Any Feedback Would Be Appreciated

[cliu026]

Hi Everyone,

 

First time poster here. I've been a long-time lurker, but I finally decided to create an account.

 

I'm a 23 year-old golfer who has been playing the game on and off since I was about 8 years old. I played on my high school team, and stopped playing after I graduated. About 4 months ago, I picked up the game again after a 5 year break, and I've been shooting in the high 80s/low 90s pretty consistently. However, while playing a few weeks ago, I sprained a muscle in my rib (perhaps because of swing flaws). I took a break for about 2 weeks and picked up my clubs again after my ribs stopped hurting. My first 2 days on the range were fine, but I re-injured my rib on the third day - most likely because of the consistent fat shots I was hitting on the mat. Since I'm still recovering, I thought it'd be a good idea to look at ways that I can improve my swing. I'm struggling with fat shots, shots on the toe of the club, and distance (for reference, I hit my 7 iron about 140 yards)

 

Here is a video of my swing down the line. I know it's a little dark, but hopefully you will be able to see. I'll record a video of my swing front-on once I recover and am able to swing a club again. Will you guys please provide me with some feedback so that I can improve my game? Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Reasonability]

CL,

Its an inherently good swing. Its clear you've had some success in the past. Best to you getting healed up.

The harshest critique items I can come up with are:

1) I realize this is a 7 iron - so perfectly understandable you would be a little closer to the ball. I only point out that some would probably say the arms hanging dead straight down under the shoulders "can" present some issues. Having the arms showing a hint of the hands extended toward the target line is something to consider. Also it being dark and the dark shirt make it a little hard to tell for sure -- but it looks like your shoulder line could be a couple of degrees left of the toe line. I would assume as the clubs get longer you would tend to not have any issues along these lines and there would be a noticeable secondary spine tilt and a little reverse K with the driver?

2) There is a little lack of depth in your hip turn going back. If the trail side (your right side) hip were to inch back from the toe line a little deeper - I would think your rear-end counter balance at address would tend to stay back behind the heels in transition. I point this out because if you stop video at impact and quickly move the video back to the beginning.... you will see in that instantaneous "snap" that your backside has advance toward the ball, causing your spine angle to go a little vertical at impact. This raises the handle and shaft higher through impact than at address.

So the effect at impact what is happening is the heel side of your clubface is lifted. This tends to cause the toe side of the clubface to be the only thing left to contact the ball. Ball flights can often be pushes and push slices. Once you get on real turf you may have noticed divots that are deeper on the toe side of the club. The natural inclination anyone would have is to try and hit more "down" on it which can start a sort of dangerous cycle of the chest rising ever more out of the shot and swinging more "down" with the arms - followed by an even more vertical spine at contact to compensate for an even steeper angle of attack downward into the ball. Don't know if things are getting to that stage for you yet or not so perhaps your rib issues are a mixed blessing. You can plan now for a way of breaking this cycle which will likely go easier on the body AND improve your ball striking.

Were it me personally - I would place just a hint of getting the lead side (your left) hip over the left instep at address which should automatically get the trail side knee just a mere inch or two toward the target. If you leave your head just like it is - then this would serve up a secondary spine tilt. Then I would swing around that spine angle. Let the right hip inch back form the toe line getting to the top. As seen face on - at the top your upper spine would be just a touch farther from target than your tail bone. With that deepened hip turn your rear end would stay back behind the heels then on the downswing. This would keep you in-posture through the shot. That in turn would prevent the club from going vertical through impact and the that in turn would allow you to make solid contact squarely in the middle of the clubface.

This secondary spine tilt sometimes causes golfers to believe they will actually hit more fat or thin shots. But that's because your used to the sternum lifting out of the shot. So this brand of downswing enables you to move the chest back through at about the same distance it was at address. It also leaves plenty of room for your downswing arm flow and the trail elbow can pass right in front of the trail side hip through the strike. All of this helps keep the body and arms working together and on plane... it will definitely break the cycle of lifting the chest out of the shot - which perhaps is why your ribs are getting sore.

Hopefully once your fully healed up (give it a nice rest) -- you can ease into half swing and shorter clubs. Then over a period of time work your way into longer clubs and fuller swings. It would be my bet you start taking longer, straighter, shallower divots while finding the center of the clubface more often.

Good luck - get well soon - and I hope something in this helps. There is probably a local pro or someone out there you could take online lessons from which would also prove to beneficial. (more so than my babble - LOL), Look forward to you face on video when your health and time permits. See you on WRX again one day along the way and best to you until then.

EDIT: By the way -- I see this is your first post? WELCOME TO WRX!!!!! I should have said so right up front! My bad! (You realize there's a teaching pro here in WRX who is just down the road from you, right? If not, you will soon know who I'm referring to.)