Just got a driver, looking for pointers

[BaseballToGolfer]

Just got a driver after a little over a year of golfing. Looking for any tips on my swing. My main miss is a snap hook. 

 

 

 

[nsxguy]

No expert here but for playing only a year that looks like a pretty snazzy swing. 👍

 

In the top video it looks as though your right hand grip is pretty strong. That can lead to closing the face a bit too much at impact. (Can't see the left hand because of the glove)

 

In the 2nd video, at the top, the club is pointing out to right field; to the right of your target line. That generally brings the downswing a bit too much from the inside causing more of an in-to-out swing, i.e. too much draw.

 

I'm sure there'll be much better tips/observations coming along.

 

Good luck !!!

 

 

[Valtiel]

Very common and straightforward(ish) problem that is very true to your username; you're taking the club back initially too much like a baseball bat:



Different angles but we can still see the relevant stuff. First pay attention to your right arm and how its bending/folding very early. Now watch Tiger's right arm, and it stays almost perfectly straight up to this point. This along with what is likely your intent to swing the club on this plane is getting said club too inside and flat. The position in the last frame with the shaft parallel to the ground (P2) should see the club pointing roughly down the target line with the clubhead over or around your hands. We see the club right next to Tiger's hands and we see yours well out of frame. The camera angle exaggerates this a little bit, bit it's still an issue. Overall this leads to:



A backswing position that is very stuck/deep (hands too far behind you) and a club pointing well across the line (to the right). Pardon the conflicting camera angles between you and Tiger here, but I think you can see the difference. Because you're clearly pretty athletic and coordinated, you don't really do anything to attempt to compensate for this and instead continue straight down from this position, which results in you coming VERY far from the inside. This is basically the swing of someone trying to hit a really big hook, so the fact that your miss is a snap hook is basically by design with how you're swinging currently. 

To neutralize your path, work on the first bit with keeping your right arm straight until you get beyond P2 (club parallel to the ground) and then you'll generally want to feel like the club works more up and over your right shoulder and less around behind you like a baseball swing. Give that a shot and post some vids if you can. 👍

[BaseballToGolfer]

Walked out and played some holes today. I used a more neutral grip and focused on a less inside takeaway and I was definitely hitting it better. 300-310 carry on my well hit drives. My misses were a slight push/cut that we’re all playable. 

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Edited July 6, 2022 by BaseballToGolfer

[Valtiel]

That looks a little better, and perhaps it was more the grip that was helping. This is where you'll likely run into "feel vs. real" problems because functionally these swings are identical to the originals:



You're still taking the club back very inside with the folding right arm and super deep/stuck across the line position at the top of the backswing. It's hard to tell grip position/strength without a face on video but if that was the difference maker today then by all means keep doing it as long as the drives are long and in the fairway, but if the hooks start creeping back in and/or you start seeing more blocks then you're going to have to exaggerate the feeling of keeping your right arm straight and the club out in front of you in the backswing a lot more, because if this felt different to you that it's going to take a LOT more "different" to get you back to a neutral position where you aren't then having to compensate for the very inside delivery. This is mostly good news though, because if even a tiny change produces noticeably better results then continuing to push towards neutral will only continue to make things better/more consistent. 

[BaseballToGolfer]

5 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

That looks a little better, and perhaps it was more the grip that was helping. This is where you'll likely run into "feel vs. real" problems because functionally these swings are identical to the originals:



You're still taking the club back very inside with the folding right arm and super deep/stuck across the line position at the top of the backswing. It's hard to tell grip position/strength without a face on video but if that was the difference maker today then by all means keep doing it as long as the drives are long and in the fairway, but if the hooks start creeping back in and/or you start seeing more blocks then you're going to have to exaggerate the feeling of keeping your right arm straight and the club out in front of you in the backswing a lot more, because if this felt different to you that it's going to take a LOT more "different" to get you back to a neutral position where you aren't then having to compensate for the very inside delivery. This is mostly good news though, because if even a tiny change produces noticeably better results then continuing to push towards neutral will only continue to make things better/more consistent. 

Thank you for the feedback. I plan on drilling takeaway drills next time I hit the range, I'm sure it will be uncomfortable at first but it will make me better in the long run.

[Valtiel]

5 minutes ago, BaseballToGolfer said:

Thank you for the feedback. I plan on drilling takeaway drills next time I hit the range, I'm sure it will be uncomfortable at first but it will make me better in the long run.

It SHOULD be uncomfortable if you're used to swinging this way, take that as a good sign. I have a collage of professional P2 positions that i'll try to find to give you a reference for what you want to be looking for when reviewing your own video. 

[homerrunjesus]

On 7/5/2022 at 5:05 AM, Valtiel said:

Very common and straightforward(ish) problem that is very true to your username; you're taking the club back initially too much like a baseball bat:



Different angles but we can still see the relevant stuff. First pay attention to your right arm and how its bending/folding very early. Now watch Tiger's right arm, and it stays almost perfectly straight up to this point. This along with what is likely your intent to swing the club on this plane is getting said club too inside and flat. The position in the last frame with the shaft parallel to the ground (P2) should see the club pointing roughly down the target line with the clubhead over or around your hands. We see the club right next to Tiger's hands and we see yours well out of frame. The camera angle exaggerates this a little bit, bit it's still an issue. Overall this leads to:



A backswing position that is very stuck/deep (hands too far behind you) and a club pointing well across the line (to the right). Pardon the conflicting camera angles between you and Tiger here, but I think you can see the difference. Because you're clearly pretty athletic and coordinated, you don't really do anything to attempt to compensate for this and instead continue straight down from this position, which results in you coming VERY far from the inside. This is basically the swing of someone trying to hit a really big hook, so the fact that your miss is a snap hook is basically by design with how you're swinging currently. 

To neutralize your path, work on the first bit with keeping your right arm straight until you get beyond P2 (club parallel to the ground) and then you'll generally want to feel like the club works more up and over your right shoulder and less around behind you like a baseball swing. Give that a shot and post some vids if you can. 👍

 

@Valtiel golden advice. Maybe some take away/backswing work with a tour striker ball training aid or cheap amazon blow up ball alternative will help you with the feeling of taking the club back and the arms working more vertical to the top.

 

very good progress. Have you been working with an instructor?