole 3: Low punchy push-fade drive, tried to hit a knockdown 5 iron that really didn't go anywhere, hooked the hybrid, LW long

Hole 6: Topped 3 wood twice in a row, pushed 3rd into a tree, tried to punch out a 7 iron that ended up in some undergrowth and had to take an unplayable

Hole 7: Hooked 3 wood, thinned next one, hooked 3rd 3 wood, punched out with the 7 iron

Hole 8: Took too aggressive a line with the tee shot and slammed a tree on left which caromed 40 yards right, pushed 2nd right into the trees, knockdown 9 iron actually worked

Hole 10: Same as 8, only with a driver, pushed hybrid into trees, punched out 6 iron

Hole 11: Hit tee shot fat (I need to adjust the tee location on this hole, I wasn't trying to hit a 7 iron 182)

Hole 13: Alignment issue off tee, punched out, hit 8 iron fat

Hole 17: Ball was sitting down in the rough so I really shouldn't have been going for it. Chunked the 4th shot right into the water again.

[golf-noob-bruce]

Thanks for posting the game golf link. Very interesting.

Awesome driver, 3 wood combo on the 12th.

[billchao]

Thanks for posting the game golf link. Very interesting. Awesome driver, 3 wood combo on the 12th.

Thanks. The Game Golf is very cool and has a lot of potential for improving my game (not to mention saves me a lot of time doing it myself on Google Earth). I really like it a lot.

[billchao]

Range today. Pretty happy with the way the swing looks. At least I'll look good when I play like crap

Focus was to release PA4 faster (earlier). Basically working on getting the arms to drop faster, before my hips spin around to the target. Felt exactly like how I was doing the pump drill: my arms came down and out, hips stayed closed. Didn't really happen that way, just how I felt. Still feels awkward, but looks good. I have a tendency to do the pump drill by spinning my shoulders open instead of dropping the arms down, so I have to keep monitoring that.

I'm just going to upload these pretty much unedited.

7 Iron:

Driver:

Apparently I do tee the ball too far forward.

[boogielicious]

Range today. Pretty happy with the way the swing looks. At least I'll look good when I play like crap

Focus was to release PA4 faster (earlier). Basically working on getting the arms to drop faster, before my hips spin around to the target. Felt exactly like how I was doing the pump drill: my arms came down and out, hips stayed closed. Didn't really happen that way, just how I felt. Still feels awkward, but looks good. I have a tendency to do the pump drill by spinning my shoulders open instead of dropping the arms down, so I have to keep monitoring that.

Apparently I do tee the ball too far forward.

What is your ball flight?  I am working on pretty much the same thing.  For irons and fairways I get a slight push draw to draw.  For Driver, push fade.  Your swing looks very nice to me.  That cannot be your actual HC (20?).

[billchao]

What is your ball flight?  I am working on pretty much the same thing.  For irons and fairways I get a slight push draw to draw.  For Driver, push fade.

Generally, a push or straight draw, even with the driver now. The only time I fade it is if I hit towards the heel. The contact wasn't that great this last range session, but I'm not really concerned with that. [quote name="boogielicious" url="/t/70666/my-swing-billchao/210#post_1056130"]Your swing looks very nice to me.  That cannot be your actual HC (20?). [/quote]Thanks. It is. I have alignment issues, but mostly it's due to poor contact from reverting back to my old swing on the course. That, and poor decision making. I have a Game Golf now, so you can see how my last round went, for example. Five pars and a birdie; shot 97.

[billchao]

http://www.gamegolf.com/player/billchao/round/107251

First time playing this course. Also the first time I have ever played just 9 holes. Shot 54. I've been pretty good greenside since switching primarily to the LW. Need to avoid bunkers like the plague, though. Also need to get better from around 75 yards. Still can't putt, still making some boneheaded decisions out there.

I think I'm overdoing my draw piece. I only hit two pushes (1st tee shot and hybrid on 4), everything else drew and overdrew and hooked like crazy. It got so bad that I had to intentionally start my tee shot on 8 straight towards the lake and it hooked hard back into the center of the fairway.

Last thing to note, I'm getting some discrepancies between GG (and Google Earth) and my laser rangefinder. For example, on 3, I got 161 to the pin from my laser. GG and Google Earth both have it around 150. Same thing happened on my approach on 8. I think I might need a new rangefinder.

[iacas]

I practice all the time and I still hit the ball like .

Before I see you next week…

I want you to:

1) If you play golf, play it solely by doing the Hit and Stop drill.

2) When you practice, switch clubs every shot. Make big switches too. 6I. Driver. PW. 3W. 4I. 8I. Hybrid. Bounce around.

3) Every fourth shot you hit in practice should be a pitch or a chip.

4) Change your targets frequently.

You swing too well on the range - you need to tie that to playing well on the golf course.

