Hmm....drill to trouble?

[RGDave]

Many years ago, my pro set me a drill that basically involved taking a 9 iron, holding the club way too strong and forcing the hands to get in front of the ball through impact. It worked then (I remember coming off the range with a smile as wide as ever seen, after seeing my 9 iron go 7 iron distance with super-sweet contact).

Anyway, I've been struggling to get the face square of late and had a "feeling" that all the split-hands drill was actually making me even more scoopy/flippy and beginning to create even less lag on the downswing.

So, tonight I went to practice, took a strong grip, did endless reps between each real ball and felt I was really pulling down, then leading the club with my hands until *at least* level with the ball before release.

Suddenly, 140 yard wedges, 200 yard 4 irons, blasted 3-woods past the lights, and no slicing at all.

Am I onto something, or is there a sting in the tail?

Happy golfing tomorrow, I'm not on the tee 'till Sunday...

 

[haplesshacker]

I occasinally use the split hands baeball grip when practising to get the rotating and release of the hands working.

With regard to the stronger grip. I tend to naturally, especially with the wedges. It's not correct technique, and it's something that I'm very concious of when not playing well.

I could really do with keeping my hands neutral, as having my hands stronger with my wedges must adversly effect or alter my swing.

 

[RGDave]

Thanks hapless. The weird thing is that even with a wedge I seem to be able to really crack the ball with a rising flight and not hook it.
Clearly, if I forgot what I was doing and didn't get the impact good, I'd hook it off the course...

 

[painterboy]

What do you call 'way to strong'?
Langer and Azinger both show 3 or 4 knuckles, this no doubt to strong for most of the other guys on tour, but right for them.
Perhaps it's right for you.

 

[RGDave]

What do you call 'way to strong'?
Langer and Azinger both show 3 or 4 knuckles, this no doubt to strong for most of the other guys on tour, but right for them.
Perhaps it's right for you.

Maybe....

The thing is this idea is "way out there" as far as my golf is concerned. What I've always wondered is; how come I can practice hard, hit the ball pretty straight but lack zip and crunch through the ball. The eureka moment (if it proves to be) was seeing a pro (club, not tour) on video and comparing his impact and launch compared to my own.

If you ask about creating lag and getting the impact powerful and de-lofting etc, etc, most people dismiss the issue as being almost a "natural" progression of learning. Well, it's never come naturally to me, so I though I might experiment by forcing the issue. As I remember it, after a week of 150 yard 9-irons (back over 10 years ago) I was hitting the ball well but somehow never went back to the drill.

Early days, I'll see how it goes.

Thanks for your interest/thoughts....

 

[RGDave]

What do you call 'way too strong'?

Along these lines. Certainly the two "Vs" are at the right shoulder

 

[painterboy]

What do you call 'way too strong'?

Along these lines. Certainly the two "Vs" are at the right shoulder

Langer is at least as strong as that, Azinger, perhaps more so.
But for the daddy of them all it's Max Faulkner, winner of the 1951 Open, who's grip was so strong his left elbow was pointing at the target.
You can't much stronger than that.

 

[RGDave]

Wanted to either practice or play today....

Neither happened. Course closed, range "gave up and went home" about half 2.

Just when I'm onto something........

Worst day of 2009 by miles.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Bet it wasn't as bad as my range session. Shanks followed by weak slices caused by coming way too far inside and over the top. Too much leg action on the way back, too much lateral movement and overswing and then sliding my hips out too early and hitting weak fades. All in all out of 85 balls I think I hit about 5 that on a course I'd be happy with.

I had been hitting the ball pretty well and my tempo work was starting to pay off. Now I'm confused bewildered and pretty fed up. I couldn't work out a) why so much had suddenyl gone so wrong b) what to fix first and c) how to fix it.

My teaching pro is in transition to a new position and doesn't start lessons again until December 7th so I've booked a lesson with another pro at the range for Friday night so hopefully I'll get a fix and can move on. I'll post a video of today's fiasco so you can really see how not to it later.

 

[RGDave]

Doesn't sound good mate. Maybe give it a rest (have a think away from the clubs) and come back with a good plan.

 

[Mattie]

...Yeah Im having the same trouble as Homer J, although after a lesson on sunday so I have changed my swing and its all gone to pot. Hopefully get better soon.

Anyway, with regards to knuckles showing etc. I think this is partly to do with hand size and grip size. My hands are so big that on a skinny grip with a correct grip all my knuckles show!

On ym super huge grips that I have had to make out of tennis grips it now looks right, so just beware of looking for the correct amount of knuckles

Mattie

 

[JustOne]

I'll post a video of today's fiasco so you can really see how not to it later.

You have a 'shank attack' on vid? That's waaaay cool, I'd have deleted it and gone home crying

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I had a lesson with a different teacher as an emergency fix last night (playing tomorrow!) and at least the source of the problem has been identified and worked on. For the shanks the weight was coming way too far forward in the downswing so a session on a balance rod has got myself much more balsnced. The main swing issues were down to swaying instead of turning so I'm working on a more solid turn keeping the weight on the inside of the right foot (and feeling some resistance in the groin and thigh areas). What a difference! Much easier to make a shorter turn and get back through the ball. Still got a problem with hips sliding open and not going down the line but one step at a time.

Hit some balls this morning at the range and focussed solely on making good turns and letting the weight of the club drop it back down (and therefore inside). When I focussed it was fine but as soon as I got quick I could feel the hips slide out of the way and the ball went right. I need to work on the hip action more but at least everything went forward and not straight right.

A top teacher (and therefore expensive) that I would like to use again so now have a conflict between swapping from a guy who has done a lot of work and got me from 20-11 and who knows my game to the new guy who explains the swing better (current guy is more drill orientated).

 

[JustOne]

Blah, blah, blah... where's the vid?

Is this it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcNc24A7xxk (WINK)

NB: Definately post office red, must be in the Wimbledon days

 

[RGDave]

OK......so the news is good and bad.

I did this sort of "work" for a good few practice sessions, the irons got better and better, then the woods started to go pear-shaped....big time.

Last week I went for a range session and "popped-up" everything, 3h, 5w, 3w, all disastrous.

So, I took a week off, forgot about it and went back today with no intention of practising this any more.

The woods are back to normal, the irons are a little longer and better hit and overall I'm happy.

So, to the question...is this a drill to nowhere? Maybe, maybe not. I think what I have learned is that you can only get your hands so far in front of the ball before everything falls apart and basically you can't hit the ball any more except with short irons.

If you're scooping or flipping or generally loosing loft and contact/compression/strike....try this drill, but not forever, it carries a health warning.