My Swing (Lihu)

[Lihu]

Time to face the music again.

Here are some videos from DTL, some guy took the stall next to me on my left side of course. Plus, the place was virtually empty. So, I hit a few drives and scared him away with the sound of my steel shafted Ping driver. Brrhahaha, but then I ran out of space on my 4Gbyte card.

I switched back to my more forgiving MP52s which I will never bad mouth again. The S300 shafts worked fine, and gave me decent flights. I used a Nikon 1080P camera with a decent shutter (no shutter distortion on the shafts) at only 30fps. They are 1080p videos if you want to see the ball flight, so you know I am not exaggerating any distances. And BTW my distances are getting better while the effort is getting less and less. I still like to say I don't hit far but I do get some fairways. For reference, the end of the fence on the left side is 240 yards. The hill at the very back is 250 yards to the top and 265 to carry it.

Please feel free to critique of my swing, I know there is a lot of work to do yet:

The fix I have been working on is strictly Key 2 elbows together. The other one I know I still need is the hip flexibility from impact to the follow through. That's next. Really slow progress.

8i

Hybrid

52 degree wedge:

Couple straight and relatively long (although not by forum standards):

Yes, one has a low flight the other has a normal high flight. I don't hit the exact center every time.

Attempt to shape my drive with a power fade, grrrr:

Attempt at a push-draw drive:

Lob wedge with open face (about 10 degrees), trying to hit a target 60 yards away (which, I hit ):

Yes, it's easier off the mat, but I was doing the same thing on fairway depth grass too. The open face actually helps in rough anyway.

PW 125 yard carry, lacking power for some reason (let me know if you know why, thanks):

3W teed up (I still hate that thing off the deck, my 18 degree hybrid goes further off the deck):

6i (which I can't hit (OTT), in fact I can't really hit my 5i and 4i either except off the tee):

7i( which I can kind of hit, need to work on this next too):

[Hammer 4]

All your videos are Backwards..............

Dang, your swing looks much improved since I saw you at El Dorado last month. Keep up the good work.

And just so ya know, my swing has gone to hell in a hand basket...

[Lihu]

All your videos are Backwards..............

Dang, your swing looks much improved since I saw you at El Dorado last month. Keep up the good work.

And just so ya know, my swing has gone to hell in a hand basket...

Video is great. I did not include 3 duck hook videos, so you only get to see the good shots.

Seriously, though, I am getting a bit more consistent in hitting fairways and GIR? Will take some time yet.

Yeah, it's amazing what "the elbows together thing" does to make your swing at least look better. I still can't hit my 6i to 4i. I think I need to eat more Wheaties or something.

Dude, let's meet up with Mike and Dana this Sunday (at least I am hoping for a lesson this Sunday schedules permitting)! We'll get you back on track again!

I still need to work on the OTT part of my swing yet. Hips and flexibility. "It's all in the hips, all in the hips. . ."

[Hammer 4]

Yeah, it's amazing what "the elbows together thing" does to make your swing at least look better. I still can't hit my 6i to 4i. I think I need to eat more Wheaties or something.

Dude, let's meet up with Mike and Dana this Sunday (at least I am hoping for a lesson this Sunday schedules permitting)! We'll get you back on track again!

I'd love to meet up, but can't, going to my Son's house in so. orange county Sunday, otherwise I would.

Went to the range tonight, anything more than a 1/2 swing sucked, it's like I forgot how to hit a golf ball..lol

Anyhow, say Hi to Mike and Dana for me. I'll have to get with them next month sometime.

[Lihu]

I'd love to meet up, but can't, going to my Son's house in so. orange county Sunday, otherwise I would.

Went to the range tonight, anything more than a 1/2 swing sucked, it's like I forgot how to hit a golf ball..lol

Anyhow, say Hi to Mike and Dana for me. I'll have to get with them next month sometime.

Dana and Mike had to cancel today's session, but @mvmac (Mike) said he was going to try to arrange something for this coming Sunday. Maybe there's a chance that by the time me and my family get scheduled in you might be free too? One can only hope.

BTW, keep up with the half swings. The drills they gave you should feel like your normal swing, just slower and shorter.

I'm still doing about 20 per day right now, but I need to develop more flexibility. Speaking of which, there was an older guy on my right who had the "classic" pro finish. Looked great with that arched back finish. He didn't hit very far, maybe 200 yards or so with a driver, but balls were making a little pile where he was shooting them. In one of my videos you can see his arched back at the end of one of his swings.

Yoga is in order for both of us to get that flexible, and for me to lose weight again. Uhg, I weigh 208 again. I really need to lose about 15 pounds.

