6 handicap looking for swing advise!

[Nille]

Hi everybody!

 

I am a 6 handicap who did not get to play much in the last two years. Everytime I play Golf after a longer break, I hit the ball great. I feel I can hit through the ball and it feels free. When I play more, the problems start happening. I feel really stuck, have to swing inside out, I am not getting on my left side. I then have to hit the ball without any divot (many thinned shots). If I take a divot, I will hit the ball fat. I don't get much compression this way and the drives fly very high also. Usually I then start hitting fades with an out to in swing path to save my score (even higher ball flight, but I get a better weight transfer and a divot/compression).

 

Long story short, I asked my sister to record my swing. I noticed in this video my right knee straightening and a severly laid-off club. What do you think of my swing? Any advise on what to improve?

 

One coach told me to swing on a steeper plane, keep distance to golf ball constant on the backswing, the other to swing left after impact and made me stand further away from the ball. These fixes work great for 2 days, then I start hitting the ball bad again (with the exact same feeling of getting stuck)

 

I notice what I am doing wrong, but I don't know what the root of this evil is. Please help me! :) Thank you!

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiIApVl-3xE

[PipeDreaming]

First off, your swing has nice tempo. From what I can see, your swing looks a laid off only because you bow your left wrist. If your left wrist was a little flatter, it looks like it would be in a better position. A bowed left wrist will cause the club face to be shut, that is okay if you learn how to manipulate your hands like Dustin Johnson. Since you said your hitting your shots thin and fat when you take a divot, it would seem that your not holding your lag angle. It is easier to cast your hand at the start of the down swing with a bowed wrist, which in turn creates fat shots, which leads to hitting it thin because your tired of digging ditches.

I would suggest "The impact zone" book, since you have a pretty decent swing. You may just need to work on your dynamics. It is a great read and you will learn more about your swing than you ever will from a $200 lesson.

Hope this helps and good luck.

[Nille]

Thank you very much PipeDreaming!!

I have read the book last season. I think I will take a look at it again, now. It was indeed very interesting.

I took another look at the video in good quaility and with the V1 software and I did not see a bowed wrist.

But I noticed that my head loses height considerably (also swaying). I think because of this I get too flat. What do you think?
I took some practice swings with my head against the wall (so it does not move) and I feel the arms are in a better position. (higher, more above my head).

Also, I am uploading the original file into my dropbox folder (it will take another 2 hours). The quality is a lot better. Link: [url="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8049001/Schwung%20July%202011.wmv"]Video[/url]

[PipeDreaming]

Yeah looking at the video on V1 your wrist is not bowed as much as I thought, still very flat but fine. Did you see your takeaway is on the inside of your swing plane? That will create a flat swing.

When you address the ball, are you able to see the letters on the back of the ball? You are behind the ball at the top of your swing. Also, it seems that you really don't sway to far back until you over rotate your shoulders. (From face on view in the V1 software) When your shoulders are in line with ball (0:15: 300 460/3238), your body is still in great position. Then you over rotate almost 30 degrees and sway way out over your right foot. (0:15:433 464/3238)


I think moving a little behind the ball and not over rotating your shoulders will help a ton.

Like I said, this is only my $.02

Hope it helps.

[Nille]

[quote] Did you see your takeaway is on the inside of your swing plane? That will create a flat swing.[/quote]

You are right! I did some practice swings with a wider takeaway that is on plane. Feels much better. I will have to try that out on the driving range this weekend. I will try to make a video of it.




[quote]When you address the ball, are you able to see the letters on the back of the ball? You are behind the ball at the top of your swing. Also, it seems that you really don't sway to far back until you over rotate your shoulders. (From face on view in the V1 software) When your shoulders are in line with ball (0:15: 300 460/3238), your body is still in great position. Then you over rotate almost 30 degrees and sway way out over your right foot. (0:15:433 464/3238)[/quote]

I cannot see the back of the ball, I am looking at the top of it. I used to look at the back of the ball but I was just tilting my spine away from the target. I will try, as you recommend, to move the ball up in my stance, but not tilt my spine, so that I stay behind the ball. I also took some practice swings in front of a mirror and you are right that when I overrotate, I dip and sway, can't stop doing this. I noticed that when I swing on this flat plane I cannot rotate reach the top position without dipping, but when I swing with the take-away on plane (and thus with a steeper swing, higher hands), that I do not have to overrotate to get to the top of my swing and I do not dip my head and it does not feel as restricted! I will see how it works out on the driving range and the course.




As I understand it now, my swing feels restricted and not free because I am dipping and swaying, because of my take-away, which is too much on the inside of my swing plane.




Thank you so much PipeDreaming!!

[Nille]

I am just back from another visit to the driving range.

Placing the ball further to my left foot has been great (!!!) for my driver. It has also helped with my irons, but I still tend to hit the ball thin sometimes or with with a shallow divot. In any case I have to go really hard at the ball to make solid contact (I am still in good balance at the end,so it is fine, but during the swing I have to really shift my weight to the left side and clear my hips and hit hard with the arms), I absolutely cannot hit a smooth shot this way (otherwise it is fat with the divot starting before the ball).[b] Why is that?[/b] Also still a high ball flight, but the contact (sometimes) is better. I still would like a lower ball flight with more compression. [b]Any ideas how to achieve this?[/b]

When I get the chance, I will make another video of this swing.

I also tried moving the ball up when pitching, does not work, I will keep it in the middle (less weight transfer there, so that makes sense).




It is quite difficult to correct the take-away/backswing on your own, I think I will take another lesson soon. I at least hope that it was better.