Swing Video

[ColinMB]

Hey folks.

Nothing important, I just thought I'd post because a few people have asked to see my swing here. I only had an older one... about 6+ months old here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2I44m-XTmg

Well I got a new instructor. The first lesson was a little rough. It set me back a lot but we got looking at a bunch of new video of me. He was adamant that on most swings I am -not- over the top.

He believed that I was SO infatuated with swing path (coming from the inside) that I am not releasing correctly... and not just the club face but my body.

We did a fist full of little drills and tried some stuff... sure enough I think he's on to something. I gave me this weird gizmo to try that reminded me of the 'Fore Inventors Only' club that shows you when/how to close the face.

I could not believe how -late- I was closing the face. Anyway, long story short, we tried stuff... some of it worked, I also shortened my swing a bit more and started closing the face harder and am 'releasing' a bit more than this video will show, but here it is from 3 weeks ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFRmtpB5HcM

It ain't pretty but it does get me down the fairway. Like I said, swing is even a bit shorter now, and I'm trying to release more. When I showed him my big fat miss that causes me triple bogies on some holes, he just said they were massive blocks. I wasn't over the top I was just to concerned with my path (which he says he sees a lot of) and I was leaving the face wide open.

 

[welshdentist]

Hi Colin,

Keep working hard. I'd say a few things looking at those swings.

Look at why you are not squaring the face, it's not that you need to release it harder but need to not have to.

Path obsession is due to the body/mind knowing how open the clubface is and wanting to not see it going right and then further right.

At the top the clubface appears o.k but there is definately a bent left wrist. Do you have a strong grip?

I would bet you couldn't hit it very well with a Manzella neutral grip? What is you general shot pattern with/without this?

At transition to halfway down I think you do a reverse twistaway getting things even more open. No surprise why you have to try to release it hard/struggle to square it/try to come over the top.

Classic need of a NSA pattern focusing on neutral grip, twistaway to a flat/arched left wrist and HOLDING on to it.

You may not want to use it on the course but at least do it to show that from a neutral grip you can strike it really well and hit a hook that doesn't start left.

I think others have said you have open face issues, I think that's your main problem to be honest.

Very easy for someone like Brian to dejunk imho

Keep at it mate

 

[fronesis]

That's a very solid swing, Colin. Keep up the good work.

I agree completely with welshdentist's analysis. Your swing reminds me of mine when I had a strong grip: you're opening the face on the downswing. Fix the clubface as NSA prescribes - i.e. learn to turn the face off the plane with a neutral grip and square it up (hit the ball with the back of your left hand) - and I think you'll find a world of possibilities open up in your golf swing.

And I know that I'm no teaching pro, but, personally, I don't think 'trying to release more is the answer'. That way lies flipping.

 

[pecky987]

when you say 'releasing it', dont mean to be nasty about your teacher, but is he telling you to 'crossover' your hands, or flip them, to square the face up.

that aint the way you wanna do it. NSA style club face rotation by lagging the sweetspot and wedding ring up is the real way to do it

 

[ColinMB]

Well thanks for looking at the video guys. It's been a lot of work to even get this far.

When I say my instructor wants me to release the club, I think it's the choice of words. There is no doubt when I saw some of the other video that I wanted to drop in the 'slot' so badly that I would just push the ball out to right field without coming close to closing the face.

I am aware of flipping issues. He would get me to swing and could show me how far away I am from that. The best way I could put it is I seem to stop the club from following through, and I again in an effort to com inside, I don't rotate it.

I do hit okay with a neutral grip, especially with irons, it just seems to make me more conscious of closing the face.

When my current instructor was giving me some tips (I didn't want to bore you guys with this stuff) he would show the hands crossing over and the club extending past impact (I hold it off).

There were two drills he had me do most often. 1) take two irons, one in each hand and swing them side by side without letting the clash. (I believe you can only do this if you add body rotation at the end.) 2) this was my favorite drill, he grabbed a bucket of balls he asked me to plant my feet (no lifting of them during the swing), and he asked me to take a pitching wedge, and do half shots where I just practice hooking the ball, over and over. That was an interesting feel.

Just keep in mind these videos were for his review purposes and were previous to our lessons.

Personally I think I have it so ingrained in my head to NOT come over the top that I don't cross my forearms over. It "feels" like doing so would cause my shoulders to also turn around rather than under, thus causing an OTT move.

This is an iron front on. The swing is too long, and I've tried changing a few things since here, but you can see how strong my grip is here. I guess it's just become comfortable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClIKvMXWbPA

I've been playing a ton since the lessons. I'd say my irons have been hurting me as my driving accuracy has improved immensely since the lessons (just turning the club over aggressively). I'll be off to a range today to work on turning that face over.

 

[shortgamer]

Different issue but shouldn't you fix the pivot first? I'm not trying to be disrespectful but should the pivot not be correct before tackling other issues since it can have a major effect on plane and release?

 

[ColinMB]

Yea, this was probably a bad idea. The problem is that I way over swing on the way back. Again, this was before my first lesson with this guy. My upper body is far more quiet now. That upper lift I do at the end is not only useless, it got me out of position. For right now it feels like I'm taking half of a backswing but it prevents this from happening. Also as my instructor noted, since my first move down did not mimic my last move back, it put me out of position. Again, I don't lift this far back now. The problem was it had been several months since I saw my swing, I didn't even realize it.

I think I'll pull the videos... and maybe repost in a week or two if I can get current footage. Actually to be quite honest, as soon as I reduced my backswing, a lot of mechanic problems went away. Almost instantly. Then we started analyzing if my path was a problem or not (doesn't appear to be) and then of course closing the face.

Thanks a lot guys. I appreciate it.