Ladysmanfelpz

Yes I am right handed. Back to your hammer metaphor, I feel like a lot of people fall into the cupped L wrist thing, because its more comfortable. In fact picking up a hammer or other object with weight at end, I think most people cup, it seems unnatural to go bowed. Cupped might not be more powerful, but definitely more comfortable. Will check out TST as well

Just read an article the other day about how lower handicappers tend to have a bowed or flat wrist while more amateurs and higher handicappers have a cupped wrist. You see all about it on TV too, especially with the slow mo stuff nowadays, "Oh take a look at Dustin Johnson's bowed left yada yada yada." Getting overplayed in my opinion. But then I was thinking about it and its true. Whereas pro's can have very different swings that they have drilled for years, none of them have cupped wrists. You can have short or long backswings, flat or steep, or just straight unconventional like Furyk, and NONE of them have a cupped wrist. So why is the flat/bowed leading hand so superior? Is it just simply better club face control? And why is cupped so bad? Poorer club face control? Does it rotated the face on the way down? I know I definitely have a cupped wrist and most people I play with do as well. Its really only a few of my better friends who are pretty neutral in the lead wrist. So my thought is, if it is a proven fundamental to a better swing, just fixing that one thing should have a proven beneficial impact. When I try to work on it, my swing tends to feel so funky. Weird how something as small as wrist angles can feel like it changes your whole swing. I still would like to try and improve it however, so what are some drills I can work on to stop cupping and straighten that bad boy out?

There I said it. I think I need lessons. Not even upset, like oh my practice isn't working, or thinking watching/reading so much golf was wasted. I just realize training from an expert actually yields results. So I logged around 30 or so rounds this year on my Arccos app this year and got down to a 13 handicap which is right where I expected I should be at. Those unfamiliar with the app, it breaks down your handicap into 5 areas: driving, approach, chipping, sand and putting. My breakdown comes to 17, 17.6, 13.7, 6.4, 8.3. So like anyone I practice my full swing the most. Notice a trend here though? That's right, always trying different drills, some filming and just other areas to improve, but it didn't help. The only golf lessons I had was junior camp when I was in junior high and we basically had a quick lesson on chipping or putting and then went out and played 9 holes. The real reason I want to pursue lessons is because of the sand number. That is my lowest and that's the last real golf tip I've ever received. I was out playing with my brother's buddy who is a scratch/plus handicap and he gave me a great tip. Although very good, he doesn't mind playing with hackers like me. Well one day I was finding the bunkers too much. Like every amature I dreaded the bunkers and it could turn an enjoyable round to a regrettable one. So the 2nd bunker I got in, he saw the worry on my face and just said, "Come on now. Set up, look at the flag,and hit right behind the ball. It'll get up there." And ever since there its just stuck. I've had multiple compliments on my sand game, and now seeing the numbers it truly is the best part of my game. All that from a simple lesson. Even many of my better players will ask for advice from the sand, and I've hit great shots, such as getting out of the bunker short-sided with my PW when I got frustrated and didn't want to go back for my lob. It really just sticks, like I get the physics, and how to play the shot such as how much to open up, how much power, and where to strike. Now I don't have this same feeling with my other shots. I really think having someone there and confirming or criticizing your swing will yield the quickest results. I'm an athletic guy and disciplined, but obviously me whacking at it hasn't led to much improvement since starting this game in the full swing department. Now I know its the off-season, but I think when I get back into it it will be with actual lessons with an instructor, the right way. The thing is just finding the time 🙄

Read description in video please.

I've been Playing Golf for: 4 years My current handicap index or average score is: 16 My typical ball flight is: Left to right The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: Been pulling it as of late, but that can change. Would like more consistent ball striking. Finally did proper videos, so thought I'd start a swing thread. Some things I've noticed is my R shoulder is fairly dropped. I know it is supposed to be lower, but it seems lower than normal. Tried to "square up" more after watching the face on vid, but led to awful contact. I've had some R hip issues before and wondering if this affects my posture leading to the pronounced R shoulder drop. Also on the face on I'm fairly ahead of the ball. This is a PW, and I've worked on swinging down on the ball with high lofted clubs and I guess have gone to this approach. I make fairly good contact as I'm sure you all can tell, but surprised with how out of control and long my backswing looks. My follow through I think looks great and balanced. I've gone to a "just be athletic" approach this year and I feel athletic in the follow through, but by watching shadows and just feel, my backswing does not feel/look athletic. Down the line I still notice I am fairly over the top, even though I have been working on this for years. I've really been trying to shallow the shaft and let it drop behind me, but it still makes its way up by my head. Thoughts and tips? Thanks everyone! Videos:

