Just a couple of quick followups.
First, I edited my post to make it clear that Brian and I worked on getting me to downshift to the elbow plane.
My natural tendency is always to get steep on the downswing. I'm sure this comes from years of not really understanding how to square the clubface. Now that I know how to square the clubface, I still just have the steepness built into my natural swing instincts. That is, my instincts are to make a move from the top with my hands that gets me really steep. I may compensate from there (with a flip, etc.) but it's not a productive first move. I can hit the ball fairly well from this steep plane, but it does lead to problems - pulls, hooks, flips, etc. From this steep plane I find it more challenging than perhaps others do to hit a draw that doesn't start left. I find it harder to really hit down and through the ball (really compress the ball with a solid diviot) with a FLW.
By float loading the right elbow and getting to a shallower plane, I feel like I'm able to stay on plane throughout the swing and hit very straight shots. I feel it's much easier to hit tiny draws that start straight or even slightly right. And I feel like I can compress the ball much better with short and mid-irons. Overall, I feel like I have more consistency and MUCH more solid contact.
My only misses when playing yesterday were a couple of times when I failed to make the transition properly: this led to an OTT 3 wood that was a dead pull and two drivers that were weak pull-cuts (still in the fairway, but very short). But I hit a half dozen iron shots VERY solidly to within 12 feet, and I hit a number of 3 woods and drivers off the tee that were extremely straight and, for me, quite long.
