Dropping the club on the downswing

[swasterix]

Good morning experts!

A recent bout of embarrassingly inconsistent iron play had me in for a lesson with my pro last week. When I wasn't hooking and blocking the ball into the deep deep fluffy stuff, I was s****ing the ball left, right and centre.

after looking at my swing, the pro has told me that my back swing is fine, but in the transition between the backswing and downswing, I am dropping the club behind me, meaning I am presenting the hosel to the ball. By the end of the lesson, he had me hitting it out of the screws! Straight as an arrow, or a slight fade.

Out for for a knock yesterday, and the problems returned, with a vengeance! Worst round for some time. I know what I am doing, but I just can't seem to stop myself!

anybody have any advice/drills that may help?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bobmac]

Did your pro check your alignment, especially your shoulders?
They may be pointing a little right at address

 

[swasterix]

Hi Bob, thanks for the reply.

Yes alignment was fine, feet, shoulders and club face all pointing at the target at address.

The club is on plain throughout the backswing, but as the hips start to turn on the down swing my arms drop meaning the club is coming through very much on the inside. Think the hook is coming from me managing to flip the club before impact, the shank when I don't...

i know I am doing it, I just can't seem to stop myself! So frustrating!

 

[bobmac]

Hi Bob, thanks for the reply.

Yes alignment was fine, feet, shoulders and club face all pointing at the target at address.

If they are all pointing at the target then all is not fine, they should be pointing left of your target and parallel to the ball to target line.
One fix for your dropping at the top is to introduce a tiny pause at the top of the backswing. That should help

 

[swasterix]

If they are all pointing at the target then all is not fine, they should be pointing left of your target and parallel to the ball to target

Sorry, semantics. Feet and shoulders pointing parallel left of the target, club at the target.

Thanks for the tip, will give it a try.

 

[the_coach]

what keys did the Pro give you to change the pattern in the session that fixed it for a while?

you ever spent a bunch of time training to start the transition with the hips, lower body moving from the top first off?

 

[swasterix]

Hi Coach

He told me to feel as if I was lifting my hands in front of me as I was taking my back swing, and then to feel as if I was swinging over the top on the downswing.

We've spent time in earlier lessons focussing on hip rotation in the downswing, looking at the video he took in the lesson my hips seemed to be clearing ok.

 

[the_coach]

Hi Coach

He told me to feel as if I was lifting my hands in front of me as I was taking my back swing, and then to feel as if I was swinging over the top on the downswing.

We've spent time in earlier lessons focussing on hip rotation in the downswing, looking at the video he took in the lesson my hips seemed to be clearing ok.

ok, if you can would continue with that advice what he's looking to do is keep the arms/hands/club little ways in front of the chest going back then feeling again there are in front of the chest on the ways down, all good

check point for this halfways back would be stop when the lead arm is horizontal to the ground
keep everything in posture & just angle the head to see where the hands/handle are
- good place would be directly opposite center chest, sternum & the lead arm more parallel to the toe line
- not so good if the club going back behind a ways would be hands opposite the right armpit, so nearer to over the heel line & the lead arm going very much back across the chest at this horizontal to ground lead arm position.

if hips are clearing, good

- reason for the question was if there's a pretty violent hip lateral shift first off at transition this makes the spine lean back some trailside & shoulder & arms work too much down behind - feeling would be of getting stuck pretty often - arms club get too far behind the lower body so end up coming from too far inside causes a flip roll release, can cause hosel to ball.

the face angle is effectively having to rotate counterclockwise over to much over a short distance in travel - depends on timing but can be square to inside path so push, can close too much so hook, duck hook
can also cause the hips to straighten up so so hosel gets to ball.

drill you could try out is upturned range basket next to the trail foot toes - use say a 7i to start off - if square basket put a side level with the inside of the trail foot & virtually touching the toes - have a few real slow takebacks to see how the shaft just misses the basket just want around 3" of clearance, then a real slow move down to see how it misses on the ways to the ball makes the arms/club swing more infront of the chest
- if you get of of sequence lower body going to explosive laterally left so upper body tilted back & then arms ways behind the rest of the motion - the shaft is going to clatter the basket.

