My Swing (14ledo81)

[amac]

Nice swing.  Question... why don't you complete your swing when hitting the ball the way you do when practice swinging?  Stopping short can lead to decelerating, which can lead to fat shots, hooked shots, improper hand release, closed toe, incomplete hip and shoulder turn, etc...  I'll defer the technical swing advice to the pros, but would offer that your completed practice swing looks a lot better than your abrupt, short follow through swing when hitting the ball.

[14ledo81]

I will work on your suggestion for the Driver posture as well.  Thanks again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by amac

Nice swing.  Question... why don't you complete your swing when hitting the ball the way you do when practice swinging?  Stopping short can lead to decelerating, which can lead to fat shots, hooked shots, improper hand release, closed toe, incomplete hip and shoulder turn, etc...  I'll defer the technical swing advice to the pros, but would offer that your completed practice swing looks a lot better than your abrupt, short follow through swing when hitting the ball.

I have no idea..... .... .

Seriously I really don't.  At first I thought it was just a "hit" instinct.  But...I can swing (practice swing style) at dandelions, etc.  I have even put a tee in the ground and tried to just clip the top, no stopping of the swing there either.  I am at a loss, but the guys here in the know have not really addressed it, so I am not to concerned as of now.

[Lihu]

I played last weekend.  27 holes.  I was hitting very bad on the front nine.  No greens, (1) OB tee shot, scored 48.  Starting on the back nine, I made slight adjustment that started to work.  It kept getting better as the back nine went on.  I actually hit (3) greens in a row.  I hit 15,16,17, and just missed a long narrow green on 18 by a few feet.

I played the back nine again (it is the easier of the two on my home course).  I hit 5 greens (the most I have ever hit), and scored a 41.  If I can keep this up, the handicap should be dropping.

One other thing, when I started hitting the ball better on the back, I was carrying my short irons the following distances:  8iron - 140-145, 9iron - 125-130, PW - 115.  I could also easily see where my drives were landing due to the wet conditions.  The better driver were carrying 210.  Most were closer to 200.  Granted it was cold, but it seems to me, if I could carry my 8iron 140, I should be able to hit the driver a bit farther.  I took some video and noticed I flip more with the Driver, maybe this is why I am not hitting it very far.  I was getting a decent push draw ball flight with good trajectory though.

As always, any help is appreciated.

Nice score, and nice distances with the irons, we're tied on best 9 hole GIR.

Do you think the fact that you stop the club in the middle of the follow through might be slowing down your swing with the driver, and possibly part of the reason for the flipping?

[CarlSpackler]

I have no idea..........

Seriously I really don't.  At first I thought it was just a "hit" instinct.  But...I can swing (practice swing style) at dandelions, etc.  I have even put a tee in the ground and tried to just clip the top, no stopping of the swing there either.  I am at a loss, but the guys here in the know have not really addressed it, so I am not to concerned as of now.

I was thinking the same thing as @mvmac . I'm glad he said it being the trained one. I can only tell so much on a posted video, but you seem very tensed up and restricted. ???

[14ledo81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

I played last weekend.  27 holes.  I was hitting very bad on the front nine.  No greens, (1) OB tee shot, scored 48.  Starting on the back nine, I made slight adjustment that started to work.  It kept getting better as the back nine went on.  I actually hit (3) greens in a row.  I hit 15,16,17, and just missed a long narrow green on 18 by a few feet.

I played the back nine again (it is the easier of the two on my home course).  I hit 5 greens (the most I have ever hit), and scored a 41.  If I can keep this up, the handicap should be dropping.

One other thing, when I started hitting the ball better on the back, I was carrying my short irons the following distances:  8iron - 140-145, 9iron - 125-130, PW - 115.  I could also easily see where my drives were landing due to the wet conditions.  The better driver were carrying 210.  Most were closer to 200.  Granted it was cold, but it seems to me, if I could carry my 8iron 140, I should be able to hit the driver a bit farther.  I took some video and noticed I flip more with the Driver, maybe this is why I am not hitting it very far.  I was getting a decent push draw ball flight with good trajectory though.

As always, any help is appreciated.

Nice score, and nice distances with the irons, we're tied on best 9 hole GIR.

Do you think the fact that you stop the club in the middle of the follow through might be slowing down your swing with the driver, and possibly part of the reason for the flipping?

I doubt it.  From the 6000 yard white tees my course is rated 69.0/122.  I played the easier (IMO) nine, so it appears the 41 is probably worth a few more strokes anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

I have no idea..........

Seriously I really don't.  At first I thought it was just a "hit" instinct.  But...I can swing (practice swing style) at dandelions, etc.  I have even put a tee in the ground and tried to just clip the top, no stopping of the swing there either.  I am at a loss, but the guys here in the know have not really addressed it, so I am not to concerned as of now.

I was thinking the same thing as @mvmac. I'm glad he said it being the trained one. I can only tell so much on a posted video, but you seem very tensed up and restricted. ???

