My Swing (DuffMcGee)

[Duff McGee]

Please forgive the length of this post in advance. I throw myself at the feet of the experts here bc I just experienced something I've never experienced before (I won't be able to post a video for awhile so hopefully you guys will have some sort of guess as to what's happening here). I started of at the range hitting PW. This session was a hacker session with a bunch of sweaty swings because I am trying something new and was dying of curiosity just to see what might be in the future with my new swing. Anyway, I've never hit the ball like this. I am a flipper so my wedges and short irons already go pretty high. Well every iron was going at least 8 to 10 yards (and sometimes even more) further than in the past just based only on the club face and swing plane corrections. And they were doing even higher. The problem is that I was pulling all my short irons and actually hooking some of them. Then I pulled out 4 iron and I started slicing the ball or hitting beautiful straight shots. Then I pulled out my driver and the funniest thing happened. I was blocking every shot. I could not believe the sound my club was making. I've never hit the ball that hard. Track master has my driver speed between 100 and 108 on almost every shot I hit on it (hundreds). I know my club is going at least 5mph or more faster than average now just based on sound whipping and ball sound coming off the club head. Mom my good shots, I was hitting the back net halfway up when usually I one hop it. Anyway, I've struggled for so long trying to get rid of my snap hook and now every shot is slicing with my driver. I think one of two things (or even both) is happening. 1) I have always been an out to in swinger but somehow managed to camouflage it through all those weird corrections in my funky swing and now that my takeaway is more typical I'm starting to find my true potential as a weekend hacker that swing outside to in and sprays it right. :) 2) OR....I am still flipping the club even though I don't have to anymore and I'm pulling my irons and all those compensations I used to use not to snap hook my driver by trying to keep the face open on the downswing is still there, grooved from years of trying to avoid it. Regardless, man! I'm not trying to swing harder but it's like someone oiled me up or something and I was the tin man.

[mvmac]

Post an updated swing when you can.

[Duff McGee]

Post an updated swing when you can.

Ok will do. It will probably be awhile but you're right, guessing wouldn't likely do much.

[mvmac]

guessing wouldn't likely do much.

Yeah, rather not guess.

[phillyk]

I would also be patient with the progression of changes.  Everything won't be perfect in one range session.  The adjustment is probably stopping the club face from getting closed at impact.  A block typically occurs with an in out path with the face open.  Your old videos don't look as if you have an out in path.  I would take the time first to make sure you have the toe down in your sleep, because it is really changing a big part of the swing.  After that, we can look at the next step.  And don't do it today with this wind... I'd be knocked over at least, haha!

[Duff McGee]

I would also be patient with the progression of changes.  Everything won't be perfect in one range session.  The adjustment is probably stopping the club face from getting closed at impact.  A block typically occurs with an in out path with the face open.  Your old videos don't look as if you have an out in path.  I would take the time first to make sure you have the toe down in your sleep, because it is really changing a big part of the swing.  After that, we can look at the next step.  And don't do it today with this wind... I'd be knocked over at least, haha!

Haha thanks man. That is good to hear. So maybe I'm re-opening it again at the top of my backswing. Stupid swing habits

[Duff McGee]

After having my wife video me in the backyard I still think I am opening the face up too much after I get past the first part of the takeaway.

[Duff McGee]

I just want to give a huge thanks to @mvmac , @iacas , and @phillyk for all your help. I just had the most fun driving range session of my life....and that's a lot of sessions! My swing path adjustments, grip change, bigger turn, and club head control (thanks @Drv4show as well for the pm!) I am now hitting a true draw without any effort. Because my swing was so steep, the club so far inside at the top, and because I had a more than wide open club face, I had to flip severely to square the club face at impact. Thus I hit fat, thin, hit snap hooks and blocks at what felt like random. No amount of band aids could fix it. Now tonight I was able to open the club face a little at address and 80+% of my shots started lower to the right and rose as it drew about right back to where I was aiming. It was awesome because I wasn't trying to draw the ball at all, it was just my natural swing that I have been trying to groove my entire golfing life but couldn't due to all of the above. I know I still have a lot of work to do and I am far from perfect, but I hit one snap hook with my driver out of about 25 drives and one block. I know this will sound weird and cheesy but for the first time in my life I felt that I had a glimpse of myself as a "real golfer." Thanks everyone!

[william w]

Thats fantastic man keep up the good work

[CR McDivot]

After having my wife video me in the backyard I still think I am opening the face up too much after I get past the first part of the takeaway.

Cupped left wrist, maybe?

