My Swing (NCGolfer)

[NCGolfer]

I've been Playing Golf for: Many, many years
My current handicap index or average score is: 1.3
My typical ball flight is: Draw
The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Over the top, hook

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I've been working with @iacas for a while now but thought I'd post my swing here.  The one thing I'm trying to eliminate is the hook.  It's been much better the past 6 months or so.  I still tend to miss left though.

Only thing I've been working on a bit this year is my posture.  When I watched some of my Newport Cup application video I saw I was a bit bent over too much.  This feels and looks a bit better to me.  Interested to see how things progress this year.

Videos: 

 

[GolfLug]

Nice free flowing swing!

Only thing I can comment is a lot of room between your left upper arm and torso at take away (freeze at 0.03). I don't know what that means or how it affects you but I have seen most high functioning swings have a tiny bit less gap at takeaway. Maybe a function of you being still being over-bent. Beyond that, your overall move is way out of my league..  

[iacas]

Simple fix that will be weird for you to pull off.

Two things:

• Club gets across the line at the top, so you shallow a LOT coming down.
• Your pivot slows down through impact, which keeps the arms fleeing the body and the hands rolling over more.

Bit by bit…

The shaft is short of parallel, so it shouldn't even be pointing down the target line (parallel) to it, let alone right of it.

Compare to Robert Rock.

Compare to Zach Johnson.

Now, what I want you to notice mostly in these is their right elbow. They're more "in front of their chest" and less to the right of their chest. Their right elbows point more at the camera, while yours points directly away from the ball (nearly).

So, while you may not be able to point your elbow at the camera as much as they do (or Jason Dufner does), little bits here will help. Then you'll also want to feel that your watch (left hand) is showing more to the sky - rotate your forearms so that the club is more in the direction of the black arrow, or the direction of where laid off would be. Like Zach.

So, your club is "above" the line or plane, and so you're going to try to get it back down ON the plane. But it's going to build up momentum, get to the plane, and the momentum carries it under the plane.

Which looks like that. With that path, you've either gotta have the face WIDE open to hit a push, a little open to hit a push-draw, or if it's anywhere near square to the target line… hook left city.

Now… despite the fact that you're across the line with a shut face - a bad combination most of the time - it would be okay (or better, at least) if you just rotated like crazy from there to try to pull the path left as much as possible. But you don't.

So let's look at the pivot now, or problem/fix #2.

Your lower body action here is a lot like Zach's. Cool. Fine. (Still more across the line than him, but I'm now talking just about the lower body action.)

Still looking pretty much like Zach. Good.

This is where problems start to arise. I've stopped both when your right arm is horizontal. Zach is a few more degrees open with his chest, AND he's not flipped the forearms as much: in fact he's holding on a bit. The two go hand in hand, but he's also probably learned not to "roll" the forearms as much, either.

Continuing the turning will help pull the handle left a little more. Your turning rate slows, so the arms fly off the chest and the forearms roll over one another.

[NCGolfer]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

Simple fix that will be weird for you to pull off.

Weird is fine.  I'm good with weird as long as it works.  

1 hour ago, iacas said:

The shaft is short of parallel, so it shouldn't even be pointing down the target line (parallel) to it, let alone right of it.

This is where problems start to arise. I've stopped both when your right arm is horizontal. Zach is a few more degrees open with his chest, AND he's not flipped the forearms as much: in fact he's holding on a bit. The two go hand in hand, but he's also probably learned not to "roll" the forearms as much, either.

The first image is one I noticed when I was looking at my swing before.  I've looked at @mvmac's swing on his thread and he is in a good position and similarly not at parallel at the top.

The second image is another one I've tried working on by turning a bit "faster".  I think this one might be a bit easier and something I can work on through a bit of a change of sequencing.

Thanks for the help.  My focus will be on the first portion and try to get the club in a better/proper position.  I'll post an update as I progress.

[iacas]

The latter thing - turning more, feeling the handle go low and left more - is definitely the easier piece.

And if you're good playing a big draw, it may give you the reduction in curve and the added face control you need.

[NCGolfer]

41 minutes ago, iacas said:

The latter thing - turning more, feeling the handle go low and left more - is definitely the easier piece.

"Low and left" should be easy but, in my mind, might be challenging since it will feel opposite of what I want to do to keep from hooking the ball.  

[iacas]

1 hour ago, NCGolfer said:

"Low and left" should be easy but, in my mind, might be challenging since it will feel opposite of what I want to do to keep from hooking the ball.  

Path is instinctual. Yes.

