Lost 80lbs, also lost my golf swing

[GGMUFrost]

As the title states I have lost 80lbs since Jan but have also lost my golf swing in the process. I have always been a drawer/hooker of the ball but now everything is a massive pull hook, or big blocks with the occassional shank mixed in. I I know I early extend and my grip is strong but it seems like no matter what I do I can't seem to find it. 

 

Have excessive path challenges as well 8* out to in with -2* face angle. Just looking for some suggestions on where to start, I have had multiple lessons with my home pro to start to fix but end up going back to the old swing when I fail. Planning to go to a new instructor next week but am just looking for some suggestions on where to start. I have a video with an iron as well as driver. Hopefully they help. Even if I could just eliminate a 2 way miss that would be great, I have gone from a 1.5 handicap to a softcap 5. It's making me crazy. Thanks all. 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2023 by GGMUFrost

[GGMUFrost]

[glk]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLepiR2F026/?hl=en

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJBiS3plrJs/?hl=en

 

Won't fix everything but you need a better setup posture and your right elbow motion is a problem - you pull it behind which drags the left arm across you chest.  Can hit shots with drill - use a 7/8i.     Do it slow - few reps then hit a few , again slowly - like 40/50% effort.   rinse repeat.  Don't worry about ball flight - film it every few swings and check that motion is changing and better - as well as setup

[jonsnow]

Congratulations on the weight loss! You look great. 
Was the weight loss something you decided to do on your own or was it a health issue that led to it? I don't mean to be nosy but I'm in the middle of a health issue & have changed not only how much I eat but what I eat pretty significantly, resulting in 25 pounds of weight loss so far in the last 4 months. I can't imagine losing weight & getting healthier being anything but good for golf long term but it does take some adjusting. Good luck!

[GGMUFrost]

6 minutes ago, jonsnow said:

Congratulations on the weight loss! You look great. 
Was the weight loss something you decided to do on your own or was it a health issue that led to it? I don't mean to be nosy but I'm in the middle of a health issue & have changed not only how much I eat but what I eat pretty significantly, resulting in 25 pounds of weight loss so far in the last 4 months. I can't imagine losing weight & getting healthier being anything but good for golf long term but it does take some adjusting. Good luck!

Thanks, luckily no health issues, just wanting a long term change to be a healthier version of myself. 
 

Loss of a golf swing is worth the long term benefits. I’ll find a swing haha. Thanks again. 

[byoshio82]

First off congrats!!! Secondly I feel your pain! My putting goes to s*** anytime I have a big weight loss.

[KMeloney]

Congrats on the weight loss.

 

The ball looks way too close to you (or it'd be too close for me, at least), for starters. Then, as others have said, your flying right elbow leads to a lack of hand-depth at the top. From here, there's no real "inside" to swing from. Your brain knows you have to steepen the club in order to hit the ball -- and combined with you throwing your right hip out toward the ball on the downswing, you've really got to straighten up and early extend in order to get the club past your right hip and into that little sliver of space you've left yourself.

[Mike_C]

21 hours ago, GGMUFrost said:

As the title states I have lost 80lbs since Jan but have also lost my golf swing in the process. I have always been a drawer/hooker of the ball but now everything is a massive pull hook, or big blocks with the occassional shank mixed in. I I know I early extend and my grip is strong but it seems like no matter what I do I can't seem to find it. 

 

Have excessive path challenges as well 8* out to in with -2* face angle. Just looking for some suggestions on where to start, I have had multiple lessons with my home pro to start to fix but end up going back to the old swing when I fail. Planning to go to a new instructor next week but am just looking for some suggestions on where to start. I have a video with an iron as well as driver. Hopefully they help. Even if I could just eliminate a 2 way miss that would be great, I have gone from a 1.5 handicap to a softcap 5. It's making me crazy. Thanks all. 

 

 

 

OMG, you are me twenty years ago.   I also lost about 80 pounds in about 9 months back in 2003, went from about 260+ to 175.  Any you are describing my game that year, blocks, pushes and pull hooks, and I developed the shanks for the first time in my life.  I didn't know it at the time, but I was massively early extending.  It was related to the weight loss I think, my center of gravity shifted somehow.  I also had a feeling coming down there was nothing in the way of my arms since my gut was gone, I felt lost.  It was almost like before, since I had a gut I had to keep my hips back so I could swing and actually hit the ball, with no gut I was all messed up.  

 

Your problem is the EE, need to work with someone to get over it, its like your body doesn't know what to do anymore with its new shape and weight distribution....  I feel your pain.....

 

With regard to the elbow issue, which I also related to EE, compare these to positions, Adam Scott first:  Elbow pointing behind you, AS pointing down at the ground. 

