Any advice please?

[MadAdey]

Looking at where to improve my golf over the next couple of months and I have identified 2 key areas. The first is my putting, I have been struggling, but since getting a V-easy it has improved ten-fold. So that is sorting itself out.

The other thing is my driver. I do have a very powerful swing and really put it out there. But sometimes it can go astray and cost me shots. I am looking at ways to improve my consistency. Slowing down the swing speed is not an option as it goes all over the place when I slow down as I loose control of the clubhead.

I have got 2 videos here. 1 is at normal speed and the other has been slowed down to 0.25 of normal speed to make it easier to see club position. All comments will be appreciated, even if I do not like them.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9l90i_ekjA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KdpQ7VN6qs

 

[Phil2511]

Your takeaway is very arms and hands. I could see it in the normal video never mind the slow video.

 

[MadAdey]

Your takeaway is very arms and hands. I could see it in the normal video never mind the slow video.

My swing has developed like this due to several injuries over the years. Got a buggered right knee, a left wrist I smashed to pieces as a kid and a right shoulder that I destroyed last September. But I do know what you are talking about mate.

 

[garyinderry]

you can see clearly in the slowed down video that you start the downswing in the wrong sequence. you unwind from the top with your shoulders. the lower body should start the downswing.

this video will show you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il83EutMrCA

 

[Phil2511]

My swing has developed like this due to several injuries over the years. Got a buggered right knee, a left wrist I smashed to pieces as a kid and a right shoulder that I destroyed last September. But I do know what you are talking about mate.

It's something i am trying to work on myself. Been told it should be shoulders first and doing shoulders second leads to inconsistency and possible power loss. But if you are suffering g from restrictions due to injury then possibly a good coach could help you more with an individualised swing.
At the top and down looked good. I assume you have trouble turning your shoulders first? Due to injury.

 

[Foxholer]

You seem to be standing way too far away from the ball at set-up with loads of tension.

Down-swing looks pretty good (other than reaching for the ball). Back-swing is a bit 'Banzai'-ish!

I think you should do a pre-swing waggle to lose some of the tension and also change your posture slightly. Athletic without being rigid, just resting backside on a bar-stool - knees slightly flexed - is (my version of) the classic description. Moving closer to the ball should also mean the torso/core does more work in the coil rather than just getting dragged around by the arms/club - and also improve your balance which seems to be a bit forward too - your head lifting during the back-swing indicates that.

I think that's enough to go on with!

BTW. A higher loft Driver would most likely help the accuracy issue without losing much, if any, distance. Flight could be managed by lower spin shaft if necessary. Iron and short game must be pretty good anyway. Lack of massive length hasn't hurt Luke Donald - though he's not all that short!

Good Luck.

 

[Foxholer]

View may be distorted by camera angle, and there may be physical considerations from injuries, but...

You seem to be standing a long way away from the ball. Closer could help sync-ing of arms and body and balance too - head lifts quite a bit indicating something amiss.

Knee flex and spine angle don't look right either, but would change with above.

Tried waggling? Seems to be loads of tension that waggling tends to release.

Also.... Higher loft Driver should help accuracy without much, if any, loss of distance. Shaft change could adjust flight slightly if required.

Good Luck

 

[JustOne]

But sometimes it can go astray and cost me shots. I am looking at ways to improve my consistency.

Open your alignment (feet, knees, hips, shoulders) and push it, ala Nicklaus. I can't see you changing that swing in a hurry so take the trees on the left out of play and push-fade everything back into the middle of the fairway. You're too steep in the downswing (in my opinion) to consistently draw the ball so take the 300yrd fade option and rip the life out of it. Basically learn never to draw or hook the ball with your driver and you'll have the entire fairway to play with from the left edge to the right edge.

Lining up square is going to give you a double miss, in my opinion.

My 2cents.

 

[john0]

The 2nd video looks to be about the same speed as one posted by chrisd a couple of days ago

 

[MadAdey]

You seem to be standing way too far away from the ball at set-up with loads of tension.

Down-swing looks pretty good (other than reaching for the ball). Back-swing is a bit 'Banzai'-ish!

I think you should do a pre-swing waggle to lose some of the tension and also change your posture slightly. Athletic without being rigid, just resting backside on a bar-stool - knees slightly flexed - is (my version of) the classic description. Moving closer to the ball should also mean the torso/core does more work in the coil rather than just getting dragged around by the arms/club - and also improve your balance which seems to be a bit forward too - your head lifting during the back-swing indicates that.

I think that's enough to go on with!

BTW. A higher loft Driver would most likely help the accuracy issue without losing much, if any, distance. Flight could be managed by lower spin shaft if necessary. Iron and short game must be pretty good anyway. Lack of massive length hasn't hurt Luke Donald - though he's not all that short!

Good Luck.

Cheers mate,

My iron and short game play is pretty good and do not have problems with that.

Regarding my driver, that does not seem to be the problem. I hit it on a nice high trajectory and with the shaft I am using it all feels good. When I am on it it goes a mile and very straight. These bad shots are more out of inconsistency rather anything else. I can stand on one hole and boom it over 280 down the middle, put it out of bounds on the next hole, then stick it over 280 down the middle of the next one. SO it is more looking at what I can change to improve consistency rather than anything else.

