takeaway club position at hip height

[juliette91]

I am a 6 hcp golfer, LH, and usually just post in the non-women's section. Not sure it makes a difference posting here but here goes:

 

I watched a few videos on the one piece takeaway, especially noting the club position at hip height. When I get my club at or very near that position I hit toward the target a surprisingly high percentage of the time.

 

Most of my misses are left of the target (again, I'm LH), still with a baby draw but

too far left to help matters.

 

What would be the position of the club at takeaway hip height which would lead to

this error? Too far inside or too far outside the line?

 

Thank you!

[juliette91]

By inside or outside I mean this: looking back at the shaft when the takeaway is at
hip height, "inside" means the shaft points left of the line formed by my feet (assuming feet, hips and shoulders are square). Again, I'm LH so for a RH golfer "inside" that line means the shaft points right of that line.

Tks!

[golfbum9]

Straight back facing the ball - as long as the length allows (without reaching). The club head should be outside of the hands. It's the turning torso that brings it around to the top - all parts connected.
Sounds to me like a block/ spinning out the hips and losing the spine angle. You want to stick out that bum and leave it there throughout the stroke. Knees pointed at the golf ball. If your left knee collapses on the downswing (right knee for RH), you loose the spine angle and either spin out/ block and with an open face.

Regarding a hook; it's all in the hands. We do want them to release, but not so active as to cause a flip - this requires good timing and those off days is where it will show most.
Try to quiet the hands by having the torso do the work - the arms, hands and golf club all connected to.
You might snap some at first (showing how active), but the hands will eventually quiet down.

Be sure to maintain that spine angle and knees "at the ball" until the momentum brings you around to a balanced finish - knees touching. Now hold that pose "for the camera" till the ball lands... for every shot.

Hope this helps!

[juliette91]

Thank you golfbum! It's an odd feeling maintaining those hands outside that line on the takeaway. So what you're saying is that regardless if my clubhead is inside or outside or on that takeaway line (when the shaft is parallel to the ground on the takeaway), the real cause of the left of target shot is the premature spinning out of my hips leaving the clubface open at impact. The good swing otherwise still produces a slight draw but it's mostly worthless considering how off target line the shot is heading.

In the past when I tried to maintain that spine angle, consciously, I kept my head too still and flipped my hands through at impact causing huge hooks, so figuring out something else to think about is a good key for me. Turning the torso is key so maybe I can figure out something else to "feel" in order to flow my body through the hitting area and eliminate the perception that I need active hand action to create an efficient swing.

Thank you.

[quote name='golfbum9' timestamp='1304188364' post='3198263']
Straight back facing the ball - as long as the length allows (without reaching). The club head should be outside of the hands. It's the turning torso that brings it around to the top - all parts connected.
Sounds to me like a block/ spinning out the hips and losing the spine angle. You want to stick out that bum and leave it there throughout the stroke. Knees pointed at the golf ball. If your left knee collapses on the downswing (right knee for RH), you loose the spine angle and either spin out/ block and with an open face.

Regarding a hook; it's all in the hands. We do want them to release, but not so active as to cause a flip - this requires good timing and those off days is where it will show most.
Try to quiet the hands by having the torso do the work - the arms, hands and golf club all connected to.
You might snap some at first (showing how active), but the hands will eventually quiet down.

Be sure to maintain that spine angle and knees "at the ball" until the momentum brings you around to a balanced finish - knees touching. Now hold that pose "for the camera" till the ball lands... for every shot.

Hope this helps!
[/quote]

[juliette91]

This idea of knees facing the ball throughout the swing until the strike is interesting and I'll be more aware of it on the range tonight. I can see that the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone so to speak so it's easy to see how maintaining the proper knee direction would assist in maintaining the torso angle.


[quote name='golfbum9' timestamp='1304188364' post='3198263']
Straight back facing the ball - as long as the length allows (without reaching). The club head should be outside of the hands. It's the turning torso that brings it around to the top - all parts connected.
Sounds to me like a block/ spinning out the hips and losing the spine angle. You want to stick out that bum and leave it there throughout the stroke. Knees pointed at the golf ball. If your left knee collapses on the downswing (right knee for RH), you loose the spine angle and either spin out/ block and with an open face.

Regarding a hook; it's all in the hands. We do want them to release, but not so active as to cause a flip - this requires good timing and those off days is where it will show most.
Try to quiet the hands by having the torso do the work - the arms, hands and golf club all connected to.
You might snap some at first (showing how active), but the hands will eventually quiet down.

Be sure to maintain that spine angle and knees "at the ball" until the momentum brings you around to a balanced finish - knees touching. Now hold that pose "for the camera" till the ball lands... for every shot.

Hope this helps!
[/quote]

[golfbum9]

No worries
Above you said "I tried to maintain that spine angle, consciously, I kept my head too still and flipped my hands through at impact causing huge hooks" indicates an armsy swing depending on the hands to square the clubhead. This requires too much timing and works ok for "on" days, not so much for those "off" days. Plus it robs you of distance.
I like to think of the head as "floating there" separate from the body. As the old adage of "keep that head still" causes tension. The head will move, but we want to keep it to a minimum without forcing it.

Here are a few drills for connecting and turning the torso "within the barrel";
In the house (without a club) - take an athletic address to an imaginary ball, bum out. Point the chin just enough to where you can't see your toes. This prevents the chin obsructing the shoulder turn.
Now put the right hand on the right shoulder and left on left - elbows in front. Simply turn back/ away over the braced flexed knee (note- am not saying braced hip), then turn thru. Keep that spine angle with the elbows in front of the body throughout the swing... no "flying" elbows and finish balanced - back foot on its toes, knees touching.
At the range - hit a minimum of 20 shots with the feet together while keeping your balance. This too will connect the torso. After that, put a headcover under your left armpit (right for RH golfers) and hit another min of 20 balls. Remember to try and keep those knees "on the ball". A collapsed knee on the downswing causes a multitude of issues.

With the torso leading the way (arms, hands and club along for the ride all connected) - imagine the clubhead on wheels and "roll" it away from the ball, straight back without reaching. This will have the clubhead outside of the hands and will set the proper path and swing plane.

Keep in mind, it's a "golf swing" not a "golf hit". I like to think of tempo as pulling back and pushing through on a playground swing set. Fastest portion of the swing is past the bottom of the arch. A drill for this is flipping the club over in your hands, grip pointed at the imaginary ball. Making swings and listening for the "whoosh" sound. We want that "whoosh" 6in in front of the ball. The only way to do this is to allow a drop from the top.


My apologies for the long post and hope it helps. As always, a teaching professional who can see your swing in person while working with you along the way is always best.