[late347]

Good looking stuff most certainly

Socks with sandals is unacceptable for golf fashion, though .

What seems to be the issue with mid-irons long-irons for you?

[late347]

what's your goal for your driver shots also? for max carry, I'd estimate that if you increase your angle-of-attack, ascending blow at the ball, then you can raise the ball higher and gain more carry distance.

Admittedly the wind was HOWLING in your driver videos, you could hear it loud in the microphone  it may well affect your distances.

what I realized when I hit my own best drives (red line in the picture) thusfar in the 260-270 carry range, was that I really gotta get my angle-of-attack to hit the ball slightly positive angle upwards.

That is, you hit the ball with ascending blow. With my driver loft of 10,5deg - I gain my max carry at about 14deg launch angle, 15deg dynamic loft.

The ball really flies high in those kind of shots, for me at least, and it flies higher than your video example (at least I recall so, in my visual memory)

Why am I comparing myself to you? Well, I suspect you have about similar cliubhead speed than me actually, especially based on your excellent iron carry distances, good job there!!!

I think you may or may not gain some more distance with more upward strike at the ball. It looks almost as though you hit the driver neutral angle, using only the driver loft and not the upward strike + driver loft.

Max carry doesn't always go max total distance, of course. (in high wind, high altitude, max carry gets defeated by the wind - lower altitude stinger / punch shots maybe sometimes go further with good rolls.)

[saevel25]

what's your goal for your driver shots also? for max carry, I'd estimate that if you increase your angle-of-attack, ascending blow at the ball, then you can raise the ball higher and gain more carry distance.

Admittedly the wind was HOWLING in your driver videos, you could hear it loud in the microphone  it may well affect your distances.

what I realized when I hit my own best drives (red line in the picture) thusfar in the 260-270 carry range, was that I really gotta get my angle-of-attack to hit the ball slightly positive angle upwards.

That is, you hit the ball with ascending blow. With my driver loft of 10,5deg - I gain my max carry at about 14deg launch angle, 15deg dynamic loft.

The ball really flies high in those kind of shots, for me at least, and it flies higher than your video example (at least I recall so, in my visual memory)

Why am I comparing myself to you? Well, I suspect you have about similar cliubhead speed than me actually, especially based on your excellent iron carry distances, good job there!!!

I think you may or may not gain some more distance with more upward strike at the ball. It looks almost as though you hit the driver neutral angle, using only the driver loft and not the upward strike + driver loft.

Max carry doesn't always go max total distance, of course. (in high wind, high altitude, max carry gets defeated by the wind - lower altitude stinger / punch shots maybe sometimes go further with good rolls.)

Hitting down on the ball will cause the wind to effect the ball much more because it has more spin. If a ball has less spin it will not be pushed around much at all by the wind.

[Lihu]

Good looking stuff most certainly

Socks with sandals is unacceptable for golf fashion, though.

What seems to be the issue with mid-irons long-irons for you?

They don't track the right distances, my 6i should carry 170, 5i carry 180 and 4i 190. I get one or two out there, but it's mostly luck.

I think my up and down head movement is the issue. Key 1 is now off. Plus I need to look more at my FO. The only issue was taking over two stalls. Two guys decided to setup right next to me in a virtually empty range.

As you work on one Key and another goes out of whack. That's why I am getting instruction. Although, I could probably work on that one with the camera. and post more videos for comment.

[Golfingdad]

The only issue was taking over two stalls. Two guys decided to setup right next to me in a virtually empty range.

That happens to me occasionally too.  The weird part, though, is that for it to affect your videoing then they'd have had to set up facing you ... unless they were also lefties??  That's just odd.

But its an easy fix ... just take 3 or 4 balls and your camera a few stalls down to film.  Only takes 5 minutes anyway.  Problem solved. ;)

[Lihu]

That happens to me occasionally too.  The weird part, though, is that for it to affect your videoing then they'd have had to set up facing you ... unless they were also lefties??  That's just odd.

But its an easy fix ... just take 3 or 4 balls and your camera a few stalls down to film.  Only takes 5 minutes anyway.  Problem solved. ;)

One in front, one in back. Not sure why this happens in a seemingly empty range. Anyway, he was left of me in the next stall (we were facing each other), but after about 30 minutes he abandoned about half his balls.

I got to hit all these extra balls, but almost all with my wedges. I spent a good deal of time working on sub 100 yard distance control, still have lots to work on there too. These shots cost me a lot of GIR, so I know it's a priority as far as my game is concerned. My shortest controlled swing is 60 yards with a open face lob wedge, and the next controlled yardage is 85 yards with an open face 52 degree wedge. Everything shorter and in between is hit or miss.

