My Swing (Mike Boatright)

[Abu3baid]

Oh guys funny thing is I was hitting it 185 yards with a baby draw 5 irons. I have good hands I guess and it saves me a lot. I don't mind the slide a bit what I have noticed is the cramped right arm at impact I see pga tour pro's always extending through impact I am cramped up So I guess their all connected,Good I can get better then 

 

 

What is a flip?

It is the club overtaking the hands at or before impact, and what it impacts is your ability to control the low point.  You are very lucky in the fact that you have since your childhood been able to learn how to compensate for these swing flaws..  others who start later in life have these swing flaws as well, but they shoot in the 20+ range usually because they aren't able to compensate enough to make consistent contact like your self.

I wouldn't call that a bit of a slide.. that is a huge slide and notice your spine tilt at the top of your swing.. your body then has to do 180* change in spine tilt so that you can get a secondary axis tilt at the point of impact, and you have no choice but for the club to overtake your hands and for them to get cramped.. this is your compensation to make contact.

A good drill is to take your stance and put a chair right up against your right hip and then take your backswing without hitting the chair with your hip.  Notice how it feels and see if you can emulate it without the chair using that feel.. i.e. it can be feeling like you are keeping your weight on your left side, or feeling like you are turning around your self.. what ever works for you.  Then video your self and draw the same lines that Mike did and see where you are.

Good Luck!

[Mike Boatright]

Also will a centered hip turn make me have a real short and restricted back swing like all the photos you guys have been posting? I'm really just trying to make a big back swing that's where all the power comes from. For me making a real centered tight swing is for wedges. I put 70% of my weight on my left foot and make a short tight centered swing for downward impact, I feel like a real centered turn like you guys are talking about would cause me to make better contact but reduce my speed by 40% This swing in particular was a warm up swing 135 yard 8 iron it was short and tight did I still slide?

My Movie.mp4

Edited October 6, 2015 by Mike Boatright

[Abu3baid]

Also will a centered hip turn make me have a real short and restricted back swing like all the photos you guys have been posting? I'm really just trying to make a big back swing that's where all the power comes from. For me making a real centered tight swing is for wedges. I put 70% of my weight on my left foot and make a short tight centered swing for downward impact, I feel like a real centered turn like you guys are talking about would cause me to make better contact but reduce my speed by 40% This swing in particular was a warm up swing 135 yard 8 iron it was short and tight did I still slide?

My Movie.mp4

None of the pictures show guys with restricted back swings.  These guys are all professionals, and I trust that they all feel like they have full back swings and they can't go any further.  This is mainly because they have good sequencing unlike amateurs like me who feel like I have to go back a mile because I don't have good sequencing.

Even when you are swinging at a reduced speed you are still swaying with your hips, and the sway only increases as you go up through your clubs.  Good power comes from good sequence / arm and hip speed / good contact..

Feel is not real, so even though you felt like you are making a centered turn, you were not.

If you can take care that when you take an FO video to include all of you as half body shots don't help anyone looking at your swing, and limits their ability to give you good advice. 

[Mike Boatright]

None of the pictures show guys with restricted back swings.  These guys are all professionals, and I trust that they all feel like they have full back swings and they can't go any further.  This is mainly because they have good sequencing unlike amateurs like me who feel like I have to go back a mile because I don't have good sequencing.

Even when you are swinging at a reduced speed you are still swaying with your hips, and the sway only increases as you go up through your clubs.  Good power comes from good sequence / arm and hip speed / good contact..

Feel is not real, so even though you felt like you are making a centered turn, you were not.

If you can take care that when you take an FO video to include all of you as half body shots don't help anyone looking at your swing, and limits their ability to give you good advice. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K06_xm9BZ4g

I guess this is the secret then?

[Abu3baid]

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K06_xm9BZ4g

 

 

I guess this is the secret then?

 

bingo 

and no one would ever say that Rory has a restricted back swing.. He also hits it a mile..

 

edit:  it's not a secret by the way, just part of the first key that all good players achieve!

Edited October 6, 2015 by Abu3baid

[Mr. Desmond]

The swaying hip and back leaning to the target on backswing remind me of guys who tried to teach themselves Stack and Tilt. They did not do it correctly, so the front hip ends up where it is in the swing vid, and the back and head lean in the target's direction.

Would it help to have a feeling of the lead hip staying where it is at address (like Zach Johnson in bottom pic) ?

