How can i improve my golf swing?

[Ryan_Weldon95]

Im 14 years old and my handiap is 7. I would like any tips or comments that would help me improve my swing, in particular keeping my right elbow more connected with my body as i feel this leads to inconsistency.Here is my swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bz8PWiGrBo

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Welcome to the forum.

I'm guessing to get down that low at your age you're having regular tuition with a pro somewhere. The best thing to do is work with him and sit down and decide what your strengths are and what needs working on and draw up a lesson plan for the winter.

The swing looks ok but it is always easy without a ball. The swing wizards on here will be able to help you a lot more if you can put one up of the real swing particularly if you can get a back and side on view

 

[Ryan_Weldon95]

I actually dont have a coach and have only ever had one or two lessons, Do you recommend finding a coach over the winter?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Thats tricky. You clearly have a lot of natural talent to get that low and basically self-taught. A coach may inhibit some of that talent and actually stifle your game. On the other hand a good coach may give you the extra edge you need to move forward. Why not PM Bobmac (a club pro) from here and ask his opinion. What does your dad think?

 

[Ryan_Weldon95]

My dad isnt sure whether a coach will help or hinder me either. When i was at the open this year i had a lesson at on of the pro bays and the pro there told my dad that he thought that i should get a coach to help me progress. Its a bit of a dilemna!

 

[JustOne]

Ryan, it's Winter, spend as much time as you can hitting shots from 90yds and less. Practice chipping from the edge of the green landing everything right on the flag so that when the course is nice again you'll be able to land that ball wherever you want.

Every 30 minutes you spend hitting your long irons = 2 hours you need to practice your short game. If you have/show that commitment then worry about the rest of your swing next Spring.

Just my opinion of course.

 

[pokerjoke]

Your obviously very talented,however imo you will need professional help in the end,so you might as well get it now.Ask around in your area for a well known pro,a good one will take you to a new level.

 

[feary]

I was similar to you at your age. I didn't have a coach. But i got a pro just after my 15th birthday and it's made the world of change. My handicap has dropped by 3.7 shots form 8.4 to 4.7 and i go out knowing what my bad shot is and why i'm doing it. I think this is the biggest benefit of having a coach knowing how to put it right. Hope this helps

 

[CrapHacker]

A good looking swing, but a long way from being 'normal'.

You find yourself here on the backswing

Whereas a couple of guys that are thought to have very good looking swings find themselves
here

and here

respectively.

Now it depends on what you are looking for in your golfing career, but there are a lot of coaches out there who will try to make your swing more textbook.

If that's what you want, then you need to talk to a pro.

Personally, if I was your dad, I'd want you to see the right pro.

It depends on how much money he has, and how much effort you are willing to put into it. If you are willing to practise, and I mean practise properly, like Justone says, and you want to see how good you can get, I think you need to be thinking of seeing a pro as soon as your dad has found the right one for you.

Just my

 

[CrapHacker]

Oh, and get your hair cut.

 

[Ryan_Weldon95]

Thanks for all of the comments but just out of interest in the pictures above my right elbow is more behind me than either of hogans or mcilroys. Does anyone have Any tips to get rid off this?

 

[JustOne]

I don't have any issues with your backswing at all so I'm not sure what Craphacker was trying to get at with those pics, you've got a great looking swing there. If I could pick bones it looks like you don't get enough weight moving through the ball, your hips are very quiet and should be clearing left/behind you more, your shoulders are too quiet and your club is too vertical at impact..... apart from that it's OK

Here's you VS Rory at impact....

Hope that helps.

 

[CrapHacker]

I don't have any issues with your backswing at all so I'm not sure what Craphacker was trying to get at with those pics, you've got a great looking swing there. If I could pick bones it looks like you don't get enough weight moving through the ball, your hips are very quiet and should be clearing left/behind you more, your shoulders are too quiet and your club is too vertical at impact..... apart from that it's OK

Here's you VS Rory at impact....

Hope that helps.

I'm saying it's not textbook.

