Please critique my swing!

[Stunt101]

junior player looking for some help..

Here is my swing. I play to about a 7 handicap but have been having some struggles lately. I'm looking to be a 5 or less by the end of the summer going into my sophomore year in high school.

The guys talking in the background and me looking at are instructors at the camp that they videotaped my swing at.

First one is 5 iron, second is driver

:)

Swing

[mcputter]

Stunt101- not sure if you should be soliciting swing advice from a wide forum like this. Don't develop 'rabbit ears', you're better off finding one good instructor locally and sticking with him.

 

Having said that, to me you look a little stiff at address, try to relax a little (specifically your arms). Suggest you also tilt your upper body over the ball from the hips a little more. I'd like to see a little more target-ward shifting of the hips (or lateral slide) before the left hip rotates out of the way on the downswing. Otherwise, looks good, let're rip!

[Stunt101]

So more turn on the backswing with the hips before I turn my left hip on the downswing?

[mcputter]

No, not in my opinion. You make a nice full shoulder turn on the backswing without any additional hip turn. Just more lateral shift of the hips toward the target to start the downswing. The swing thought that achieves that may vary to the individual (and may vary for that individual from day to day) but it could be 'push off with the right foot', 'get the right knee up to the ball by impact', 'get the right hip pocket up to the ball by impact', 'shift your weight aggressively to the front foot to start the downswing', etc.. Don't want to get into the Stack & Tilt theories on this post, but make sure your weight doesn't get to the outside of your right foot on your backswing - keep it on the inside of your back foot and that'll make it easier to shift your weight (and hips) on the downswing.

 

Just a disclaimer- again, find a qualified local instructor- hopefully a PGA pro. Take my advice with a grain of salt, there are many more qualified golf instructors than me that belong to this forum. However, I am a legitimate scratch handicap (reinstated amateur), and 20 years ago was a teaching professional for about two years.

 

By the way, my son will be starting his sophmore year in h.s. this August, he just broke 80 for the first time, so you're doing well with your 7 (soon to be 5) handicap. Keep up the good work, but mostly have fun!

[Stunt101]

thanks for the tips, mcputter!

[Stunt101]

good for you jdub.

[david seale]

quit waggling so much at your address... and then get that weight shift down and youll be good.

[g8a_golf]

BTW, im a junior and i could whoop him... :)

easy now, jdub123! i understand that golf is a competitive game, but lets not gloat online... i'd LOVE to hear the results from you 2 playing a round together, though...

[Stunt101]

How old are you jdub?

[provx]

i like your swing, the only thing i see if that your driver might be a little too big for you. honestly i think you shouldn't worry too much about your swing at this point, once you physically mature your swing will be a little different and you can worry about mechanics then. for now work on short game stuff and have fun.

[geo0113]

Good solid swing at your age. one thing to look closer at is your footwork. i know you need to generate most of your power from your hip and lower body rotation but be careful not to overdo it. try keeping your more of your right foot on the ground during impact. it'll shallow out your arc at the bottom of your swing and especially help with your woods/long irons.

 

look at photos of tiger's old swing (first years on tour) vs. today's swing. you'll notice how much more of his right foot is on the ground. i'm guessing (and could be wrong) your irons are stuck solidly but you can struggle at times with your driver. at impact being on your right toe already can cause an overly descending blow, which is good for the irons but can be iffy with the woods/long irons. i struggled w/ the same thing in high school/college. keeping more of your right food on the ground during impact will allow your hands to release easier and shallow out your angle of attack. you're upper and lower body will be in sync more and you'll have more consistency.

 

all in all, very solid swing and stay at it. i wish i was playing that well at that age.....now if i could only figure out how to not have 38 putts a round i'd be making progess....good luck and happy hunting.

[hoganfan924]

You have a pretty serious swing fault in the downswing with the action of your lower body. As you approach impact you spin out the left hip (it starts moving away from the target), you kick in your right knee too much and get up on the right toe early as a result, instead of rolling to your right instep first. So your pelvis is backing up through impact. Essentially, in the downswing you are pivoting around the right hip instead of the left. As a result of all this, you have no spine tilt in the face on view at and just past impact.

This could all be caused by an overly long arm backswing with a slight reverse pivot at the top (your back is starting to tilt toward the target at the top of BS). This makes it very difficult to keep your upper and lower bodies well synchronized in the swing. You need work on a lot of "9 to 3" drills - impact zone, in order to get the right sequencing, footwork and hip action. Hit a lot of 9 to 3 swings and try to hit the ball hard. As you get better and better in the impact zone (as in over several range sessions) start very gradually lengthening the backswing (and going to a full finish), 9:30 on day, 10PM the next until you get to a point where going any further on the BS adds no distance to your shots.

[Stunt101]

what exactly is a "9 to 3" drill? Going to 9 o'clock on the backswing, and finishing at 3 on the follow thru?

[Stunt101]

Good solid swing at your age. one thing to look closer at is your footwork. i know you need to generate most of your power from your hip and lower body rotation but be careful not to overdo it. try keeping your more of your right foot on the ground during impact. it'll shallow out your arc at the bottom of your swing and especially help with your woods/long irons.