Flattening the wrist might bring the right elbow in closer and the clubhead more on plane.

Just a hackers guess, for what that's worth.

[CR McDivot]

[Duff McGee]

Thats fantastic man keep up the good work

Thanks!

[Duff McGee]

Cupped left wrist, maybe? Flattening the wrist might bring the right elbow in closer and the clubhead more on plane. Just a hackers guess, for what that's worth.

Yep that's exactly what I've been working on

[amoline]

Definite non expert, hacker here, too. But something I've noticed and I'm trying to get down with my own swing is thinking I have to get to parallel. When I first started doing videos, I was going way over parallel John Daly style (and without any of the distance or awesome factor, sadly). Now, I've got myself going to parallel and I sometimes sneak over but I'm really trying to get it under control. When I do a slightly shorter swing, I get more consistent contact and the same amount or sometimes even more distance. I say shorter for myself because I am starting to get really decent contact more regularly just going to parallel with a full turn now, as opposed to way over. It honestly feels like it's a 3/4 swing at best and then I look at video and it is definitely a full swing to parallel! But anyway, I notice myself trying to get to that 'proper' position makes my backswing get more wristy than I would like and that's when I get that cup, which I at least find uncomfortable. Long story short, I think we all take the club back more than we might think, and we could probably all do ourselves some favors by considering if it really needs to get there after all (it doesn't, but it's still just a mental thing for me). Players like JB Holmes and Jason Day don't get to parallel, and I'd say neither has any issues with distance, heh. Just my two cents.

[Duff McGee]

Definite non expert, hacker here, too. But something I've noticed and I'm trying to get down with my own swing is thinking I have to get to parallel. When I first started doing videos, I was going way over parallel John Daly style (and without any of the distance or awesome factor, sadly). Now, I've got myself going to parallel and I sometimes sneak over but I'm really trying to get it under control. When I do a slightly shorter swing, I get more consistent contact and the same amount or sometimes even more distance. I say shorter for myself because I am starting to get really decent contact more regularly just going to parallel with a full turn now, as opposed to way over. It honestly feels like it's a 3/4 swing at best and then I look at video and it is definitely a full swing to parallel! But anyway, I notice myself trying to get to that 'proper' position makes my backswing get more wristy than I would like and that's when I get that cup, which I at least find uncomfortable. Long story short, I think we all take the club back more than we might think, and we could probably all do ourselves some favors by considering if it really needs to get there after all (it doesn't, but it's still just a mental thing for me). Players like JB Holmes and Jason Day don't get to parallel, and I'd say neither has any issues with distance, heh. Just my two cents.

Thanks. Interestingly enough, as Mvmac predicted, fixing (or at least beginning to fix) my inside takeaway and left wrist cupping has reduced my back swing by quite a bit. If I remember correctly, he stated that the reason I go so far past parallel is that I need to do it to get the club face square at impact (please correct me if I'm wrong). It seems like he was spot on because it has fixed so many swing problems, including my too long backswing.

[amoline]

Huh. Definitely interesting! Like I said, I'm just a beginner, but it really stood out to me because I'm working on the same thing. Wonder if I do it for the same reason, too.

[Duff McGee]

Huh. Definitely interesting! Like I said, I'm just a beginner, but it really stood out to me because I'm working on the same thing. Wonder if I do it for the same reason, too.

Do you have a swing thread? I've had this swing flaw my entire golf life and going out in the back yard and taking a few practice swings, videotaping it, then studying it and then going to the range only one time has completely changed my swing. It's such a strange feel but oh man it is more consistent and I can tell it will also be more powerful although I think I've lost a little distance on my best shots. The problem is that those "best shots" before were so random.

[amoline]

Do you have a swing thread? I've had this swing flaw my entire golf life and going out in the back yard and taking a few practice swings, videotaping it, then studying it and then going to the range only one time has completely changed my swing. It's such a strange feel but oh man it is more consistent and I can tell it will also be more powerful although I think I've lost a little distance on my best shots. The problem is that those "best shots" before were so random.

I do have a swing thread! It's on the first page of the swing forum, too. I've only been playing golf for a short time, but many members of my family play, and my grandfather was definitely the best player in the entire family. So I'm in a unique position of coming into golf with a wealth of terminology and little playing experience, heh. :) Would love to hear how you get along with your swing! I'm fighting a little bit of a flip still (though it's gotten much better in a short amount of time after I got my 'aha!' Feel and committed to it), as well as a chicken wing that I can definitely feel in my elbow. Try not to get too sick if you decide to watch any of my swing videos. ;)