Seeing the club head out of left eye at top of backswing

[ericz]

Does anyone else see the club head in their left eye (right handed) at the top of the backswing? Out of curiosity I started to lengthen my swing with longer clubs, mainly 3 wood and driver to the point that I can actually see the club head out of my left eye. I feel like this would never be taught, but so far the results don’t lie. Not only do I consistently gain about 4 mph ball speed with my driver, but I’m also somehow striking it better by doing this. When I allow my swing to go this long, I can really feel my right lat engaging. It actually feels good and doesn’t feel wrong.

 

Probably two outcomes from this. 1) It’s actually beneficial for me personally, or 2) It works right now and will leave me or become inconsistent sooner or later.

 

Curious if I should keep this up or bail. I had a hard time finding any posts on this site or others about being able to see the club head out of the left eye. Maybe it’s not common? Anyone else doing this?

[b.mattay]

Generally not a common thing and most people will not make a good transition from there but some do! Video would probably help instructors around here. 

[golfer07840]

5 hours ago, ericz said:

Does anyone else see the club head in their left eye (right handed) at the top of the backswing? Out of curiosity I started to lengthen my swing with longer clubs, mainly 3 wood and driver to the point that I can actually see the club head out of my left eye. I feel like this would never be taught, but so far the results don’t lie. Not only do I consistently gain about 4 mph ball speed with my driver, but I’m also somehow striking it better by doing this. When I allow my swing to go this long, I can really feel my right lat engaging. It actually feels good and doesn’t feel wrong.

 

Probably two outcomes from this. 1) It’s actually beneficial for me personally, or 2) It works right now and will leave me or become inconsistent sooner or later.

 

Curious if I should keep this up or bail. I had a hard time finding any posts on this site or others about being able to see the club head out of the left eye. Maybe it’s not common? Anyone else doing this?

 

Unless you have the shoulder turn of John Daly... Knock it off. 

 

Have you filmed your swing since doing this? Because if you aren't doing this via shoulder turn, odds are you have some major arm overrun (arms taking over and your brain is thinking it's your shoulders). If this is the case you're going to run into some serious problems. 

[Ghostwedge]

Agreed, unless you have John Daly or Brooke Henderson ability probably not a good move.

[KD1]

10 hours ago, golfer07840 said:

Unless you have the shoulder turn of John Daly

I do not have a trained eye for this. But how crazy is Daly's shoulder turn really? When I look at his swing I see his left elbow bend, left wrist cup, and flying right elbow. I just thought it was this 'breakdown of the arm structure' compared to a conventional that allowed that club to go so far back.

 

... either way there's no question he has an amazing skill to be able to get back on the ball from there.

[Krt22]

If it works for Phil, it can work for you.

[MonteScheinblum]

Long term it is unlikely to be a good thing unless you’re a 120+ club head speed guy on a real LM.  Even then…

[golfer07840]

2 hours ago, Krt22 said:

If it works for Phil, it can work for you.

Yes because I'm sure his skill level is on the same planet as a top 10 player of all time. 

 

[GLF4EVR]

In the past I have...and it always told me I was overswinging.  One of those foe that s in the "don't do that'" category.

[golfer07840]

3 hours ago, KD1 said:

I do not have a trained eye for this. But how crazy is Daly's shoulder turn really? When I look at his swing I see his left elbow bend, left wrist cup, and flying right elbow. I just thought it was this 'breakdown of the arm structure' compared to a conventional that allowed that club to go so far back.

 

... either way there's no question he has an amazing skill to be able to get back on the ball from there.

I speak from experience.. this was me a few years ago.. dont be me. .

 

 

[Krt22]

54 minutes ago, golfer07840 said:

Yes because I'm sure his skill level is on the same planet as a top 10 player of all time. 

 

95 times out of 100, threads that start with "I have this flaw, why is it bad" are really not folks looking to improve or change, but instead golfers looking for just enough positive reinforcement to keep doing it. They will largely ignore all the sage advice and latch on to what they wanted to hear in the first place. I am saving all the fuss and getting right to what they want to hear. 