So I think my big issue is flipping the hands like Patch said. I have been working at it so here is my update. I played the other day and just warmed up with wedges at the course. The few irons I hit were fine. On the course first approach I had was 105, perfect for my 56. I took a full swing, caught it perfect, landed pin high and proceeded to spin it 20 ft back off the green. Like I said when I catch them good I catch them really good. Another memorable one was around 80 yd approach after a spanked drive. Was feeling more confident with the wedges and knew a full swing would yield better results than a knockdown SW so I grabbed my 60 and hit it great right over the flag. I’m working more on rotating instead of shifting to L side. So much instruction talks about the weight shift that I was clearly forgetting to rotate, but gaining some rotation back I’ve been contacting it better. But then later the old habits returned. I had a two great shots on a par 5 leaving me 115 to the flag with a strong tailwind. Grab my 56 which should have been perfect for the shot, but proceed to overswing it for the extra distance even when wind would have carried it there. Hands got in front, head came up a little and I proceeded to send my SW like a flighted 6 iron. My friend on the next tee box (where it landed) says, “How’d you hit it 6 club lengths too far?” Next shot is fat as you can imagine. So it seems that when I try to I try to swing hard, I go to a flat, long iron type swing and send it flying. Doing some soft 9 iron swings to SW distance at the range was good practice. Really helped me focus on swinging down, keeping a firm grip and controlling the club face as well. Also got me hitting a draw flight as well compared to my usual fade. The grip is a big factor for me, I was too soft before, but I think if I can nail this down I’ll be on to great improvement. The future looks bright fellas!

This. Although I have come to realize that and am working on it. Flipping the head through creates tremendous speed, and that is why my good wedges are pro like shots with great spin, but misses are 150 yd fliers. I'm really trying to keep it behind me and watch contact all the way through. And to onthehunt I've heard this 1000x. Hold it like a baby bird. Does help you realize its a game of feel and you need to stay relaxed to hit good shots, but through the years I've come to side more with iacas. Soft grip at the start, but in the swing you need to hang on to prevent that grip from sliding around. But again to Patches thoughts I do notice I try to swing up on it, but working on that divot in front. I do take one most of the time, even with a flip, but I think my clubhead coming thru so fast with no control still causes flyers. So is there a simple tip or drill I can work on? Should I just do 3/4 steep swings until I'm hitting it solid every time? Or tee it up and practice that way? I think just getting solid feedback would help on good contacts since I am getting such little off the ground. Also I'm practicing on pretty hard pan stuff fwiw.

Thanks for the vids but I’m more referring to 3/4 to full swings with the wedges, not pitches. Although it sounds like these techniques carry into full swings so I will watch them. But it yeah hook meister that occurs as a result. Like I said I really tried to stay cool thru the wedges at my range session to no avail and felt stiff at the end. I did start slowing down the backswing and that helped some. I think I will go to that more and see how that works out for me. I plan on getting a membership this summer and wedges will be my main priority so I will start a swing thread to see my progress.

So I still can't figure out wedges. Is there something big that I am missing? Ever since I picked up a club I've been able to hit a driver fairly well, probably cuz I knew how to hit up on the ball and carry it far. Irons I've slowly gotten better with. But I just can't seem to get wedges. I dedicated last year at trying to get better with "scoring" clubs thinking my main issue was that I was incapable of partial swings. Now I'm learning its much more than that. I spent the last two days at the range and again every club in the bag was great except my 50* yesterday and 56* today. My biggest fear and my most common miss is sending the ball 150 yards or more which after today I am pretty sure is due to casting. I'm really trying to keep the club behind me now and that has helped with the flyers although I still had some. Also I just can't seem to hit it consistently whatsoever. Strike behind the ball, no similar flight, some high with lil spin, others too low and high spin, others just straight shanks. The thing that sucks is everyone I know has a gaming swing that can get it done on the course. I'll pound a 300 yd drive step up with my SW and shank it. I've been watching and reading as much as I can on wedges and really haven't gotten any tips that would help me hit it consistently. I have a fairly good swing (I'll post it when I get the chance) and there is no way you would think I'm as bad as wedges as I am, but I can't figure it out. Is there a simple tip I can focus on to get good contact with my wedges? Like I used to suck at chipping, and the no decel really helped. Driver I just swing through it. Wedges at the range I came in open minded and left sweating and tight. I feel like I have to control the club through the whole path (obvious in golf, right) but the effort was too much even tho I'm a fit 27 y/o guy. Like I said driver I tee up and swing hard- good results, irons I just focus on the ball and a spot to hit it and it goes fairly straight. Wedges I was trying everything and no dice. What am I missing here?

You know one thing I've noticed is my right elbow effects my grip. I've been working on keeping my Right arm in tighter and it keeps my R hand on the club better. When I let it get away from me thats when I notice the roll in the R hand and creation of the extra hinge as you mentioned. I tend to hit a fade, but got away from a big slice (am a 13 handicap now). Now this next part has to do with more grip pressure. I still struggle with my wedges and just noticed practicing that I was gripping it way harder than any club. Worked on keeping that elbow in resulting in better contact. It allowed me to loosen up the grip too! Hopefully this will result in less hitting those thin shots or knuckle fliers and gain me some confidence with the club which will only result in a softer grip.