Look at bottom pic first (earlier in backswing), and then top pic

 

 

As to right arm on downswing:

 

Edited October 6, 2015 by Mr. Desmond

[saevel25]

Also will a centered hip turn make me have a real short and restricted back swing like all the photos you guys have been posting? I'm really just trying to make a big back swing that's where all the power comes from. For me making a real centered tight swing is for wedges. I put 70% of my weight on my left foot and make a short tight centered swing for downward impact, I feel like a real centered turn like you guys are talking about would cause me to make better contact but reduce my speed by 40% This swing in particular was a warm up swing 135 yard 8 iron it was short and tight did I still slide?

My Movie.mp4

No, a centered pivot will give you a proper length backswing. Power comes from speed and that's it. You can hit with power and have a centered pivot. Look at JB Holmes, he gets a full turn. The club never reaches parallel, hands never get past his right ear, and he has 120+ mph clubhead speed.

First, who said put 70% of your weight on your front foot? Keep it 50/50 or 55/45 at address. Then make a centered pivot and make sure you get 90% pressure on your front foot at impact. All PGA Tour players have 90%+ of their weight on their front foot at impact. How they get it there varies. 

Weight Forward

 

Good image here. Notice how your spine is tilting towards the target. Don't do that. Get it so your left hip is more on the red line not away from it, and get the yellow line to be more vertical to slightly pointing away from the target. 

 

Would it help to have a feeling of the lead hip staying where it is at address (like Zach Johnson in bottom pic) ?

Depends on the golfer. I feel more right side oriented stuff. So I wouldn't do good feeling the left hip staying where it's at. I prefer the feeling of the right hip going more around and backwards. That is what works for me. 

 

[Mr. Desmond]

No, a centered pivot will give you a proper length backswing. Power comes from speed and that's it. You can hit with power and have a centered pivot. Look at JB Holmes, he gets a full turn. The club never reaches parallel, hands never get past his right ear, and he has 120+ mph clubhead speed.
First, who said put 70% of your weight on your front foot? Keep it 50/50 or 55/45 at address. Then make a centered pivot and make sure you get 90% pressure on your front foot at impact. All PGA Tour players have 90%+ of their weight on their front foot at impact. How they get it there varies. 

Weight Forward

 

Good image here. Notice how your spine is tilting towards the target. Don't do that. Get it so your left hip is more on the red line not away from it, and get the yellow line to be more vertical to slightly pointing away from the target. 

 

Depends on the golfer. I feel more right side oriented stuff. So I wouldn't do good feeling the left hip staying where it's at. I prefer the feeling of the right hip going more around and backwards. That is what works for me. 

 

I worded that incorrectly - the left hip turns, as we know, because the right hip is turning, as mvmac and you explain, but perhaps a little exaggeration at first to get the feel that the hips turn but the lead hip does not move inward (implosion), may help at first.

I find thinking about the feet to begin the backswing, and the right pocket moving around (behind me), is a feeling for which I strive - it's not easy when you've been an upper body type for 20 years.

[Mike Boatright]

Ok guys assuming I do all of this what are the benefits? I was hitting on the button with my gap wedge 115 yards,5 irons 185+ 26 degree hybrid 200 but 8 iron only going 145. I would love to get some more pop better impact or whatever so What I'm saying will my best shots be that much better or just no more bad shots?

[saevel25]

Ok guys assuming I do all of this what are the benefits? I was hitting on the button with my gap wedge 115 yards,5 irons 185+ 26 degree hybrid 200 but 8 iron only going 145. I would love to get some more pop better impact or whatever so What I'm saying will my best shots be that much better or just no more bad shots?

Center pivot helps with the following
1) Leads to more power because you use the body better
2) Leads to better contact because you can control the low point of the swing more consistently as well as control the clubpath better. 
 

[phillyk]

 

Center pivot helps with the following
1) Leads to more power because you use the body better
2) Leads to better contact because you can control the low point of the swing more consistently as well as control the clubpath better. 
 

To go further, centered pivot will make it easier to extend your right arm at impact like you said you would like to do.  

If you think hitting a 185yd 5 iron is good power, think again.  I think you can get it out near 200yds consistently after tweaking a few things.  These changes may help with better and more consistent ball contact, which could mean more distance or just better control or both.  Keeping the misses small will come along eventually too, but takes a lot longer as you start to change.  

Edited October 6, 2015 by phillyk

[Mike Boatright]

That's certainly encouraging guys I just don't know If i'm physically capable of doing this young guys move? Is this something anyone can do even a senior golfer? 

