My Golf Swing - Spine Angle

[Adrena1in]

Hi, can anyone give me some good tips to try and help me maintain my spine angle through my golf swing please? I'm noticing recently that I'm standing up more and more at impact, and getting into a really erratic striking position. The more I think about it, the worse I play, yesterday being the pinnacle of crap when I shot well over 100 at Hartley Wintney Golf Course, (and that was with five pars and three bogeys! I was a good 30 over on the other 10 holes!)

Here are a couple of DTL videos at the range. Apologies about the light levels. 7 iron and Driver.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynIaJEw-6mU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14ZNmtWq4H4

I'm after some good exercises to help me maintain my angle, and stop me thrusting my hips forward while arching my back like I do.

As for my usual shot shapes and strengths/weaknesses, at the moment I'm too erratic to tell. But I'll try;

Do you have regular coaching at the moment? No.
What do you consider to be the strengths of your game? Pleased with my distance, putting okay.
Weaknesses? Inconsistency.
How often do you play/practise? Once a week for each.
What is your scoring average/handicap? 20 maybe/16.2
Do you keep stats? Trying to start doing so.
What is your strike/shot/shape pattern for the following clubs
Driver/Tee shots - Generally slice the driver.
Fariway woods - Variety, often thin, pull or snap-hook.
Rescue Clubs - A bit of everything!
Long/medium irons - When hit well a lovely draw.
Short irons - Sometimes a draw, sometimes a fade.

Just very erratic at the moment, and it's putting me off playing.

Thanks for looking.

 

[The23rdman]

Tim, one of the best things you can do to help maintain your spine angle is to work on your flexibility, especially in the hips and lower back. Yoga, pilates or just general golf stretching will all help you maintain your posture.

 

[Adrena1in]

Thanks 23rdman, but I can't really see how that's going to help me with my swing? I like to think I'm fairly flexible as it is, but at impact I really lose my posture. Not because of a lack of flexibility, but a bad technique that's becoming habitual.

I'm after golf-specific drills to try and combat this. Such as the one where you rest your bum on the back of a chair or something, and try to maintain the contact through the swing.

 

[The23rdman]

For a start there is no way you should be shooting over 100 with that swing, but I'm sure you know this.

The problem stems from your transition move. At transition you need to feel like you're increasing the weight on your left instep. It is this feeling, sometimes referred to ask "squashing the bug", that leads to the really powerful squat position you see Tiger and other great ballstrikers get into.

Take your address position and go to the top and hold. From here REALLY slowly feel like you press down into the floor with the inside ball to heel of your left foot. you sort of just squat a little and your backside pushes out a bit. It is this powerful move that leads to correct transition.

Do this many time nice and slow so you feel how it should feel then try to incorporate it into your swing with 3/4 swings.

If you rest your bum against a golf bag or chair you'll have a reference.

Good luck!

 

[bobmac]

Tim, do you have a video from face on please?

 

[Adrena1in]

Tim, do you have a video from face on please?

Not yet...not of me hitting a ball anyway. Got some of me swinging in the garden, but that's not an accurate representation I don't think. What I'm going to do is take my camera out on the course some time and video lots of tee shots, and from various angles.

Things at least took a turn for the better last night, and I hit some great shots, and only one mis-hit, which was a thin PW from 120 yards that rolled over the back of the green, but was still only about 15 feet from the hole, so not all bad.

 

[bobmac]

Tim, the reason I ask is I see very little wrong from the views you've shown us.
I can only think you are having problems with getting into a reverse C position at impact.i.e. hips moving forward of the rest of your body.
If thats the case, have you heard the expression...turning inside the gate?

 

[Adrena1in]

...have you heard the expression...turning inside the gate?

No, but you're right in that at the brief moment of impact I often seem to push my hips forward, pull my shoulders back, arch my back and stand up badly. Sometimes this doesn't seem to matter, and I still hit the ball straight, but I'm sure it's affecting my consistency.

From front-on I do think I sway and slide too much.

 

[bobmac]

To stop you sliding onto the outside of your left foot on the downswing, try this.
If you can get hold of an old shaft or garden cane, stick it in the ground on the outside of your left foot

Now, when you swing down, try and turn your left hip back, dont sway towards the cane. This way, you will be able to turn inside the gate and stop tha annoying slide

 

[Adrena1in]

Thanks Bob, it's one of the things I spent a while working on actually, come to think of it, and which caused quite a serious topped-hook with my driver and 3W. As with many things it's a thought-process I'd forgotten about. I'll give the cane a try though...

 

[JustOne]

Couple of interesting things going on in your swing.

Firstly you are taking it back a bit flat* which is causing you to overswing and point right of the target - from there you come over the top and cut across the ball.

*= a nice way of saying very flat

Secondly at the top of your swing your left arm is steeper with your DRIVER than it is with your 7-iron which is going to mean you cut it even more.

If you take the club up and back down on the correct plane you will find that your spine angle remains much more intact and will lead to more consistant striking.

Hope this helps,
Regards....

 

[Adrena1in]

Secondly at the top of your swing your left arm is steeper with your DRIVER than it is with your 7-iron which is going to mean you cut it even more.

Thanks, that's not my "normal" swing...I was just trying something with my driver on this particular occasion. My driver plane is usually pretty flat as well, and I was over-doing a change just to see how it felt and looked. I felt like my arms were disconnected from my chest though, so it's not something I'm going to persist with.

Cheers for the comments, my takeaway always suffers a bit from me bending my wrists early and going flat, and I'm trying hard to stop it, but it's difficult.