Opening Lower Body

[psunate08]

I’ve been working on getting more open with my lower body. My miss is normally a hook or overdraw because my upper and lower body are square at impact and I flip at the ball. My ball flight is also very high. With this swing now, my miss is more of a push. Wanted to get opinions to see if I’m on the right track. My instructor is in Florida for the winter so I’m just trying to keep working by hitting into the net. Would appreciate your thoughts!

[psunate08]

[MountainGoat]

Laudable goal. You're a little too close to the ball at setup, so the whole move is a little steep. First move from the top is a pull down with your shoulders. So, you're not really powering with your lower body, you're just pushing your hips out of the way. Not the same thing. FoV would be interesting but probably not possible given your placement on a deck!

[juststeve]

You're focused on something you really don't need to think about at all. If you swing the club in the direction you want the ball to go your body will move instinctively to make room for you to swing the club. It will do so unless you do something to interfere such as allowing your body to be rigid or trying to deliberately move your body in some particular way.

 

Consider an analogy to something you already do pretty well. tossing a ball underhand to a target. When you toss a ball underhand to a target you are conscious of your arm swinging away from the target, then back toward the target, and then releasing the ball. Little else.

 

Now observe what your body does as you toss the ball, without interfering with it. You will observe as you swing your arm away from the target your body turns away from the target to "get out of the way of your arm". You will observe that the further you swing your arm back the more your body turns. The faster you swing back the faster your body turns. You aren't deliberately turning your body and controlling how far and how fast because you don't need to. The same is true in the forward motion. You are conscious of tossing the ball to the target but if again you observe without interfering you will observe that your body tunrs back toward the target making rood for your arm to swing toward your target. This making room is the getting open you are looking for, but it's something that will just happen if you don't do something to prevent it.

 

This is a approach to the swing I was taught about 50 years ago and still employ today. It has substantial advantages over methods in which you are consciously controlling the body. Chief among them is that the arm swing and turn will always remain in sync. The faster and further I swing the club the faster and further my body turns. I can honestly say that never has the club been stuck behind my body because never has a turned my hips too soon or too fast. Never have I hit hooks because my body didn't move enough. Like everyone else I hit plenty of bad shots, but not because my arms and body are out of sync.

 

Steve

[psunate08]

Thanks for the responses guys. Gives me something to think about. Need to figure out how to power the swing with the lower body. Currently swing around 115-117 with the driver but know I can be faster if I use my lower body. Right now I’m all upper body driven.

[Jagpilotohio]

Warning.

 

Hitting into a net thousands of times with no feedback about ball flight is very dangerous. It’s easy to inadvertently start ingraining mistakes.

 

I see you’re in PA. Get yourself to a heated range at least once a week to actually see where it’s going.

[glk]

Just looks like you get your right arm too much behind you at the top (see a lot of bicep away from your pec) and don’t get it back in front in transition. So your arms lags the pivot, don’t get enough out front of you , pivot stalls to let you catch up. Can speed up arms or tighten up backswing, . . . Send your instructor videos. Face on too. See what they say.

[MountainGoat]

I hate to brag, but I am one of the world's great experts on this topic. Really. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is going to challenge my credentials.

 

I have a body like the OP's -- long and lanky. My strength was in the leverage provided by my long wingspan. Regrettably, I had a upper body swing, just like the OP's. I sought all manner of experts and cures. I did tons of reps of all those drills that are supposed to activate your lower body, all to no avail.

 

Then one day I fell down the stairs and fractured a cervical vertebrae in my neck, crushing the nerves to my shoulders and arms in the process. Peripheral nerve damage meant that my muscles withered. I could barely lift my arms above my shoulders. To drink a glass of water I had to hold up one arm with the other arm.

 

Part of my rehab (which is still going on, by the way) was to learn to hit a golf ball with a well-achored lower body. My arms follow the lead from my hips. I did this pretty much the way juststeve describes (above). I didn't try to tell my body how to move. I simply recast the problem and let my body solve it. I couldn't use my upper body, because I didn't have one. I had to re-learn from the bottom up. Everything changed -- grip, stance, everything.

 

I don't recommend this treatment, but it sure works. What it taught me is that this isn't a small change. It's a big deal, an entirely new conception of how the golf swing works. So, to the OP I say this -- If you're going to change, be prepared for a LOT of work. Otherwise, just get comfy with what you've got and have a nice life.

[mikpga]

9 to 3 swings finishing with both arms straight and "parallel" to the ground...

 

Get to work...

[MonteScheinblum]

You have it a bit backwards.

 

Getting more open is not something you can just do.

 

You’d hit it worse all other things equal.

 

You’re hooking it because your arms are trailing your pivot and your club is open to the path and arc.

 

Your hooks are from your body trying to avoid hitting it way right.

