Still can't stop lunging toward target during down swing

[Z1ggy16]

Been struggling with this for a little bit. When I watch my FO video in slow mo, I can see my front shoulder move forward toward target quite a bit and when I go watch Tiger or Rory, their front shoulders seem to travel more straight forward but then immediate up and around and behind them.

Drills/thoughts to fix this? This ball flight was fine but usually I end up with a pushy miss.

 

 

[Fuscinator]

Practice your swing at the edge of a cliff.

[Z1ggy16]

I'm not losing balance though, I think it's probably just causing me to get steeper than I'd like and makes being consistent with my low point a bit harder.

[Fuscinator]

So, you need something that keeps you from doing what you normally do to see what you'd do instead. I once watched a PBS program on car accidents and there was one driving instructor who thought the solution was replacing air bags with a giant metal spike pointed right at the driver's chest.

While I'm not a fan of worrying about how we can stop doing X, it's often not clear what we should be doing instead. Sometimes, we just need to know that's it's possible to stop doing what we usually do before we can figure out what we should do instead.

 

[MonteScheinblum]

Right shoulder needs to separate from the chin WAY sooner.

[stingerfade]

Is that with driver too?

[Z1ggy16]

Good catch. No turn cast drill to help get some feels going on that or is there something else?

[MonteScheinblum]

For sure. The finau video in my post is a driver

[Zitlow]

You'll never lunge or come over the top if your Center of Mass is ahead of the 7th cervical (swing circle center). The COM moves about 8 inches in the back swing and twice as far about 16 inches in the downswing. There is a heck of a lot of escape force, his term in the club head and he's using his pivot as the holding force.

[Mike Divot]

Snead swings it pretty good for a leftie

[glk]

 

[Fuscinator]

Is that Mike Austin?

[stingerfade]

Yea but how do you do that is the question.

[Zitlow]

Austin had a much different approach than most of what is being taught today. Say there's a clock on the ground, 12 o'clock is in front of you and 6 o'clock is behind you. 9 o'clock is on the target side of the static plane line and 3 o'clock is to the right on the static plane line.

He was using lateral bends of the QL to swing the bottom of his spine like a pendulum to 4 o'clock in the back swing to 10 o'clock in the downswing.

[stingerfade]

And just letting upper body go for the ride?

[Zitlow]

Pretty much.

[Ri_Redneck]

OP has no spine tilt at address. I used spine tilt and watching the back of the ball through impact to stop doing this exact thing several years ago. Once you feel the correct motion, you will realize what you're doing wrong.

Incidentally, the lunge "feels" more powerful, but contact and directional control will usually suffer.

BT

[Z1ggy16]

Yup, I've been told this also but when I do tilt away a few degrees it feels... Wrong. I of course know verrrryyyy well that feel does not equal real, but it's tough to work on by myself and just plain video recording.

I need to find my iPad so I can use mirror vision again, it's the only app I've used where I can monitor certain things like spine tilt at address.

[glk]

I think you have sufficient spine tilt at address - your left hand being lower on the grip provides all the spine tilt you need. People get into trouble when they try to manufacture spine tilt away from the target.

think your hoodie makes it look like less than it is.

[Z1ggy16]

Couldn't get FO today because at a different range but I worked the last day trying to really drill and focus getting shoulder away from chin sooner. Is this any better?

 

[Ri_Redneck]

It WILL feel wrong. I still feel like I'm tilting A LOT when I'm tilting the right amount. The key is you have to keep your spine there and rotate instead of that forward lunge. You COULD do it like you are, but a little more tilt and proper rotation will help you feel the correct move. Your body has to learn the new feel.

BT

[Z1ggy16]

For sure. I was with a coach in FL and we worked on this and I've sort of reverted back to old habits it seems. He had me on camera and a biometics system and when I did it properly it essentially felt like I was almost staying on my back foot/behind the ball. At first I fatted a few shots but we put the ball up on a short tee to help me out a bit and I was making really good contact, my CHS went up and my path pretty much zero'ed out. It actually got to the point where I couldn't hit draws much anymore because I was rotating so much more than I was used to and my path was more to the right because of this.

This whole health situation stinks right now, too. Has me bummed out because I was going back to see him in June but based on the evolving situation, I likely won't see him in 2020... might not even be playing much golf either.

[sheldonjhacker]

OP, try a stronger grip...I corrected this problem myself by making sure my right hand (right handed golfer) was matching up with my strong left handed grip...it was drifting counterclockwise instead of matching up with my left hand. As a result, I find I am able to stay behind the ball in the downswing...and I release the clubhead correctly without thinking about any manipulation with the hands. Just think about rotation and the swing takes care of itself. (as long as my grip is correct) good luck !

[shoot4par]

Monte, I don't mean to be redundant can you explain this within the concept of shallowing? I sort of drop/shallow the club. I also don't mean to kick a dead horse seeing that you are onto something else.

[TexasTurf]

Do you mean 8 on the clock? if he moved his lower spine to 10 his arms would run into himself.

[TexasTurf]

Zitlow, I meant to put a "?" on the end of that sentence. Not arguing, just trying to get further clarification on why I'm not seeing it yet. You are my GolfWRX leader haha.

[scratch67]

Ditto on spine tilt. Make swings with lower right leg against arm of couch. This will force more turn into downswing. Keep head in place when you start downswing. Keep upper RIGHT arm close to chest on follow through.

UPDATED: forgot he was a lefty.

[hurley999s]

Just another opinion chiming in, but I feel like I had this issue for a bit myself (but swinging from the preferred direction ?)...

But along their lines of shoulder separation - I tried for a long time to just “do it” by focusing on the arm portion of it...trying to just will myself into separating shoulder from chest in the downswing with no improvement.

What worked for me was at transition, the feeling some right bend/tilt while having the lead hip go low and around like you are doing...well for you it would be left bend. Just freeze the FO frame when you are starting to lunge and picture where you’d be if you added a little left bend —- it would keep you a lot more centered. Look at the guys in Monte’s IG post too...it’s not a lot. For me in practice it feels like a slight oblique crunch. When I do it correctly then as I turn, the lead arm whips off the chest without even thinking about it.

 

[stingerfade]

No he’s correct lower body feels like going to 10. It’s a lateral and then turns automatically while keeping the arms inside. Remember golf is the opposite of eveything you think is correct! Ha

[Z1ggy16]

When I performed the proper downswing with more rotation and no lunging, the feel was that I got very "long" in my lead upper body side. The feeling was that like my oblique/lat felt a bit stretched as I was rotating and I wanted my club head feeling like it was exiting impact staying really low and going out to my right.