This is one thing I rarely see tackled by my Youtube lesson guys like Mark Crossfield. How much contact with the grip do you maintain with the grip in your swing? Not so much interested in grip pressure. We all hear of gripping too tightly and having no feel, and too loose no control. Also not talking about grips such as strong or weak. But actually how your hands dynamically interact with the grip in the swing. I started paying attention to this when I noticed I would sort of let the club roll in my hands on big full swings. It led me to change my cocked wrist into more of a straight wrist on takeaway and improved my swing. After playing yesterday I noticed I still let it roll a lil bit. One swing I tried staying "connected" with the club the whole time and hit a pull. My buddy plays off a 4 handicap and the club moves quite a bit in his hands where at the end his R index finger (trail arm for a R handed golfer) almost comes off the club entirely. I've also seen pro's where the club is literally like an extension of their hands without any movement between their hands and grip from start to finish. I mean its all the delivery that affects your golf shots and if you have a consistent change in grip in your hands it shouldn't matter if its repeatable, right? Or is maintaining a connected grip from start to finish something we should all strive for? And how do you all think this changes with different types of shots from drives to chips to putts?

Lol at the pyramid chart @RandallT. Because I have been playing a while I have figured out my swing enough where I can get birdies and hit good shots. I know I am doing some fundamental things incorrectly tho and would like to figure those out. First I think it may come down to how much time and dedication I have. I also like how people said to focus on one specific thing at a time. Plans are to get an iPhone mount to record swing, do at least a tathata lesson a week and then hit the range as many times as my schedule allows. I don't plan to be playing much through the winter as it'll be fairly busy for me, but hoping some swing focus time will carry over.

I just finished a long golf week with my buddies. We played 4 times and although I beat one of my friends, I am a long way off from my buddy who is a single digit capper. He mentioned some things at the end of the week and it really got me motivated on improving. Now I have been playing quite a while and been trying to improve over the last couple of years, but don't really feel my swing has changed all that much. I can do what I know fairly well, but feel the bread and butter of gaining accuracy and learning to score has yet to improve. I still shoot 90's with about 1/3 of rounds in the mid-upper 80's. I know many people try the "Well if I groove the smoothest swing, I'll play great!" technique to no avail. Golf is more complex than that. I'm not here looking for the perfect Ben Hogan swing, but I do need some tips on how to practice and how to gain consistency. My buddy has a great draw to his swing, completely taking the right side out on his irons. Plays it wide right with a long iron and brings it in closer when he gets down to his wedges. I'm more a fade player, but sometimes its a high ballooning fade, others low and cutty, and basically just not much control. I have the Tathata golf course and a local course has a range deal for $35 a month. I am a medical student so time is scarce. Should I purchase the range membership and dedicate 2-3 days a week of practice with some Tathata mixed in? The thing I feel I am lacking is I do not witness my own swing enough. Do I need to purchase a stand to film both down the line and in front clips of my swing? What is your all opinions on how to get a more consistent flight in about 3 months time? Thanks everyone.

Hey all. Fairly new to this forum and to consistently playing the game in general. I've played since high school occasionally with friends, but have dedicated time to improvement over the past 3 years. I've enjoyed this time playing a game we all love, but luckily I just received a call for medical school acceptance starting this fall and will have much less time for golf. I knew this time was coming as a pre-med kid and that's why I wanted to make the most of my of my time before starting. Well now its here and the real work begins. I'm actually kind of glad I'll have less time with this game. As a former disc golfer I was able to get to scratch within what I would say about 3 dedicated season of play. Well that's about what I spent with this game, although maybe less frequent play due to the time and cost required of golf. I was hoping to decrease my handicap by a large margin with background in athletics and some dedicated practice, but not so. It would be a great skill to have for the rest of your life to play this game at a high level (I've played with some scratch players, and to say the least it is impressive what they can do with a ball). Well couldn't tell you if it's due to my ability, or just not enough time/instruction, but it is a tough game and scratch is definitely faaaar off, and a single digit handicap I strived for may not come until later in life. I started out as a mid 90's player and would say I decreased to high 80's. Never truly figured out my handicap though. My current low scores consist of a 84 on par 70 course and 85 on my par 72. Could continue that from whites, but most times on the blues I would be low 90's. Had a few rounds over 100. It was fun to try and improve, but the last video of my swing I thought to myself, "yikes!" I'll have to finish Tathata and take some lessons next go around when I get more time to play. Although I'll be busy, its not impossible to golf through school. I'll most likely play a weekend here or there and definitely on breaks. And even tho, I didn't reach the skill I thought I'd be at with the time put in, I still love the game as much as ever. Sometimes golf is like sex. Your best doesn't come til later in life And at my level it shouldn't be too hard to get better. Now just waiting until that opportunity returns!

I got the program this spring. Stopped just short of Chapter 3 as I found I'd rather spend my time playing golf and practicing than doing movements in my living room. It has some potential. As @kingfrenzo mentioned my first day out was my worst round of golf ever. Was thinking about way too much. This is my first golf program btw. I like Tathata as it fits to my swing; A strong powerful smack of the ball, letting the body unload, not caring about positions too much, but more just an athletic movement. The thing is people talk about the yoga and stretching aspect of it, which to me really wasn't there. The stretching is okay, but I need a much more intensive workout program to feel I get better balance that golf requires. Yoga is king! This is just holding some positions, that I really didn't feel strengthening my body much. I did take some tips from it, so not narcing on it, and most likely will give it a go again and complete this winter.