# The Terrible Swing of a 23 Handicapper..



## Orikoru (Oct 27, 2017)

Last night at the range my mate videoed my swing, it's the first time I've ever seen it back I think. It's kind of better and worse than I expected, in different ways. 

I don't have lessons so I thought I'd post the vids here to see if any of you had some feedback. Be as brutal as you like! Haha. It's a 7 iron I'm hitting here. Without having had lessons (since I was 15 anyway) my swing is basically just a collection of things I've tried that have stuck.

Also, it's not the same shot on both videos since I only had one guy filming so we had to do the two angles separately obviously.

https://youtu.be/vnD8Ku-S3TQ
(ignore the second shot on the video, I kinda rushed it after he said he was still filming haha)

https://youtu.be/4VTMjAYHpwY
(yes my grip is really that strong)

Ok do your worst! (Nice comments also welcome but I'm sure there won't be any...)


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## patricks148 (Oct 27, 2017)

whats with the hip thrust??  last time i saw something like that it was humping someone leg and had a tail:rofl:

in all seriousness you look quite hunched over.

I'm sure Bob will be along shortly and give you professional advice.


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## OnTour (Oct 27, 2017)

Fair play putting it up &#128077; 

Nailed the first shot, ball position for me slightly forward and your weight goes into your right leg so your leaning back slightly. 

As for grip Pete Cowan says if the fundamentals are good strong grip no problem. &#128077;


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## Lord Tyrion (Oct 27, 2017)

Nowt wrong with that mate. I'm off 22 though so what do I know, ha ha. Being serious, I'm sure some of the more educated will come on here but there didn't seem anything disastrous on there. Seemed pretty smooth, not jerky, no up and down. 

I'll now leave it to the coaching types to pick over the details.


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## Tashyboy (Oct 27, 2017)

Nice beard for a 23 handicapper &#128077;&#128513;


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## jusme (Oct 27, 2017)

Firstly its brave for any high handicapper to put there swing up here for comments! I expected it to be a lot worse - as a whole its actually not bad to my eye. From behind it looks pretty decent. Your not over swinging. For your level you get to a nice position on your back swing and appear to be coming back down on plane - honestly its not so bad. Looking from front I see a bit of swaying that I would probably look at. 

What I did notice immediately is your stance. Your hunched over and it looks sloppy. Leave the rest to better coaches. All in all I have seen a lot worse including my own.


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## dufferman (Oct 27, 2017)

Nothing to be embarrassed about mate! Looks solid enough, the ball went in the right direction, all is good!!


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## Qwerty (Oct 27, 2017)

Looks like the club is in some good positions on the backswing but I'd imagine your posture is going to sap power/speed in the downswing.


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## Maninblack4612 (Oct 27, 2017)

Compare your address position with someone like Luke Donald, Justin Rose or any tallish player. Your spine curves too much. Straighten up & stick your arse out. Legs need to be just flexed, not bent. Anyone can look like a pro at address. 

If I hadn't known your handicap I would have guessed about 12.

P. S. You look nothing like your avatar, have you been ill?


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## Orikoru (Oct 27, 2017)

Thanks guys, better comments than I was expecting!




patricks148 said:



			whats with the hip thrust??  last time i saw something like that it was humping someone leg and had a tail:rofl:

in all seriousness you look quite hunched over.
		
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If by hip thrust you mean before the backswing, that's just me bending my knees a bit - I didn't realise it looks like that to the observer though! I only started doing that in the last couple of months because I barely used to bend my knees at all and got no rotation, so doing that is just like a pre-shot routine thing to make sure I get a bit of bend in them.



jusme said:



			What I did notice immediately is your stance. Your hunched over and it looks sloppy. Leave the rest to better coaches. All in all I have seen a lot worse including my own.
		
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Qwerty said:



			Looks like the club is in some good positions on the backswing but I'd imagine your posture is going to sap power/speed in the downswing.
		
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Maninblack4612 said:



			Compare your address position with someone like Luke Donald, Justin Rose or any tallish player. Your spine curves too much. Straighten up & stick your arse out. Legs need to be just flexed, not bent. Anyone can look like a pro at address.
		
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Yeah I think posture is a problem I have in all walks of life, not just golf! I've spent my life working desk jobs and sitting on trains quite hunched over I think. My missus and my dad are always telling me to stand up straight when I'm walking and stuff. I never realise how bad it is until I see a video or picture of myself (noticed it when watching a video of one of my football matches as well). Something I have to work on generally I guess, somehow.