Actually @mvmac was not the one that mentioned it. @amac did.

I am almost (but not 100%) certain that the restricted follow through is slowing my swing down.  Like I said before, the guys in the know have not commented on it, so I am not concerned about it right now.  At least I am trying to not be concerned.  It would not surprise me though, if I follow direction, and it gets better as a side benefit.

[CarlSpackler]

I doubt it.  From the 6000 yard white tees my course is rated 69.0/122.  I played the easier (IMO) nine, so it appears the 41 is probably worth a few more strokes anyway. Actually @mvmac was not the one that mentioned it. @amac did. I am almost (but not 100%) certain that the restricted follow through is slowing my swing down.  Like I said before, the guys in the know have not commented on it, so I am not concerned about it right now.  At least I am trying to not be concerned.  It would not surprise me though, if I follow direction, and it gets better as a side benefit.

Oops. My bad.

[Lihu]

I doubt it.  From the 6000 yard white tees my course is rated 69.0/122.  I played the easier (IMO) nine, so it appears the 41 is probably worth a few more strokes anyway.

I don't think it's a "few" strokes. Maybe 1 at most, and 5 GIR is hard to get no matter what.

[mvmac]

I seem to loose it in the transition area to impact, it just appears to me I can't seem to get the hands far enough forward (lag??).

Yes and I think the first step is get that right arm softer

[Lihu]

Yes and I think the first step is get that right arm softer

Yes, my left arm is softer. That was not a quote of something I said recently.

[mvmac]

Yes, my left arm is softer. That was not a quote of something I said recently.

That's weird, was responding to @14ledo81 but your name came up. I fixed it. Was responding to this comment http://thesandtrap.com/t/73921/my-swing-14ledo81/54#post_989008

[Lihu]

That's weird, was responding to @14ledo81 but your name came up. I fixed it. Was responding to this comment http://thesandtrap.com/t/73921/my-swing-14ledo81/54#post_989008

The right arm part gave it away.

The one thing I noticed about @14ledo81 is that his elbows are together, and has a pretty decent swing.

[14ledo81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

I seem to loose it in the transition area to impact, it just appears to me I can't seem to get the hands far enough forward (lag??).

Yes and I think the first step is get that right arm softer

@mvmac , thanks for the explanation.  I have enough respect and trust in you, that I would have worked on it anyway, but it is always interesting to hear the explanations.

Do you think it should be an active backswing "swing thought", or just something to keep in mind at address.  If it is a more active thought, I can see this being a piece that will take awhile.  I will keep working on it.  I think I will have to get a net setup.  I hit a few balls last night, and found it easier to keep the right are "soft" with a practice swing.  I need the net, so I can practice actually hitting balls while working on the right arm.

[mvmac]

The right arm part gave it away.

The one thing I noticed about @14ledo81 is that his elbows are together, and has a pretty decent swing.

Agree, just looking at the swing in regular speed, it definitely doesn't look like a "typical" 18 handicapper. Good speed and pretty good structure.

Do you think it should be an active backswing "swing thought", or just something to keep in mind at address.  If it is a more active thought, I can see this being a piece that will take awhile.  I will keep working on it.  I think I will have to get a net setup.  I hit a few balls last night, and found it easier to keep the right are "soft" with a practice swing.  I need the net, so I can practice actually hitting balls while working on the right arm.

Just something to change with the set-up for now. I want to see how that changes things. It won't "fix" things 100% but you certainly can't get the "lag"piece in there with the right arm the way it is.

[14ledo81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

Do you think it should be an active backswing "swing thought", or just something to keep in mind at address.  If it is a more active thought, I can see this being a piece that will take awhile.  I will keep working on it.  I think I will have to get a net setup.  I hit a few balls last night, and found it easier to keep the right are "soft" with a practice swing.  I need the net, so I can practice actually hitting balls while working on the right arm.

Just something to change with the set-up for now. I want to see how that changes things. It won't "fix" things 100% but you certainly can't get the "lag"piece in there with the right arm the way it is.

Excellent.  More mirror work......

[amac]

Agree, just looking at the swing in regular speed, it definitely doesn't look like a "typical" 18 handicapper. Good speed and pretty good structure.

Just something to change with the set-up for now. I want to see how that changes things. It won't "fix" things 100% but you certainly can't get the "lag"piece in there with the right arm the way it is.

@mvmac , what do you make of his inside-path backswing?  Seems to me, the problem with his right arm and ELBOW is they get trapped behind his body.  This is a common byproduct of a backswing that comes too far inside.  I've always been taught to keep the arms away and in front of the body.  Then, proper position at the top of the backswing allows for the right arm/elbow to move to/in front of the right hip.  This promotes a proper path to the ball and good lag.

