My Swing (nvestn)

[nvestn]

I've been Playing Golf for: 3 years, approx. 10-15 rounds per summer

My current handicap index or average score is: high, mid-90's scores

My typical ball flight is: all over the place, driver slices have been common

The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: inconsistency with longer clubs, toe hits

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Videos:

Hi guys, I have started playing 3 summers ago and am having a terribly hard time off the tee. I have never been able to consistently feel confident off the tee. My major issue over the last few years has been a big nasty slice... I've been working on converting my swing into an in-to-out swing and the slice is less of an issue. I am simply getting a lot of mishits. I have started to take away the club at a very low and flat angle during the takeway. This has resulted in less big slices but many issues remain.

A frequent mishit I've been getting with the driver is low and to the left shots that have a very pronounced front spin that just dives down and to the left. Weirdest ball flight. I don't know what causes that.

I also have a very hard time hitting fairway woods and hybrids, I find myself topping them a lot so something tells me that I am coming out of the shot - however I don't see it in the videos...

I would appreciate any points on any point of my swing - I twist my left leg quite a bit during the backswing - I know this is less popular these days but it feels natural to me. Could this be causing my issues with lifting up on impact?

[boogielicious]

Thanks for posting @nvestn

Watch your head and hips in the video. You are shifting back significantly on the back swing. Your head moves back as do your hips. This means that you then need to shift all the way back to make good contact.  Check out the thread below. By keeping your hips turn centered and your head steady, you don't need to shift as far to get your weight forward at impact.

In addition, flaring your feet a bit at address with help you make a centered hip turn.

Lastly, check out the thread below too. The Five Simple Keys are not a swing method, but rather the key elements all good swings have. Steady head and weight forward are the first two and very important to emulate.

[nvestn]

Thanks for posting @nvestn

Watch your head and hips in the video. You are shifting back significantly on the back swing. Your head moves back as do your hips. This means that you then need to shift all the way back to make good contact.  Check out the thread below. By keeping your hips turn centered and your head steady, you don't need to shift as far to get your weight forward at impact.

In addition, flaring your feet a bit at address with help you make a centered hip turn.

Lastly, check out the thread below too. The Five Simple Keys are not a swing method, but rather the key elements all good swings have. Steady head and weight forward are the first two and very important to emulate.

You are absolutely right. I had never noticed, even after spending some time looking at the video (before you mentioned it). This is something I knew to be essential and assumed I was doing properly. After re-watching the video, there is clearly lots of rearward movement, maybe upwards of 6 inches. This part of my swing being so ingrained, I think it's going to be difficult to correct.

This leads me to believe that this issue may be the major flaw that creates the inconsistency with topping balls and such. With hip sway, there is a lot of inconsistency with the swing arc bottom, correct? Meaning it can lead to topped balls and fat shots more easily?

I will start practicing with flared feet and making a concerted effort to avoid the sway. I've looked up a few drills online and hopefully they will work for me.

Thank you very much for pointing this out!!

I'd appreciate any more feedback if anyone finds anything else... thanks!

[nvestn]

Looking back at the video, I've also noticed that my head at impact remains about 3-4 inches behind where it was at address. Should it be staying in the exact same spot or is some lateral movement expected?

[Lihu]

Looking back at the video, I've also noticed that my head at impact remains about 3-4 inches behind where it was at address. Should it be staying in the exact same spot or is some lateral movement expected?

Pretty much.

I try not to move more than an inch. Someone filmed me the other day, and I don't even move that much any more and it does help me make better contact because I hit less thin and fat.

[boogielicious]

Quote:

Originally Posted by boogielicious

Thanks for posting @nvestn

Watch your head and hips in the video. You are shifting back significantly on the back swing. Your head moves back as do your hips. This means that you then need to shift all the way back to make good contact.  Check out the thread below. By keeping your hips turn centered and your head steady, you don't need to shift as far to get your weight forward at impact.

In addition, flaring your feet a bit at address with help you make a centered hip turn.

Lastly, check out the thread below too. The Five Simple Keys are not a swing method, but rather the key elements all good swings have. Steady head and weight forward are the first two and very important to emulate.

You are absolutely right. I had never noticed, even after spending some time looking at the video (before you mentioned it). This is something I knew to be essential and assumed I was doing properly. After re-watching the video, there is clearly lots of rearward movement, maybe upwards of 6 inches. This part of my swing being so ingrained, I think it's going to be difficult to correct.

This leads me to believe that this issue may be the major flaw that creates the inconsistency with topping balls and such. With hip sway, there is a lot of inconsistency with the swing arc bottom, correct? Meaning it can lead to topped balls and fat shots more easily?

I will start practicing with flared feet and making a concerted effort to avoid the sway. I've looked up a few drills online and hopefully they will work for me.

Thank you very much for pointing this out!!

I'd appreciate any more feedback if anyone finds anything else... thanks!

Looking back at the video, I've also noticed that my head at impact remains about 3-4 inches behind where it was at address. Should it be staying in the exact same spot or is some lateral movement expected?

I think it will be easier to correct than you think. Many of us had similar issues and corrected it pretty quickly.  Check out the thread and some of the videos in this thread with regards to steady head. Both the head and hips moving are related to the same thing. Correct the hip turn and you will correct the head movement.

Also, when you practice, practice slow. The thread below talks about the best way to practice. Filming is a great way to see your progress. You can also practice in front of a mirror. I do that a lot.