# keeping shoulders square



## scratchy (Jun 4, 2010)

Hello experts

I am having trouble with a huge slice with the driver off of the tee. 
It feels as though i am trying to put to much body in to the swing starting just before impact. 
My natural practice swing is in to in and hands release nicely and i can notice my shoulders square at impact but when im hitting at a ball my shoulders are clearly open which is pulling me across the ball bringing the club nearer my body/left leg and causing my slice.
With my irons it appears as a slight fade and is fine for me to play with, but i need to square them up at impact.

So can anyone please give me a few pointers or a drill to help me keep the shoulders square as i find it hard to consciously do it.

thanks


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## RGDave (Jun 4, 2010)

My natural practice swing is in to in and hands release nicely and i can notice my shoulders square at impact but when im hitting at a ball my shoulders are clearly open which is pulling me across the ball bringing the club nearer my body/left leg and causing my slice.
		
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Can you name a golfer who's shoulders are square at impact?
You could have everything open to the target and still draw the ball......?
How come you know all this?


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## scratchy (Jun 4, 2010)

Hi Dave

No i couldnt name you a golfer that did anything really.

Are you saying i am wrong to ask such information?

I shouldnt know that my shoulders are pointing to the left ?


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## RGDave (Jun 4, 2010)

Hi Dave

No i couldnt name you a golfer that did anything really.

Are you saying i am wrong to ask such information?

I shouldnt know that my shoulders are pointing to the left ?



Click to expand...

No, you ask away....that's the forum.

In my opinion, unless you are videoing yourself, I think it's best not to guess at what you may/may not be doing.
I've spent the last 3 days out with camcorder and t.b.h. what you feel and what you're doing can be way different.
I'm sorry for being a little prickly. Too much beer after a great matchplay victory today.


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## scratchy (Jun 4, 2010)

No problem, congrats on the victory  .

I have had an assessment and was noted that my shoulders are too open at impact but more lessons do discover the fix    .

It happens with my irons when i try and hit it hard using my body more, left leg locks straight, shoulders open and pull across the ball with a good 35 degree left divot


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## JustOne (Jun 5, 2010)

...and hands release nicely
		
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Firstly, What does that mean?

Secondly, You can determine what a 'nice release of the hands is' but don't know what 'chucking the club from the top' is? Doesn't that strike you as being a bit odd?


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## bobmac (Jun 5, 2010)

So Scratchy, to sum up.........
Your divots are well left and the ball is slicing and you want help to stop doing this?
Firstly, you are not alone  LOTS of golfers do exactly the same as you 

Firstly, you need to change your swing path into the ball. If you don't, you will slice for evermore.

I use a popular drill to help with this problem and it is called the 3 ball drill...except I sometimes use headcovers or a big sponge cut in half. (it's safer)

Place 2 headcovers on the grass or mat as shown in the pic about 8-10in from the ball.
If you swing out to in, you will hit the head covers.
Start off smoothly with half swings and build up to a smooth full swing.
HTH


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## scratchy (Jun 5, 2010)

...and hands release nicely
		
Click to expand...

Firstly, What does that mean?

Secondly, You can determine what a 'nice release of the hands is' but don't know what 'chucking the club from the top' is? Doesn't that strike you as being a bit odd?
		
Click to expand...

Ok i will try to explain again.
During a practice swing everything looks good, hands release the club quite low in my swing and i do an in to out to in swing.

Now when i am done with my practice swing and am hitting at a ball i am trying to hit too hard and end up coming across the ball throwing my practice swing out of the window.

Rather than try and make me look inferior why dont you try to help? Im not saying i am doing the perfect swing, and i am some sort of pro am, im just trying to fix my slice FFS.

CHUCKING THE CLUB FROM THE TOP.
I dont know what this is can you explain?
Would it mean my right hand is to involved in the downswing and i should pull down with my left arm?

BOBMAC  Thank you for this information i will try it at the range today.


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## bobmac (Jun 5, 2010)

Any time and btw, welcome to the forum


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## Region3 (Jun 5, 2010)

I know it's easier said than done, but why not make your real swing the same as your practice swing?

You shouldn't be thinking "hit the ball", you're just swinging your club towards the target and the ball happens to get in the way 

We all know swinging hard at the ball is a mistake but most of us still do it.
Silly creatures that we are


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## scratchy (Jun 5, 2010)

I dont hit the ball very far so try and give it some to compensate.

my 5 iron about 175 max and 4 iron about 185 max.

i will work on bobmacs drill at the range, half and three quarter swing and stick with it. Im sure i can work on the power at a later date.

cheers


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## viscount17 (Jun 5, 2010)

who told you that's not very far?
nothing wrong with those distances and probably at least equal to, if not above, average for an amateur.


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## Region3 (Jun 5, 2010)

As viscount said, that's plenty far enough. The important thing is you do it consistently.

Would you rather swing hard with a 5 iron and sometimes it goes 190, sometimes 180, and sometimes it's a miss-hit, or swing nice and easy and it goes 170 every time?

Anyone who leaves their ego out of it will say the latter.


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## JustOne (Jun 5, 2010)

Rather than try and make me look inferior why dont you try to help? Im not saying i am doing the perfect swing, and i am some sort of pro am, im just trying to fix my slice FFS.

CHUCKING THE CLUB FROM THE TOP.
I dont know what this is can you explain?
Would it mean my right hand is to involved in the downswing and i should pull down with my left arm?
		
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Chucking the club from the top basicaly means that your shoulders are unwinding too soon and taking the club to an outside path. That will mean you then impart too much sidespin on the ball at impact - slice. 

To reduce the slice spin (but still play a fade) you need to reduce the amount you cut across the ball, a straighter swingpath.


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## scratchy (Jun 5, 2010)

Well the driving range was very successful. 
I now occasionally pull my shot left or hit it straight with solid connection to ball. It went that well that i tried the 3 iron and was getting that 200 yards and with very good trajectory.
My driver was good too, it is now more of a fade than a right angled slice although swinging it did feel slightly alien to me.
Less body movement less tense and just let it flow with the arms, unlike my irons where i give them much more body action.

So thank you for the advice and i apologise for upsetting people with my first post, i did not by any means mean to come across as though i know it all.

My thing with distance is that my playing partners will hit a 6 iron 180 yards, they cant hit their 4 or 5 irons anyway. On the golf course i am not egotistic at all, its my time to relax and get away from the kids mrs etc.

The other day one of them out drove me by 30 yards and made sure i knew about it, i took out my 4 iron and landed on the fringe 5 feet from the pin, he took out his pw and hooked it left into the trees, he then dropped another and it followed the first into the trees  

cheers


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## viscount17 (Jun 6, 2010)

scratchy, biggest mistake in anything is playing your opponents game. easy enough said of course as we all do it to some degree or another, and it takes a surprisingly long time to sink in.
who can hit furthest should be left on the range or for one hole in a society outing when you have a longest drive prize. all the rest are only about who can get round in the fewest, not the best - the score card doesn't care about that.


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