My swing (Huddo)

[Huddo]

I've been Playing Golf for: 6 months

My current handicap index or average score is: Beginner

My typical ball flight is: Inconsistent

The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Over the top

I'm new to this great site, and I could really do with your help or advice please!  I have only occasionally played golf during my life......always put off by an awful slice.  But I decided last September that I wanted to try and at least play the game so that I could hit reasonably straight and enjoy it.  I've had numerous lessons and spent hours at the range but nothing seems to be working.  I don't know what "my" swing plane is and do not feel any power from my swing.  I have a couple of lower discs in my back which are badly worn and wonder if my body is protecting itself sub-consciously and therefore my swing is suffering as a result.   Any drills or tips gratefully received..........I don't want to quit but it's hard not to when there is no improvement!

Thanks for listening and I will post more swings from my lesson later in the week.

Matt

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Videos:

[mvmac]

Work on these drills/feels. Will help reduce the amount you swing across the ball.

[Huddo]

Thank you for the great advice! I have probably got too many different swing thoughts going on at the minute and I'm feeling lost over the ball. I will try the routines tomorrow and post a video. My coach is getting me to place 2 tees either side of the ball to try and reduce my ott move. My right hand and shoulder seem to dominate my downswing so it's slow progress!

[14ledo81]

@Huddo , Welcome to TST!!

[Huddo]

Thank you......it's like having a world of coaches at your fingertips!

[Huddo]

Hi everyone, before I go and practice the squish the ball drill tonight, I noticed that the golfer (apologies for not knowing your name!) started to make a sideways/move down just before the end of the backswing almost like a forward press.  Is this the feeling I want to be replicating later?  Many thanks, Matt

[mvmac]

Hi everyone, before I go and practice the squish the ball drill tonight, I noticed that the golfer (apologies for not knowing your name!) started to make a sideways/move down just before the end of the backswing almost like a forward press.  Is this the feeling I want to be replicating later?  Many thanks, Matt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v;=JHNJhIp4AE4

Just focus on the feeling of squishing the ball and make sure the left foot is turned out to give the left knee room to flex forward.

[Huddo]

I took your advice and had my best session yet at the range! It's early days but improvement......small it may be, is what keeps us all going. Thanks again both to you and everyone else for taking the time to share your knowledge and expertise which is helping me to improve. I will post another video in a few weeks after a couple more lessons and range time plus several hours reading the forums! On a side note and being as unbiased as you can, how much would I benefit from internet lessons as well?

[mvmac]

I took your advice and had my best session yet at the range! It's early days but improvement......small it may be, is what keeps us all going. Thanks again both to you and everyone else for taking the time to share your knowledge and expertise which is helping me to improve. I will post another video in a few weeks after a couple more lessons and range time plus several hours reading the forums!

Great to hear!

On a side note and being as unbiased as you can, how much would I benefit from internet lessons as well?

Everyone I know that has signed up for Evolvr has gotten better. I can't say how much you'll improve because that's based on a few factors. Online lessons from a qualified instructor are better than in person lessons from your average pro.

[Huddo]

The conundrum for me.....as a beginner, is recognising an "average" coach. I might take the plunge and try both. Nothing to lose apart from a few pounds/dollars!

[golfaddict1]

Your backswing looks pretty good, but you have one of the funkiest out-to-in follow throughs I've ever seen and the only way you can possibly hit the ball remotely straight and not 4 miles left is by having your clubface open to your path, which requires that you either twist your hands 'open' on the downswing or (and most probably) have a weak grip to begin with.

I cant see your grip in the video, but I can see that your club face is twisted 'open' at the top of your backswing, so I suspect you have your left hand far too much underneath the grip to begin with.

Try changing your grip (which always feels awful at first) so that when you look down at your hands you see the same number of knuckles (usually 2-3) on both hands, giving you a 'neutral' and more functional grip. It will feel very strong to you at first and with your current downswing path at first you will hit a bunch of shots straight left, maybe even a few low hooks in there. But instead of changing your grip to suit your swing, change your path on the downswing to suit your grip, which for you will feel very much in-to-out.