Just watched all your video's again and it's the same in each one. @14ledo81 , you most closely resemble the golfer on the LEFT.  As a result, your arms are too close to the body on the downswing.  There are plenty of ways to compensate for this, but the best thing is to free up your arms with a backswing like the guy on the RIGHT.  This will allow you to drop your right arm into the slot and create the lag you want.  Simple fix.  Simple swing plane adjustment.  As mentioned, mirror work is best to see it happening.  I fight the same problem, just not as severe.

[mvmac]

@mvmac, what do you make of his inside-path backswing?  Seems to me, the problem with his right arm and ELBOW is they get trapped behind his body.  This is a common byproduct of a backswing that comes too far inside.  I've always been taught to keep the arms away and in front of the body.  Then, proper position at the top of the backswing allows for the right arm/elbow to move to/in front of the right hip.  This promotes a proper path to the ball and good lag.

Yes I agree the elbow/right arm gets behind his body, again the first step would be to change the rigid right arm at address. The rotation of the torso helps the "in" and the flexion of the right arm gets the "up" in the backswing. If the arm is too straight, it's going to tend to slide behind the golfer. I don't want to give him too many things at once because I want to see how the first piece effects things.

[JetFan1983]

I am almost (but not 100%) certain that the restricted follow through is slowing my swing down.  Like I said before, the guys in the know have not commented on it, so I am not concerned about it right now.  At least I am trying to not be concerned.  It would not surprise me though, if I follow direction, and it gets better as a side benefit.

Your turning rates are still really good. "Follow through" more so refers to this point in this photo below, maybe slightly before this point in the swing.

The sawed-off finish (which is what you're referring to) is great for a number of things: distance control with wedges and short irons for example, as well as knock down shots with longer clubs, etc.

That's Daniel Summerhays on the left. Pretty damn solid for an 18.

Obviously though the finish positions are different:

I think it's a preferential thing. Arnold Palmer had the weirdest finish ever, and maybe you could argue he didn't really have a full finish either.

You'll gain the most ball speed from hitting the sweet spot over and over again, and right now, improving your setup will help that the most, the fastest. But if you wanted you could 1) continue turning 2) letting your arms relax as your wrists re-hinge 3) come up out of your posture, and 4) thusly standing more up and balanced at the finish. Re-hinging may gain you some speed, but ultimately, I think a longer finish may just be a more comfortable end position. It's not a big deal.

I really don't think it matters a whole lot right now, especially in terms of increasing swing speed. What you're doing is a great way to practice, so don't forget this feel if you do decide to lengthen your finish. You should probably just listen to @mvmac . You don't want too much on your plate at one time. As someone who has worked/works on softening the right arm, I know it can be a challenging change just by itself, but hopefully it will come naturally to you.

[14ledo81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

I am almost (but not 100%) certain that the restricted follow through is slowing my swing down.  Like I said before, the guys in the know have not commented on it, so I am not concerned about it right now.  At least I am trying to not be concerned.  It would not surprise me though, if I follow direction, and it gets better as a side benefit.

Your turning rates are still really good. "Follow through" more so refers to this point in this photo below, maybe slightly before this point in the swing.

The sawed-off finish (which is what you're referring to) is great for a number of things: distance control with wedges and short irons for example, as well as knock down shots with longer clubs, etc.

That's Daniel Summerhays on the left. Pretty damn solid for an 18.

Obviously though the finish positions are different:

I think it's a preferential thing. Arnold Palmer had the weirdest finish ever, and maybe you could argue he didn't really have a full finish either.

You'll gain the most ball speed from hitting the sweet spot over and over again, and right now, improving your setup will help that the most, the fastest. But if you wanted you could 1) continue turning 2) letting your arms relax as your wrists re-hinge 3) come up out of your posture, and 4) thusly standing more up and balanced at the finish. Re-hinging may gain you some speed, but ultimately, I think a longer finish may just be a more comfortable end position. It's not a big deal.

I really don't think it matters a whole lot right now, especially in terms of increasing swing speed. What you're doing is a great way to practice, so don't forget this feel if you do decide to lengthen your finish. You should probably just listen to @mvmac . You don't want too much on your plate at one time. As someone who has worked/works on softening the right arm, I know it can be a challenging change just by itself, but hopefully it will come naturally to you.

I  have always felt I could hit wedges and short irons far better (relatively) than any longer club.  I also agree with you on the speed gains from hitting the sweet spot.  When I have hit the ball decent (for me), which does not come often, I am satisfied with my distance.  At least with my irons.  My last time at the range, when I hit a few solid 6 irons, they were flying the 150 flag into the wind.  Probably carrying around 160.  Without the wind they might have gone another 5-10.  At this point, I am extremely satisfied with a 165 yard 6 iron.

BTW, "sawed off" definitely sounds better than "restricted".  I think I will call it that from now on...

Certainly going to keep working on the soft right arm.  I have been doing some mirror work, and some practice swings starting with "softer" arm posture.  I really am trying to make a commitment to get better, so I want to go about it the right way.  I certainly do appreciate all of the advice I have been getting.