[NCGolfer]

Hit some balls today and worked on each piece individually.  I ended it working harder on the turning and "low and left" part and not flipping my forearms after impact.  It felt good/better.  I took some video from down the line but the angle was a bit off.  Just from that little bit it doesn't look like anything changed a great deal but I can definitely feel it.  I'm going to keep working on this little bit until I feel it's a little more engrained in my swing.  The results were that the ball didn't curve nearly as much...my miss was actually a block draw.  Probably about 20-25 feet left of target with an 8 iron.  Not bad.

The second piece, getting the club not across the line, is going to be a bit harder.  It feels a lot more forced and I feel like I'm trying to put my left wrist in a more flexion position...when it probably is just flattening out.  This one will take some time.  Will probably clean up the first issue then move to the second.

[Jack Watson]

Some quality analysis above.  

[iacas]

7 hours ago, NCGolfer said:

The second piece, getting the club not across the line, is going to be a bit harder.  It feels a lot more forced and I feel like I'm trying to put my left wrist in a more flexion position...when it probably is just flattening out.  This one will take some time.  Will probably clean up the first issue then move to the second.

The second will help with the first, though too… If you do the first, and then the second… you may then be over-doing the first.

I'd ask you to consider working on the "across the line" stuff first, as it's the logical first step… but it's up to you, obviously.

[NCGolfer]

Played nine in our men's league last night.  It was a stress-free 34 (-1).  Mostly drivers and wedges with a couple shorter irons into the par 3's.  I never try and incorporate too much on the course (as I would advise anyone), and just play with what I have.  Still, the incremental changes felt good.  Focus was on keeping the right elbow a bit more in front of me and getting the handle low and left.  Only had two slight pulls that really didn't give me any trouble.  Hit the tee ball great and hit some of my best wedges this year.  Mostly 70-110 yards but all (except one) within makable range including one tap-in and one 6-footer.  Progress.

[NCGolfer]

Latest swing.  Very small noticeable changes but the two main things I've been focusing on have been:

• Keeping my right bicep as close to my right side throughout the backswing as possible.  My right elbow is not pointing back yet but I think the change is barely noticeable.  I can definitely feel it.
• Getting my hands more inside on the downswing.  This is a bit easier when I keep the bicep closer to me but I still have to focus a bit on doing this.

Result is that when I'm able to do both I still hit a push draw.  The miss is a bigger push with a smaller draw.  Nearly zero pull hooks.  When I do I can feel the right arm detach a bit and the old habit of hands coming "out".

Small, but positive movements.  Work to do though.  The rotation of the forearms is going to be tough.  I've tried a couple things there and i can't even see changes...not worried about that just yet.  Would rather fix the takeaway and hands.

 

 

[NCGolfer]

Still working on it.  Hit the range today and I truly feel like I'm working on keeping the elbow in and getting the club in a better position at the top...also rotating the body and keeping the hands in as well.  Video doesn't look all that much better at the top of the swing...marginal improvements.  Hands are definitely more in on the downswing.

Can definitely feel it more than I can see it.  Results are good with the irons.  The driver requires a bit more work and discipline.

[NCGolfer]

Some range work today and a lot of mirror work tonight.  So hard to get into the right position on the top but I think I know where I need to be now.  Still very small steps but definitely feels in the right direction.

Hope to get some video tomorrow.

[NCGolfer]

Latest 7-iron swing from DTL.  Good things going on here:

• Clubface not nearly as shut throughout swing
• Elbow closer to side throughout swing...noticeable at P6
• Club not nearly as behind me at P2
• Club not nearly as across the line at P6
• Hands are more "in" at P8

Still need to work on:

• Would like club still pointing more "left" at P6
• Hands have to get more in at P8
• I'm extending better at P8 but I know the hands/forearms are still rotating a bit much.  Haven't worked on this as much until I'm comfortable with the backswing pieces

I feel like I'm laying the club way off on the backswing but it's starting to feel better.  Results are pretty good.  Now my miss is a block.  Rarely hitting the hook.  When I block it I know I'm not turning as much as I need too...again a piece I'll work on later as I'm focusing on the backswing as @iacas suggested.  Very happy with the progress.  Playing league tomorrow and I'm going to try and incorporate this on the course.

 

 

[coachjimsc]

Nice work Dave. 

I like that "Jimmy Walker" follow thru.

 

[NCGolfer]

5 hours ago, coachjimsc said:

Nice work Dave. 

I like that "Jimmy Walker" follow thru.

 

Thanks Jim.  I'm hoping it will actually get closer to his form if I get the "low and left" part going.  This progress feels better than anything I've done over the past couple years.  My practice hadn't been focused on anything specific...taking video and seeing the incremental improvement has been very valuable.

[mdl]

I wish this is what my "work in progress" swing looked like   Good work!