So many swing issues can be traced back to the grip, but by simply changing the grip we can fix a whole bunch of problems at once.

[Huddo]

Hi, "funkiest" is very kind. I would have called it something else but my language would be too colourful for the forum! I'm conscious that the forum is not designed as a free coaching session for me but thanks for your great input. I will have to stop posting on this thread for a bit! With reference to my grip, I can see two knuckles on my left hand but always seem to have trouble with a cupped left wrist, which is exacerbated whenever I try to strengthen my grip. I will ask the pro during my lesson on Friday about it. I know that if I could find a way to get somewhere close to "my" plane and pivot, things will start to make sense......I hope. Thanks, Matt

[Huddo]

Hi, please don't analyse my awful swing.........I'm paying the Pro too much to try and sort it!  But I seem (actually I have) to have mental scaring from so many bad shots.  If you look at both the videos below, once I get a golf ball in front of me, my swing changes!  I appreciate that there is no pressure from just playing an air shot but how do I get that relaxed feel in my normal swing.  It seems to take ages for me to initiate the backswing.  Thanks, Matt

[Huddo]

Hi everyone, hope you are all well!  I will be subscribing to evolvr at the end of the week.....can't wait.  I plan to log my golf journey on the site so that I can hopefully assist other beginner golfers who have suffered with the same swing faults that I have!

Anyway, I went to the range today and really concentrated on keeping my body still and trying to drive my left foot down on the golf swing.  The results were mixed but if you check the video below, my weight shift stops and my club is released far too early - explains why I'm hitting so many fat shots!  Can somebody please give me some guidance?  Should that weight shift, which seems to stop for me, be carrying on further, almost exaggerated?

Thanks, Matt

[Huddo]

I've just watched the #2 keys video again.........and as the gentleman said do you think "i'm faking" the weight shift and getting stuck on the back foot? I think I may have answered my own question! More practice for me

[mvmac]

Hi everyone, hope you are all well!  I will be subscribing to evolvr at the end of the week.....can't wait.  I plan to log my golf journey on the site so that I can hopefully assist other beginner golfers who have suffered with the same swing faults that I have!

Anyway, I went to the range today and really concentrated on keeping my body still and trying to drive my left foot down on the golf swing.  The results were mixed but if you check the video below, my weight shift stops and my club is released far too early - explains why I'm hitting so many fat shots!  Can somebody please give me some guidance?  Should that weight shift, which seems to stop for me, be carrying on further, almost exaggerated?

Good luck with Evolvr, great to hear you signed up.

Yes you don't transfer your lower body forward at all and that causes you to swing well across the ball. You'll feel like your left knee stays flexed all the way to impact. Going to have to make A LOT of exaggerated practice swings, would recommend checking out the hips forward drill again as well. Your Evolvr instructor will also give you some feels.

[Huddo]

Quote:

Going to have to make A LOT of exaggerated practice swings

Thanks, I'm really looking forward to evolvr!  Your quote above is on the money! Matt

[Huddo]

Hi everyone....my journey has officially started!  I've just received my first evolvr video analysis and I now have structure to my practice.  I was really impressed, firstly by the speed of the response.......only 2 days and secondly by the clear and concise analysis of the priority areas I need to work on - the instructor Stephan explained each "new move" in a clear and understandable way.  I have probably got bogged down with too many swing thoughts so getting back to a "feel" approach will no doubt facilitate my progress.

Feedback

At address:

Strengthen your left hand grip slightly

Hands further forward

Left arm straighter

In the back swing:

Feel a lot less turn and like you are staying in your original flexion longer.

When practicing looking for the alignments discussed in the video at A3 and A4.

As I currently overturn during the backswing (so much for a bad back!) Stephan has said that the new practice move to A3 will feel very short to me. Should I incorporate hitting the ball with this drill after I have become au fait with holding the flexion for longer? I really want to hit the ground running and I would appreciate any advice from people who have undertaken the same drills.

Thanks for listening and I will post videos of my progress later in the week. Matt