I want to swing not do a cover drive

[washathi]

I'm enjoying my golf a lot. My swing has generally improved beyond all recognition in the last year - many, many thanks to my patient pro!

But one thing I seem to have a block with is the way I finish my swing. I tend to straighten my left leg (I'm right handed) and finish the swing with a bit of a cricket shot rather than a golf shot. I'm not too far off doing it right....and the pro says its not hurting my swing too much....but it could lead to me topping the ball (which I do out on the course sometimes)....or maybe even damaging my left knee. I think it stems from me trying to use my shoulders too much to power the ball, rather than using my hips correctly. What I'm struggling with is how to finish my downswing right.

My pro is telling me to keep my left leg flexed and to swing rather than chop the ball. I'm just struggling to do it! Any tips would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[the_coach]

No real idea what a 'cover drive' motion is like, I get that's a cricket reference but not something I know anything about.The thing about a golf swing is it's very much a chain reaction, both with the plane of the swing, & the direction that plane is swinging on, so to the direction of the clubhead both to & through impact, plus how the sequenced motion has been linked, connected lower body to upper body turn connected to the arm swing.It very much, or shouldn't be, a 'hit' motion to the ball as it's end destination, if it is, the piece of motion after impact is then often more a 'tagged' on afterthought because folks know there should be something going on after impact. But it is a ways tagged on 'end' purely because the end position didn't figure in the 'intention' of a swing through the ball.To a good swing motion, balance & rhythm through not at the ball is key.So your current end position, what ever that is, is just a pure result of what has gone before. if you make the same motion up back then down to impact, you're going to get the same end result as the reaction to what has happened in time & space through the current swing motion.Impossible really to give any specific guidance without seeing the motion concerned.Sometimes it's a ways helpful as an exercise to feel what should be happening at impact & after impact to first simply put yourself in a good balanced finish position, I mean just that, no swing at all.Find reference of a balanced finish position, or ask your Pro simply to put you in one & either video him doing this or take a photo so you can really see where you should be.At finish your weight predominantly would be on your left leg which (giving no physical issues) would be 'posted' so pretty straight up. Your left hip cleared your right hip turned through so your right knee is up to your left knee, your right foot on the toes & vertical, showing the sole of the shoe. Your spine angle pretty straight up, your chest turned rightways through to face slightly left of target, shoulders turned so the right shoulder is the nearest part of you to target. Your hands atop your left shoulder by the left forearms height, left arm angle at forearm to upper arm around 90º, the club shaft angled across back of your neck some, & all in balance.Get this finish position, hold it, feel it, that's where you'd be swinging too. Keep that 'picture & feeling' mentally.Then set-up in the proper impact position, hips cleared weight left, still in correct spine angled posture, head behind ball, hands & handle couple inches in front of ball position so you have a forward leaning shaft, again hold. feel this impact position as it's where you'd be swinging through.Try simply to get & retain the feeling of where this two 'correct' positions are.Then the drill is to set up in the impact position, say with a 6i, press the leading edge of the club into the ground some so you create some downwards pressure, with hands ahead & a slight flex in the forwards leaning shaft.Then just very slightly take the pressure of the leading edge into the ground away by relaxing that downwards pressure a little ways.You'll find the club will want to push forwards some, so just use that as the trigger to push the ball away along the ground then just complete the body turn & arm swing up, as you move & turn up to the balanced finish position you had also put yourself in before.I would post a video of this drill up for you, but since yesterday there seems to be some issues with the website, & the usual 'tools' to allow this aren't loading up properly. So hope the description still helps some. Sorry did write this with para's but as with the issues currently with the website it's not coming out in format properly either.

 

[washathi]

Dear Coach - thanks very much for that reply. I think I do know what my finish should be like, so I'll try out your approach on the range today. If the technology does sort itself out, and you get a spare moment, I would like to see the video you mentioned. Thanks very much again

 

[washathi]

Also, it was good to be reminded that that part of the swing after you've hit the ball is part of your swing....not an afterthought or an irrelevance. That works in all sport.....I've been so focused on my backswing and my downswing that I'd almost forgotten....

 

[the_coach]

A bit of 'long story - long' before he gets to it, but worth looking at given the issue you speak about.

[video=youtube_share;pdqNK3tDHLA]http://youtu.be/pdqNK3tDHLA[/video]

 

[the_coach]

Notice 'Lead' speaks to the leading edge pressure into the ground in this vid of the same thing. That pressure into as the trigger for the 'reaction push forwards' into a full balanced finish is the key to getting the best out of the drill, hold the finish for a 3 secs is also key. "Lead" to busy & quick to go for the comedy lake ending.

[video=youtube_share;7SZEXsStxYg]http://youtu.be/7SZEXsStxYg[/video]

 

[the_coach]

Given that impact to a full finish & how that should work is giving you some trouble. Have a look at this a few times, slightly more advanced look at what happens & some bits a ways complicated in that we're talking about hand path & arm force vectors in the downswing.

But if you can watch it with a view to taking from it how even though the handle of the club works differently back & through & indeed the handle has to spin on certain axis through impact, but that this happens (given we've put club back up top in good shape) without conscious manipulation of the hands.

That this is brought about by weight shift left, left hip clearing & the most important message for a good finish the continued turn of the upper body, left shoulder, & how getting to that finish position is key to a good square impact position, plus how after a steady head in both the backswing & down through to contact that then the release of the eyes with the turning of the head to follow the balls flight is also key to that balanced finish position.

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

 

[the_coach]

Another key thought also to a good finish, is the swing isn't vertical back & through. We swing on an inclined plane. So the club head first travels back & also curves then inside & then travels upwards but also continues to travel inside up the inclined plane, think of a large 'inclined hoop' you're standing inside.
So it's done that to get to the top.

But then the clubhead first has to travel both away from target & downwards as first move from transition.
(this a place where a lot of folks go wrong as in a hurry to hit the ball they make the clubhead both move back outwards from the body & towards the ball as the first move)

So traveling the right way now it's moving downwards towards the ground & also when the right elbow gets to the right hip it then starts to move outwards towards the ball/target line & continues to move down towards impact.

After impact is the place also many folk have difficulty with, so have difficulty getting to a good balanced finish, because they try to hold the clubhead & face angle to continue straight on down the ball/target line thinking they need to do this for the ball to go straight to target, but this is wrong.

Why, well go back to our inclined hoop straighways after impact out hoop direction clearly shows that the path of the clubhead needs to travel to the left, back inside & up that inclined plane. So the continued body turn, movement of the left shoulder allows the cluhead so shaft/handle hands & arms to finish in the balanced finish they should as show in the last vid.

 

[washathi]

Thanks Coach - excellent videos + excellent advice. I tried some of this at the range. Its a work in progress.....but a couple of times the swing, including the finish, felt right and the ball really flew

 

[the_coach]

Thanks Coach - excellent videos + excellent advice. I tried some of this at the range. Its a work in progress.....but a couple of times the swing, including the finish, felt right and the ball really flew

Yep, changes to anything that we've done for sometime so feels comfortable, is a ways difficult, will take time, but worth it for the results it will bring. Good that you've started to feel & see already what that difference can bring to the strike, in the times you've got it down right.

So done it a few times, good news is keep working & you'll do it more often so better results more often good luck with it.