Soooooooo

If he wants to stick with it, be very careful about choosing a pro.

But if he wants to make it more textbook, then realise that it's going to take a lot of work.

Some might say that by going back that flat makes it trickier to be able to use the body fully to get into an impact position like Rory's. It's been mentioned by some that a flat backswing often leads to some of those problems that you highlighted. Also, under pressure, a flat backswing often translates into a loop coming over the top, leading to an out to in swing.

Like I said. It doesn't make it wrong, but it's worth thinking seriously about the best way to move forward.

PS I'm no expert, - so I'll repeat. Don't think I'm saying anything, I'm suggesting things you might want to think about, and discuss with potential pros to find out their views on them, and to see if their solution seems suitable for you.

 

[JustOne]

I've no problems with your opinion Craphacker (or the cause/effects you mention) but I wouldn't describe Ryan's swing as flat, he just takes the club back on an inside path, which (in my opinion) is a good thing, or at least not necessarily a bad thing. I'd like to see him get into his left side through the ball...as we both know, garden swings aren't the best - there needs to be a ball involved

 

[CrapHacker]

Thanks for all of the comments but just out of interest in the pictures above my right elbow is more behind me than either of hogans or mcilroys. Does anyone have Any tips to get rid off this?

Please don't think I'm saying your swing is wrong.

Some pros out there take a person's swing and try to make it look like their own image of perfection, rather than working with what the player is trying to achieve. At your age there is nothing wrong with going down that route.

But if you are happy with your swing and think it will take you where you want to go then make sure you are talking to a pro that isn't going to try to remould everything you do.

Just to reiterate. As long as you get to know your swing as well as Monty knew his, there is nothing wrong with being different.

Watch this to see a different view to the right elbow on the way back. This guy Ritter doesn't speak from a traditional stance and charges $1250 a day, so he thinks his view is valid.

I personally like this viewpoint, but I can tell you from experience, there are loads of guys out there that will disagree with it vehemently.

If you find a pro you trust, I'd bet that you get down to cat1 in no time. If you go to the wrong pro, he might well spend so much time building you a swing you don't trust, you may well end up not reaching your potential.

The next step is potentially the most important one you'll take in your golfing life.

 

[JustOne]

That video has no value, it looks like Tiger is going to hit a 300yd DRIVE not an iron and it looks like he's playing for 50yds of draw. Snead? Well it's hard to say what he's doing as his shoulders are 40° open to his toe line. I've always thought that Snead's hands get waaaay too high and a more compact swing is the way forward.

The only good part of that video is that is says how Snead takes the club back deeper (more inside) and the benefits of doing that... Ryan is doing that already.

In my opinion your elbow is fine, it just becomes disconnected on the way down as you are not transferring your weight correctly.

 

[CrapHacker]

That video has no value, Or does it....

The only good part of that video is that is says how Snead takes the club back deeper (more inside) and the benefits of doing that... Ryan is doing that already. Ta Daaaahhhhhhh

Which is my point.

There's nothing wrong with that elbow position as long as you understand what's going on around it.

I fear that many pros will simply try to get Ryan to swing like Rory. Which is not necessarily a bad thing as long as that's what Ryan wants and is willing to put in the practise.

But there are also pros out there who might well believe that Ryan's swing already has the basics of building something that is repeatable under pressure.

The important thing is for Ryan and his dad to understand that and make sure they are looking for the right thing when they approach the local pros.

The only thing I'm sure of, is that Ryan will need the help of the right guy if he wants to achieve his maximum potential.

 

[JustOne]

That video has no value, Or does it....

The only good part of that video is that is says how Snead takes the club back deeper (more inside) and the benefits of doing that... Ryan is doing that already. Ta Daaaahhhhhhh

Which is my NOT VERY CLEAR point.

Fixed

 

[Ryan_Weldon95]

Thanks again for all of the comments I'm going to look around for a good pro/coach in the area. A few comments above mentioned that I need to put a swing on hitting a ball so I'll put that on soon. Thanks Ryan