I only spent about half an hour or so to do the filming, so almost every shot that I made while filming is pretty much in these posted videos. Next time, I will plan to stay at least 2 to 3 hours to make a project of this filming and do it right. I think Sunday late afternoons might be the least busy times.

BTW, have you timed my swings? It takes me almost a minute between swings, even if I hit them one after another. I think I could hit one ball in 5 minutes after setting up the camera correctly. (After watching myself in these videos, I can see why my son made the comment about the length of time I just appear to be standing there possibly giving me a slight mental edge on tee shots against opponents who have to wait? ).

[CarlSpackler]

BTW, have you timed my swings? It takes me almost a minute between swings, even if I hit them one after another. I think I could hit one ball in 5 minutes after setting up the camera correctly. (After watching myself in these videos, I can see why my son made the comment about the length of time I just appear to be standing there possibly giving me a slight mental edge on tee shots against opponents who have to wait? ).

I wondered about that. Are you going through a mental checklist perhaps?

[Lihu]

I wondered about that. Are you going through a mental checklist perhaps?

Just trying to get comfortable, really.

Most of it seems to be subliminal, because I did not consciously shuffle my feet around. I would not have know I did that except for when I am watching these videos.

[mvmac]

Hey @Lihu , why do you think hip flexibility is an issue? On the backswing?

Here's what I see, just falling into some old habits IMO. Shaft is too steep on the downswing, hands path is low and right and the followthrough is too level with the shoulders. Going to make hitting the mid to long irons a lot harder.

Hands exiting low and right due to the steep downswing and the lack of thrust with the hips. Shallow out the shaft on the downswing, left elbow under with a flat right wrist (feel it bowed, palmared).

Would also recommend making some slow swings where the eyes stay down longer from A7-8 and you point the belt buckle to the sky. Right now the shoulder get too level/arms work around you on the followthrough because you try to power the swing by just spinning the torso. Note the differences in the two pics above, the golfer in the right pic has the hips thrusting up and forward.

I'll also give our last lesson notes a bump.

After swing on the right, this one was a full motion, full speed one, not a drill swing. So much better at A6, still would like to see that clubhead more in. Just keep doing your drill and shallowing the shaft by working your left elbow "under". When you start to swing hard with your upper body, that is when the clubhead starts to kick out at A6.

Look at all the weight stuck on your left foot in the before. Much better with the after swing, buckle facing the sky, this keeps the arms straighter, more center contact because the club isn't "flashing" across the ball to the right.

[flopster]

Two guys decided to setup right next to me in a virtually empty range.

I saw that in your driver swing video, the idiot on your right is just waving his club around sending his shadow right over your hitting area everytime, I just don't understand people sometimes are they really that oblivious to what they are doing? Especially in the afternoon I try and get the spot closest to the sun to avoid this and if I cant I'll try and move back or forward a little to avoid a shadow flashing through, I remember one time this idiot set up behind me and then went back another ten feet to hit off better grass so if he would have hit a slight hozel rocket it would have nailed me and this guy was not good at all I finally asked him to please not hit balls from back there, at first he acted a bit like I was the one causing a problem but went ahead and moved back, our range is all grass and they mark the hitting area with ropes and when it gets worn people like to move to better spots, the problem is they just lay minefields of divots instead of the strips or at the very least a square patch.

[flopster]

Good looking stuff most certainly

Socks with sandals is unacceptable for golf fashion, though.

What seems to be the issue with mid-irons long-irons for you?

Socks with sandals??? Get your eyes checked bud.

[Lihu]

Hey @Lihu, why do you think hip flexibility is an issue? On the backswing?

Here's what I see, just falling into some old habits IMO. Shaft is too steep on the downswing, hands path is low and right and the followthrough is too level with the shoulders. Going to make hitting the mid to long irons a lot harder.

Hands exiting low and right due to the steep downswing and the lack of thrust with the hips. Shallow out the shaft on the downswing, left elbow under with a flat right wrist (feel it bowed, palmared).

Would also recommend making some slow swings where the eyes stay down longer from A7-8 and you point the belt buckle to the sky. Right now the shoulder get too level/arms work around you on the followthrough because you try to power the swing by just spinning the torso. Note the differences in the two pics above, the golfer in the right pic has the hips thrusting up and forward.

I'll also give our last lesson notes a bump.

Got it.

Edit: Just tried a head down drill. No need to more flexibility, at least I think. I'll film myself doing the drills tonight to make sure it is correct.

Thanks

[mvmac]

Got it.

Edit: Just tried a head down drill. No need to more flexibility, at least I think. I'll film myself doing the drills tonight to make sure it is correct.

Thanks

Ok. Hip turn looks good here. I would just check to make sure they are staying centered.