Follow Up From Lesson

[carland]

Took a lesson from Brian in late February when I had to be in New Orleans for business. I tend to draw my irons but hit a lot of blocks or block slices with the driver when things go bad. Here's my swing before the lesson:

Brian said I need to fix my open clubface and my OTT path (he was being polite so he didn't call it OTT but that's what it is). He wants the back of my left forearm facing away from the target at the top. He suggested three golf books. Nicklaus' "The Golf Swing" from the early 1980s (not "Golf My Way"): keep the shoulders feeling closed at impact. VJ Trolio's "The Final Missing Piece of Hogan's Secret Puzzle": Keep the hips feeling closed into impact. Alex Morrison's "A New Way To Better Golf" from 1937: keep your chin pointing behind the ball through impact. Here are my latest attempts to put his lesson into practice:

I'd appreciate any observations or advice.

 

[Kevin Shields]

Carland, looks pretty good. Whats the flight been like?

 

[carland]

It's easier to try Brian's suggestions with an iron than with the driver. I still hit occasional blocks with the driver, but I can draw the driver now, which never happened before. But I'm not very confident that I'm doing what Brian suggested.

All three books were good reads. It was interesting that one came from the '30s, '80s and then '00s.

 

[curtisj76]

Brian mentioned Alex Morrison's "A New Way To Better Golf" as well in my lesson. Where did you find it and how much? Thanks

 

[rogerdodger]

Brian mentioned Alex Morrison's "A New Way To Better Golf" as well in my lesson. Where did you find it and how much? Thanks

Try Alibris, a used book website. I got mine there.

 

[carland]

@curtisj76: I went to amazon.com. It was $40 used. Morrison's main instruction is to keep the chin pointed behind the ball at least through impact. He also writes a lot about the proper movement of the hips and legs. I'm glad I bought it.

@Kevin Shields: Am I failing to follow Brian's instructions? I look at the video and the swing doesn't look anything like what I am trying to do except that my head doesn't swivel as much toward the target through impact and my shoulders seem slightly less OTT in the downswing. Like I wrote earlier, I can hit a draw with the driver now, although not consistently, but the trajectory is pretty low. I hit the mid iron more solidly trying to follow Brian's instructions. Thanks.

 

[lia41985]

carland,

Were your iron shots with your before swing starting right of your intended target and then drawing back towards the target? Your before swing drivers were blocked or blocked/sliced meaning your path is to the right and your face either matches this rightward path or is open to it whereas I suspect your iron shots with your before swing had a face slightly closed to this rightward path.

I take the expression "over the top" to mean outside-to-in path and honestly, I don't think that was your problem. Your hand path in the down the line views of the after swings looks better--more vertical. This will tend towards moving the path of the club less to the right and tend towards closing the face more (having it face less right, more left). Having the feeling of the shoulders and hips staying closed can have the effect of directing the hand path less out (hand path less likely to get thrown outwards because the shoulders or hips rotate too soon). The feeling of the left forearm facing away from the target twists away the face and is clubface control "insurance"--think of it as "reinsurance" because with an improved hand path you will see improvements in face control (and path control).

To me, the better your hand path gets the better your swing will. Brian's instructions have you moving in that direction--it just sounded like you were a little confused and I wanted to offer what I hope were clarifying words. Best of luck! You've got a nice move that's getting better. You also have very good rhythm and coordination.

 

[carland]

lia41985,
I get that the twistaway keeps the face from opening too much, but I thought that keeping my shoulders feeling closed on the downswing would promote a more inside out path. I also thought that with a push slice, the clubface was slightly open at impact and the swing path was left of the club path.