Swing Comments

[mattdeeks]

Hi Guys,

Here's a few swings taken with the slo-mo feature on the iPhone.

Any comments?

Hybrid

http://youtu.be/whr9uZQwDgg

6 Iron

http://youtu.be/gUoI7LtcRz4

Wedge

http://youtu.be/hg8pDa4-PY4

Thanks in advance

Matt

 

[bobmac]

Very nice
How tall are you?

 

[Foxholer]

Seems to be some good things in there - though my video is playing up, so not 100%.

Several negatives though.

1. Wake up and be a bit more 'athletic'! More laid back than me - and that's saying something! That may not be much of a negative, as too much tension kills the swing, but you do seem to be over-hunched and a bit 'slack'. Are the clubs long enough for you? You seem to be long-bodied - like me - and longer clubs may help create a better posture - as they have me. Edit: If you check La Lucha's vid, his set-up is much more 'athletic'.
2. Wrists seem to be pretty much cocked at address. Not good either for the takeaway, nor the downswing - as the tension inhibits the release.
3. Very much inside takeaway. At the halfway back stage (P2) where the shaft is parallel to the ground, the but should be pointing pretty much at the target (and toe of club-head ever so slightly leaning away from vertical). Lots of issues that require compensations because of that! Including....
4. You are leaning back at impact, with your weight mainly on your right leg. Read any of the_coach's tomes and the first move of the downswing should be like a squeeze of a sponge under the ball of the left foot. That will get your weight transferring better. The torso should still be leaning back (the Reverse K) but the hands should be ahead of the ball so that you are hitting down on it rather than 'flipping' as you seem to be doing (Again, my video hasn't helped!). A 'Caddy'/Face on View would show the downswing and impact issues better.

Thinking of squeezing the sponge and the Towel Drill (avoid hitting one placed 3-4 inches behind the ball) should help the downswing. The backswing can simply be checked by stopping halfway back and making sure the butt is pointing at the pin.

Hope that helps.

 

[mattdeeks]

I'm 6'3. I was fitted for my irons last year, they are an inch longer than standard, wedges are 1/2 inch longer.

Use to suffer with a fade/slice throughout the bag, so have tried to come more from the inside, maybe too much.

I have been trying to get through the ball more recently, my bumping hip towards target on downswing. I use to be on the right foot a lot more in the past.

Thanks

 

[garyinderry]

hanging back was something that was quite apparent to me!

 

[bobmac]

In a perfect world your backswing would go back straighter but......I prefer to focus on the downswing which in your swing looks pretty good. I think if you change your backswing to be more 'text book' that would mess up your downswing and you dont want that.
I'd say practice your short game.

 

[JustOne]

You have early extension, your head moves backwards thru impact and you lose your spine angle, all part of not understanding impact properly.

 

[the_coach]

Would always say good PGA instruction the ways to go, if possible. But here's my take.
As JustOne says coming down to & through impact you have early extension (your hip losing the pelvic address angle & moving towards the ball/target line by you standing up coming into & through impact)

Why this happens is really down to what's gone on before both from address & how the club in taken back to the top. So to that end to make impact so shots a ways better, it's going to require some changes to what happens before the downswing.

Tall guys quite often find it difficult to stand to the ball, often feeling they need to get closer to the ground to be able to swing the club well. Good thing is you know you've been fitted to your clubs, so far better you get into a little ways better dynamic & taller address position.

Being tall you have a great advantage being able to create a naturally wide swing arc, so gaining swing speed through the ball without swinging out of your shoes (not saying here that's what you're doing, as you're not, just making a general point as to why a good dynamic stance is better & in my experience tall players often find this a ways difficult)
So to me address looks a little ways 'crowded' if you like, a little ways too close to the ball, hands fairly close to the thighs, arms hanging down a little angled 'inwards some' towards the legs.

