Help!! (1st Post) Hitting fat shots—trying to lag

[joeunc]

Hi all, first post although I have been a member for a few weeks and reading and searching the boards religiously.

I purchased the "over and out" video because my bunker play needed some help. Great Job Brian.

Then I thought I was a flipper so I purchased the "Confessions of a Former Flipper" video and have watched it twice,,once again Great JOB!
I thought I was a flipper because I always hit the ball so high, figured I had to be a flipper with the club passing the hands. I hardly ever take a big divot but I do get a good amount of grass/grass stain on the bottom 3 grooves. Unlike flippers, I do not think I have a loss of distance
150-160 8 iron,, 175-180 5 iron,, respectable distances and I am pretty long with the Driver. The drive was the only club I hit good today.

So I just got back from possibly one of my worst range sessions. I was thinking "hit down on the ball".."aiming point by left toe" ,,"floating lag", "put a tee in front of the ball try to hit it" etc..all the thoughts from the flipper video

I have also changed to the Manzella neutral grip with the left thumb more under the shaft at the top and more curve/wrap-around with my right trigger finger. Although I think after a while I got so frustrated I really starting squeezing the club too tight and losing any hinge I may have. I use the interlock grip.

Well today about 60 of the 80 balls,,I hit about 2-3inches behind and hit low hooking line drives. Almost like I was drop-kicking the ball with the club,
This was, as you can imagine very disturbing as I am high ball hitter maybe due to a more upright swing plane?

What is up???? Most of normal misses before were high pulls with short irons and high push/blocks with long irons.

I am off next week and have the in-laws coming in and 6 straight days of golf..Please I need to not embarrass myself.
The more I "thought" of hitting down and compressing and trapping the ball, the fatter it got.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated and I truly love this site and can't stay away from it all day at work!!

thanks!!
Joe

 

[joeunc]

i do tend to get a little "armsy" and do not get that good pivot with the left shoulder over the ball and turning back through. I play to a 10hndcp so I don't usually have too many bad swings. I just thought I had to be flipping due to ball flight. Maybe I really wasn't but could still get better and "woppling the ball with the pivot". I definitely wasn't dragging the hands las night,,it had more of a hitting down feel trying to keep the hands forward, yet my hands kept bottoming out early resulting in the fat, drop-kicked shots.
I haven't seen my swing on video in a while and I will try to do that after the week long playing vacation. Thanks for replying!!!
Joe

 

[joeunc]

good ole C7 huh,,well I was trying to make a concious "squat" to stay down on it and not come of of the shot would result in pushes. It's wierd, I was pounding the driver,but my irons felt like I was up to my knuckles in sod with every shot. I could still be hanging back, dropping the club, and then sliding forward without a true pivot. This could lead to either a fat shot or a wek flip. But like I said earlier, I could be wrong but I don't seem to have a loss of distance. Maybe as Brian said, like he was; I have learned to time it??
thanks
Joe

 

[Tom Bartlett]

DBL and PUTTMAD

What part of MANZELLA ACADEMY ONLY don't you understand?

 

[joeunc]

ok,,at the range again

90 balls, just got back. I watched NSA 2.0 today and will again tonight. even though I am not a slicer it was the only thing that got me through the session. Started out the same,,fat, drop kicked low hooking liners with the sod flying up in the air.
Then I said,,what the heck let's try twistaway. Then boom started making crisp, solid contact again high and long. Now, some were straight and some were about 20yds left of target. I don't know if was twisting away as far as Brian speaks about but the sensation of doing it helped. I wasn't really putting it on the screen but the solid contact was back.

Then, I said you know I am really squeezing the club too tight as I hit a few fat pull hooks. So I loosened/lightened my grip. Still doing Manzella Neutral but I made a conscious thought to loosen my right hand. My trigger finger was really squeezing the club I believe. This looser right really felt like it freed my hands up and starting hitting the ball good like I had been doing earlier in the week, before the disaster the last 1.5 range sessions.

My key swing thoughts tomorrow will be lighter grip, semi-twistaway and axis tilt.
I really feel that the two reasons I have been struggling the last 2 days have been grip too tight and lack of axis tilt. I really don't feel "behind" the ball with good tilt.
On my follow through I wind up out over the front leg with back leg bent in a traditional pose,but my front foot has twisted about 45' open from the square setup position. Almost like I am twisted and not staying tilted down the line.

Thanks for any suggestions , drills, thoughts, ideas,,I appreciate them all and love the site. Brian your posts and videos and the 3 I have purchased are really incredible. I hope I am not falling victim to paralysis by analysis however!!

thanks
Joe

 

[Brian Manzella]

Joe.

From reading your posts, it seems to me that you are—without a doubt—swinging too far to the right.

How is it going as of today?

 

[joeunc]

Brian,,,thanks for writing back.

Any reason behind how the twistaway actually helped me from NSA 2.0 today even though I don't slice it? I was drop kicking the ball hitting the ground behind it.

I think my tendency is to come too far inside on the backswing, which if I don't re-route on the way down makes it inside out for a hook or block/push with long irons. I am athletic enough with my hands to hold on or roll them over which cause the pulls with short irons. I conciously have to feel like I am taking the club outside the line just to not get too far inside. And I think I am also lunging at the ball and not getting that position in all your videos of impact and hitting the box. I am not hanging back but I think I am standing up over the front leg and not posting to it. I can't wait to get my dig camera and do a few swings to post. Probably not for a week since the in-laws are visiting and have tee times the next 6 days straight.