My Swing (Let it Fly)

[Let it Fly]

Progress log/update.

Took my 3rd and final lesson (at least for now) last Saturday.  Went back to see my instructor as I felt  like I had gone too far with my efforts to develop the "in to out" swing path.  He pulled out the Trackman to assess, and it showed 6-8 degrees club path from the inside. We reviewed that the ultimate goal is an "in to in" path, and showed me a basket-drill to aide development...got some film of it yesterday.  I'm really trying to feel the grip moving in & up after contact rather than pushing out to "left field" while also avoiding the basket.  

I whiffed on the toe-line angle by a few inches, but hoping they have the outdoor bays open this weekend to get better footage (slow-mo this time) as well as some face-on video.  First video is from early February (for comparison), while the 2nd is from yesterday's practice session.  Overall, I think I've made some good progress toward a more consistent swing since my first videos from August '16.

 

   

[Let it Fly]

Summary of my Winter lesson series below (3 1-hour sessions)...more for my own log/development timeline, but welcome any feedback from anyone bored enough to read it all.

12/10/16 - Lesson 1

- Spent first 30 mins talking history of my game, my future goals, equipment, and time available/commitment to practice.  From there, we focused mainly on set-up:  knee flex, balance, alignment, and grip...which we changed from weak to strong primarily in glove hand.  The only swing piece we worked on was learning to feel the club get on-plane coming down, versus the obvious over-the-top move I had at the time.

- Post lesson application:  Did quite a bit of work in my living room gripping & re-gripping clubs while set-up over a ball to get used to it.  At the range (which was tough to get to at times b/c of weather), LOTS of slow-mo rehearsal to feel club on-plane/coming from the inside prior to every real swing.  Did most of this as full-swings, as I wanted to ingrain the feeling from the top of my backswing.  The feeling of "dropping into the slot" actually helped minimize my issue of diving at the ball to start the downswing...learned pretty quickly that if I made that "dive" I would bury the club into the ground behind the ball. 

1/28/17 - Lesson 2

- 1st lesson review:  new grip feeling quite comfortable...and powerful...while downswing routinely coming from the inside with considerably less need to think about it.

- In this session, we worked on creating more width going back and at the top as I was very tight & compact (especially with trail arm/elbow).  Worked a lot of 1-arm swings with left (trail) arm and very slow takeaways.  The feel of this was that the added width actually prevented me from going over-the-top, and the club couldn't go anywhere else but on-plane/from the inside.

- Post lesson application:  continued living room work with grip/set-up/takeaway, while range work was lots of slow, wide, takeaways to the top and rehearsed swings from the inside.

3/18/17 - Lesson 3

- 2nd lesson review:  scheduled the 3rd session after experiencing more difficulty than expected in regard to finding the center of the club face...as well as blocking lots of shots left and/or hooking balls hard right.  Instructor took some DTL video to have a look, and realized I'd over done the whole "coming from the inside" feel...had me at 6-8 degrees from the inside on Trackman. 

-   Although much better swing path from when we started, instructor really wanted to work on finding the best plane/angle into the ball to establish consistency.  This is where the bucket drill (above video) came from to prevent coming down under the plane.

- Post lesson application:  Have only had a couple range days, but have seen immediate improvement in contact & ball flight working the bucket drill...albeit after many slow-mo swings and using only irons (perhaps retrieving a bucket or two from downrange ).  Will need to continue using video to monitor, as it still feels like I'm chopping at the ball to keep from going under-plane.

 

In all, the priority is to get that swing plane to a consistently proper path before taking on anything else as it is such a different move from all my prior years of playing.  We covered some other smaller things throughout the process, but they'll be for another day down the road.  Well worth the time & money...not to mention I learned a lot and had fun!

 

[Let it Fly]

Had a rough session at the range Sunday as I tried progressing to the driver with regard to swing-plane focus.  Have gotten much more comfortable with the irons, as I've been successfully working in full speed swings along with my practice efforts.  However, I got ahead of myself when I tried working in the driver for the first time, as most were big slices or snap hooks.  Definitely lost control of the club face, and then forgot all about tempo when I got a bit frustrated.

I hit the reset button and went back to slow & short swing iron work to finish the session, and need to use this same approach with the long clubs next time.  

[Let it Fly]

Log update:

Gap-fitting session for new irons on 4/6/17...based on 4-5 shot average with each club:

Callaway Apex CF16, 4-PW, Dynamic Gold X100's, +1/2" length, 2-degrees upright, mid-size grips...GW/SW/LW Callaway Mack Daddy with same shafts.

