Another EE/Hip Rotation/Shaft Lean Help Thread...

[Streetscape]

TLDR: After a lesson with @MonteScheinblum a few months ago I feel like my hip rotation on the backswing is good, but am now completely lost on transition/downswing.

 

Been taking golf seriously for 3 ish years now. Was having issues, thought about quitting, but decided a lesson with Monte was in order. It was absolutely amazing and I felt like I was making progress. We worked on hip rotation and getting away from reverse pivoting. I feel like I have made progress with the hips, reverse pivot still a work in progress. I have my first child due in ~2 weeks, so no lessons or actual golf for awhile, so I'd like to hopefully utilize the community here so I have something to work on until I can get out more. For some more context:

 

I feel like I got the right hip actually rotating in the backswing. But I also saw me hitting passive push hooks. (Monte don't be mad 😬) So I tried hitting massive slices. Now I was hitting nice fades. Played a few rounds with a fade (and occasional slice). Really felt natural, so I decided to keep at it. Now, something else I have always had an issue with is hitting the ball way too high, and loss of distance. We are talking close to 30 degree launch with 6-9 iron. So then, feeling like the hip turn problem was solved (Spoiler: It wasn't/isn't), I started looking at why I hit the ball so high and I was introduced to dynamic loft, or spin loft, still not sure if there is a difference. Since stupidly pursuing the end result rather than what it takes to get there, I am now chunking a lot of shots, and as you will see below, sliding instead of rotating and stall flipping.

 

To keep this shorter since I like to ramble, I have been recording the last couple range sessions. I am seeing that I am what looks like squatting in the backswing,  still reverse pivoting/overswinging, my trail elbow is getting way to far from lead elbow, sliding my whole body rather than just the hips (is that even what I should be doing?), and my arms are so left behind that I essentially stop turning and wait for my arms to catch up. My contact when the timing miraculously works out is actually pretty good. Would love to hear what might need to happen to get back on the road to improvement. DTL and FO (different swings obviously) below. Quick aside, I would still like to play a fade as a stock shot, something about it just feels right.

IMG_0234.movIMG_0235.mov

Edited August 4, 2023 by Streetscape
Additional Info

[MPStrat]

You are an adult very new to golf, so it would be abnormal for your swing to be without some things to clean up. 
 

Here is where I would start… 
 

Right now the biggest issue is that you stand flat footed and move the clubhead before anything else in the takeaway. There should be a shift into the right leg before the clubhead moves. Doing this will allow you to start creating the dynamics needed to start the golf swing. I encourage you to research pressure movement in high level golf swings. 

[Streetscape]

17 minutes ago, MPStrat said:

You are an adult very new to golf, so it would be abnormal for your swing to be without some things to clean up. 
 

Here is where I would start… 
 

Right now the biggest issue is that you stand flat footed and move the clubhead before anything else in the takeaway. There should be a shift into the right leg before the clubhead moves. Doing this will allow you to start creating the dynamics needed to start the golf swing. I encourage you to research pressure movement in high level golf swings. 

II have played around with it, and to be fair probably not enough, but when I do that shift to the right, it feels like it exaggerates my whole body falling to the left rather than recentering in the downswing. But it will definitely be something I look at more, thanks!

[MPStrat]

13 minutes ago, Streetscape said:

II have played around with it, and to be fair probably not enough, but when I do that shift to the right, it feels like it exaggerates my whole body falling to the left rather than recentering in the downswing. But it will definitely be something I look at more, thanks!

 

Keep this is mind

 

It’s not simply “shift right before the club moves, then you’re Tiger Woods” Though, he does it, and so does most every other great ball striker in the history of the game. 

 

The shift is what you need to correct a bunch of other issues you have going on. Below is a problem and things went off the rails from the very start:

 

 

The more comfortable you can get with a strong takeaway sequence, the better. 

 

 

[MonteScheinblum]

Hip motion much improved.

 

Issues coming from a backswing that is Waaaaaaaaaay too long.  The number of good things going on in the left frame that turn bad in the right frame is nearing double digits.

[Streetscape]

26 minutes ago, MonteScheinblum said:

Hip motion much improved.

 

Issues coming from a backswing that is Waaaaaaaaaay too long.  The number of good things going on in the left frame that turn bad in the right frame is nearing double digits.

Do I need to go back to prioritizing shortening my backswing? Or is there something that’s making me think I’m not fully turning? I have had success thinking/feeling taking arms to only parallel, as well as feeling pushing my lead shoulder around instead of starting with my arms (but that may be getting to into a one piece takeaway move). I have heard you say before that shortening the backswing requires you to just do it. But I’m wondering if there’s anything else I can focus on besides “don’t swing so far”.

[blades_are_life]

1 hour ago, Streetscape said:

Do I need to go back to prioritizing shortening my backswing? Or is there something that’s making me think I’m not fully turning? I have had success thinking/feeling taking arms to only parallel, as well as feeling pushing my lead shoulder around instead of starting with my arms (but that may be getting to into a one piece takeaway move). I have heard you say before that shortening the backswing requires you to just do it. But I’m wondering if there’s anything else I can focus on besides “don’t swing so far”.

My guess is some underlying feeling that it just can't be possible that that is sufficient takeback for a full power iron swing. I would recommend watching Jon Rahm to disabuse yourself of this notion.

[MPStrat]

8 hours ago, Streetscape said:

But I’m wondering if there’s anything else I can focus on besides “don’t swing so far”.

That’s most definitely part of the equation but there is a reason your swing gets where it does at the top. You can’t just shorten a backswing if the dynamics from the very start of the swing are missing. You will hit it short and hit it all over the place. It’s the only way you can generate any speed right now. 

[Zitlow]

9 hours ago, Streetscape said:

Do I need to go back to prioritizing shortening my backswing? Or is there something that’s making me think I’m not fully turning? I have had success thinking/feeling taking arms to only parallel, as well as feeling pushing my lead shoulder around instead of starting with my arms (but that may be getting to into a one piece takeaway move). I have heard you say before that shortening the backswing requires you to just do it. But I’m wondering if there’s anything else I can focus on besides “don’t swing so far”.

 

Do you think about the individual component parts when you throw a ball? An efficient golf swing is a synergistic motion not a series of elaborate uncoordinated swing tips most of which are garbage.  

 

Once you learn how, when and what to move the golf swing is just a simple shift and turn going up and a shift and turn coming down. Momentum does most of the work. 

 

Mike Dunaway who was one of the longest and straightest hitters who ever lived. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[iacas]

7 hours ago, Zitlow said:

Once you learn how

 

Exactly. You seem to skip over this all the time.

[RoyalTroon]

21 hours ago, Streetscape said:

I am seeing that I am what looks like squatting in the backswing, 

 

Good legs don't come easy, but they are critical and yours need work before anything.   I would suggest some upper body turning-rotation-stretching drills with your arms folded across your chest so you can sense how the legs can move while holding you in place through the move so that your work ends up being done between the feet and on top of your knees.     At the moment your lead leg loses WAY too much address height toward the ground and this is what you are seeing and sensing about squatting.