Help me improve my swing...

[RichardSanderson]

I think my swing is fairly decent, however my driving stats (distance is fine, fairways hit is an issue) are pathetic.

Other than scuffing the floor with one of them, can anyone see any glaringly obvious issues that I can't?


[video=youtube;mYthZl5CTC4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYthZl5CTC4&list=UU-j6YqHm0h8-s8-ImFRBsnA[/video]

 

[RichardSanderson]

[video=youtube;S254Zs1RHws]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S254Zs1RHws&list=UU-j6YqHm0h8-s8-ImFRBsnA[/video]

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Boring answer... got to a pro and get a lesson. It looks pretty decent to me but a good pro will get you sorted and give you some drills to cure your faults. What is your miss? Left or right

 

[the_coach]

These shots, left to right? Sometimes scuff it either straight left or low left to right off the T? Does the longer end of the bag shots that give you most trouble finish right, sometimes a ways right? Mid irons, short irons, wedges get pulled left?
What's the story if not something like the above with shot pattern, direction & flight, trajectory?

These 2 clips very short, & quick & obviously can't see if grip is okay, or where ball position is in stance, how hands & arms, body are in relation to ball at impact as there's no face on view.

Although posture pretty sound. You're over reaching with you arms some at address. If you look at a vertical line down both from your chin to hands, your hands a tad too far forward towards ball/target line. Plus if you draw a vertical line from your armpit (back of upper arm) this line would fall in front of your toes. So this shows you are 'holding out' your arms some from your upper body, ideally this vertical line drawn down from the back of your upper arms (triceps) you'd want to see touch your knee & go down into your shoes laces.

This arms 'held out' some makes your first move away with hands somewhat bend your wrists backwards so you end up coming back too far inside club a little flat halfways back, your hands are behind your back more, rather than more in front of middle of your chest.

What all this does is put the club a ways too far behind you at top, so your shaft overswings some & 'crosses the line' shaft pointing back over your ball target line.
It's possible to play from here, but as your hands & club have now so much further to travel back to impact compared to the body turn, it's pretty difficult to do because of the amount of timing (rhythm) it needs.
(Also that depends, if you can start the downswing from the bottom, lower body up, so making your hand path movement, club & right shoulder move 'downwards' first off doing this you can time it & get to impact in not too bad shape.)

But this is where you struggle some, at transition your hands & club, so hand path, shoulders & upper body go first, your upper body starts transition before the lower body, (or on your better shots probably still at the same time) so this upper body first means your hand path is now out & over (instead of down) first which makes the downswing over steep some & you're coming into impact a ways 'out to in'.

At the delivery position your arms so hands & club should be nearer to your body, your right elbow pretty close to right hip, but in this halfways back to impact position your arms & hands are away a mite too far out from your body, this in turn causes the hips to lose the pelvic angle, so move towards the ball/target line a ways, causing a bit of a 'stand up' position through impact.

Get your grip checked, often with this the left hand is 'weak' & the right to far under the shaft can't really tell if that's the case here.
But the grip can still be good & it all starts to happen because of the 'holding out of the arms' at address which often means as here the hands start to bend backwards & club comes to far inside from the off, the start of a chain reaction you don't want.

Get the arms at address in a better position so your not reaching out, standing couple inches nearer the ball should do this, then try to make the first move back to a position where your hands are opposite your right thigh more of a club straight back, the arm triangle stays intact, as you do this you want the back of your left hand still 'looking' at the ball & not bending. Just after hands at right thigh your hands will set, feel left thumb points 'up' to sky not behind you, when left arm parallel to ground & your ball/ target the shaft should know be at 90º to the left arm & the shaft more pointing up (not behind you)

From here you just complete shoulder/body turn the shaft should now be more over top of right shoulder (not back behind you)
Feel your back stays looking at target fractionally while you start your transition & downswing from the ground up, weight into left foot, left knee moves to target, focus on upper body staying behind the ball keeping spine posture you had at address as you 'swing through' arms hands & club pass your body up to a balanced finish.

This talks about over reaching, may be of some help.
[video=youtube_share;k6UdyBiJcS4]http://youtu.be/k6UdyBiJcS4[/video]

 

[RichardSanderson]

Thanks for the massive reply!!

Both of those were right to left swingers, starting right of centre and ending in left semi, my miss is straight right - I'd rather hit it straighter. Grip wise, i'm fine - had plenty of lessons (weekly until about 4 years ago). The problem is a 4 year hiatus from the game has brought in some bad habits, which only seem to be rearing their heads with the driver.

I think the reaching out has stemmed from a big cut I used to have which I felt was from standing too close to the ball, so positioning myself further away feels like it accommodates my flat swing & stops me coming over the top.

I don't want to make any radical changes to my swing in fear of ruining it, as I am currently very comfortable with my irons. Just the driver ruining my scores!

 

[guest100718]

Boring answer... got to a pro and get a lesson. It looks pretty decent to me but a good pro will get you sorted and give you some drills to cure your faults. What is your miss? Left or right

yep

 

[the_coach]

Thanks for the massive reply!!

Both of those were right to left swingers, starting right of centre and ending in left semi, my miss is straight right - I'd rather hit it straighter. Grip wise, i'm fine - had plenty of lessons (weekly until about 4 years ago). The problem is a 4 year hiatus from the game has brought in some bad habits, which only seem to be rearing their heads with the driver.

I think the reaching out has stemmed from a big cut I used to have which I felt was from standing too close to the ball, so positioning myself further away feels like it accommodates my flat swing & stops me coming over the top.

I don't want to make any radical changes to my swing in fear of ruining it, as I am currently very comfortable with my irons. Just the driver ruining my scores!

Ok. Would then just take a look at the slight over reach to the ball with your driver then, just creep a inch or so forwards, so the arms 'hang' a little better, & make your normal swing, should give you some better results with the big stick, get you to find a centered strike a bit easier. Just swing a mite easier to, to get your timing in a little better shape.

 

[RichardSanderson]

Cheers, will give it a go tomorrow and report back with another vid!