[golfer07840]

4 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

95 times out of 100, threads that start with "I have this flaw, why is it bad" are really not folks looking to improve or change, but instead golfers looking for just enough positive reinforcement to keep doing it. They will largely ignore all the sage advice and latch on to what they wanted to hear in the first place. I am saving all the fuss and getting right to what they want to hear. 

In that case... Carry on. 

[ericz]

6 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

95 times out of 100, threads that start with "I have this flaw, why is it bad" are really not folks looking to improve or change, but instead golfers looking for just enough positive reinforcement to keep doing it. They will largely ignore all the sage advice and latch on to what they wanted to hear in the first place. I am saving all the fuss and getting right to what they want to hear. 

If I wasn’t serious about improving I wouldn’t have asked in the first place. It was just a question about an observation I had, that’s all. But thanks anyway I guess. 
 

I do appreciate all the responses here though. Thanks!

[nsxguy]

Is this one of those "Do you breath in or out or hold your breath while you putt ?" things.

 

 

I don't quite get to parallel with my driver so no, I don't see the club head.

 

I do sometimes, depending on where the sun is, see the shadow of the club head come right over my ball and it inevitably distracts me - unless I've checked first and know that's what will happen.

[Krt22]

1 minute ago, ericz said:

If I wasn’t serious about improving I wouldn’t have asked in the first place. It was just a question about an observation I had, that’s all. But thanks anyway I guess. 
 

I do appreciate all the responses here though. Thanks!

Yeah but everything in your post sounds like you really want to love it, despite clearly knowing it's not ideal by any means. So maybe conventional wisdom doesn't always apply, there are exceptions to every rule. Not to mention you don't hit the ball in the backswing

[ericz]

6 minutes ago, Krt22 said:

Yeah but everything in your post sounds like you really want to love it, despite clearly knowing it's not ideal by any means. So maybe conventional wisdom doesn't always apply, there are exceptions to every rule. Not to mention you don't hit the ball in the backswing

I don’t have any attachment to it at all. Sure I would love it if it was some miracle for me but   I also acknowledged that it could be pointless and not worth bothering with. I’m a realist about it. I’m sure some people are delusional about quick fixes though. But why assume the worst right away?

[golfer07840]

18 minutes ago, ericz said:

I don’t have any attachment to it at all. Sure I would love it if it was some miracle for me but   I also acknowledged that it could be pointless and not worth bothering with. I’m a realist about it. I’m sure some people are delusional about quick fixes though. But why assume the worst right away?

 

We're all very jaded here on this forum. 

 

Bottom line, and even Monte says it, it's probably something you really shouldn't be doing. 

 

[jl923]

I went through the same exact thing last year and I dropped close to 10 strokes off my handicap. For some reason taking a longer backswing slows down my tempo and synchs up my swing. 

[Barfolomew]

No one can tell you if good or bad..... as long as you're not injuring yourself

 

The only way to tell is on the proving ground out on the golf course 🦉

 

 

[Ty_Webb]

I am prone to getting across the line at the top and my left wrist collapses. My instructor said to me "do you ever see the clubhead out of your left eye?" I said "yes occasionally". He rolled his eyes and said something to the effect of "yeah that's not good". So that winds up being one of the biggest things that he and I work on. I do it, in part, because it feels powerful. It's not though. When I get it right, it goes just as far and is under more control. Hard to imagine it would be a good idea to start doing that on purpose.

[TomGavin]

It seems like it could be positive self reinforcement for lengthening your back swing, or give you confidence to take a longer backswing. I read some of the responses, it’s obvious that your goal is to get better; like any kind of public thread, there’s a segment of respondents who get their kicks being snarky. Anyone who plays golf is looking for anything to improve. Keep up the research. 

[mrjrogolfer]

I think it's a good thought for those, like me, who struggle with a short, quick backswing. When I started lengthening the backswing (letting it fully "mature" as Dr. Kwon would say), I could occasionally see the clubhead out of my left eye landing almost over my left shoulder (it doesn't actually get there). It's the same feel as swinging the rope drill. When I do it right, it hit it farther and straighter. So if it's working for you, keep doing it.