Left or Right?

[hypergolf]

I have been swinging my club in the following sequence.

1. Back swing with left shoulder.
2. At the end of the back swing, I stay paused for a split second.
3. Hip begin to rotate.
4. I use my LEFT thumb to trigger down swing.
5. Impact with LEFT .
6. My LEFT elbow rotates and LEFT palm faces up.
7. Right shoulder follows straight through.
8. Finish.

My friend keeps trying to change my swing saying that it should be the following swing sequence.

1. Same as above.
2. Same as above.
3. Same as above.
4. Use RIGHT hand to feel like you are swing down.
5. Impact with RIGHT .
6. Use RIGHT forearm to rotate and RIGHT palm faces down.
7. Same as above.
8. Same as above.

As you can see I emphasize on my LEFT side where as my friend emphasizes on the RIGHT side.

Which is right? When I try my friend's swing method I tend to hit the ball really high... Any input is appreciated. Tks.

[Fried Egg]

It seems like a matter of preference. The way you wrote it, it looks like what you say the left does will cause what they say the right will do and vice versa.

It's probably tough to translate to words, but the way it's written, I'm not sure where in the golfswing the left palm faces up and the right palm faces down. Also, the hip rotation or a lower body weight shift forward keys and starts the down swing. Not the thumb, hands, shoulders, etc. Finally, there shouldn't be a pause at the top. Actually, the lower body should already be initiating the downswing as the club is completing the backswing.

[MPS67]

  Fried Egg said:

It seems like a matter of preference. The way you wrote it, it looks like what you say the left does will cause what they say the right will do and vice versa.

As I understand, I agree with you Fried Egg. I also think initiating the downswing with the left thumb is something you should avoid. The way I see it, this can promote club casting. Keep the hands passive. Let the body (hips, torso, shoulders) and weight shift drive the downswing.

[golfgolfer]

  MPS67 said:

As I understand, I agree with you Fried Egg. I also think initiating the downswing with the left thumb is something you should avoid. The way I see it, this can promote club casting. Keep the hands passive. Let the body (hips, torso, shoulders) and weight shift drive the downswing.

Yes.. initiating the downswing with the left thumb will lead to casting. Personally, I would prefer to initiate the downswing with a slight hip shift to the front and hip rotation. Due to the torque or twist of the torso created in the backswing, the hip rotation will initiated the motion for the shoulder and arms.

As for the rolling of the club after impact, I personally use more on the right hand. Whatever is comfortable for you and works for you - this should be your swing.

[sbgolfin_06]

wanted to respond as i was just at the range working on this..

you want to feel as if the arms are "dropping" into place, not like you are forcing them to be in any position on the downswing. for me, when i get to "armsy", i come over the top a lot and hook it. as bologna said before, use your big muscles; let the rotation of lower body together with the rotation of your core and shoulders make the swing.

also, after taking a practice swing in my room, my left palm does NOT face straight up.. for that to happen, i would have to flip my wrists. i used to do this before my coach helped me stop. flipping the wrists added loft to the club at impact which caused 2 major problems. 1. i hit the ball really high, way higher than ideal trajectory. 2. the shot was really weak and i was losing a LOT of distance. i fixed this by hitting lots of half shots with the technique listed in the previous paragraph, finishing with arms straight out and pointing toward my target. the follow-through for a half shot should also have the club head pointed at target.

hope this helps.

[powerfade]

I thought I had been controlling the swing with my left side like you described, but learned last week that my right hand was flipping over slightly at impact. Depending on the timing this caused delofting (especially with the driver) or a hook (instead of a draw). I corrected it by allowing the left arm/hand to control the right going back and coming through and began striking the ball more consistently.

(The rest of my swing is pretty sound, or so I have been told).

After spending 2 days at the range then a round of golf on Friday, I had one of my best ball striking days ever last Saturday as a result. (Friday wasn't too bad either). I shot at and below my index both days at courses I had never seen.

[ks8829]

I played golf with a player that is right handed but played golf left handed. He started with a left handed set and has been playing golf left handed every since, like Phil Mickelson.

[fusioncal]

Here's what I learned from the golf instructor in Scottsdale, AZ, Steve Bishop who happens to be sandtrap member as well, Ringer.

First of all, instead of placing your left thumb on top of the grip, move it to the right slightly touching the palm of your right hand (for RH golfer). Now do the swing. You'll feel the difference immediately because you're not relying on your left thumb anymore during the back and the down swing.

  Ringer said:

Bottom line, you should set up with the left thumb slightly to the right of the grip.

Here's the original

thread . Secondly, remember that your should make an impact like you're shaking someone's hand with your right hand. Your left hand will naturally flip by itself in sync with that "shake hand" motion. You may want to watch his video here . Go to "Other Videos" and click on "Release Drill." Hope this helps.

  hypergolf said:

When I try my friend's swing method I tend to hit the ball really high... Any input is appreciated. Tks.

If you notice excellent ball strikers hit their ball really high. Because they're that good, they can hit the ball low if they want to. What is your driver swing speed, by the way?

[andre112]

i pull with my left side, too
i started to notice some muscle pain on the left shoulder and chest...
:(

[supercow]

I think that this is just an issue of sematics. If I recall correctly, Nicklaus used to interchange his thinking from right/left depending on what felt best at the time...

[Leek]

  hypergolf said:

I have been swinging my club in the following sequence.

It's the classic push vs. pull discussion. both work just fine. Whatever is more consistent for you is the right answer.