Mid Handicpaper That Cannot Get Club Face Closed (video)

[njgulf800]

I'm a ~8 handicap that has consistently struggled with a driver slice since the beginning of time. Looking for any tips people see that can help. It feels physically impossible for me to get the club faced closed without doing bad things like flipping my wrist or having some terrible strong grip. In this example it was mostly a straight push as you can see the ball going way out to the left immediately but it tends to either slice or be a straight push. I probably hit ~20% fairways which is by far the biggest challenge in my game and probably adds 3-5 strokes a round.

 

 

https://www.kapwing.com/w/tT3YUaDgmD

[uitar9]

Instead of changing anything in your grip or swing, try just physically starting with the club face slightly closed. 

 

I had a slice problem. I'm old and didn't want to waste the time I have left changing my swing. I tried slo mo swing and learned that when I got back to address, club face was open.

 

Just started with it closed a little until I learned when it was closed enough.

 

8/10 now straight

 

 

 

 

 

[5 O'Clock Charlie]

I'll let the experts chime in, but to me your path looks so far left with the driver, that your natural reaction is to "hold on" and not release the club. If you do release it and it's not timed right, you are going to hit massive hooks or big pushes. 

 

Seems to be a result of a really flat back swing (4:45 when the hands are hip height) shaft lacks that vertical component you see in on plane swings. and then that roundedness continues through out the swing. 

On Plane vs Flat 



 

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by 5 O'Clock Charlie

[Valtiel]

@5 O'Clock Charlie is dead on. You're swinging the club extremely flat and around your body like a baseball bat, creating an exaggerated flat arc that means the club is only "square" for a tiny amount of time:

 

You also hit this one WAY out of the toe which i'd imagine is your miss which gets the ball starting even further left. You're coming into the ball 10+* from the inside which is always a red flag because it becomes very difficult to intuitively manage the clubface in these extremes. It IS "square" here, but square to your extreme path and not to your intended target, which I assume is the fairway over the bill of your hat.

Most people would hit a lot more snap hooks from this position, but it's because of what you touched on re: compensations like a super strong grip to allow for faster clubface closure with the hands. In resisting going down that road combined with the fact you're actually doing a lot of good stuff with your lower body in terms of clearing and creating the right forces (your back foot dragging towards your front is a good sign), you're actually "failing in purpose" in a way from a technical standpoint. Without compensations like a super strong grip and a stalling of your lower body rotation to give time for your hands to flip over, you SHOULD be hitting massive blocks like you are now with this club path. All you need to do then is neutralize your path more and things should start falling into place.

Check out this post here, specifically the section on takeaway and the linked AMG video. You'll want to start by getting the club working way more up in front of you for the same reasons as the OP in that thread. His issue was how his arms had to disconnect and raise to complete the backswing he was trying to make, your problem is that they actually stay connected in that super flat/inside space. You're basically swinging how I try to when i'm hitting bunker shots, hah. Get your takeaway up and the rest should fall into place with practice.  

[ac6]

11 hours ago, Valtiel said:

You're basically swinging how I try to when i'm hitting bunker shots, hah. Get your takeaway up and the rest should fall into place with practice.  

 

To neutralize it he's going to need to feel like how people used to hit bunker shots--swinging way outside to in. With such an extreme inside-out path, feeling like he's literally lifting the club straight up and down his real will likely end up looking close to neutral

[North Butte]

1 hour ago, ac6 said:

 

To neutralize it he's going to need to feel like how people used to hit bunker shots--swinging way outside to in. With such an extreme inside-out path, feeling like he's literally lifting the club straight up and down his real will likely end up looking close to neutral

Funny story (to me at least).

 

20+ years ago my long-time friend and teaching pro went through a spell of getting his driver way behind him, somewhat like @njgulf800 although probably not nearly as extreme. I remember him telling me his swing thought with the driver was "splitting a log" and he tried to imagine swinging an axe directly overhead and chopping down on the ball. It took that sort of feel for him to get the driver up rather than behind him.

At the time I was a beginner and struggling with just lifting my arms up without turning or shifting my weight at all. I wanted to stick my fingers in my ears and say, "I can't hear you" because that sort of swing thought was the last thing I wanted to imagine. 

 

Now all these years later I have a tendency to do just the same move as @njgulf800 so maybe I ought to trot out the old axe-swinging visualization...

[BraxtonFullerton]

As everyone's chimed in already; you're way too flat on the take away.

 

Put a headcover 3ft directly behind your teed up ball and work on taking the club back and trying to touch it (hint: you won't) your arms will naturally rise and get you on a better plane for your swing. Once you're on a better swing path, you just need to learn your new timing with the clubface.