			
				ManinblackP. S. You look nothing like your avatar said:
			
		


			Haha, the avatar is Steven Toast from the comedy show Toast of London, if you didn't know. Hilarious programme, give it a watch! If you like Father Ted and IT Crowd you'll like it, it has one of the same writers.
		
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## PCWOX (Oct 27, 2017)

The avatar is of actor Matt Berry aka Steven Toast of London - unless I am preparing for a massive whoosh?


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## bobmac (Oct 27, 2017)

I can only echo what's already been said.....
The posture needs some work, then you need to keep posture all the way through to impact
The grip is too strong which means you have to hold off the release losing power, possibly causing the shanks and reducing your rotation.

But overall, not a bad swing and a great transition that many would kill for.

Good effort


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## Orikoru (Oct 27, 2017)

Thanks Bob! I was even surprised myself when I saw how much of a hunchback I am when I watched the video, ha. That's what I'll be trying to focus on next time I'm at the range.


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## garyinderry (Oct 27, 2017)

Fair play mate.   posture is the thing that stands out like a sore thumb and probably one of the easier things to work on. 

Plenty of good videos on YouTube to help you with that.   

Side view looks the most pleasing on the eye. 


No expert by any means but I'm not sure if you are turning your hips on the backswing at all. 


What I really do like is you have a slightly steep then slight shallowing on the club on the down swing.  That looks really good. I'd bite your hand off for that movement myself. Looks like a good path into the ball.

As Patrick points out ball a bit to far forward. 

Grip is a tough one to change. Ive fought a real strong grip for as long as I can remember. I took one lesson and was told to strengthen it. I took it to heart.  Its certainly possible to play half decent golf with a strong grip.


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## 7255carl (Oct 27, 2017)

Every credit for putting this out there, as a lot of people have already said the posture is a little hunched which forces your weight back onto your heels, this leads to you spinning out of the shot rather than turning through it which will slightly de-loft the club and add power whilst providing a more stable penetrating ball flight, also something I noticed also caused by your posture is at the top of your backswing you have to lift a little to get your head out of the way of your shoulder turn, this will be a very difficult position to recover on the way down and will lead to an inconsistent strike, I hope you find this useful as its just what I see.


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## Kellfire (Oct 27, 2017)

I'm not sure how you're able to swing the club around your body with a grip that strong!


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## Orikoru (Oct 27, 2017)

On ball position, yeah I've just noticed that on the second angle video now you say it. I normally have it dead centre for the 7 iron, I just made a slight error there. That's more the position I use for the 6 or 5 iron usually. You're probably correct as well Gary, I don't get very much turn in the hips. It was even less before I started doing the knee bend thing. 

On the grip, it's not something I'm really looking to change. I know it is very strong, it has been as long as I can remember. If I try anything slightly less strong it feels absolutely weird like the club is going to fly out of my hands or something, haha. I feel like if I change the grip I'm basically ripping the whole thing up and starting again so I'm happier to leave it at the moment.


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## Orikoru (Oct 27, 2017)

7255carl said:



			Every credit for putting this out there, as a lot of people have already said the posture is a little hunched which forces your weight back onto your heels, this leads to you spinning out of the shot rather than turning through it which will slightly de-loft the club and add power whilst providing a more stable penetrating ball flight, also something I noticed also caused by your posture is at the top of your backswing you have to lift a little to get your head out of the way of your shoulder turn, this will be a very difficult position to recover on the way down and will lead to an inconsistent strike, I hope you find this useful as its just what I see.
		
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Thanks mate. That last thing is possibly why I tend to hit my mid and longer iron a bit on the thin side instead of getting a good downward strike.


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## dewsweeper (Oct 27, 2017)

I am a 23 handicap and have a beard ( grey,,).
There the similarities end, I am a bit older,78 to be exact but for what it is worth I think you have the basis of a reasonable swing
As a self taught golfer for the first years in golf I would really try and get some good coaching now because bad habits are hard to get rid of later.
Once I was able to join a club and use the pro I was able to understand what I had to do which was far different to what I felt I was already doing.
Played off 9 for 20 years or so ,til age took its toll.
Good luck with your game


