Swing Help Please

[BRISTOL86]

Hey Guys

I'm a newbie struggling with inconsistent contact, was wondering if anyone could take a quick look at my swing and offer any thoughts/criticisms/suggestions?

Thanks! Sorry for the dark video, bright sunny day and had no one to hold the camera so had to set it up and pray for the best!

[video=youtube;tKGu2AVy9_E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKGu2AVy9_E[/video]

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Hard to see but the weight appears to be on the heels and the path seems very much up and down in a chopping type action. I'd try getting a little more upright at address and a bit more on the balls of your feet and look to make more of a turn. Others, hopefully the coach included, will give far more detailed pointers

 

[the_coach]

goes without saying but although not as enticing as a new club, it your 'billcase' allows monies spent on lessons would be of help, as long as you practice effectively between.

upper body posture nice spine angle not bad, nice vertical arm hang. try to achieve these same things without so much knee bend.
you just want a nice flex in your legs, not a bend in the knees. good way to feel this is just as a little posture drill, get you spine angle as you have here with the good arm hang but just stand with straight legs, locked knees, the only thing you do then is just 'unlock' the knees you'll then feel the flex in you knees you want rather than a bend.

have a check of the your grip, at the top of your swing the faceangle & the leading edge points up to the sky a ways so it's closed. most likely due to a strong right hand grip (could be strong left as well, but oft times the left is weak the right is overstrong underneath the handle more in the palm of the right hand)
what this does is in the early move of the takeaway the right hand twists/rotates the shaft as the right hand on moving turns downwards palm facing the ground more so the faceangle looks to much to the ground.

the armswing back & down isn't really connected to the body turn, much more arm swing (lift) on a little ways vertical plane, but the big issue is the lack of connection body turn to arms.

so from the steep take back more with the arms to a closed clubface position at top, the first move down is one where the right shoulders moves out to the target line so arms & club swing down from out to in across the line, swinging left through impact with the hands & arms again no real body rotation so you get a kinda collapsed chicken wing condition in the follow through no extension which leads to a kinda tagged on finish.

you need to get that connection (body rotation & armswing) in order to add the 'around' to the 'up & down'.

good to think of the clubhead moving around you more in a 'circle motion'.
but that circle is tilted downwards so the bottom of the circle is where the ball sits then the circle more angles up a ways past your shoulders.
you standing in a large inclined hula hoop.
have this pitcure in your mind & you'll more be able to see how the clubhead doesn't just travel up & down more vertical like a ferris wheel.
the motion that puts the more inclined plane into the swing is the body's rotation, not tilt, not sway, but simply turn.
(bit of a rush so sorry for any typos)

 

[the_coach]

have a look at this drill & do it as shown here, you'll have to do it often gradually you'll feel that connection & also be able to feel that there's more rotation in a swing motion, not just the up & down. but use the towel around the back not around the chest, for the reasons he explains here. don't though try to hit balls with the towel there.

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

 

[the_coach]

no you don't have the same swing issues as this person in vid asking for help.

but this drill will also help you feel better connection & a swing around as well as up, just do it with an 8i or 7i if you get to try to hit some balls put the ball on a very small tee - just takes worrying about ground contact out of the equation so you can swing smooth through not hit.

when doing any drill with a ball just use 70% swing effort, as you're not trying to send the ball the normal distance you might do with a club.
it's about swinging easy so you can feel & be more aware of the swing changes you are trying to make, swing at you full normal speed & you will just revert back to the old motion you want to change from.

given from the top of your motion in the vid your used to making you feel your going out first from the top, right shoulder moving out, then your swinging down to the left.
you'll want to feel that from the top your right shoulder moves downwards first (not outwards) then you swing from the inside to contact the back quarter of the ball then feel you swing out after impact a little ways to the right. (not left)

if you start hitting the ground first don't give up on the drills, just make sure from the top the first thing you do is press a little weight downwards into the ground with the left foot, then feel your right shoulder arms & club start to move downwards while keeping you head at the back of the ball.

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

 

[the_coach]

another good drill with a headcover or use a couple of old folded golf gloves, to help feel connection & the 'around' motion here, so less up & down.

(though as the last drill had something under the left arm, this one has something under the right arm, don't try to do anything with one under each at the same time.)

[video=youtube_share;QpF1RwO2XAY]http://youtu.be/QpF1RwO2XAY[/video]

 

[BRISTOL86]

Wow, that's a seriously comprehensive response! Thanks so much, "coach"!

I'm off to work to pretend to work now and digest all of this

 

[lex!]

I was set the towel drill for homework when I had my last lesson. It is a brilliant exercise for feeling connection between arms and body.