[billchao]

Before I see you next week… I want you to: 1) If you play golf, play it solely by doing the Hit and Stop drill. 2) When you practice, switch clubs every shot. Make big switches too. 6I. Driver. PW. 3W. 4I. 8I. Hybrid. Bounce around. 3) Every fourth shot you hit in practice should be a pitch or a chip. 4) Change your targets frequently. You swing too well on the range - you need to tie that to playing well on the golf course.

Thanks, I'll do that. Probably not going to get to play before then, but I'll try to get out to the range. Makes sense though. Too easy to just hit another ball on the range and repeat as necessary until I start hitting good shots. The course is one and done; no chance for a redo.

[billchao]

Short range session before my round today.

I need to slow it down more. I'm not doing the move right at this speed. Also it seems like I'm swinging a bit to the left.

This whole forearm rolling and left wrist cupping action needs to go away so I stop having a six way miss. Honestly, I'm still a little afraid to bow the left wrist hard because I'm worried about hooking it.

[boogielicious]

Short range session before my round today.

I need to slow it down more. I'm not doing the move right at this speed. Also it seems like I'm swinging a bit to the left.

This whole forearm rolling and left wrist cupping action needs to go away so I stop having a six way miss. Honestly, I'm still a little afraid to bow the left wrist hard because I'm worried about hooking it.

I tend to speed up when I feel I am rushed for time.  I constantly fight that.

[iacas]

I need to slow it down more. I'm not doing the move right at this speed. Also it seems like I'm swinging a bit to the left.

Define "seems like"? :) Based on what?

Yeah, slow it down a little. Start with 50-yarders. When you can do those, go to 75 yarders. You know the process.

This whole forearm rolling and left wrist cupping action needs to go away so I stop having a six way miss. Honestly, I'm still a little afraid to bow the left wrist hard because I'm worried about hooking it.

You're correct. It's a fine balance.

But… you did correctly identify, fix, and pose in the video a few times. You seem to have properly sensed when you could have done differently/better. That's good. Direct feedback is good.

[billchao]

Define "seems like"? :) Based on what?

I think it's just based on that first swing where my hands exited a little low and left. It may have been an isolated incident, that's why I said "seems like"; I wasn't all that convinced of it myself. [quote name="iacas" url="/t/70666/my-swing-billchao/240#post_1060796"] You're correct. It's a fine balance. But… you did correctly identify, fix, and pose in the video a few times. You seem to have properly sensed when you could have done differently/better. That's good. Direct feedback is good. [/quote]I'm still learning it. I didn't film it, but I practiced hitting different clubs to different targets with the drill, and it felt like I needed to do the wrist thing at different rates, depending on the club. That may be because I'm still learning the move, or loft differences affecting the spin. Part of me wants to be able to rev the wrist hard and swing in a way that I can hit solid shots without worrying about hooking or blocking it. Almost seems like I'm trying to replace one timing element (forearm rotation) with another skill that requires an equal amount of hand eye coordination and dexterity. Just gotta keep practicing it, I know. Low straight punch shots.

[iacas]

Bill I disagree about the timing piece. It's removing a timing piece (the cupping of the wrist), not adding a piece. You have to feel revving for now because it helps you stop the forearm roll.

[billchao]

Bill I disagree about the timing piece. It's removing a timing piece (the cupping of the wrist), not adding a piece. You have to feel revving for now because it helps you stop the forearm roll.

I see. That makes sense, thanks.

[billchao]

@iacas , I was wondering: is the forearm rotation on the downswing related to the rotation on the takeaway? I know I have a tendency to roll the arms on the takeaway and bring the club pretty far inside. The idea occurred to me that I might not have to roll my arms closed so much during the downswing if I didn't roll them open so much at the start of the swing. I played around with some feels that seems to support this. Obviously, if my clubface is more square to my swing arc (as opposed to open) on the backswing, my brain knows that rolling the arms will cause the face to be too closed to the arc, right?

[iacas]

@iacas, I was wondering: is the forearm rotation on the downswing related to the rotation on the takeaway? I know I have a tendency to roll the arms on the takeaway and bring the club pretty far inside. The idea occurred to me that I might not have to roll my arms closed so much during the downswing if I didn't roll them open so much at the start of the swing. I played around with some feels that seems to support this.

Truth be told, no, your clubface isn't too open or anything on the downswing before. It's toe up or so at 6. Things could have changed a little since then, but I doubt a LOT, so… I'd be cautious playing with that too much. But, you could also take some video and show me what you mean too.

[billchao]

Truth be told, no, your clubface isn't too open or anything on the downswing before. It's toe up or so at 6. Things could have changed a little since then, but I doubt a LOT, so… I'd be cautious playing with that too much. But, you could also take some video and show me what you mean too.

I'm talking about this:

I know that A6 looks pretty good, but I was just wondering if the forearm rolling rate through the downswing could be related to the rolling in the backswing.

I'll try to film something when I get home from vacation.