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## the_coach (Oct 27, 2017)

biggest bang for buck improvement - take the plunge & get some lessons

swing & set-up/ball position a subconscious reaction to both the lead & trail hand grip hold - both too much in the upper palm not enough lower near the fingers along with trail hand too under  - trail hand being put on the handle from underneath instead of coming into the handle from the rear side - think how you would pick a suitcase up that's more the shape & position of hand on the golf club too - try to pick up a full suitcase with your trail hand in the position it is on the golf club & you'd probably strain your wrist trying & being unable to lift it

swing motion itself is then largely what happens as the brain instinctively works out how to get the ball up in the air somewheres in the direction of target when the face has been de-lofted  - so the tad lift up goin back & tad lean back on the downswing - bigger lean back into the ball on that second shot giving that squirt rightfield

get the lessons -  better set-up/posture etc & grip hold will yield some marked improvements


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## shortgame (Oct 27, 2017)

Pretty good swing mate to be fair, especially for a 23 handicap &#128077;&#128077;

As already pointed out, posture and grip are the obvious things

Posture needs to be more 'angular', less humped.  Screenshot it and compare to a pro of your choice, Justin Rose is always a good example

Better posture should help better turn hence better power

Not a bad start though and as mentioned above beautiful transistion many lower handicap players (including me!) would love &#128077;&#128077;


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## HomerJSimpson (Oct 27, 2017)

Decent enough for 23 and definitely the raw materials to get that much lower. Get the grip and posture sorted to start with and work hard in the winter. Good luck with it


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## clubchamp98 (Oct 27, 2017)

Orikoru said:



			Thanks guys, better comments than I was expecting!




If by hip thrust you mean before the backswing, that's just me bending my knees a bit - I didn't realise it looks like that to the observer though! I only started doing that in the last couple of months because I barely used to bend my knees at all and got no rotation, so doing that is just like a pre-shot routine thing to make sure I get a bit of bend in them.





Yeah I think posture is a problem I have in all walks of life, not just golf! I've spent my life working desk jobs and sitting on trains quite hunched over I think. My missus and my dad are always telling me to stand up straight when I'm walking and stuff. I never realise how bad it is until I see a video or picture of myself (noticed it when watching a video of one of my football matches as well). Something I have to work on generally I guess, somehow.


Haha, the avatar is Steven Toast from the comedy show Toast of London, if you didn't know. Hilarious programme, give it a watch! If you like Father Ted and IT Crowd you'll like it, it has one of the same writers.
		
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Swing not bad at all , sort out your posture angles and expect a cut.

Try this my Phisio told me to

Stand against wall Arse ,Shoulders and head on wall , hands by your sides keep arms straight move them up wall to thumbs touching , you must keep hands on the wall at all times while raising them above your head.
Its very difficult to do if done properly.
You should hear crunching in shoulders well mine do anyway.


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## Kellfire (Oct 30, 2017)

I get why you don't want to change the grip but I think you'll find you improve if you make the change now at the start of winter and stick with it - you're limiting yourself massively with that strong a grip.


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## Orikoru (Oct 30, 2017)

Kellfire said:



			I get why you don't want to change the grip but I think you'll find you improve if you make the change now at the start of winter and stick with it - you're limiting yourself massively with that strong a grip.
		
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Limiting how? Genuine question. I have skinny upper arms (no strength/power) so when I've tried weakening the grip it feels like I have no control of the club.


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## jusme (Oct 30, 2017)

Some excellent players including pros who play with a strong grip. if it works for you then play away - I don't see it as a flaw


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## Mike Oakville (Oct 31, 2017)

I think we are all a bit surprised when we see our golf swing when it is played back! In my minds eye I imagined my swing and my stance resembled 'Seve' What a shock!!! Well done on putting your video on display, and it is nice to join a community where so much expert help and advice is given.


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## Orikoru (Oct 31, 2017)

Mike Oakville said:



			I think we are all a bit surprised when we see our golf swing when it is played back! In my minds eye I imagined my swing and my stance resembled 'Seve' What a shock!!! Well done on putting your video on display, and it is nice to join a community where so much expert help and advice is given.
		
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It's been a bit of both ends of the spectrum for me actually. I never realised I was so hunched over, so that was eye-opening when I viewed it back. But I expected the rest of my swing to be something of a mess, whereas the comments here have surprised me in their positivity in that respect.


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## pendodave (Nov 9, 2017)

Was watching a crossfield vid last night, and I thought of this thread...

https://youtu.be/Ck2sVXuqrYs

Ignore the guitar nonsense...

Basically, amongst the rubbish, he talks very sensibly about what the implications of a strong grip are, why golfers don't like to change, and how getting better sometimes requires doing things that don't come easy...


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## Rlburnside (Nov 9, 2017)

Think your being a bit harsh on yourself it's not that bad for your H/C posture is a problem but your follow through is good so with a bit of coaching I'm sure you will improve quickly.


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