also along with the basket put an alignment stick 1" away from the ball at the other side of the ball & running parallel to your target line equal amounts of the side target side to trail side, if you still too much from the inside you'll hit ball then clatter the stick

both obstacles will make you have a swing that's more in front the body - little ways more upright
so the swing path will be nearer to neutral not say coming 6º or 7º+ from the inside

because it's more upright neutral you can continue to rotate the torso right through the shot, instead of stopping the upper body rotation so the forearms/hands flip

 

[garyinderry]

[video=youtube;YaJQfnMuiU0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaJQfnMuiU0[/video]


Just don't break your shaft

 

[swasterix]

Coach, thank you for such a detailed response and Gary, thanks for the video!

Will be hitting the range later today so will give it a try!

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

By the end of the lesson, he had me hitting it out of the screws! Straight as an arrow, or a slight fade.

Sorry but I'm confused. Why aren't you working on what your pro had you doing in your lesson??

 

[swasterix]

Sorry but I'm confused. Why aren't you working on what your pro had you doing in your lesson??

What are you confused about?

I am working on what the pro had me doing in the lesson, however I'd been finding it difficult to translate what we did in the lesson onto the course (as per my OP). Slipping back into old habits! Was looking for a couple of drills to reinforce my lesson, before I can get back to see the pro again.

Is that ok?

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

What are you confused about?

I am working on what the pro had me doing in the lesson, however I'd been finding it difficult to translate what we did in the lesson onto the course (as per my OP). Slipping back into old habits! Was looking for a couple of drills to reinforce my lesson, before I can get back to see the pro again.

Is that ok?

I'm confused because your pro had you working on something that was having good results so surely the point is to keep working on those things? TBH, there is no point paying out for lessons if you aren't going to work on the fixes he has given you. It is often the case with lessons that it's 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Stick to what he has told/shown you rather than relying on guesswork from people on here that can't see what you are doing :thup:

 

[swasterix]

I'm confused because your pro had you working on something that was having good results so surely the point is to keep working on those things? TBH, there is no point paying out for lessons if you aren't going to work on the fixes he has given you. It is often the case with lessons that it's 2 steps forward and 1 step back. Stick to what he has told/shown you rather than relying on guesswork from people on here that can't see what you are doing :thup:

Might as well close the forum then eh?

I have been working on the fixes
I have been struggling
I asked for some drills specific to the issue my pro had identified
The Coach has provided me with just that

Thanks for sharing your opinion, but spare yourself the confusion.

 

[bobmac]

Did you try the little pause at the top?

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

Might as well close the forum then eh?

I have been working on the fixes
I have been struggling
I asked for some drills specific to the issue my pro had identified
The Coach has provided me with just that

Thanks for sharing your opinion, but spare yourself the confusion.

No problem. It's your money to waste on lessons then not do what the pro tells you to do.

 

[swasterix]

No problem. It's your money to waste on lessons then not do what the Pro tells you to do.

I don't know whether you have an problem with reading, but I have been doing what the pro has told me to do. Since I was struggling a little, I was looking for some drills to reinforce this until I can get back and see the Pro again.

Thank you so much for your input, it has been most valuable.

 

[swasterix]

Did you try the little pause at the top?

Hi Bob

Yes, tried this at the range today. Found it helped me focus on where the club should be at the top when making practice swings. Appreciate it!

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I don't know whether you have an problem with reading, but I have been doing what the pro has told me to do. Since I was struggling a little, I was looking for some drills to reinforce this until I can get back and see the Pro again.

Thank you so much for your input, it has been most valuable.

No, I don't have a problem with reading. Anybody offering advice on here is just guessing because none of them have seen your swing. Good luck in trying to fix your issues.

 

[swasterix]

No, I don't have a problem with reading. Anybody offering advice on here is just guessing because none of them have seen your swing. Good luck in trying to fix your issues.

They're not guessing, as I told them exactly the issue which my Pro had identified!

Thanks for the good wishes