Billy Meredith

Nevrino, This is immediately what I noticed after watching my first few swings, I think I sort of "limp-wrist" my takeaway. I was reading a little bit last night about how your arms should basically hang straight downward at address. i was messing around with this in front of a mirror and with my arms being a bit more relaxed, and the fact that having them straight done slightly hinged my wrist at address, my takeaway felt more natural and I appeared to keep the club on plane and came closer to achieving the correct club position at A3. Now, this could be from watching myself doing it and consciously trying to fix this problem. I'll probably hit the range twice this weekend if I can find the time, then maybe take another video in a week or two and see how I'm progressing. Thanks again, you've given me a lot of valuable insight. Billy

UPDATED -- DTL Video Below Hey Folks, Got some down the line shots this evening. Now I see some issues, would love to hear your thoughts. A few comments... first, I was trying to hinge my wrist in takeaway most of this range session. With my mind focusing on this I'm not sure what parts of my swing were inadvertantly affected. Second, lot's of pull/draws (some hooks) tonight which is a bit different. Also, with trying to hinge my wrist I feel like a caught more shots fat this evening. Finally, I did include a shot of my driver, I couldn't find a tee with the proper height so I only hit 3 shots, ball was way to low for me. The one decent shot I did include was struck pretty low on the face but turned out ok. One thing to note, I got properly fitted for new irons on Saturday. Right now I'm swinging a uniflex shaft, I was fitted (Mizuno System) for right inbetween a Stiff/XStiff. I ordered a new set of clubs with XStiff Shafts 1x Soft Stepped. Just want to let you know this, I'm not entirely sure what a weak flex will do to my swing and ball flight. (different camera, sorry the quality isn't quite as good. the memory card I had with me wasn't fast enough for HD video) Billy

Beachcomber, Good looking drill for A3, thanks! Your thoughts on A2 are (I think) probably right on. I tend to setup with my hands away from my waist a fair amount. A DTL will confirm this. I'm actually at the range tonight but don't have my camera with me, I'll one of my friends to take a cell phone video for now.

To add to my above post, what I'm trying to get at with A3 is whether there should be some "independent" movement of the wrists in takeway to hinge the club early rather then waiting until the top of my swing (or even the beginning of my transition). Some Google searches seem to point out that there are two schools of thought of an early hinge and a late hinge. One of things I've been focusing on at the range is letting my body control my backswing as opposed to using my arms to control it. This is what is sort of confusing me about A3, nothing my "body" does seems to want to hinge my wrists, so I'm assuming this is something that is independently done. FYI, can posts be edited on sandtrap.com?

nevrino, Great stuff here! I have a few questions for you. As far as A2, is my shoulder turn too parallel to the ground? Do I need to turn my left shoulder more towards my right knee to achieve a better position? I watched some youtube videos of pros in their backswing, most seem to have their hands in the position your looking for at A2. Second, for A3 I'm a little bit lost. I was practicing backswings last night in my house with a 5i and always seem to neglect hinging the club, should i be making a conscience effort to hinge the club or is there a certain movement my arms should be doing in the back swing to hinge? I feel if I open the club face through my backswing it causes the club to hinge earlier. I will add DTL videos this week, just need to get back to the range. Billy M.

Glenn, Thanks for the advice, my next trip to the range I'll be aware of the position of my feet and see how it affects my strike. Nevrino, Consistency! This is what I need. I figure more practice will at least help my confidence level when standing over the ball which I do believe I need. Thanks for the compliments! Billy

Hey tuffluck, By no means am I an expert but have you thought about bagging a 4hybrid? I just recently started doing this, I feel like my 5i is the longest iron I have that i can hit well more then i can hit poorly. With good contact I send my 5i around 185/190, my 4h is a good 205/210 club. My problem with a 4i is that I seem to hit it more 5i distance most of the time, unless I catch it crisp. What is your 5i distance compared to your 4i? And what is your 7w distance? I guess a 7w is about a 3i replacement. As far as you new clubs question, I think what you're asking is should you go for the i20's to get the added distance and be able to go a club less on most of your iron shots. I would say yes if you don't mind parting with the $$$. If you consistantly hit i20's 10-15 yards further (each club) your going about one club lower on every approach, sounds like a good upgrade to me. Also, I agree with the above post, if your on a Par 5 and you can't reach it in two a layup to 9i/PW distance is probably more effective then trying to get up towards the green but coming up 50 yards short. I'm more comfortable with a full swing then anything inside the 100 yard mark, I try and constantly remind myself this when I'm playing longer holes.

Two days ago I hit an 86 at Clifton Park in Baltimore, MD. I had a 5 hole run where I went Par/Par/Birdie/Birdie/Par which was probalby the best straight 5 holes I've ever played. Clifton plays about 6,000 from the tees we played, Par 71.

Hey all, want to introduce myself as a new member here. I started playing golf around 2005, but gave it up for the last three years until two months ago. I think life was getting in the way and just couldn't find the time. I've come back to the sport with a desire to improve my game and came upon the sandtrap in various internet searches. I'm originally from Shippensburg, PA. I moved to MD after college (Penn State, 2004) and have lived in Germantown and now Columbia since. I spend my free time with my family, work in IT, and enjoy running, cycling, and once again playing golf. Cheers! Billy M.

Playing Golf for: 3 Years Average Score: 95 Ball Flight: High The shot I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Lately a snap hook, occasionally a straight push that's not too hateful I've recently started golfing again after not playing for the last three years. I've decided this time around I would like to make a real effort to improve (previously I preferred to just duff around and drink a six-pack). I recently purchased the 5sk DVDs, this is my second range trip since watching them and attempting to apply what they have to say about the golf swing. When I played several years ago I was interested in S&T;, although I never really put any real effort in trying to learn and practice it. Three videos below (probably best viewed @ 720p or higher), the first is a good strike on a 5i (5yard push/draw), second is two swings with my driver that both had good results (straight ball flight), third video is four misses (Snap Hook 5i, Topped Driver, Snap Hook Driver, Snap Hook 8i). Each swing is followed by a slo-mo @ 1/8 speed. I'm going to try and get back to the range tomorrow and take some down the line videos and update my thread. I neglected to do this today. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. This forum as been a great tool since I've gotten back into golf, lots of good info and insight. Videos: