Ok, I'm gonna finally take the plunge...

[Bigwill]

...and put my swing up for scrutiny. A little background:

Been playing since about 2000, but haven't been out as much as I would like. Played less than 10 rounds the last 3 years (injuries, unemployment, young children; the trifecta baby!). Best score is a 94 shot last year. When I'm hitting it well, it doesn't curve too much. Played my best hitting a draw. When I hit it poorly (especially off the tee) it goes right most of the time. Ball turf contact is my biggest bugaboo.

Please let me know what you see and think, what I could improve upon, and which of Brian's videos could help the most (I have flipper, building blocks, soft draw, NSA and NHA).

Also, any ideas on drills that can be done at home without a ball, or involving short distance chipping, would be greatly appreciated.

Ask whatever you want or need to. I could use a little help

Thanks guys.

7 iron dtl
‪iSwing Video - taken on 7.25.11‬‏ - YouTube

7 iron fo
‪iSwing Video - taken on 7.25.11‬‏ - YouTube

driver dtl
‪iSwing Video - taken on 7.25.11‬‏ - YouTube

driver fo
‪iSwing Video - taken on 7.25.11‬‏ - YouTube

‪iSwing Video - taken on 7.25.11‬‏ - YouTube

 

[spktho]

I would suggest NSA. Especially get your grip more neutral and learn a good swivel with the hands to square the club face.

 

[birly-shirly]

Nice. I like the movement. Looks like a pretty strong grip though. I don't think my grip was that strong, but I hit the ball right to left and reckoned that I didn't need NSA. That was then. Now I think a good test is to see whether you can still draw the ball with a neutral (as in NSA) grip and go from there.

Re. ball-turf contact, I like hitting balls with either a board or a towel a few inches behind the ball, or hitting balls in line with a couple of tees and working only on taking a divot on the target side of the line.

 

[footwedge]

Now that's dynamic! Grip is a bit strong leading to some other things, the setup with the driver seems like too much of a forward leaning shaft with the hands forward pressed too much , could be related to the grip. There's a couple of other things but maybe Kevin or Lindsey could chime in.

 

[Mike O]

will,
A lot of good looking stuff there - love the backswing. Grip doesn't bother me - here's the biggest problems:
1) Flipping it going through impact
2) look at the 7 iron down the line - into the follow-through/ finish - see how vertical the shaft gets due to the flipping motion.
3) Why is the clubshaft bouncing off your back - fix it.
4) Can you work on your foot action past impact so the right foot doesn't hop and can you end up on your right toe in stead of having the right foot flat at the finish?
5) A couple of the driver swings - you were really falling back on it - fix it - whatever it takes.

To many related issues to fix on a forum. For example - if you had the proper non-flip motion through impact and didn't change anything else you'd hit it way right. You'd need to bring the ball location up in your stance a bunch. For now your flip and the ball back - counter-act each other. Move the ball up in the stance and then figure out to hit it from there, combined with better foot work. They all work together and are part of the puzzle. Not many are smart enough to figure out the puzzle, good luck with your progress, I bet you can hit it a mile when you get ahold of it.

Another "puzzle" piece to understand is the relationship between your hand and arm motion and the effect it has on your body motion. See how you raise up, straighten up, stand up in the follow-through and finish - that's a result of the real vertical motion you make with the hands, arms and club during the follow-through, as a result of the way you come through the ball.
So good news and bad news- bad news is you have alot of major issues that need fixing. Good news: There is alot of potential and talent sitting there - huge upside.

 

[faux_maestro]

will,
A lot of good looking stuff there - love the backswing. Grip doesn't bother me - here's the biggest problems:
1) Flipping it going through impact
2) look at the 7 iron down the line - into the follow-through/ finish - see how vertical the shaft gets due to the flipping motion.
3) Why is the clubshaft bouncing off your back - fix it.
4) Can you work on your foot action past impact so the right foot doesn't hop and can you end up on your right toe in stead of having the right foot flat at the finish?
5) A couple of the driver swings - you were really falling back on it - fix it - whatever it takes.

To many related issues to fix on a forum. For example - if you had the proper non-flip motion through impact and didn't change anything else you'd hit it way right. You'd need to bring the ball location up in your stance a bunch. For now your flip and the ball back - counter-act each other. Move the ball up in the stance and then figure out to hit it from there, combined with better foot work. They all work together and are part of the puzzle. Not many are smart enough to figure out the puzzle, good luck with your progress, I bet you can hit it a mile when you get ahold of it.

I was thinking the same thing. If you can make a few upgrades I bet you will hit it a ton. How far do you hit your 9 iron, 7 iron, 5 iron, driver now when you hit it well?

 

[Bigwill]

I would suggest NSA. Especially get your grip more neutral and learn a good swivel with the hands to square the club face.

I knew this was coming Yeah, my grip's always been crazy strong. You guys are validating my thoughts that I might need to do something about it. I'll study my NSA.

BTW, tough luck on the ACL. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

[Bigwill]

Nice. I like the movement. Looks like a pretty strong grip though. I don't think my grip was that strong, but I hit the ball right to left and reckoned that I didn't need NSA. That was then. Now I think a good test is to see whether you can still draw the ball with a neutral (as in NSA) grip and go from there.

Re. ball-turf contact, I like hitting balls with either a board or a towel a few inches behind the ball, or hitting balls in line with a couple of tees and working only on taking a divot on the target side of the line.

Thanks for the complement. Honestly didn't expect any!

I'm gonna commit to "neutralizing" my grip. It's gonna be... interesting

I'll also try these drills, taking special care not to "cheat" (sliding the swing center forward by sliding so that I could still flip). This is what I was doing in the 7-iron vids. I felt like I was finishing like Paula Creamer. Results were not so good...

 

[Bigwill]

Now that's dynamic! Grip is a bit strong leading to some other things, the setup with the driver seems like too much of a forward leaning shaft with the hands forward pressed too much , could be related to the grip. There's a couple of other things but maybe Kevin or Lindsey could chime in.

I think it's definitely related to the grip. I can't get my hands midbody to save my life, and I'm sure that left hand is the culprit. I hope one of the Manzella instructors chime in, too. That said, I REALLY appreciate you guys looking at the vids and offering suggestions; it actually made my day to see the posts so far. I feel like I could be so much better than I am, but I need all the help I can get!!

 

[footwedge]

I think it's definitely related to the grip. I can't get my hands midbody to save my life, and I'm sure that left hand is the culprit. I hope one of the Manzella instructors chime in, too. That said, I REALLY appreciate you guys looking at the vids and offering suggestions; it actually made my day to see the posts so far. I feel like I could be so much better than I am, but I need all the help I can get!!

Lot's of potential there and for sure you can be better.C'mon Brian or Kevin help the Bigwill out he's been here since '04 and has 1100 posts that must get some love.

 

[Bigwill]

will,
A lot of good looking stuff there - love the backswing. Thanks! Grip doesn't bother me - here's the biggest problems:
1) Flipping it going through impact
Saw that. It's at the top of my list
2) look at the 7 iron down the line - into the follow-through/ finish - see how vertical the shaft gets due to the flipping motion.
Noticed that too. Something else to work on.
3) Why is the clubshaft bouncing off your back - fix it.
I dunno why, but can't afford it. I've busted quite a few shafts across my back. This is something that I honestly don't know where to start, but I'm guessing it will go away when the flip does.
4) Can you work on your foot action past impact so the right foot doesn't hop and can you end up on your right toe in stead of having the right foot flat at the finish?
5) A couple of the driver swings - you were really falling back on it - fix it - whatever it takes.
4 and 5 are related to a physical issue, I believe. My right ankle is weak along with the calf. It's something I never really paid attention to before. But I will now. I'm sure it will get better as well as I continue to drop weight (80lbs since March) and get it stronger

To many related issues to fix on a forum. For example - if you had the proper non-flip motion through impact and didn't change anything else you'd hit it way right. You'd need to bring the ball location up in your stance a bunch. For now your flip and the ball back - counter-act each other. Move the ball up in the stance and then figure out to hit it from there, combined with better foot work. They all work together and are part of the puzzle. Not many are smart enough to figure out the puzzle, good luck with your progress, I bet you can hit it a mile when you get ahold of it.

Move it up, figure it out... Will do. And yeah, if I EVER catch it, I can hit it decently. But I bet I could hit pretty far once I learn to hit it right

Another "puzzle" piece to understand is the relationship between your hand and arm motion and the effect it has on your body motion. See how you raise up, straighten up, stand up in the follow-through and finish - that's a result of the real vertical motion you make with the hands, arms and club during the follow-through, as a result of the way you come through the ball.
So good news and bad news- bad news is you have alot of major issues that need fixing. Good news: There is alot of potential and talent sitting there - huge upside.

Really appreciate the post, Mike. And thanks for the potential comment. Hoping to realize it someday in the not-so-distant future.
BTW, I have an impact bag; would drilling with that help with the flipping issue as well?

 

[Bigwill]

I was thinking the same thing. If you can make a few upgrades I bet you will hit it a ton. How far do you hit your 9 iron, 7 iron, 5 iron, driver now when you hit it well?

I feel the same way regarding the upgrades. I used to be long enough that I got it in my head to compete in some long drive contests.

It didn't end well. There's long, and there's long drive long.

Normal on course swings, I play my 9 at 150, 7 at 175, 5 at 195. If I hit the driver decently, it's gonna go over 285, but I don't count on that on the course because, well, I don't hit it decently that much.

Now that I'm getting older and have lost speed (and have seen my swing) I know I'm leaving a lot of yards out there; I've been getting by on strength, but I'm not the brute I used to be

 

[Kevin Shields]

Do you find it ironic that ur miss is right even with the grip and the clubface appearing closed the entire swing?

 

[Bigwill]

Do you find it ironic that ur miss is right even with the grip and the clubface appearing closed the entire swing?

very, not to mention frustrating because it feels like anything weaker is going two fairways to the right.

 

[DCgolf]

My guess is...straight line, steep shaft, shallow angle, shut to open right blocks. The fix for that swing is to shape it by rolling the arms and turning the body. Hit golf balls on a side hill lie above your feet. If you get some arc in that swing the body and club face may respond to the arm rotation. I call it "roll,roll"...

 

[magicmarker]

powerful swing!
clubhead path stays too far inside imo
a weaker grip, a ball placed slightly more forward in your stance, and a feeling like you are coming more over the top (and less flipping) should give you more consistency in your ball flight....
remember to play your clubs like instruments, with tempo. with that swing you don't have to TRY to kill it, you just need get close to the sweet spot and the ball will undoubtedly feel what you've got to offer.

 

[Bigwill]

My guess is...straight line, steep shaft, shallow angle, shut to open right blocks. The fix for that swing is to shape it by rolling the arms and turning the body. Hit golf balls on a side hill lie above your feet. If you get some arc in that swing the body and club face may respond to the arm rotation. I call it "roll,roll"...

What you're suggesting is what it feels like I'm doing when I try to intentionally draw/hook it. But it can get away from me.

 

[Bigwill]

powerful swing!
clubhead path stays too far inside imo
a weaker grip, a ball placed slightly more forward in your stance, and a feeling like you are coming more over the top (and less flipping) should give you more consistency in your ball flight....
remember to play your clubs like instruments, with tempo. with that swing you don't have to TRY to kill it, you just need get close to the sweet spot and the ball will undoubtedly feel what you've got to offer.

So, try to feel like I'm fading it?

Wanna hear something funny? That's not even my "kill it" swing.
On second thought, maybe that's just sad...

 

[DCgolf]

What you're suggesting is what it feels like I'm doing when I try to intentionally draw/hook it. But it can get away from me.

With the club that dosed at the top, if you let it go it will hook. Big time. That's why I'd roll it open going back. That's the roll. The other roll is you could rotate through if you fan it going back. It would shape the swing and get arms and body to work together better. I've given that lesson a thousand times and it really does begin on a sidehill lie with the ball above your feet. Or put the ball on a high tee and don't ground the club. Keep it in the air about as high as the ball. Same thing. Both drills work. Good luck.

 

[Bigwill]

With the club that dosed at the top, if you let it go it will hook. Big time. That's why I'd roll it open going back. That's the roll. The other roll is you could rotate through if you fan it going back. It would shape the swing and get arms and body to work together better. I've given that lesson a thousand times and it really does begin on a sidehill lie with the ball above your feet. Or put the ball on a high tee and don't ground the club. Keep it in the air about as high as the ball. Same thing. Both drills work. Good luck.

Gotcha. Thanks.