 

If you got more open, you’d hit wipes and pushes all day. Get your arms linked up better as some more flex in your left wrist.

[Shot]

You could try Trevino's set up. You start open at address, quite a bit open from your standard, and then sort it out from there. It will take several swings to figure it out Trevino pushed the ball by setting open and allowing the club to track inside-out in relation to the body but almost straight back to straight through in relation to the target line.

[Lefthook]

What I think and what I learned from one of the best is that being open isn't the key, but being opening is. A complete hip stall through the ball is a recipe for inconsistency. Very open or less open isn't as important, but being in the process of opening helps with consistency.

 

This is not the beginning or the end of the world though. A few years back I used to play with a guy who was as flipping and stalling as they come. He wasn't consistent for his level of play, but when he was on fire he would string together a bunch of birdies. He was 20-30 years past his prime, he had an international amaetur carreer under his belt - and he could still get the job done on a good day.

[psunate08]

You have it a bit backwards.

 

Getting more open is not something you can just do.

 

Youd hit it worse all other things equal.

 

Youre hooking it because your arms are trailing your pivot and your club is open to the path and arc.

 

Your hooks are from your body trying to avoid hitting it way right.

 

If you got more open, youd hit wipes and pushes all day. Get your arms linked up better as some more flex in your left wrist.

 

That makes sense about my body reacting to save it from going right. My swing path is decently in to out.

 

To get my arms linked up and not behind me, what would you suggest? I’ve done the ball between the arms drill but that doesn’t seem to help. Thanks Monte!

[psunate08]

You could try Trevino's set up. You start open at address, quite a bit open from your standard, and then sort it out from there. It will take several swings to figure it out Trevino pushed the ball by setting open and allowing the club to track inside-out in relation to the body but almost straight back to straight through in relation to the target line.

 

Funny you mention that, as I’ve messed with an open stance before and the ball seems to go a little straighter. Maybe something to think about. Thanks for the input!

[psunate08]

I hate to brag, but I am one of the world's great experts on this topic. Really. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is going to challenge my credentials.

 

I don't recommend this treatment, but it sure works. What it taught me is that this isn't a small change. It's a big deal, an entirely new conception of how the golf swing works. So, to the OP I say this -- If you're going to change, be prepared for a LOT of work. Otherwise, just get comfy with what you've got and have a nice life.

 

Thanks for the insight. I hope your recovery continues to go well!

[MonteScheinblum]

You have it a bit backwards.

 

Getting more open is not something you can just do.

 

Youd hit it worse all other things equal.

 

Youre hooking it because your arms are trailing your pivot and your club is open to the path and arc.

 

Your hooks are from your body trying to avoid hitting it way right.

 

If you got more open, youd hit wipes and pushes all day. Get your arms linked up better as some more flex in your left wrist.

 

That makes sense about my body reacting to save it from going right. My swing path is decently in to out.

 

To get my arms linked up and not behind me, what would you suggest? I’ve done the ball between the arms drill but that doesn’t seem to help. Thanks Monte!

 

Your hands and arms work too down and not out or forward enough.

 

How that gets done is a topic for discussion.

[Doc Holiday]

OP - you have a super nice swing from DTL.

Can you post a face on in slow motion?

[AJDeffGolf]

Warning.

 

Hitting into a net thousands of times with no feedback about ball flight is very dangerous. It’s easy to inadvertently start ingraining mistakes.

 

I see you’re in PA. Get yourself to a heated range at least once a week to actually see where it’s going.

Good point!

[getitdaily]

You have it a bit backwards.

 

Getting more open is not something you can just do.

 

You’d hit it worse all other things equal.

 

You’re hooking it because your arms are trailing your pivot and your club is open to the path and arc.

 

Your hooks are from your body trying to avoid hitting it way right.

 

If you got more open, you’d hit wipes and pushes all day. Get your arms linked up better as some more flex in your left wrist.

 

That makes sense about my body reacting to save it from going right. My swing path is decently in to out.

 

To get my arms linked up and not behind me, what would you suggest? I’ve done the ball between the arms drill but that doesn’t seem to help. Thanks Monte!

 

Your hands and arms work too down and not out or forward enough.

 

How that gets done is a topic for discussion.

 

Pump drill...

[4Putt4Practice]

I've been working on getting more open with my lower body. My miss is normally a hook or overdraw because my upper and lower body are square at impact and I flip at the ball. My ball flight is also very high. With this swing now, my miss is more of a push. Wanted to get opinions to see if I'm on the right track. My instructor is in Florida for the winter so I'm just trying to keep working by hitting into the net. Would appreciate your thoughts!

 

What happens...IMO...is you STILL slow down at impact and that will cause a push-fade. Posted from experience.

[golfgearguy2]

Check out this article I think it would really help! Click the link it's a great article for tracking the golf club!

 

Best of luck!