Crossing the line at A4

[Reval14]

I'm crossing the line at A4 at the top of my backswing. My backswing isn't too flat, it just because I don't have enough forearm rotation. I asked my Pro today if I should work on that, getting the club more on plane. He asked me if it bothers me and told me it wouldn't matter. What are your thoughts on that? Where are the advantages / disadvantages?

[Longleftthumb]

Unless there is really awful dorsi flexion of the left wrist that is putting it across the line then you might not have to lose any sleep. How's your transition? If it looks good  through P5 and 6 and lines up at impact then what happens at the top shouldn't matter a great deal, more aesthetics. Freddie Couples doesn't seem to struggle. :)

[Reval14]

Well my problem at the moment is that my hands sometimes move away to far from the body in the downswing. I don't shank the ball, but it causes some kind of push. I thought maybe it is related to the line crossing. But on the other side crossing the line doesn't affect the position of my hands...

[iacas]

Unless there is really awful dorsi flexion of the left wrist that is putting it across the line then you might not have to lose any sleep. How's your transition? If it looks good  through P5 and 6 and lines up at impact then what happens at the top shouldn't matter a great deal, more aesthetics. Freddie Couples doesn't seem to struggle. :)

Agreed.

Poor players who go across the line often let the club continue to tip out and swing across the ball.

Better players who go across the line almost use it to instinctively lay the shaft down a little in transition so they can hit their marks at 5 and 6 (and ultimately 7).

[JetFan1983]

I'm crossing the line at A4 at the top of my backswing. My backswing isn't too flat, it just because I don't have enough forearm rotation. I asked my Pro today if I should work on that, getting the club more on plane. He asked me if it bothers me and told me it wouldn't matter. What are your thoughts on that? Where are the advantages / disadvantages?

Just to be clear, you mean doing this:

[Reval14]

Yes.

[Reval14]

That's how it looks.

[billchao]

That's how it looks.

Take a look at your left wrist. A lot of that across the line look comes from the cupping. It will cause problems if you can't get it to flatten out in the downswing (I would know).

[JetFan1983]

Well my problem at the moment is that my hands sometimes move away to far from the body in the downswing. I don't shank the ball, but it causes some kind of push. I thought maybe it is related to the line crossing. But on the other side crossing the line doesn't affect the position of my hands...

Yea, this is a big reason why your miss is a push. @Longleftthumb and @iacas suggested this could be the issue earlier in the thread as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reval14

That's how it looks.

Take a look at your left wrist. A lot of that across the line look comes from the cupping. It will cause problems if you can't get it to flatten out in the downswing (I would know).

Agreed. We don't know what his downswing looks like, and it's certainly possible to play golf from that position, just like it's possible to play from a really bowed (palmar flexed) position, but chances are, this is why you're fighting a push miss. Just a guess though.

When you cup (dorsiflex) your wrist like that, it really opens the face. You can see the toe is facing down towards the ground. That indicates a very open club face position at the top. A face pointing to the sky would be a very shut position.

It may help you to feel a bit "Dustin Johnson" without actually doing what Dustin Johnson does... just to flatten the wrist out. You'll probably still cup it, just less so.

Anyway, hard to give a ton of advice here without seeing the full motion.

Feeling this might help:

[mchepp]

I wonder if the symptom of crossing the line has come from other movements in your backswing. For example I wonder if it might be cleaned up by tilting your shoulders more towards the ball? I an not sure but it might clean it up a bit just working on this.

[JetFan1983]

I wonder if the symptom of crossing the line has come from other movements in your backswing. For example I wonder if it might be cleaned up by tilting your shoulders more towards the ball? I an not sure but it might clean it up a bit just working on this.

If he left tilted more, he'd be more across the line, no? His shoulders look tilted enough to me.

I guess it's hard for me to say what to do with just a DTL photo of 4.

[mchepp]

I guess it's hard for me to say what to do with just a DTL photo of 4.

On this we agree.

[JetFan1983]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JetFan1983

I guess it's hard for me to say what to do with just a DTL photo of 4.

On this we agree.

Haha. Get in front of a mirror, get in his position at the top, and then tilt left more without changing anything else. The club goes more across the line.

[Reval14]

The cupped left wrist in my opinion results out of a lack of forearm rotation. If you cock your wrists from the A1 setup position both hands are cupped. When you rotate your forearms to the right, the left wrist straightens. Try it yourself. There is no dorsal action in my wrists, from that camera angle it's difficult to see because the camera isn't aligned with the shaft in that position.

[Longleftthumb]

Without seeing your address and bswing it's difficult like some of the other guys have already said. But to me it looks like shoulder, hip and knee slants all need work, it all looks too level like you have stood up out of your address inclination to get to the top. Right wrist is flat as a pancake and left wrist is cupped pretty heavy, combine that with minimal external rotation of upper right arm/shoulder and you are going to be across the line every day with a "Y" in it. :) Trying to feel more Gmac and Dustin and that may help tidy up the loading of your wrists, at P2 really feel the right wrist has bent (it will both bend and cock in actuality but feeling as though it bends only should help) and the left wrist has flattened and maintain that all the way to P4.

[Reval14]

Are there generally any disadvantages when crossing the line at the top of the backswing?

[Longleftthumb]

Generally, the club crossing the line means it will drop too far to the inside and swing out to the right, which will make the ball flight go out to the right, because path dictates starting direction of the ball........right? *Said every instructor in 1974* :)

It depends what effect crossing the line has on your transition, your down swing and ultimately your impact.

[Reval14]

Generally, the club crossing the line means it will drop too far to the inside and swing out to the right, which will make the ball flight go out to the right, because path dictates starting direction of the ball........right? *Said every instructor in 1974* :) It depends what effect crossing the line has on your transition, your down swing and ultimately your impact.

So if you strike the ball good, it's besides of esthetics nothing bad. And you are right, I tend to stand up out of my address position. Do you know a good drill to work on that?