[Mr. Desmond]

That's certainly encouraging guys I just don't know If i'm physically capable of doing this young guys move? Is this something anyone can do even a senior golfer? 

Yes, you are.

You will find consistency and added distance.

Do some stretching -- "FIx Your Body, Fix Your Swing" is a decent book. Work on balance - one legged half golf swings.

Looks like Rickie has started the downswing with the lower body as shown by the leg separation.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Mr. Desmond

[JonMA1]

That's certainly encouraging guys I just don't know If i'm physically capable of doing this young guys move? Is this something anyone can do even a senior golfer? 

Some suggestions from a high capper...

Take it very slow and be patient. Just know and accept going into it that it probably won't be fast or easy to make the change. Put in a ton of time and effort before you give up on it. Contact will likely be worse initially - especially if you've had success with your current swing. Even if "feel ain't real", use feel to your advantage by exaggerating it (if need be) to obtain the objective on video. Once you do get the "picture to change", you'll still have to ingrain it to the point where it's natural.

[Mike Boatright]

Yeah i'm not going to change anything besides trying to load up more behind the ball in upwards fashion. I want to feel my backswing farther in the sky behind me which is the result hopefully from a better upper body turn. I honesty don't see swaying what I see is a slight upper body reverse tilt that needs to go the other way. Perhaps I shall tilt back at setup marginally to promote this I will work on it thanks. I'm all about setup tweaks if by body is going towards the target in my backswing then I may be to open and vertical at adress

[saevel25]

I honesty don't see swaying what I see is a slight upper body reverse tilt that needs to go the other way. 

 

Set Up, pretty good.  

Top of the backswing
Your head actually doesn't move that much off your original position Your whole lower body shifts laterally to the right. You can see that by the orange lines being your set up position and the blue line where your hips go. You sway a TON. Stop conning yourself here. This is hurting your golf game a ton. If you turn around your spine more then the yellow line will be more in it's original position at set up and this allows you to utilize your lower body more. This makes the swing more consistent and powerful. 

Impact Position

You do a decent job getting the left arm to be inline with the clubhead. You are all scrunched together because you lose your spine tilt towards the ball. Also your head shifts to the right a good 6-8 inches. This is because your lower body wants to reverse what it did at the top of the backswing. In the end that sway is causing your head to move around way too much and causing impact issues. It also saps you of power since you are not using your body correctly. 

If you still don't think you sway then I am done here because you blatantly deny what's been show to happen. 

[Mike Boatright]

 

Set Up, pretty good.  

Top of the backswing
Your head actually doesn't move that much off your original position Your whole lower body shifts laterally to the right. You can see that by the orange lines being your set up position and the blue line where your hips go. You sway a TON. Stop conning yourself here. This is hurting your golf game a ton. If you turn around your spine more then the yellow line will be more in it's original position at set up and this allows you to utilize your lower body more. This makes the swing more consistent and powerful. 

Impact Position

You do a decent job getting the left arm to be inline with the clubhead. You are all scrunched together because you lose your spine tilt towards the ball. Also your head shifts to the right a good 6-8 inches. This is because your lower body wants to reverse what it did at the top of the backswing. In the end that sway is causing your head to move around way too much and causing impact issues. It also saps you of power since you are not using your body correctly. 

If you still don't think you sway then I am done here because you blatantly deny what's been show to happen. 

Oh not at all I'm loving all the free lessons here you guys are awesome thanks. I really thought I didn't sway I thought it was my upper body cool nice pictures and those lines and stuff thanks. Maybe post a video of your swing so we can scrutinize it.

[Mr. Desmond]

Yeah i'm not going to change anything besides trying to load up more behind the ball in upwards fashion. I want to feel my backswing farther in the sky behind me which is the result hopefully from a better upper body turn. I honesty don't see swaying what I see is a slight upper body reverse tilt that needs to go the other way. Perhaps I shall tilt back at setup marginally to promote this I will work on it thanks. I'm all about setup tweaks if by body is going towards the target in my backswing then I may be to open and vertical at adress

 I'd go with what others say is the primary piece - the hip sway back, and upper body lean to target.

One issue at a time. Then stop raising your arms in an inefficient effort to gain more power, then extending right arm - patient. You have a lot of compensation in your swing, as most of us do, and this is an effort to allow you to swing with more distance without compensations.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Mr. Desmond