Drills for swinging left...

[gentles]

Anyone know ways to promote the feeling?

Hi all, some of you may have noticed my thread a few months back about "swinging left" and how I am adapting it in my swing. So far the results have been great...and I must say, the right hand side of the course looks a lot better than the jungle on the left!

I am struggling when I try and have a proper practice sessions. The only thing I am going on is a feeling in practice swings and Ideally would like a series of drills to work on. I am a technical practicer. Anyone have any ideas suggestions? Thanks.

[TEConnor]

[quote name='gentles' post='821362' date='Dec 12 2007, 04:13 AM']Hi all, some of you may have noticed my thread a few months back about "swinging left" and how I am adapting it in my swing. So far the results have been great...and I must say, the right hand side of the course looks a lot better than the jungle on the left!

I am struggling when I try and have a proper practice sessions. The only thing I am going on is a feeling in practice swings and Ideally would like a series of drills to work on. I am a technical practicer. Anyone have any ideas suggestions? Thanks.[/quote]

Would you mind linking to this thread that you refer to? I'm not having success picturing what you mean by swinging left.

Tim

[dlygrisse]

just read through all of Slicefixers posts, he is the biggest advocate of swinging left of any teacher out there

[hoganfan924]

Try the open face drill. Take your normal address but open the face of the club around 15 degrees. You do this by taking your grip with the face open, [b]not[/b] by taking your normal grip and then just turning your hands and club clockwise when you address the ball. Make short swings (9 to 3 O'clock) with a short or mid iron. Try to hit the ball straight [b]without[/b] using your hands to roll the face over. To be successful, you will have to use your pivot/body to square the face and get the club moving left after impact. Johnathan Byrd uses this drill as does Slicefixer with his good players.

[JeffMann]

Gentles

I think that swinging with a short club and ensuring that one swings the club around to a finish that is high and to the left is a good method of ingraining a turn to the left that is body-generated rather than arm generated. I demonstate that drill in the last 1-2 minutes of this swing video segment.

[url="http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=aIHQV0vf2fQ"]Segment 8[/url]

Jeff.

[gentles]

Hogan fan....I have read that Slicefixer does a "closed face" drill in a similar way to the drill you posted. Care do explain the differences between the 2 methods? Thanks.

[beachgrovejunior]

not too sure but isn't the open face drill to help swing left, and the closed face drill to help the player increase the lag and delay the release?

[ty cheek]

Split your grip about 10-12 inches and swing through to the finish. My pro has me "hold off" and not release the club. This will definitely get you swinging left, but will also be a good feeling of keeping the correct spine angle.

Good luck.

Ty

[hoganfan924]

[quote name='beachgrovejunior' post='821857' date='Dec 12 2007, 02:37 PM']not too sure but isn't the open face drill to help swing left, and the closed face drill to help the player increase the lag and delay the release?[/quote]

Yes,

The idea with both is to learn how the movements of the body can make both of those things happen without hand manipulation. The last thing you want to do when doing these drills is to try and turn the hands through impact to square the face. Figure out a way, teach yourself, to hit the ball straight using these drills and you will develop and much better understanding of how to use your body in the golf swing. Remember though, "9 to 3" swings only with short or mid irons. Both drills were very eye opening for me. A couple more good "tools" for the toolbox.

[glcoach]

Put your feet together and drop back the right foot. Then take swings and feel like you are swinging across your left leg. **IMPORTANT** make sure your right arm is is a goog pitch or throw position like you are throwing an underhand javelin when you are doing this drill.

This drill will also give you more snap in your swing.

[caryk]

Gentles,

This might be an interesting read for you, especially how it pertains to your desire to swing left. It's an article by Jim McLean that I found in an old Golf Illustrated (1989) magazine that I was about to pitch.

Hope it helps.

[birdie_man]

I skimmed the article..........

Not sure about the drill......but that might be the best instruction I've seen from McLean. (if given to the right player)

[hoganfan924]

Great (and timely) find, Caryk! Good article. Not much new in the world of Golf instruction!

[Lake]

[quote name='hoganfan924' post='822470' date='Dec 12 2007, 09:59 PM']Not much new in the world of Golf instruction![/quote]

3-D Baby...I knew when I watched JAWS 3-D in 83' we we're just a few years away I guess it took the white belts to get back in style again!!!!

Thanks for the find Caryk!! I remember watching Jim behind the ropes about twenty years ago at La Costa Resort & Spa...never will forget that blonde hair!!