 

LW (bent to 58 degrees):  95-100 yds

SW (bent to 54 degrees):  110-115

GW (bent to 50 deg): 125-130

PW: 140-145

9-iron: 150-155

8: 160-165

7: 170-175

6: 180-185

5: 195-200

4: 205-210

 

 

[Let it Fly]

Took the new irons out to the course for the first time this weekend...what a difference from my old set of G15's.  Absolutely loved the heavier shafts (130g)!  Everything just felt smooth with easy tempo, and the only real trouble I had with them was a couple of fat shots.  Distance and direction were very good...no doubt a by-product of the work I've done over the Winter, as well.  Next up is getting fitted for a new driver/fairway wood/hybrid next week, and plan to look at heavier shafts in these, too.

Tried to get some video yesterday, but with the wind I couldn't get the Ipad to stay up on my bag.  Definitely time for a tripod, especially since I plan to join up with the Evolvr program going forward.  Improvement is addicting.

[Let it Fly]

 

 

Struck the ball pretty well yesterday in a scramble for the men's club I play in...biggest misses I saw were straight pushes to the left.  Continued my focus on downswing path today at the range.  Took some video, and initially wasn't gonna post it b/c the camera was a bit too close to see the top...but it's actually helping me focus on the one priority by not seeing my hands at the top haha.  It's feeling pretty natural now, but noticed I'm still diving at the ball a bit to start the downswing.  Anyone have insight on this...big problem or let it be?  Really trying to live by the "one priority at a time" mindset, but other suggestions are welcome as always.

Also, can anyone recommend a stand/tripod for an Ipad?  Went to Best Buy today, and apparently they don't sell them for Ipads..  Thanks in advance!

 

 

[Let it Fly]

On 4/23/2017 at 7:05 PM, Let it Fly said:

noticed I'm still diving at the ball a bit to start the downswing

Went back and reviewed Key #1 about lateral vs. vertical head movement in the downswing.  Seems like I'm actually doing ok in this area for now...at least to the point it doesn't need to be a primary focus.  

I will sometimes chunk the hell out of a 4 or 5 iron when facing a long approach, and feel like I may be dipping too hard in effort to gear up/squeeze out a few more yards.  Generally occurs off the deck vs. the tee box.  Just a feeling though (no video evidence to prove it), and going forward plan to try to keep my thoughts focused on "smooth" when facing these shots.  

[Let it Fly]

Great driver fitting today.  Wasn't hitting 'em too well in the beginning, so the fitter grabbed a local pro (who spends a lot of time in the shop) to take a look.  Called it perfectly in that I was coming too far from the inside (10-12 degrees), and also trying to "guide" my shots.  The real fun began when he said:

"I want you to do two things - 1. Swing as though you feel like you're cutting across it and 2. Unleash holy hell on that golf ball"

Smash factor, club path, and swing speed improved immediately, and off we went.  Will need to go to work on the club path over the coming weeks/months, but it was a heck of a tip.  He walked away and laughed saying "I charge a buck a yard" haha!  White dots were the Ping G, yellow dots the Epic, and purple dots the M2...which was the obvious choice.  Others were messing around with 3-woods and hybrids.  Fun time.  

[Let it Fly]

Just coming back from a lower back injury that had me sidelined for a few weeks.  It was just a muscle strain luckily, and feeling good now.  

The lessons I took over the winter/early spring have been finished for awhile now, and wanted to get some input on here in regard to a "priority piece" to continue working on as I have a tendency to self-analyze...and it usually leads to more confusion than progress.  Since coming back from the injury, I've started to slice/fade the ball as opposed to the draw I had prior to it...have even been hitting some hosel rockets too unfortunately.  Planning to get some more video this weekend as my Ipad ran out of storage and only saved the below video.  Added the still-frames to show the "dive" move I tend to make to initiate the downswing.  It's a frustrating habit I've battled on & off for awhile, and if my timing isn't perfect I find it difficult to make good contact.  Really just an observation on my part, but any advice/opinions on it are much appreciated...among any other red flags that may stand out.

 

Here's the still frames:

 

Edited June 15, 2017 by Let it Fly

[mchepp]

Hi @Let it Fly , I don't want to derail what you are working on, but I thought I'd add some thoughts.

1. This looks MUCH better. You're A2 is miles better than it was. You are set up for success here.

Trouble for me starts when you get to A4 and then A5. When you get to A4 your left wrist is cupped. This by itself is not bad, but then when you go to A5 you pull your hands straight down and you steepen the shaft with a cupped wrist. Bad, very bad. You now are going to have to make compensations to hit the ball straight. 

You can see in this shot your right wrist is cupped, like I said fine, but I rather it was flat, to slightly bowed. 

Here is where the trouble is. Wrist is still cupped, hand pulled the club head straight down and steepened the shaft with an open face. 

