Help With Open Clubface

[Buzz71]

Hi everyone ... not sure if this is the correct forum but hopefully someone can point me in the right direction if not.

I've been struggling with a particular issue since returning to golf and its frustrating me no end. In my original incarnation as a golfer, basically picking up the game as a kid with no lessons, I adapted my own swing with a fairly closed clubface. Along with a strong reverse pivot this allowed me to be relatively consistent but lacking in distance.

This time round I am trying to rebuild and swing the club correctly. Trying to get much more correct body action rather than just swinging with the arms. In particular I've been working to get that feel with half swing pitching wedges, starting the downswing with the lower body firing through and trying to let the arms trail.

Major problem ... half the time when I do this I end up with a radically open clubface, to the point I hit a weak shot 45 degrees right. I've tried slowing this down and often I think its over-rotating open on the backswing, sometimes its "leading" with the hosel, or a combination of both.

The other half of the time I am starting to get a nice pitch action. I just hit 4x30 balls down the oval ... the last 30 were sweet about 50m, the first three contained many horrendous open face slices.

It's driving me crazy ... I almost have the pitching yips. Often when it happens I grip the club tighter and tighter in an effort to stop the problem which I know is the exact opposite of what I need to be doing.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I can address this and/or drills to instill the correct wrist action? Everyone says wrists should be passive but the more I try this the more open clubface distasters I have.

Any advice greatly received!

[69below]

Would need to see a video to pin point the problem, plus everyone has a different idea when it comes to swinging the club 'properly'.

But I will say this...using a very aggressive lower body with half swing wedge shots is very difficult and will leave the club face open quite often.  I would suggest hitting some balls with your feet together, getting the feeling of the club swinging very freely and making sure the club face is square at impact (ball should be starting on your intended target line).  Make sure you swing through to a full finish that way you know you body is not too passive.  Once you can do this comfortably, start speeding up and widen your stance.  Always pay attention to where the ball is starting (no 45 degree right shots) and swing to a full finish.  Need to get body and arms in sync.

[Buzz71]

Thanks 69below :)  It's a frustrating problem becuase I can hit 50 balls great then suddenly I start unconsciously doing something different.  Then the mental doubt creeps in and its really tough to stay soft and tension free when you ate worried about hitting it so far offline!

[azgolfer22]

Hey buzz,

New here but your problem sounds like its right up my alley.  Had the same issue.  I'm a total lower body swinger that trust in my hands that my eyes will lead them where they need to go.  I realized, without thinking that this could be the issue, that my hands where way to forward at impact and I would hit the ball crazy to the left at a 45 degree angle like you said.  Just do a normal practice swing and stop at impact and notice where your hands are.  If they are well forward of the ball then you want to try my fix.  Take your normal grip.  You need to make sure that the heel pad (pad on pinky side of hand) is either on top of the club or to the right side of the grip (for a right handed golfer) and on left side of grip for a lefty.  At address the position of the heel pad is extremely important.  Next you want to close the face.  I hold the club in front of me and close the face about 45 degrees and then take my grip.  Then at address I hold the same grip and point the club face at my target.  If you are doing the grip right then you should have a very strong grip.  At address I can see 4 knuckles on my lead hand.  As for the other hand at address I just let it hang straight down and then grip the club so my palm faces the target.  I use this grip on all my clubs including my lob wedge.  On wedges I use to hit the outside edge of the face and you could see the ball marks where I hit.  Since using my new grip all the wedge hits are on the center of the face and you can here the difference when I stike the ball.

Like I said I'm not a teacher or club pro but I swing with my lower body and I use to hit shots at a 45 degree angle and off the hosel.  Hope this helps.

[Buzz71]

Hey azgolfer, thanks for the tip. I already have a fairly strong grip but I will have a tinker with your suggestion when practising.

It's certainly a frustrating problem!

[MS256]

Most things we swing require front palm down/back palm up at impact. A baseball bat, an ax, a sledge hammer, ect. Unfortunately (for me anyway) palm up/palm down at impact is not what we want in golf. Helps me to keep in mind that I'm not swinging AT the ball, but just making a swing with the ball getting in the way. Then the palms will naturally want to return to perpendicular to the ground in the middle. Tennis rackets, ping pong paddles, and golf clubs are about the only things I can think of that we swing where the palm, or palms, are perpendicular to the ground at impact.

[iacas]

Just to be clear, can you describe your ball flight? Where it starts. How it curves. Etc.?

[Buzz71]

iacas,

With the longer clubs its a curved flight right when I don't get back square.

But with the wedges and half swings it just goes straight right 45 degrees because of the open clubface.