The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...My Swing

[coachwalls]

I haven't put my swing on video in a long time. I suffer from inconsistency like most amateurs and would like to get better.

My swing is self taught. I have never had a lesson in my life. I'm not a bad player. My normal scores are right around 80 on moderately difficult courses. I'm not a short knocker, my normal 7 iron carry is 165. My normal miss is a pull hook with an occasional block to the right.

I'm coming off of a layoff of almost 18 months. I've played several holes of golf over the last two months but haven't had any time to practice (I'm a high school golf coach). I'm in pretty good shape physically but three deployments have started to take their toll on my joints. Other than that I don't have any physical limitations to keep my from making a good swing.

I taped my swing tonight and was shocked at what I observed when I was done. There was a lot about my swing that I liked but a lot that I didn't like either. I'll save my analysis and let the experts on this board pick it apart.

What I would like to know is what is good about my swing and what is bad (I think the bad is very obvious). I would also like to know how to fix the bad with out destroying what is good about my swing. I own most of Brian's videos so if you could point me to one of them as a starting point that would be great.

I'm not going to jump into any changes for at least a couple of weeks. One of my players qualified for state and we are playing a practice round at Prairie Dunes this weekend. I also have two golf outings at Sand Creek Station in the next couple of weeks. I would rather scrape it around the course with an ugly swing than be a total hack with a work in progress if you know what I mean.

Sorry about the poor iPhone video. It's all I have at the moment. The frame by frame was pretty good using quick time but I'm not sure how well it'll be with vimeo.

Thanks in advance.

7 Iron face on. I had an alignment club set up on the first two swings and was standing a little to far away. The final swing is what I would consider a pretty good shot.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23889530?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/23889530">Untitled</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user7123186">coachwalls</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

7 Iron down the line. First swing a left the club face wide open. Call it performance anxiety. The second swing was struck pretty well.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/23889036?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/23889036">7 iron DTL May 2011</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user7123186">coachwalls</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

[Virtuoso]

Coach, what didn't you like?

 

[Jared Willerson]

I think a little seperation of the upper and lower body would go a long way. You seem to turn everything together and don't give yourself a chance to really extend your arms in the follow through

brian's video on YouTube about the VSP I think would help a lot especially the impact to follow through position he describes

not a bad swing at all but working on the right things would make it better.

One HS golf coach to another. Congrats on making it to state, I know that is a big deal.

 

[coachwalls]

One HS golf coach to another. Congrats on making it to state, I know that is a big deal.

How do you become a better coach? You get better athletes. All kidding aside it is a big deal. This is without a doubt the best player I've had in 12 years of coaching golf. He just needs a little mental help and reassurance once in a while. He's just a sophomore.

I'll look the VSP video up.

 

[coachwalls]

Coach, what didn't you like?

I don't like the folding of the left arm on the back swing and the chicken wing follow through. If I make a conscious effort to fix either one I hook it off the planet.

I think the setup, first move back, and transition are okay. I thought I had fixed my flip with Confessions but it looks to me like I still have a little bit of a flip and replaced most of it with the chicken wing finish.

 

[Jared Willerson]

I know what you mean. I had a good run of players the past few years, but this year was like starting over. I got to see how much I could help. I was enlightening to say the least. Especially the mandatory rules meeting I had to call after our first match. Scary. Looking forward to better things next year.

 

[Kevin Shields]

GRip looks suspect and a litle heelbound at address. I think the overall feel of these two force you to level off and open up the shaft and you over lean the other way trying to square it up and it looks like you get bound at impact.

 

[Mike O]

Patterns

Your current pattern is one you could adapt and use. Especially applicable with shorter accurate approach shots. For full power shots though - I'd change the whole thing and it starts with the grip/ball location. Your grip is too weak and the face isn't closed enough at address and you need to grip the club with the shaft leaning forward more - currently your clubface is WIDE open at the top. The ball is too far back in your stance for a power swing (I'm assuming you swing the same way for every club and don't have more than one swing). The grip is separated at the finish. You don't want to have the ball in focus on the downswing - looks like you might due to the head down so long, or maybe that eye/head pattern just helps you flip it i.e. close the face. With that grip/clubface/ ball location - you have to flip it and stop the body to square the face - as a result you could never have a strong sense of leg drive- didn't need it - didn't want it - yet you saw that as a flaw - so you worked on it - learned to kick in the right knee, foot, leg - your "leg drive" is more fake - a change in grip, ball location will require and create a real lower body motion to keep the clubface "squared". If your motivated enough - you'll figure it out - just make sure you understand the relationships - how one change effects the others.

 

[Matt Bryda]

Coach,

I would bump the hips toward the target slightly to get the left hip higher than the right. Although not the best angle to see this.

 

[coachwalls]

GRip looks suspect and a litle heelbound at address. I think the overall feel of these two force you to level off and open up the shaft and you over lean the other way trying to square it up and it looks like you get bound at impact.

Heelbound as in to far under the meaty part of the left had (the heal part of the pinky part of the hand?) That would be a great observation if that is what you are talking about. I do have the grip deep into the heel pad of my left hand and a small change in grip pressure will close the face.

Do you have a link to Brian's grip article? Nevermind on the article. Just remembered that I have building blocks
What else do you think is suspect about my grip? Which way am I leaning to far at impact? Away from the target?