 

Also, your right hip is already moving forward, and look at your spine angle, virtually 90 vertical, left shoulder looks higher than right, notice AS still has some tilt of the shoulders down towards the ball.....  

 

 

[GGMUFrost]

38 minutes ago, Mike_C said:

OMG, you are me twenty years ago.   I also lost about 80 pounds in about 9 months back in 2003, went from about 260+ to 175.  Any you are describing my game that year, blocks, pushes and pull hooks, and I developed the shanks for the first time in my life.  I didn't know it at the time, but I was massively early extending.  It was related to the weight loss I think, my center of gravity shifted somehow.  I also had a feeling coming down there was nothing in the way of my arms since my gut was gone, I felt lost.  It was almost like before, since I had a gut I had to keep my hips back so I could swing and actually hit the ball, with no gut I was all messed up.  

 

Your problem is the EE, need to work with someone to get over it, its like your body doesn't know what to do anymore with its new shape and weight distribution....  I feel your pain.....

 

With regard to the elbow issue, which I also related to EE, compare these to positions, Adam Scott first:  Elbow pointing behind you, AS pointing down at the ground. 

 

Also, your right hip is already moving forward, and look at your spine angle, virtually 90 vertical, left shoulder looks higher than right, notice AS still has some tilt of the shoulders down towards the ball.....  

 

 

Really appreciate it and congrats on your weight loss as well! 

[RoyalMustang]

Congrats on the weight loss! You will play better in the future: you just need to "retrain" your body's balance. Find some good closed-eye balance drills on Youtube to help with your balance both static and rotational. You should have less fatigue for sure and I would think that if you decide to get on a strength and flexibility program specific to golf, you will have better results. I play in several flighted tournaments a year and it's crazy how those overweight guys are running out of gas by hole 12 on day 2, even as they are carting. I walk 100% of the time and being a lot more fit, am probably playing my best golf by the end of the day 2 round. 

 

I can't help with the swing unfortunately but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to get a good lesson. 

 

Here is a good video for balance. This stuff is great for any golfer but especially one that has experienced a rapid COM change in the past few months! 

 

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=golf+balance+drills&rlz=1C1JZAP_enUS1067US1067&oq=golf+balance+drills&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgWGB4yCAgCEAAYFhgeMggIAxAAGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yCAgFEAAYFhgeMgoIBhAAGIYDGIoFMgoIBxAAGIYDGIoFMgoICBAAGIYDGIoFMgoICRAAGIYDGIoF0gEINTQ1OGowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_AL6-ZLGxHcilqtsPkcmvwAM_41

Edited July 24, 2023 by RoyalMustang

[me05501]

Well done on the weight loss. Lots of benefits to that. 

 

It looks like you play without making much of a ribcage turn which isn't unusual for guys working around some extra weight. Now that you can turn better you probably should.  

 

Try keeping your hands more in front of your sternum throughout your swing. If you can't seem to get your hands back as far as normal, try to get them there by turning your torso instead of just lifting your arms while your body stays put.  

 

They say early extension is almost always an involuntary compensation. Getting your arms and body turn more in sync may cure you of that without consciously trying. 

 

A good drill for getting synched up is to hit balls with your feet very close together. If you can get the right ball flight and 60-70% of your usual distance with your feet together you'll be on the right track. 

[KMeloney]

If you played to a 1.5 previously, then it seems to me that you probably already recognize the various issues you're having (and that none of the feedback you're getting is news to you). Could it be as simple as you being too close to the ball (and that at 80lbs heavier the ball was actually farther from you than it is now)?

 

Right now, at least in your iron swing, you dip slightly toward the ball on your backswing, and then have to back out of the shot to try to make some room for your arms and club to pass through. Especially in the driver vid, you'll see that if you put your pointer on your head, you move your head some 4"+ away from the ball to make room for impact. It seems to me that whereas the best players keep their heads behind the ball at impact, they otherwise go down after the ball/move their heads toward the target line and/or down on the downswing.

 

Personally (but what do I know?), I think you look like you're in a really nice position at the top of your 8-iron backswing -- but for a ball that's at least 2" farther away from you. With the ball where it is, you HAVE to stand up on it.

 

BTW, what was your pro's take on it? What did he try to have you do that didn't work?

Edited July 24, 2023 by KMeloney
(Grammar and more)

[GGMUFrost]

Really appreciate all of the input here folks. I went to the range yesterday and really worked on setup and keeping that right elbow tucked. Was seeing a much better ball flight with a slight fade. I think many were spot on around my balance being way off and needing to stand further away from the ball. Will continue to work and see my new instructor on Monday. 

 

Can't thank y'all enough.