Golf is hard. It certainly is!

[RussUK]

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

@RussUK

Check out the thread below. It may be in line with what you are talking about in how your swing change feels. It worked well for me. If I go too far back, my left arm bends, but that is not the issue. The problem is my right arm gets stuck behind my side on the downswing and I will come over the top. Too long a swing can also cause the hips, head, etc. to move back.

shorter-probably-better-swing-keep-the-right-arm-straight

Thanks for the link. feeling that  the right arm is straighter than usual is a weird thought but it does actually make a lot of sense

[ghalfaire]

On 11/23/2015, 7:18:05, RussUK said:

 

Most of the instructional material i have read advocates the straight lead arm and the backswing and swing to a wrap around finish or hands high. Is this really needed in order to generate sufficient  power/swing speed?

or can a compact swing done properly achieve the same?

any of the guys here have a compact swing and have good results?

 

I have read articles that would say to not worry too much about a Straight lead arm as it will straighten on the down swing (centrifugal force).  Like most advice the straight lead arm thing can be overdone.  If keeping the arm straight causes tension in your swing it is a bad thing. If you can keep the lead arm straight and still make a decent turn you're better off.  But most of us are not flexible enough to do that.   Especially ones as old as me.  Having said that too much bend in the lead arm at the top isn't so good either.  Just don't overdo it either way.  

I have for a year or so now been using a Stack & Tilt swing and it has helped me with accuracy and I can't see any decrease in distance averages with any of my clubs.  But it does seem to cause me a slightly shorter and more compact swing.  Anyway for me it works.

Final though is make sure you get someone to video you as there is a "feel Vs. real" difference in all of us.  

[collapse]

11 minutes ago, ghalfaire said:

I have read articles that would say to not worry too much about a Straight lead arm as it will straighten on the down swing (centrifugal force).  Like most advice the straight lead arm thing can be overdone.  If keeping the arm straight causes tension in your swing it is a bad thing. If you can keep the lead arm straight and still make a decent turn you're better off.  But most of us are not flexible enough to do that.   Especially ones as old as me.  Having said that too much bend in the lead arm at the top isn't so good either.  Just don't overdo it either way.  

I have for a year or so now been using a Stack & Tilt swing and it has helped me with accuracy and I can't see any decrease in distance averages with any of my clubs.  But it does seem to cause me a slightly shorter and more compact swing.  Anyway for me it works.

Final though is make sure you get someone to video you as there is a "feel Vs. real" difference in all of us.  

The stiff straight arm is not mandatory and as you say centrifugal force straightens it....just don't want it to collapse.If you check out Spieth or JB Holmes,their arm bends as does Freddy's.I tried Stack and Tilt and found it ok/pretty good with irons but lost a lot with the driver.

[LagShaft]

27 minutes ago, collapse said:

The stiff straight arm is not mandatory and as you say centrifugal force straightens it....just don't want it to collapse.If you check out Spieth or JB Holmes,their arm bends as does Freddy's.I tried Stack and Tilt and found it ok/pretty good with irons but lost a lot with the driver.

I've swung enough sledge hammers to know that ones arms don't straighten during the down swing due to centrifugal force unless your arms are loose as noodles and then I think it would be much to late.  Only muscle contractions through impact will straighten your arm.  I'll be interested to here what others have to say but I would think that any breaking at the elbow should not be voluntary and the objective should be to keep the arm straight and lengthen the arc.  I know when I'm fighting hitting the ball fat my arms can begin to shorten and I this is even more disastrous.  

Edited November 26, 2015 by LagShaft

[DrvFrShow]

Then we practice on mats in a perfectly controlled environment. It's difficult to take our range game to the golf course where our lies vary from shot to shot. While this might not bother a low handicapper or a pro so much, it sure bothers us with mid-high HCs. Soft ground will bother us. It would be nice if they had a way of adjusting the tilt of the platform on which we were standing to hit the ball so we could practice off slice lies and hook lies, uphill lies, downhill lies, but I know that would be added equipment and added maintenance. 

I found this video that kind of covers part of the issue. I found it quite interesting.

 

[Lihu]

It seems like no matter what level of play you are currently playing, golf is hard.

High handicaps just want to get the ball into the air and lmove twoards the tRget.

Mid-high handicaps are more concerned with getting a decent swing, and get somewhat close to their target

Mid handicaps want to feel a decent strike on every shot.

Low handicaps are trying to avoid mishits and hit more greens.

Scratch are trying to save par.

Plus are trying to shoot several rounds in a row without making too many errors. . .etc.

There's always something to make it challenging or difficult no matter what level you play.