Can anyone help with my swing please - slow motion video included!

[aaronjunited]

Just wondering if anyone can spot any faults in my swing and if so be brutally honest with me.

Slow motion videos below.

Thanks,
Aaron.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLKQ5ff3_7g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlELHdE6D5o

 

[JustOne]

Doesn't work if your videos are set to 'private'.

 

[aaronjunited]

oops ok changed now, thanks for letting me know

 

[DeskBoundLondoner]

Hi Aaron,

Before commenting on your swing, can I ask a simple question: How have you been hitting it lately?

 

[aaronjunited]

Yea no problem, I hit some nice shots at times, have the tendency to slice though.

 

[DeskBoundLondoner]

Ok. First thoughts are that in my humble opinion you're doing a lot of things really well, i.e. stance, posture, fundamentals look pretty good to me which is great. I've had some issues with slicing the ball before and I found that it had more to do with my first move down from the top of the backswing than anything else (like swing plane for example). I sense you might just be 'reaching' for the ball a bit with your hands on your way down which can make the club go a bit out to in on the way down, leading to a slice.

I had lessons from this academy when I was back in Aus and this particular drill did wonders for helping cure the slice problem for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIrcBHM4NQQ

What I like about it is that it teaches you to have a nice athletic move through the ball, almost automatically taking care of the swing plane along the way. I also found myself hitting it a bit further because I was driving more force through my legs. Helps with timing as well.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

 

[aaronjunited]

Ok. First thoughts are that in my humble opinion you're doing a lot of things really well, i.e. stance, posture, fundamentals look pretty good to me which is great. I've had some issues with slicing the ball before and I found that it had more to do with my first move down from the top of the backswing than anything else (like swing plane for example). I sense you might just be 'reaching' for the ball a bit with your hands on your way down which can make the club go a bit out to in on the way down, leading to a slice.

I had lessons from this academy when I was back in Aus and this particular drill did wonders for helping cure the slice problem for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIrcBHM4NQQ

What I like about it is that it teaches you to have a nice athletic move through the ball, almost automatically taking care of the swing plane along the way. I also found myself hitting it a bit further because I was driving more force through my legs. Helps with timing as well.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Thanks for that, I'm glad you can see the hard work i've done with the swing, it looks like its starting to show through at last.

Yea I sometimes lose focus of the target and focus attention on hitting the ball which causes that downward attack on the ball instead of down wide and through the ball.

Thanks for the video, will have a look at this now and let you know what I think.

Cheers

Aaron.

 

[the_coach]

swings always going to be a little ways different when making a swing through the ball, part of the feel for real. plus ball position at set up very important to seeing those alignments. if you get chance to post up same angles from the range sometime, but with a face on angle too would help some.

as a general comment here you need to check your target alignment some, shoulders a good ways open, maybe foot line closed looking that ways but that's without the ball in place - note from dtl back view how much of the left forearm you can see here plus

the arms hanging a little inwards to the body here, then from dtl front view how much of the right forearm is showing.
(ideally looking to have the arms hang vertically with the top of both arms lightly in connection with the chest walls.)

with the current address position all that"s key to your swingplane going back so top of swing position. here it's a little ways across the line, toe of clubhead hanging vertical so it's in an open position at top with that overswing. (very difficult even if transition starts in sequence to then square the face up through impact from here)

ideally transition is led from the lead foot, lead lower side which then moves the hips, torso, chest, shoulders, arms, hand, club to impact, sort of a relay each part moving the next, that ways you get the clubhead moving on a better plane & angle of attack into the ball.
your transition here starting from the top & then you coming down first move shoulders moving out before they move down. places club to come down outside the line -out to-in - & a little ways too steep.
this means you're swinging left through the ball at impact, club face open so the slice you get, get the face square to that swingpath you'll hit pulls.
steepness could well put the low point of the swing arc before you get to the ball, so could hit fats occasionally, with a ball there to swing through is you sense you going to ground first the easy to stand & pull up the arms so you could get misscontacts that are a bit toppy. all part of the same issue.

useful to see a front on view to see grip, plus ball position is key as is seeing the swing motion through a ball.

seems something a little ways funky going on with the grip it appears both from the address position at the dtl back view top of swing position.
looks like the right hand may have the handle in the palm not the fingers.
ideally you'd want to have both hands in the condition where they are more on top of the club, short left thumb on top right side of handle around 2&1/2 knuckles showing at address with the left hand (with the shoulders squared up so parallel left of the ball/target line) then you'd more bring the right hand in from the side, not under the handle.

if the left in the good position, then bringing the right in from the side means you can then have both palms parallel to one another, in a good neutral grip with the handle more in the fingers both hands (that ways the left hand can set upwards a deal better) hands feel more on top of the handle, the creases between thumbs & forefingers then at address would point just past your right ear at the middle of your shoulder at address, you can check in mirror or reflection in glass.

have a look at the grip, get those body alignments better, feel you start transition from the ground up (leftside) have the intent to swing through the inside back quarter of the ball through impact, will feel to you as if you're swinging out to right field a ways.
always after changing something make good tempo swings at around 70% of your normal swing, try to swing at normal speed you'll just go back to your current default swing.

