Scratch golfer with release issues and questionable extension through the ball.

Since I'm spending the majority of my day quarantined inside, I thought it would be fun to get some input on my swing! I currently sit at +.8hdcp which is my personal best. I have been playing my whole life but took a long break during college. Decided last summer to really give golf another go. I have never received a formal lesson in my life, only the odd pointer along the way. Feel free to chime in with any thoughts, concerns, or general "s***-talking"... I love some good critique.

Videos show 7i down the line and front. Currently hit my 7i 170 yards (tracked by arccos). I can't remember my 7i swing speed but I know the RP project x 6.5 shafts are a proper fit.

** My miss is typically a double cross or poor contact(short right). I have been trying to address my impact position and extension through the ball. I have kept that trait since my early playing days! Any drills appreciated for those issues.

I can upload some full speed or other videos if anyone cares.

You've got a solid swing and you clearly have some athleticism and coordination, especially sitting at a +cap. DTL you do a good job of not rotating the forearms on the way back, and I only say that because you have a very weak grip. At the top, clubface is very open and you really need to "time it" with a little flip at the bottom to square it up. Not surprising your miss is doublecross or weak fader because of the timing aspect. All things being equal, if you went to a stronger grip (nothing crazy) i think you would be able to swing more freely and work extension more through the shot as opposed to the timing/flip.

In a sense, it is preprogrammed before taking the BS because of his grip position.

Interested in replies

While all of that may, or may not, be true it doesn't change the fact that his grip is extremely weak. His inquiry was directed as to why he loses extension through the shot and that is due to a flip. He has to time that impact to deliver a square clubface at impact which is due to a wide open clubface at the top of the BS with a very weak grip. The face on video clearly shows that the "v" of his right hand points to his left shoulder.

If you think timing a golf shot requires superhuman skills then consider anyone who ever successfully hit a flop shot off a tight lie Superman. I'm not saying it can't work, and it clearly does playing off of a +cap.

I would say that typically my grip is neutral/weak. I often fight to "strengthen" my grip during rounds or practice. However, my version of a strong grip is realistically more "neutral", might be due to hockey being my first sport.

I will work to strengthen my grip further during practice. I'm hoping I can get more videos soon since Arizona deemed golf as essential..for now.

Speaking of which...

Looks like my right hand still needs to adjust more. With the stronger grip my set up feels weird, my swing feels weird, but post-impact feels better. I will say that if I properly rotated during the swing I actually hit some really nice balls (2-5 yards further with my normal ball flight). My misses were poor contact or big pull/hooks. I guess the hard part would be that I have no awareness to where the clubface is.

I am scratch too. I have had similar problems in the past. My view of your swing is that you are on your toes at impact because of a weight shift problem (see left foot at impact). Your weight is very neutral during the swing, instead of loading the back heel then firing to the front heel. There are some good instructional videos on weight shift out there that can help you understand the proper mechanics of feet movement/weight shift. It will help you load and unload better. My ball striking has improved since the simple adjustment. It will feel awkward at first, but all swing changes do.

BTW -- Agreed on the very weak grip. Most better players have neutral or strong grips.

The hanger training aid (or simply a coathanger down the grip) can help build your awareness of where the clubface is. Quick google search should tell you all you need.

It'll feel weird for a bit. Just keep an eye on it and don't revert back.

thank you

I receive good things from here. I am needing it

Yeah, good thread here.

So I spent a couple months playing with a stronger grip. My irons did gain 5-7 yards and I had a nice baby draw for the most part, contact was great when swinging well.

Couple things I learned:

I had absolutely no idea where the ball was going (new swing, needs time of course). A lot of the time it went fairly straight but I could never tell you which way I was going to work it. My driver suffered terribly, loss of yardage and no control. My swing became very shallow.My hands (interlock grip) were very sore. I switched back to a weaker grip... But I did learn how to transition and rotate better while playing with the stronger grip. So now my contact and striking are better than ever. Yardages remain up and I'm hitting my driver further than before. My fingers don't hurt anymore either.

For now, my focus is impact position. Ill try to get a video up soon.

Ah man, dont give up.

takes alot of work to change fundamentals like a grip. It will take time to adjust. Can be tough taking it to the course as your performance will drop. But it will increase over time, just keep working on it.

I definitely don't mind grinding for better fundamentals. It was mostly the finger pain that concerned me. Ill probably revisit as my rotation improves but I may need to adjust grip size or just slowwwwly change my grip over time.

It was probably because my hands weren't working together, causing the interlock to pull and torque during the swing. Index and pinky were just constantly swollen.

Swing looks very similar to myself, although probably alot more consistent based off the cap. I have been fighting what I call "scrunching" at impact forever. Days where that "scrunching" is gone or barely there iron play is point and shoot. Haven't been able to nail down the cause or fix yet.

This is a really good swing that only needs a couple of tweaks:

The right hand grip could be turned to the right more, which will get your right hand less on top and therefore your shoulders a little less open. You'll also stop losing shots to the right so much. You could give yourself a bit more room away from the ball, which will help you get your weight more towards the balls of the feet. Takeaway is great, but you don't have enough hand depth at the top because you don't let your right hip turn behind you enough, which makes you lift it too much, then you have to stand up a little to keep the club from coming out and over (you're a really good golfer so you make it work, to some degree).

Feel like your hands go in more and allow your hips turn. Ideally, you want your hands to feel like they are right above your heels at the top. You may also feel like your turn is a touch flatter at first. From down the line, you want to see some air between your knees when you're at P4. This will give you a lot more room to come down from the inside, and reduce the standing up to get the club to come from the inside (but again, you need to get your right hand grip less on top or you'll be scared to release it for fear of the ball going too far left).

A great feel on transition is down then turn:

Hi, don’t grind. Waste of time.

You need to build your skills with this new grip. Look how eg. Adam Young (if u dont know, google him) organise his practice. You gain skills and confidence much faster using his plans.

Any major changes like a grip cause pain in your fingers as your body compensate. It will ease of over time. Also, less and more efficient pratice is better. Your brain also need to digest and absorb. It takes time to make changes in this game be patience..

good luck

I'll be honest, your release isn't at all correct.

1. You set up with a vertical shaft. That's a serious problem. Set up with a forward shaft at setup.

2. You don't compress the ball at all. Your contact is poor because you sweep, and don't strike ball first.

3. Plus figure is really a godsend, given this swing pattern. I don't quite buy it, but I'll be damned if you don't actually play to it, sometimes surprises happen.

Strong username to post correlation. Although I have added more shaft lean to improve impact by a bit... so I guess you're not wrong. 67 last round to take me to a +3.1 must mean I'm getting pretty lucky.

To be fair, I've seen some terrible swings play to a plus 5. A guy I played with over 65 years old shot 6 under with a terrible action. It wasn't really an insult on my part, just mentioning that normally people don't play anywhere near that level using that pattern. Nothing wrong with it if it works, but a better release and contact pattern doesn't hurt any. I've seen it before, it's just extraordinarily rare. But I figure it's your swing, you do what you want with it. And I shoot 67 on occasion, it's easy for me to break 70 when I play well, my advice is really just what I know, being self taught.

Off course he does.

Weak grip + shaft lean = big block

it’s a sweeping action at the bottom. Result is properly low spin and less stable ball flight. Struggle to play under windy conditions. Also more likely to over draw and fade. Less reliable shot shaping.

Also fit with his symptoms: ** My miss is typically a double cross or poor contact(short right)