Help with shortening back swing and avoiding chicken wing. Hitting a hook on course!

[Katz305]

Hi All! Thanks in advance for the help. I've been lurking on the site since I ordered a new set of Mizunos earlier in the year and found a forum talking about lead times on iron deliveries. Now I'm hooked!

 

Speaking of hooks... I tend to come from the inside and also have a relatively strong grip (at least I think so). I'm looking for any swing tips I can get and specifically ways I can minimize the hook. 

 

I know my back swing is humongous, and I tend to come off the ball (sway). I don't know all of the technical terminology to explain my issues, but my mishits are typically thin and can have some duck hooks off the tee. 

 

I've been playing for two years. Any drills that can assist me would be greatly appreciated!

 

Separately, I feel like I swing completely different on course vs on the range. Not surprising because I'm more tentative on the course, but any advice there would be huge!

 

P.S - having some trouble uploading the videos lol. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 17, 2022 by Katz305
Videos

[Valtiel]

@Katz305 There are a number of significant but common swing flaws that are resulting you reaching a very cramped/stuck impact position:



The good is that you're getting up into your front side decently well. The bad is that those flaws I mentioned are causing you to come way towards the ball and are preventing you from achieving any hip clearance at impact. Lots of things that you'll to accept that you need to reverse. It all starts with:



Common takeaway problems. First, you're already starting quite close to the ball at address, a little cramped with virtually no knee bend. Second, you're sucking the club WAY inside in your backswing, setting up either a massive over the top move in transition or getting stuck way inside (your issue). Third/fourth, you initially move down and towards the ball due to the fact that your hip rotation is being achieved solely by swinging your left hip out in front of you instead of pushing your right hip back. Note all the above flaws and how they are the opposite with Scott. A slightly bent athletic posture, hands working straight back with the club hinging up, keeping it in front of him, and his right hip (and in sympathetic response, his head) dropping slightly backwards, away from the ball. All of these moves set the foundation for a neutral swing with freedom to move with minimal compensation whereas your initials moves setup something that is going to require HEAVY compensations later in the sequence, some that you make and others that you don't.



You continue up this very inside path to a very big across the line position at the top. Everything about this overall path is at odds with where you're trying to hit the ball as it's all pointing 100y right of where your alignment stick is setup, and you either need a massive and immediate Bobby Jones style reroute, or you're going to come down with the club completely stuck behind you:



Unfortunately you do the latter via dropping back down on the overly inside plane you came up on and get yourself into a position where the club is completely stuck, where you're then forced to stall and flip the club to get it to the ball, all being exacerbated by the fact you've also moved half your head width closer to that ball from an already slightly cramped position. Making any kind of solid impact with all these conditions is impressive, and while that might seem like a *dubious* compliment, it means that improvements in these areas will only make contact easier.

1) Give yourself a little more room at address with a more athletic stance, like you're bracing yourself to catch something a bit heavy.
2) Use a mirror to mimic the kind of takeaway position seen with Adam above. Hands straight back and slightly up with the club roughly over the top of your hands.
3) While doing #2, feel like you're pushing your right hip backwards to rotate and sinking back slightly into your right heel instead of swinging your left hip out.
4) Still using the mirror, continue straight up like you're trying to throw the club over your right shoulder instead of wrapping it around you. This will all likely feel WAY more upright than what you're used to, and it should. 

This is all I would worry about trying to get comfortable with for now, and you might even leave the hip stuff in #3 until you're comfortable with the club path changes since that's a lot to take in, hah. Good luck, drop any questions here and follow up with video if you can!

[Katz305]

@Valtiel Thank you so much for the feedback. I'm going to work on all of this and post some follow up videos for you to take a look at. Appreciate all the help.