bjornarneson

I had a good experience with Jeff Sorenson at Columbia Learning Center. Guy can play too--was in the field at the 2013 PGA Championship.

Looks like your shoulder turn is a bit flat. Try to turn your left shoulder more *down* and keep it down in the first part of your transition.

All else equal, for a golfer of average ability (ie not Tiger or Hogan) does a too-weak right hand grip discourage the right elbow from passing in front of the hip on the downswing? I am wondering whether this might be true either because it is biomechanically more difficult or because one might be inclined to throw away the angle or early extend in order to square the club face at the bottom.

Titleist 983e Dr: $35 used Callaway Steelhead Plus 3w: $25 used Mizuno MP29: $180 used Vokey GW & LW: $40 each Ping Anser 3: $3 at yard sale TOTAL: $283

I am about 6'6" and have been playing golf since I was a kid. For me, the keys to consistent play have been: 1. Steady head -- do not let your head sway away from the target on the backswing! With a high center of gravity, it is really tough to recover from that position. 2. Bend over at the hips -- I have a tendency to stand a bit too upright, which results in a flatter shoulder turn and an over-the-top downswing. Bending over a bit more gets me in a more compact, powerful position. 3. Shorter backswing -- long arms are long levers! Lately I've been trying to feel as though I'm stopping my arm-swing at about 10 o'clock. No loss of distance, better downswing path and sequencing, and cleaner contact. Good luck!

Been a while since I've updated this thread--here are two videos of my most recent practice efforts. I'm working these elements: 1. Keep the clubhead outside my hands on the backswing 2. Shoulder turn more vertical 3. Shorter backswing 4. Keep right heel down (this one is a tough habit to break....) Down the line: Front view:

For the best feedback, you might want to post a better video. Not being able to see the ball or your feet is a hindrance to people who might otherwise be able to offer feedback. Square down-the-line and front-on video also helps. See http://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/filming_your_swing. That said, I have a couple observations: 1. Your clubface is quite open and your left wrist *very* cupped at the top of your swing and you no doubt have to make some crazy compensations to get the face back to the ball square. 2. To my eye, your backswing is too long and likely costs you some consistency. Drills? Read this thread: http://thesandtrap.com/t/35195/shorter-probably-better-swing-keep-the-right-arm-straight. I bet you'll find some helpful starting points in there. Good luck!

http://thesandtrap.com/t/29616/the-biggest-secret-slide-your-hips

Having a front-on view may help TST folks offer some more advice. That said, even from this view I can see a few things that you might work on (in addition to what you've already noted): 1. You have a very strong grip--esp in the right hand. Experiment with feeling your right hand more on top of the club. Getting too far underneath is likely one of the reasons that you battle the duck hooks. 2. You lose your posture into impact. Take note from your video how far your hips thrust toward the ball. There are a ton of good posts on this site about that--search out some drills that will help you. Find Iacas' post called something like "Biggest Secret: Slide Your Hips". 3. Practice these and other swing changes with 3/4 swings. In fact, given the length of your natural swing, something that feels like a 3/4 swing to you might be perfectly adequate and would make you much more consistent without a significant loss of distance. You look like quite an athletic guy (which helps!), and a 3 handicap is nothing to sniff at. These changes will take time but stick with it!

Great that you get to practice this much! Take advantage of the time! To my eye, hitting 270+ balls per session seems like a lot. Even if you were spending 30 seconds per shot (which really isn't enough to practice your pre-shot routine or do much of anything besides drag another ball toward you and hit at the same target over and over), you're still spending 2-3 hours at the range and not nearly that much working on your short game. What if you spent an hour each day practicing your putting, another 30-60 minutes practicing chipping/pitching inside of 30 yards and hit a total of 90 balls per day (including your pre-shot routine)? I read somewhere that better golfers prioritize *quality* over *quantity* with their range sessions. Make each shot count, and pay particular attention to those within 30 yards. My two cents...

Looks from this angle like your swing plane is pointed left the whole way. You take the club back a little outside the target line and deliver it to the ball moving across the target line from out-to-in. In order to stop the ball from moving left-to-right, you've got to get that swing plane pointed more to the right. It may feel to you like you're swinging out toward right field. Some of the great teachers on this site may have better advice, but I'd start by feeling like your hands are moving "deeper" behind you on your backswing and that you begin your downswing by letting your arms fall (before turning your body). Another feel that might work is holding your back toward the target longer in the downswing. Keep in mind that feel isn't always real! Gotta find what works for you!

Looks like you are a pretty strong guy making quite an athletic move through the ball. Beyond that, I can't tell much from the poor camera angle, steadiness, and quality. Read http://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/filming_your_swing and post up a couple more videos--you'll probably get better feedback from forum readers.

I see that you have an extremely flat shoulder turn. When you are bent over the ball in your address position, your shoulders should turn 90-degrees to your spine on the backswing. This means that between the address and top-of-the-backswing position, your left shoulder will have moved backward (away from the target) and downward (in the direction of the ball). From the DTL view of your swing, there appears to be absolutely no downward motion of your left-shoulder. When you swing flat, you have to make some crazy arm/hand compensations in order to square the club at impact-- I see that in the degree to which your clubface is closed (facing the sky) at the top of your swing. The clubface and shoulder plane issues are probably related. When you don't get them synced up, I bet the result is either a block fade or big roping hook. You have a great athletic move and appear to be swinging in good balance. I think a little attention to these body-alignment issues will really help you gain consistency.

I'm fortunate to live just around the corner from 2nd Swing in Minneapolis. I don't have much experience shopping from their website, but I do visit the B&M; store often. - Have you bought equipment from 2nd Swing? Yes, 13 clubs in my bag are from 2nd Swing (and the bag itself) - Have you traded clubs into 2nd Swing? Yes, very smooth transaction. No baloney. - When it's time for a new club, would you visit 2nd Swing? Absolutely. - Did you find what you wanted? - Was it easy to find what you wanted? Usually -- would probably be easier to search online for my unusual specs (+1", 2-3 degrees upright) and then go demo what I find - Would you tell a friend about this site? Yes - Were there any pleasant surprised? Any negative surprises? I have only good things to say about the shop. The website makes it extremely easy to drill down and find what you are looking for and the newly remodeled Mpls shop is awesome. Too many goodies for my wallet!