You have plenty of rotation so you are better off than most folks but by making some changes in your transition to flatten the lead wrist and flatten the shaft will help you quite a bit. Here is a thread to check out.

 

[Let it Fly]

33 minutes ago, mchepp said:

I don't want to derail what you are working on, but I thought I'd add some thoughts.

Thanks for the response, Michael, and hope you've been well.  No derailing at all...you hit it on the head in terms of what I've been working on since January.  The steepness/wrist cupping are bad habits which are dug in pretty deep.  Not that I had the changes mastered by any means, but I think the 3-weeks off with the back injury played a little bit of a role in letting the bad habits creep back in.  Great to have another set of eyes confirm it a bit.

My plan going forward is to hit the reset button a bit, and get back to the basics I was working on over the Winter to shallow out, as well as start to naturally keep that glove wrist flat.  I'm a bit shocked at how difficult a time I've had making the wrist-change...such a simple concept.  

Finally bought a stand for my Ipad, so now have a good set-up for filming and will include some drills/slo-mo moves I'm working on going forward.  Not planning to work with the pro any more this Summer/Fall, as I'm pretty sure a solid "priority" is established.  Any & all future feedback is more than welcome and certainly not stepping on any toes...though the respect-level doesn't fall on deaf ears over here, and is one of the biggest reasons I enjoy this site so much.  

As info - the pro I worked with was great, just doesn't make sense to spend the money right now when we'd just be working on the same thing(s).

  

[Let it Fly]

It's been a couple months since I updated this thread, so figured I'd get my thoughts down (though no video to share today).  I've been working hard on the suggestions made by @mchepp above, and have finally started to see some small, but positive, results.  Outside of the occasional straight block/push left (usually when my tempo is a bit rushed), I've been able to eliminate the devastating misses left.  This is good progress for me, especially at my home course where all the OB is located down the left side on many holes.  My solid shots have become towering draws, with the misses being hooked or pull-hooked to the right.  I'm still toiling in the upper 80's which has ticked my handicap upward, but it's better than the string of 90's I had going.

Over the next 6-8 weeks, I plan on taking a break from full-swing work at the range.  I've been going hard at it since January, and feel kind of mentally beat-up from it.  I want to take this time to work more on my short game & wedge play, and try to find some feeling of comfort with the swing I have right now leading up to my annual 45-hole tournament at the end of September...i.e. just playing golf rather than playing "golf swing."  It's been a mental struggle recently to separate the two.  After the tournament, I'm pretty much sold on signing up with Evolvr to continue working on swing mechanics through the Fall/Winter months.    

[Let it Fly]

Hey all, long time!  A lot of changes over the last year and a half:

- Got engaged...wedding is in May and coming up quickly!

- became an uncle

- moved twice

- enrolled in a full-time MBA program to study Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics

- started doing Pilates (personal opinion, but I would recommend anyone with back issues to consider it)

Unfortunately, all things golf (and SandTrap forums) fell on the wrong side of the time-management ax.  However, things have settled down so I'm finally able to get back into it ...can't wait.  Looking forward to reconnecting with you guys and hitting the reset button on my swing progress.    

 

[Cantankerish]

Can we get a new video?

[Let it Fly]

 

1st clip is what I've been working on for the majority of my range sessions to get away from "stubborn steepness" habits that have taken hold again after not playing for an extended period of time.  2nd clip is a very modified full-swing attempt.  To say it feels like an unfolded lawn chair is an understatement.

It's going to take a lot of commitment to get back to where I was circa 2017. 

Edited March 15, 2019 by Let it Fly

[Let it Fly]

Went for a tune-up lesson this week...figured it was better than beating balls with no clear direction. 

We worked on using the body to turn my arms through the ball (rather than my hands).  This should help to naturally shallow-out the downswing over time, get the handle moving around rather than out-&-up, and improve my impact position.  I threw a glove under my trail elbow at the range today to stay connected through the swing.

Not sure why the video turned grainy on Vimeo.  I'll have to try a different camera next time.

 

Edited March 22, 2019 by iacas
embedded video

[Let it Fly]

I don't know why I naturally steepen the shaft as I start down.  I thought I understood what the move is supposed to feel/look like, but not much seems to be taking hold once I move from slow, repetitive rehearsals to an actual swing.  I'm seeing straight-pulls, pull-slices, and weak fades that progressively become full-on slices with longer clubs.  Could use a little help as I'm starting to get discouraged.

  

Short-swing effort is not much different:

Even when making an effort to "feel" flatter:

 

[billchao]

3 hours ago, Let it Fly said:

I don't know why I naturally steepen the shaft as I start down.

I think it's your left elbow. You get it so far behind you in transition, it steepens the shaft.