Overswing?

[TheClaw]

Right a couple of questions:

- should you swing as far as comfortable even if it results in an overswing? Not talking about faults that normally cause overswinging: reverse pivot, lifting the club etc. just being more flexible than the average bear with everything else being 'ok'.

- is it right to do what feels like a half swing if it creates a shorter (normal length) swing? Or is there another key to getting the right length?

Cheers!

 

[JustOne]

If your right arm bends too much (right elbow collapses) you will over swing. It's not really a flexibility issue, on the contrary many people overswing because they are not flexible so they just collapse everything and think a longer swing will give them more power. Generally though they are so narrow that they actually have to cast the club from there and get no power at all

Nothing wrong with making a shorter swing... just stop when your right elbow is bent to 90 degrees and let your turn do the rest.


Of course there is no perfect swing... John Daly overswung a lot and it worked well for him, but you probably wouldn't take advice from someone who wanted you to swing that way on purpose.

 

[TheClaw]

Thanks, the right elbow could be the key. I'm trying to get a feeling to stop me going long. Feeling like I'm keeping my right elbow pointing towards the ball at the top my my backswing certainly helps me keep it short. What do you think of that?

 

[bluewolf]

Maybe not the exact answer you are looking for, but when I'm playing well, I feel as though I can't overswing. I play well when I have the feeling of my left arm being the dominant arm (I'm right handed). The swing starts with the left arm moving the club and the right arm is just along for the ride. I find that this helps to keep the left arm straight through the backswing, which limits the ability to "overswing".

Sorry for the poor description, but last nights red wine is still circulating the system...:thup:

 

[Alex1975]

I am told and James`s comments kind of corroborate, the best way to get rid of overswing is to add width to the swing.

I saw some video footage of myself showing off the other day and I was over-swinging so much my head was being pushed to the right by my left shoulder. Ugliest think I ever saw, worse than flicking or watching a good player go right under a chip.

 

[TheClaw]

Thanks for the comments. Went to the range today and then played a few holes. This is a pic of my (slightly) shorter backswing.

It feels/looks like a wide swing so I was wondering what you thought might be causing the long swing? Should I even bother about it?

 

[Alex1975]

Really hard to see from that photo but that does not look too bad to me.....

 

[JustOne]

Really hard to see from that photo but that does not look too bad to me.....

I agree.

Invariably you have to consider that your right HAND needs to stay away from your right SHOULDER and not literally get right on top of it.... keep a little width (a gap) between the two when viewed from face on. Can you get a DTL vid and a face on vid from your phone and post them to youtube?

 

[TheClaw]

Cheers again. I'll post a couple of videos then...I played tonight and I'm quite happy with how it's going.

The swing in the pic is a lot better than it was. I'm now keeping my elbows more in sync with each other which seems to be stopping my swing from going too long. There's other problems to sort now- I'm totally casting the club.

 

[TheClaw]

So here's a couple of videos from tonight. 7 iron. Was hitting it pretty well and much happier about how it's looking.

My main problems were a flat backswing, over the top/ casting, shoulders going before my hips...

Overall I'm getting there but any suggestions welcome.

[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sdpfET6tOqU&feature=plcp[/video]

Quite happy with the length of backswing here. Im really casting the club so that will need to get some work. Also, I could probably have the ball a bit nearer the middle of my stance.

[video]http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=plcp&v=ZuzltNVXFoU[/video]

 

[Alex1975]

They are not playing for me....(Videos)

Your over the top and casting? From the last pic you get into a good position, do you not just need to give yourself a little more time in the swing?

Casting: so you are letting the hinge out of your wrists too soon and flicking at the ball ye? You getting a high flight?

Over the top: you are throwing your right shoulder at the ball? Is the ball starting left and moving right?

I have had both these problems so feel your pain, if I get quick I still show my right shoulder to the ball. Is it all the time or just the bad ones? I find it really useful to have the butt of the club pointing at the target until it is past the ball before releasing the club. It is a very definite position that I practice and mock over and over and do a couple of times before I play a shot, getting that right shoulder working under.

Disclaimer: I could not see the videos so am just talking generally about how I try and cope with similar problems.

 

[Mozza73]

I have a very similar problem as I've been fighting an overswing and casting since my return to the game, a really good idea is to try an early wrist set because I found that by delaying my wrist set until very late in my backswing was causing the the club to drop past horizontal. Try setting your wrists early (immediately as you move the club back) so that as you swing back they can't break any further. I also found this helps to maintain lag in the downswing as well.

Try this video, really good advice here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfFBTMWJmRQ

 

[TheClaw]

They are not playing for me....(Videos)

Your over the top and casting? From the last pic you get into a good position, do you not just need to give yourself a little more time in the swing?

Casting: so you are letting the hinge out of your wrists too soon and flicking at the ball ye? You getting a high flight?

Over the top: you are throwing your right shoulder at the ball? Is the ball starting left and moving right?

I have had both these problems so feel your pain, if I get quick I still show my right shoulder to the ball. Is it all the time or just the bad ones? I find it really useful to have the butt of the club pointing at the target until it is past the ball before releasing the club. It is a very definite position that I practice and mock over and over and do a couple of times before I play a shot, getting that right shoulder working under.

Disclaimer: I could not see the videos so am just talking generally about how I try and cope with similar problems.

The over the top is better than it was (before the videos). My backswing used to be very flat and like you say I was rushing into the downswing. In fact looking at the DTL video slowed down it now looks like I'm about to drop the club down into a good position starting down but then it steepens. This is how it looks to me anyway, not sure why the links don't work.

Alex the bit in bold is exactly what I'm not doing, in fact the butt of the club is probably going to the left of the target as well as casting.
In terms of the ball flight it is high but I still hit good distances so never knew there was a problem until I filmed the swing face on. From hybrids down I can get round the course quite well...less loft and e.g. Driver / 3 wood I'm pretty poor. Slice or hook.

Cheers Mozza I'll take a look at that vid just now! Edit- just watched it, that's something else to fix now haha.

 

[Alex1975]

The over the top is better than it was (before the videos). My backswing used to be very flat and like you say I was rushing into the downswing. In fact looking at the DTL video slowed down it now looks like I'm about to drop the club down into a good position starting down but then it steepens. This is how it looks to me anyway, not sure why the links don't work.

Alex the bit in bold is exactly what I'm not doing, in fact the butt of the club is probably going to the left of the target as well as casting.
In terms of the ball flight it is high but I still hit good distances so never knew there was a problem until I filmed the swing face on. From hybrids down I can get round the course quite well...less loft and e.g. Driver / 3 wood I'm pretty poor. Slice or hook.

Cheers Mozza I'll take a look at that vid just now! Edit- just watched it, that's something else to fix now haha.

When my pro first started to put me in the position at the top that your earlier photo shows (don't think my hands are as high actually) I felt so exposed like I was going to fall forwards, like I just could not get back to the ball so we worked on the next position on the way back down with the club shaft parallel to the ground and the butt parallel to the target. From that position I could hit shots straighter and further than with my full swing as I was able to get the club into the space I had created in front of my knees (kinda). He had me play 5000 shots from that position before coming back to him and we then went back to the top. This stopped (or helped me not) rushing back to the ball. I am an impatient and angry man so I need to give myself that time to find those positions.

Try and give yourself time to get from that exposed position at the top to the position I described filling the lovely bit of space you have created for yourself in front of your knees.

Lets not even talk about legs and hips....


These bits have taken me some time and I still work on them ever night. As soon as I get quick I am a dead man and thin and shank them. As soon as I get on song and relax my timing is great and the feeling is special!

I just have to check my ego in, give myself time and think about technique not power.