 

look at photos of tiger's old swing (first years on tour) vs. today's swing. you'll notice how much more of his right foot is on the ground. i'm guessing (and could be wrong) your irons are stuck solidly but you can struggle at times with your driver. at impact being on your right toe already can cause an overly descending blow, which is good for the irons but can be iffy with the woods/long irons. i struggled w/ the same thing in high school/college. keeping more of your right food on the ground during impact will allow your hands to release easier and shallow out your angle of attack. you're upper and lower body will be in sync more and you'll have more consistency.

 

all in all, very solid swing and stay at it. i wish i was playing that well at that age.....now if i could only figure out how to not have 38 putts a round i'd be making progess....good luck and happy hunting.

yeah, that's exactly what i do!

 

thanks for the advice! I can't wait to go to the range tomorrow and try the tips.

[hoganfan924]

what exactly is a "9 to 3" drill? Going to 9 o'clock on the backswing, and finishing at 3 on the follow thru?

 

Yes. You can also modify this by going to a full finish, but you should start "9 to 3"

[Stunt101]

what exactly is a "9 to 3" drill? Going to 9 o'clock on the backswing, and finishing at 3 on the follow thru?

 

Yes. You can also modify this by going to a full finish, but you should start "9 to 3"

Is it also called the toe-up, toe-up drill? Where you go back to about 9 on the backswing pointing the toe straight up, then finish at around 3 pointing the toe straight up to the sky?

[geo0113]

Glad to be of any help. a good drill to help learn the footwork and hip squence is to hit full shots will your feet together. if you use too much hips you'll fall over. it'll also help to tighten up your backswing.

 

Also try hitting flat footed punch shots and learn the feeling of keeping your right foot down through impact. this is what hoganfan is mentioning. these mini-swings will really help you grove the right sensation in your lower body.

 

hope this helps.

[hoganfan924]

I should have added, it's 9 to 3 with the left arm, not clubshaft (in case that wasn't clear)!

[Stunt101]

Glad to be of any help. a good drill to help learn the footwork and hip squence is to hit full shots will your feet together. if you use too much hips you'll fall over. it'll also help to tighten up your backswing.

 

Also try hitting flat footed punch shots and learn the feeling of keeping your right foot down through impact. this is what hoganfan is mentioning. these mini-swings will really help you grove the right sensation in your lower body.

 

hope this helps.

Thanks.. the instructor at the camp told me to do the "feet together" drill also.

 

I think I'm finally realizing my major flaw in my swing!

[Stunt101]

I should have added, it's 9 to 3 with the left arm, not clubshaft (in case that wasn't clear)!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...cial%26hs%3DOsm

 

Like the guy in the picture?

[hoganfan924]

Glad to be of any help. a good drill to help learn the footwork and hip squence is to hit full shots will your feet together. if you use too much hips you'll fall over. it'll also help to tighten up your backswing.

 

Also try hitting flat footed punch shots and learn the feeling of keeping your right foot down through impact. this is what hoganfan is mentioning. these mini-swings will really help you grove the right sensation in your lower body.

 

hope this helps.

 

Excellent advice! I've been working on my own footwork as I have this similar bad tendency and for me, trying to keep the right foot flat on the ground as long as possible has worked wonders. Caution to others though - it's only a good thought for those of us who have overactive right knees and feet!

[Stunt101]

So, when I go to the range today, I should work on the following?:

 

-feet together drill

-9 to 3 drill

-keeping my right toe on the ground longer through impact

 

this sound good?

[geo0113]

So, when I go to the range today, I should work on the following?:

 

-feet together drill

-9 to 3 drill

-keeping my right toe on the ground longer through impact

 

this sound good?

 

 

Good plan. try start with the 9 to 3 drill. then you can combine the 9 to 3 drill with keeping your feet together. then work up to full swings (as full as possible, don't take too much of a backswing and lose balance) with your feet together. don't take your regular stance w/ a full swing until you've got a groove going from the other drills.

 

let me know how things work out for ya...and stay at it, you probably won't see miracles in just one session. but don't be discouraged.

[geo0113]

One other thing...just focus on balance and making solid contact...not how far your are hitting the ball with these drills. you will obviously hit the ball significantly shorter than your full swing. and start with an mid-iron (5-7). you should focus on the differences between a well struck shot and one not hit well with these drills. mainly just worry about solid, center face contact and not falling over with your feet together and with the punch shots.

[pbjoe]

Am i the only one who noticed his release and follow through. It looks like your casting your club a lot in the impact zone and through swing and you don't extend through the shot, it looks like you almost chicken wing it. Instead of just flipping your club in the impact zone, keep that wrist forward and strong and turn it over so your logo on your hand faces to the ground when you release instead of flipping it upward. And extend your arms down the line more...my 2 cents

[Stunt101]

thanks for the tips guys

[slicefixer]

Ok.......this is EASY......at least to diagnose.....:) The major problem with your swing at present is the CLASSIC "good player spin out" you exhibit in the footage. This can be corrected with some SIMPLE set up changes and, most likely, with NO swing thoughts.......one I use everyday, "change the set up and, without even realizing it, you change the swing".......I'll email you the exact things to work on.......NO biggie.......you have the "makin's" of a GREAT golf swing.......and I mean GREAT........armswing is a bit long and out of synch and the spin out is easily seen........but the VAST majority of your golf swing is really nice......time, correct info., and HARD work and you can go a LONG way in this game if you've got some guts/brains/passion..... :russian_roulette:

[Stunt101]

Thanks slicefixer!

 

Looking forward to your e-mail. :)

[Stunt101]

any more advice?