At address the legs need to be in an energized condition & solid, muscles engaged as you need to use the feet to provide resistance to the turn back, swing through. You have to use the ground as you would in throwing a baseball a stone, either fast or far, without that 'groundforce' & stable but energized leg connection you don't have a good base to have a body/shoulder turn or arm or club swing over so affects balance rhythm, timing, speed etc.

My take would be move both heels an inch or so away from the ball target line, have the arms hang 'vertically' from the shoulders (not angled inwards a ways) so gives you a tad more room between hands & thighs. don't be afraid to 'stand' tall, just have the knees softened so the thigh feel engaged.
Although as often with vids under the range it's a tad dark, but there's something a little funky going on with the grip, because of their angle to the arms & shaft. I would 'guess' the particularly the right hand is a little ways 'under' the club, so the right hand a good ways strong.

If you looked at the crease between right forefinger & thumb at address I imagine it would point at least at the very end of the right shoulder, but wouldn't be surprised if it didn't point 'past' it, a continued line up would miss the right shoulder maybes entirely. Which will have a big say in how the club goes back & how both hands set to the top position. Which then will cause you to swing down with some compensatory moves to get club to ball in order to try to find target.
Would try if it's possible to make sure both hands are on the handle both a little ways 'neutral' (will put up a vid to this for you to have a look at if you want to)

The swing motion itself, as you swing back you 'appear' (in what can be seen here) to still leave a fair bit of weight on the left side, the right leg straightening. So this leads to more of a tilt of the shoulders going back rather than a shoulder & chest turn away with the weight going into the inside of the right foot, so right knee flexed some still.
If viewed from the front it may be that your upper body then leans, spine tilt, towards target some with a little ways too much weight still on that left side (instead of leaning, spine tilting away from target as the body turns rotates)

Then when you start down your weight to a degree is moving the wrong way more to the right side, rather than on to the left side which would be difficult for you, given what's happened going back from the ball. So the arms then are coming down but then getting a ways stuck there. The only way left really to stop the club hitting the ground, is for you to 'stand up' hips losing the pelvic angle (early extension), so coming out of posture with your left side, shoulder having to work very quickly 'upwards' gives the impression of you 'helping the ball up in the air' because of this shoulder tilt rather than right shoulder turn through towards target your right leg & hip moving forwards towards target instead of what they do currently which is stall some.

My take, the way forward would be really check both hands, check stance & a dynamic taller address position. Then feel that you move the 'triangle' of arms & club away slightly straighter back for the first 12" or so & that your chest & shoulders 'turn', they rotate, your right shoulder turning away behind your heel line.

Have a look at the 'british uniform guys' "perfect swing" drill with the club on the ground & feel yourself get into those positions so you get your club shaft to parallel position 1 going back, & parallel position 3 coming down. Check how the guy 'turns' & just where his chest is at top of the backswing, how the weight goes into the right hip socket, so into the inside of the right foot (you'll know if you're doing this correctly as you'll feel it some in the inside of your right thigh) Check where the handle goes in relation to the right leg going back to PP1, then where it is going into delivery position at PP3.
The vids in the other thread 'my swing' but I'll put it up here too.

[video=youtube_share;xvMiZQo70-E]http://youtu.be/xvMiZQo70-E[/video]

 

[the_coach]

Here's a good way to form a decent left hand hold of the handle.

[video=youtube_share;wMLpg38gEJE]http://youtu.be/wMLpg38gEJE[/video]

 

[the_coach]

Here's a decent way to put the right hand on.

[video=youtube_share;4kG19zHrdiY]http://youtu.be/4kG19zHrdiY[/video]

 

[mattdeeks]

Thanks again every 1 for your comments.

 

[dsanders9944]

Grip looks a bit strong with your right hand which makes the hands appear over hinged at address and causes you to swing the club inside the plane line on your backswing, you then drop your right shoulder too much on the downswing probably to start the ball out to the right in fear of a hook. Fix the grip then try and hit some fades would be my advice

 

[Foxholer]

You have early extension, your head moves backwards thru impact and you lose your spine angle, all part of not understanding impact properly.

I understand impact pretty much perfectly!

It's the execution I have problems with!