Thanks ofr the advice and I will look at my posture when I am up the range next.

 

[pokerjoke]

Big hitters like yourself mate will generally be inconsistent,purely because you dont hold back
and just hit it as hard as you can.
The only way you can get more consistent is to get a repeatable swing.
If your not wiling to take a little power off i would look at something else to work on.
Good to here your puttings improved,so i expect a handicap reduction this year.
If you want to get back down to the 5hcp you were before,its got to be your short game.
Boring for a big hitter,however its a must.
Look forward to seeing the results in the future meets

 

[MadAdey]

Open your alignment (feet, knees, hips, shoulders) and push it, ala Nicklaus. I can't see you changing that swing in a hurry so take the trees on the left out of play and push-fade everything back into the middle of the fairway. You're too steep in the downswing (in my opinion) to consistently draw the ball so take the 300yrd fade option and rip the life out of it. Basically learn never to draw or hook the ball with your driver and you'll have the entire fairway to play with from the left edge to the right edge.

Lining up square is going to give you a double miss, in my opinion.

My 2cents.

Funny you should mention this James, it was something I was playing about with at the end of the season to see if I could get more fairways. Using the same theory as you are saying.

Cheers mate, I am definitely going to give this a go.

 

[MadAdey]

Big hitters like yourself mate will generally be inconsistent,purely because you dont hold back
and just hit it as hard as you can.
The only way you can get more consistent is to get a repeatable swing.
If your not wiling to take a little power off i would look at something else to work on.
Good to here your puttings improved,so i expect a handicap reduction this year.
If you want to get back down to the 5hcp you were before,its got to be your short game.
Boring for a big hitter,however its a must.
Look forward to seeing the results in the future meets

The putting has improved tenfold thanks to a V-easy. To be honest my short is not too bad and actually saves me shots rather than cost me shots, I'm no Mickleson but I am reasonably good.

Taking power off just does not work as I loose the clubhead in the downswing as it just feels very uncomfortable. I use to be pretty good with the bigstick and even on off days it would only be down the rough. But now it if I hit a bad one with it I often have to have a reload which just costs me.

Hopefully though it will be sorted out this winter then we can team up again against the old farts and give them a pasting...:thup:

 

[Region3]

No idea if its a bad thing or not, but you seem to twist the club with your hands/wrists on the way back almost as soon as you take the club away. It just looks a bit odd to my eyes.

 

[garyinderry]

if you unwind from the bottom up instead of unwinding from the shoulders you will add 20% to your drives. if you already hit it a long way then i suggest you work on that and you will be onto a winner!

 

[Fish]

No idea if its a bad thing or not, but you seem to twist the club with your hands/wrists on the way back almost as soon as you take the club away. It just looks a bit odd to my eyes.

That's the first thing I noticed and glad you saw it too as I didn't want to say it on my own and at my level.

I know your a big hitter Adey as you carried our ditch at KGC on the 1st and that's no mean feat but I can imagine if one of those drives went off-line, it would be a gonna.

On a side, that 2nd video is almost eerie and yet brilliant with the ghostly sounds. Needs a bit of background music to it.

 

[SocketRocket]

Hi Adey.

I think any inconsistencies will be due to the way you change plane so much during your swing. At the takeaway you fan the clubface open to the inside which gets the club on a very flat plane (shaft pointing way past the ball to target line) It stays like this through the backswing. You do manage to get it steeper during the downswing in this video but you come through the ball and into the follow through quite steep. See how high the club and your hands are towards the top of your follow through, idealy the shaft and your arms would be bisecting your left shoulder.

On a day when your timing and coordination is good you will manage to get the club back on plane through impact, otherwise you will struggle for consistant direction.

I know its not easy to change a grooved swing but I would suggest you work on keeping the shaft pointing more along the extended ball to target line through the swing. This will help you get more reliable ball flight.

The attached video explains this a a bit better than I have, I hope this makes sense. (Disregard the bits about draw and fade)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj0C0VbO_4g

 

[Piece]

How about something simple like not using the driver at all?! Obviously you're not struggling with length, so use a 3w instead or maybe a 2i?

 

[stevelev]

That's the first thing I noticed and glad you saw it too as I didn't want to say it on my own and at my level.

I know your a big hitter Adey as you carried our ditch at KGC on the 1st and that's no mean feat but I can imagine if one of those drives went off-line, it would be a gonna.

On a side, that 2nd video is almost eerie and yet brilliant with the ghostly sounds. Needs a bit of background music to it.

If your carrying it over 270, I'd swing at 90% of what you do now, and get used to that, you'll still be carrying more than most can drive, and just take 1 club extra for your next shot.. Better that it be sure its on line.

pssssst: How do you manage to get it out there that well.

 

[richart]

Difficult to comment Adey as your swing is obviously affected by your injuries, especially the one to your left wrist. Can you swing the club more on one plane ?

I remember when I played with you thinking you had a strange takeaway, but your ball striking was great. With all the moving parts you will have bad days when your timing is off though.

I would book some lessons, as you have a great natural eye for a ball.