 

[aaronjunited]

Thank you for the detailed advice

I will pick this out and work over it. Some of your wording has confused me a little bit in regards to grip.

Though first of all regarding my open shoulders, I have my head behind the ball a bit and shoulders tilted towards my right side.
This will naturally give me that position you are talking off when you want to feel like going into the inside of the ball as if I'm going out right. And it will give me a drawed shot with feet facing ball (thats why it looks like they are closed a little.

My grip is a strong grip, with my right hand more over the top of left thumb but right thumb and index still on the club.

I will definitely get some video's from the range up at some point.
Thanks for the tip on 70% swing speed for practicing new changes.

 

[the_coach]

[video=youtube_share;wMLpg38gEJE]http://youtu.be/wMLpg38gEJE[/video]

 

[the_coach]

[video=youtube_share;wY4Kw2miJRs]http://youtu.be/wY4Kw2miJRs[/video]

 

[the_coach]

you don't really want the open shoulders you have at alignment will give you the tendency you have to swing over the top & out first from the top of your swing position.
feet, knees, hips, shoulders want to be parallel left of your ball target line.

open shoulders with an out to in swing will always give you a steeper swing path down which can give you issues with solid ball contact first, ground second.
but it will also always have you & the clubhead swinging a good ways to the left through impact couple that with an open face you'll hit left to right shots & depending on how open the face to how big the curvature.

also at address you want a posture that allows a more vertical arm hang with both arms, leaving around a fist & thumb width between body/thighs & the hands & handle. you also want both those arms to hands in a condition where they look they are hanging down more together whether viewed from behind or in front.

pause both your vids at the get-go at address & you'll notice just how much of the left forearm is visible under the right arm & so nearer to your body, (opposite obviously true from the front dtl view when you see the right over the left) have the arms in this position & the shoulders will always be a ways open at address.

you'll need to get your address alignments back to square in posture at address which will help you with the swing path, enable you to swing back with the arms & body turn being more connected which will help you have a shorter top position which doesn't cross the line with the club.

from there if you start down from the ground up, you'll have a better swing path coming from the inside & better angle of attack to impact.

 

[the_coach]

have a look through this vid, & in particular freeze it at 1'55" & look at & how the arms hang in relation to your address position from the dtl back view.

[video=youtube_share;Tl5y6fsiFz4]http://youtu.be/Tl5y6fsiFz4[/video]

 

[aaronjunited]

Thank you very much for your replies, very helpful and nicely spotted, I can see the problems you are referring to now.

I must add, I have never had my clubs fitted for my height, I think they are regular length clubs. I'm 6ft 5 so I feel this is causing my posture to really bent over at the top.

I've noticed also that my right knee straightens out at the top of backswing, i think this is why i overswing too.

 

[aaronjunited]

Ok. First thoughts are that in my humble opinion you're doing a lot of things really well, i.e. stance, posture, fundamentals look pretty good to me which is great. I've had some issues with slicing the ball before and I found that it had more to do with my first move down from the top of the backswing than anything else (like swing plane for example). I sense you might just be 'reaching' for the ball a bit with your hands on your way down which can make the club go a bit out to in on the way down, leading to a slice.

I had lessons from this academy when I was back in Aus and this particular drill did wonders for helping cure the slice problem for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIrcBHM4NQQ

What I like about it is that it teaches you to have a nice athletic move through the ball, almost automatically taking care of the swing plane along the way. I also found myself hitting it a bit further because I was driving more force through my legs. Helps with timing as well.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Been giving that little drill a go, and you can really feel the importance of the hips throughout the swing, stepping out once the backswing is completed gives you that feel of swinging out towards the target which I like. Must work this into my practice routine, thank you once again for this drill.

 

[DeskBoundLondoner]

Been giving that little drill a go, and you can really feel the importance of the hips throughout the swing, stepping out once the backswing is completed gives you that feel of swinging out towards the target which I like. Must work this into my practice routine, thank you once again for this drill.

My pleasure. I'm glad you found it useful. It was actually a good reminder for myself! Heading out for a round with the old man next week, I'll be doing the drill in warm up just to get the correct swing sequence going. Let's hope it translates into some better ball-striking on the course where it matters!

 

[aaronjunited]

Let me know how you get on if you can

 

[DeskBoundLondoner]

Cheers mate will do. Playing this track tomorrow: http://www.abbeyhillgc.co.uk/maincourse . I shall report back.

 

[aaronjunited]

Looking good, good luck on the PAR 3 look forward to your report

 

[DeskBoundLondoner]

UPDATE: Shot 84 with a horror quadruple bogey on the par 5 4th (hit out of bounds and then messed up around the green). Didn't get a chance to warm up before the round so didn't do the drill beforehand. After the firs 6-7 holes or so, started to settle down, did the drill and ball-striking was definitely a lot better over the last 9-10 holes (couple of birdies).

To be honest, I think it was more lack of sharpness (only my 4th round this year) than anything else that led to the bad score. I'll look to get at least a couple more practice sessions and rounds in before the weather gets truly *****