swingcoach

Ok. Thanks for the info. I stand corrected.

Rythm. Most people get to "quick" from the top. Practice rythm on the range and you'll perform better on the course when you can bring that rythm practice. Hitting off that rubber stuff is a little easier because the club doesn't dig into it like the dirt. Your club actually bounces off but right before the ball comes off the matt at the same time = ok shot. The only fix is to make sure you hit the ball with a descending club head, hit the ground AFTER the ball. Retain the wrist hinge and shift the weight to do this. If shot shots, keep weight on the left side the whole time.

Most people look at the longer irons and think that they have to "help" the ball up into the air. When this happens, you are actually exposing the leading edge to the ball. Experiment with hitting the ball with a descending blow even with the long irons.

Tiger even tapes his putts! If you have a camcorder, you can take care of some basic swing flaws, but not everything. The BEST way to swing better is for someone who knows how to swing to tell you what muscles to move and when. i.e. lower body moves the upper body on the downswing and not vice versa. The camera will only help.

Later release with the tee in front. The cause of hitting behind the ball are: 1) Early release 2) No weight shift 3) Spine angle change toward the ball before impact caused by spine angle change on the backswing

Obviously, from all the posts so far, there are differing views of the downswing. Here's mine: Shift from right heel to the left heel – as lateral a shift as you can BEFORE hip rotation. Rotation is lead by the LEFT side not the right. You have to move to the left side first, then use left leg and left hip muscles to rotate. Use the lower body to move the upper body . At the beginning of the down swing, feel your lower body pushing against the ground to twist. - taken from "13 Weeks to Single Digit HDCP" Take a pitcher for example. What would happen if he loaded up on the right side and twisted before he shifted? Same thing in golf. What is the first thing a pitcher moves and the last thing he moves? Lower body first, hands last. Watch any tour player and you will see the same thing. Don't watch the upper body on the downswing because it will look like he's moving his upper body via the upper body. Look at the lower body. Notice that the relationship between his hands and right shoulder remain the same for the first 3 to 5 frames of the downswing.

see... that's why I play golf and not mixed martial arts :)

If the description of your good swing is correct, try some simple solutions before you tear apart your swing. Is the energy of your swing going through the ball or do you aim to get to the ball and fizzle? Whenever my shots push, I just think about a really good finish. How does your finish affect your shot when your finish is AFTER impact? Well, in order for you to stop short of a full finish, you have to slow your swing down at or through impact. In order for you to have a full finish, you have to continue and not disrupt the energy through impact which will most likely come from a full shoulder turn. Now, if your shot goes right to left when you have a full finish, don't use the same solution for a different problem. I mean, don't back off on the good finish to get your ball to go straight. You might be doing something else that's causing a right to left since a good finish IS DEFINITELY a correct aspect of a full swing (unless you need to draw, fade, punch, 1/2 swing in which case you need to adjust your set up, etc. etc. in order to hit your target) If a good finish doesn't fix your push, then we should look at other aspects of your swing.

Hey Bill, first of all sorry if you took my last message as condescending, but I was trying to be funny (hole behind that I saw Tiger putt once). I'll stick to golf and leave the jokes for the comedy forum. Second - " I have to apologize for not reading the whole post , but just real quick - if you look at the hole, your head position will change for every putt depending on the distance = inconsistent, non-repeating. But, if you believe it and it makes you putt better, use it . I'm not that talented so I need measurable motions." If it's a drill, absolutely. If it works, do it. Who's gonna tell Jim to swing like Tiger? The point I was trying to make with the hole behind is that the hole can be in different places depending on the break. Your head wouldn't be in the same place every time. Your shoulder muscles are restricted by your neck muscles. Distance can be controlled by how far you bring your putter back on the backswing. If you're having problems putting, it's probably because you try to accelerate though the ball with the same stroke length. Try a longer stroke with the same tempo: rate x time = distance. If you really want to get good at putting, here's an idea: Putting (distance) is almost purely “feel.” However, we can approach better feel by having one empirical stroke to base all other putts. An example of an empirical stroke is a 6 foot putt. Know exactly what it takes to make a straight 6 foot putt consistently (missed putts pass by 12 to 17 inches). How far back? How far through? What tempo? I mean EXACTLY how far back and EXACTLY how far through with a consistent speed and cadence (count 1, 2, 3). When you have this mastered, all other putts can be based on your empirical putt. An 8 foot putt is going to need a slightly longer backswing and follow through than your 6 foot putt. Test your 6 foot putt on the practice green of every course you are about to play to get a feel of what YOUR empirical putt does on each course. This will give you an idea of the speed of the greens before you play so you can adjust accordingly. Definitely practice all other distances. If you have time to practice 3 feet, 6 feet, 9 feet, 12 feet, by all means, do so. The more distances you know, the better your putts will be. Good luck and I will see you on the green. - Taken from "13 Weeks to Single Digit HDCP"

Hey, what's up there Bill? just a few things about head position and putting... what if you can't see the hole? what do you look at then? what if the hole is behind you or really far requiring a longer backswing? with your head cocked all the way to the left and your arms and shoulders all the way to the right, don't you think that would restrict your backswing? Do on the course what you can practice off the course. You can't predict where the hole is going to be, so might as well not practice looking at something that changes all the time. If you don't make solid contact on the putter face, the ball won't roll properly/consistently. It's much more efficient and repeatable to look at the ball and make solid contact than to look at the hole. If you line up correctly at address, no need to look at the hole or even the ball rolling. Not one single pro on tour looks at the hole while putting (after contact, yes, but not during the putting stroke) But, Bill, if you and I are in a playoff, by all means look at the hole when you putt ;)

Turn your shoulders through impact and keep your left wrist flat/parallel to your forearm. Keep weight on the left foot from set up to impact to follow through.

I have to apologize for not reading the whole post, but just real quick - if you look at the hole, your head position will change for every putt depending on the distance = inconsistent, non-repeating. But, if you believe it and it makes you putt better, use it. I'm not that talented so I need measurable motions.

Get a book called Tour Tempo. This will explain everything about tempo. Should help you out a lot. You're actually running into something that every golfer goes through - the search for the magic move. There isn't one. Your "slow deliberate" backswing will change as you get more experienced. What you need is a measureable tempo.

You're going to miss greens on your approach so, to get par, you have to ship and putt well. Practice chipping to specific distances - 5 yards, 10 yards, 15 yards, 20 yards. This is the fastest way to lower your scores especially if you can hit the driver 270+.

Practice with just one club until you know it very well. i.e. flight, spin, roll, distance, etc. As soon as you can control your chip swing with the one club. Begin experimenting with other clubs. If you switch around, you'll never know what you're doing right or wrong. Different situation call for different clubs, but if your swing is inconsistent, a sand wedge can skull just as easily as an 8-iron. If you never practice chipping with an 8-iron, you won't know how it's going to react on the green and how far it's going to roll.