My Swing (No Mulligans)

[No Mulligans]

I've been Playing Golf for: Forever a few times a year, didn't play for 12 years due to serious health issues.  Started in earnest this year and have played 21 rounds so far.

My current handicap index or average score is: HI - 25.7

My typical ball flight is: Straight

The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: inconsistency... fat, thin, push and push slice

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Due to health issues I've lost flexibility and strength.  I hit my driver about 210 and feel I need more distance.

Recently I've been working on 1) Keeping my head steady, 2) the first half of my take away as one unit and keeping my hands closer to my body (I have a tendency to reach forward away from my body as I start my take away, 3) on the downswing I'm trying to start with and swing more with my hips and let the arms just go along for the ride.

Looking at my video, ... I need to keep working.  I'm interested in what is the most important thing for me to work on.

Thank You

Videos:

[No Mulligans]

Note, if you flip over to youtube and watch the video there, that black bar disappears and you can see more of the top of the screen.

[mvmac]

Few of the things I'd like to see you do are detailed here.

Specifically for your swing I would focus on two things. These pieces will help your turn more, get the weight more forward at impact and help you swing more OUTward/less INward. You currently don't turn the hips much on the backswing, head moves to your left (closer to the target), then your head moves back on the downswing. This moves your low point back and causes you to swing across the ball. This is where all the contact issues are coming from.

At set-up, bump the hips a few inches forward so that your spine is tilted a little more to the right.

Line drawn on the right hip joint at set-up. You'll typically see good players create a "gap", they turn their right hip around and up. I suggest you feel the right hip turning throughout the entire backswing and that it gradually gets closer to the target. This is going to put you in a much better position to get the weight forward and swing OUTward on the downswing.

Quick note, as you pivot back, make sure the head doesn't move closer to the target, may feel like your hips move closer to the target as the head moves a little to your right.

[No Mulligans]

Thanks Mike

I like the forward tilt as it's in the setup, no reason I can't do that immediately.  It appears there is more weight on the left foot at setup and through the back swing, more than I have.

Great stuff.  Back to work.

[mvmac]

Thanks Mike

I like the forward tilt as it's in the setup, no reason I can't do that immediately.  It appears there is more weight on the left foot at setup and through the back swing, more than I have.

Yes it may feel that way, it really will be close to 50/50 at set-up and the pressure will definitely increase under the right foot during the backswing.

[No Mulligans]

Morning practice focusing on "bump the hips forward" at setup and trying to not slide my hips back on the back swing.  Practiced slow and short (not working on getting more hip turn yet).

It felt pretty good, I thought I was bumping my hips way more forward than I was (as evidenced by the pics from this mornings video.  Head appears to be steadier too.

Setup:

Top of my back swing taking a shorter swing:

[No Mulligans]

Took another lesson with my instructor.  I'm doing lessons with my wife, he gives each one of us a 1/2 hour.  I'm  taking a series of 6 lessons.  We aren't taking them as frequently as I would want as I have to wait for when my wife is ready, about once a month.

Anyways, I'm glad I got a my head more steady and was keeping my back hip more forward as Mike instructed me.  Didn't have to work on that again during the lesson.  Thanks Mike.

My instructor told me I needed a larger turn on my back swing to get rid of the outside in swing path.  Same as Mike said.  I didn't realize how big of a turn was needed until he physically put me into the back swing position. It's to the max, as much as I'm able to turn. It feels strange, it feels like my club is so far from the ball.

Heres the turn, he said I need to get my arms a bit higher though.

[iacas]

Just one comment, and I think Mike may have some more pointed ones:

Hopefully, and I'm doubtful which is why I'm adding this, your instructor has the ball flight laws down. His wording at the end would indicate that he might not: a clubface "square" to the target with a path out to the right will result in a miss to the left. (And if the clubface is square to the path, a miss to the right).

So I'd be careful of that. Not knowing these doesn't guarantee you won't get a good lesson, but it doesn't help… It's often an indicator that your instructor is missing out on some basic information, let me put it that way.

[mvmac]

Took another lesson with my instructor.  I'm doing lessons with my wife, he gives each one of us a 1/2 hour.  I'm  taking a series of 6 lessons.  We aren't taking them as frequently as I would want as I have to wait for when my wife is ready, about once a month.

Anyways, I'm glad I got a my head more steady and was keeping my back hip more forward as Mike instructed me.  Didn't have to work on that again during the lesson.  Thanks Mike.

My instructor told me I needed a larger turn on my back swing to get rid of the outside in swing path.  Same as Mike said.  I didn't realize how big of a turn was needed until he physically put me into the back swing position.  It's to the max, as much as I'm able to turn.  It feels strange, it feels like my club is so far from the ball.

I don't want to add too much because I don't want to step on anyone's toes.

But I'm not a fan of two things he said. One was turning the upper body "behind" the ball, ideally you want to just keep things centered. The more "behind it" you get the more likely the shoulders will turn too flat and this can cause some issues with how the arms load, kind of what is happening on the left. To try and achieve more turn you'll notice your head moves up and away from the ball, so there's one more piece that you need to make a "full" turn and keep things centered.

Now this may be a feel because if I remember correctly your head moves slightly towards the target on the takeaway but it's important that the feel doesn't become real.

The other thing was what Erik pointed out with the ball flight stuff. The face is what determines the start line, not the club path.

Hopefully, and I'm doubtful which is why I'm adding this, your instructor has the ball flight laws down. His wording at the end would indicate that he might not: a clubface "square" to the target with a path out to the right will result in a miss to the left. (And if the clubface is square to the path, a miss to the right).

[No Mulligans]

Thanks Mike and Erik.

Mike, we had work on keeping the head steady in previous lessons... I think the use of the word "behind" the ball was not what he wanted to say.  When he was showing me before that video he was referring to it as "a full turn".  Although, now that you mention it, my shoulders do look too flat to me on the video to the left.  I wish he gave me a face on video, I'd like to see if my head stayed steady.

[No Mulligans]

2015 goals:

1. Join Evolvr, Practice 5 days a week

2. Play 50 rounds

2015 aspirations

1. Get my handicap to 18

2. Become more consistent with my Driver

[No Mulligans]

Most recent round, worse score in a while.  My handicap keeps rising, ever since I started taking lessons.  I hope it's growing pains.  My swing has improved with the lessons.

The one good thing I can take from that round, my driving was better than usual.  4 out of 5 drives were good, for me anyways.  One of my drives was 230 and had little roll due to the wet and soft fairway.  That's the longest I've hit it on a course.  If I can do it once, I can do it again, and if I can do it again then why not most of the time.  That was encouraging as I wasn't sure I had the strength or flexibility to hit that far.

[mvmac]

Most recent round, worse score in a while.  My handicap keeps rising, ever since I started taking lessons.  I hope it's growing pains.  My swing has improved with the lessons.

The one good thing I can take from that round, my driving was better than usual.  4 out of 5 drives were good, for me anyways.  One of my drives was 230 and had little roll due to the wet and soft fairway.  That's the longest I've hit it on a course.  If I can do it once, I can do it again, and if I can do it again then why not most of the time.  That was encouraging as I wasn't sure I had the strength or flexibility to hit that far.

Have you signed up for Evolvr yet?

[No Mulligans]

Have you signed up for Evolvr yet?

One more lesson with my 'in person' instructor to finish the series and then I'll sign up.  Should be mid December.

[mvmac]

One more lesson with my 'in person' instructor to finish the series and then I'll sign up.  Should be mid December.

Ok cool.

[Lihu]

One more lesson with my 'in person' instructor to finish the series and then I'll sign up.  Should be mid December.

Hold on a minute!

You mean to say that you are in San Diego and not getting a live lesson from Mike?

[No Mulligans]

@Lihu, I started lessons before I knew of this site, evolvr, and Mike.

M ike teaches in Long Beach, quite the the drive, maybe two hours if the traffic cooperates.  Maybe I'll work it out someday.  For now, I'm really looking forward to starting with Evolvr.

[No Mulligans]

Based on Mike's instructions, post #3, I'm working on:
1 bumping the hips a bit forward at address
2 Keeping my hips from moving back and my head moving forward on backswing
3 Making a bigger turn on the backswing

The lighting was poor for down the line video, sorry.

Just signed up for evolvr, will be sending these videos.