[ezra76]

This was actually part of my lesson this evening with my instructor. I've been hitting hooks with the irons a bit lately. He's got me working on keeping the right wrist hinged at impact, face square to target and use my chest to release. I'm actually not even supposed to think about it he says, just swing through and the club will go left with my body by itself. Actively using my hands is whats getting me ahead of it when my timing is bad and hitting hooks. I hit one with my 3iron on a par 5 today that was just nasty, started a bit left and hooked 50yds. into the trees. My only double bogey of the day on a hole I should have been throwing an 80yd. dart 3rd shot into. Such a shame.

[mikeybusa]

I have struggled with a big in to out swing and have been working on trying to get the elusive in to square to in swing.

I have been placing a object just outside the target line ahead of the ball. This then means to miss it my swing has to be going left after striking the ball. As improve have moved this object closer to the target line. In effect like having wall just outside the target line.

Taking a lot of work to get rid of previous plane but is gradually starting to have an effect.

[scores]

It takes patients because at first I swung left too fast... not Late as Slice fixer would say..once I learned to do this I could keep that butt of the club down and left... I am not sure I am doing it correctly but the release is a feeling of my body is out of the way and I have the use of the whole club not fighting that stuck position (as much).

It takes time

Good luck

[TJW]

Been working on this for the past week or so myself.

Problem I run in to is swingin left but not releasing. hitting the ball pretty well, but i've definitely tweaked my left wrist on some follow-throughs. have to practice letting it go after impact.

scores - i'll be swinging left at a heated bay in southboro this weekend. LOL.

[slicefixer]

[quote name='TJW' post='870098' date='Jan 18 2008, 04:05 PM']Been working on this for the past week or so myself.

Problem I run in to is swingin left but not releasing. hitting the ball pretty well, but i've definitely tweaked my left wrist on some follow-throughs. have to practice letting it go after impact.

scores - i'll be swinging left at a heated bay in southboro this weekend. LOL.[/quote]


Tim, do the "baseball drill" and focus on the feeling of the "left wrist cupping" in the throughswing...........that's the feeling of the club releasing itself........on ALL "FULL" shots you should feel the "left wrist cupping down" when the arms are about 3 O'clock or so in the throughswing..........in the throughswing as the CORE "unwinds" the arms/club work "low, around, and left" the arms/shaft will be released "left" reasonably close to "perpendicular to your spine tilt/core tilt" (that's why it FEELS "down" a bit)......as the left wrist is cupping the left arm is "folding down" (releasing).......same thing happens in a CF/down the line release, but, the body angles are different ......With the "CF"/"down the line" release the body/core are on more "tilt" OR actually "tilting away" from the target through impact and, as a result, the club is released more "down the line".........that's wy a driver will always appear a bit more down the line than an iron even though BOTH are being "released left" by the same PIVOT.......the dirver is released from "more underneath?/"further behind" than an iron........MY preferred "method"/"ideal swing" deals with the differences in "body angles"/"impact angles" between clubs/shots by taking care of it BEFORE you take the club back......"you dial it in, activate the auto pilot, and swing"..........other methods require the player to make SWING CHANGES during the actual swing to "change the angles".........I prefer MY way as I KNOW it's simpler and more consistent..........

[scores]

Tiim my instructor is in your neck of the woods however we started with gatorade bottle set out 10 feet in front of me and @10:00 oclock off target I had to swing to 10 0clock..I also kept reading slice fixers post as well as Leakgolf same therory as the guy I have been working with...I sent one of my friends to him who won lots of local stuff and he thinks the world of the guy.

so if you want help pm me

[Serenity05]

Slicefixer,
What is the correct setup you suggest? Lets start with a sandwedge...7 iron....and driver? From what I read its a reverse K with weight on the left side (for a righty). Also what are some other drills that you teach your students? I'm really want to improve my impact positions.

Thanks

[BigBad]

[quote name='caryk' timestamp='1197516811' post='822436']
Gentles,

This might be an interesting read for you, especially how it pertains to your desire to swing left. It's an article by Jim McLean that I found in an old Golf Illustrated (1989) magazine that I was about to pitch.

Hope it helps.
[/quote]

I just wanted to let you know how that article improved my ball striking. It was truly my cure. I have always tried to extend down the target line and my results have been exactly as the article says. Lots of hooks and pushes. Following the idea of swinging left and staying connected has cured me. I am hitting everything, pitches, chips, full shots as solid as ever. I no longer feel a sense of timing. I just load up and swing, left. I am in Ohio so I've only been able to hit off mats the past month since adapting it. I finished the year as a 9 but am now really excited about dropping a few more. Most of my issues scoring are blow up holes because of ob hooks off the tee.

[JPGolf FL]

[quote name='caryk' timestamp='1197516811' post='822436']
Gentles,

This might be an interesting read for you, especially how it pertains to your desire to swing left. It's an article by Jim McLean that I found in an old Golf Illustrated (1989) magazine that I was about to pitch.

Hope it helps.
[/quote]
That is a great article.