What bothers me most about my swing

[EF426]

I got here over three years ago. I learned a lot and tired to incorporate elements of COFF and NSA into my swing. It's gone in circles. Sometimes I think I'm genuinely improving, sometimes I think I'm going backwards.

Here's what bothers me most. I'm ridiculously ahead of the ball when I hit it. If you draw a line up from the ball at impact, all you can see is my right foot and leg and some of my right forearm. It seems like most good players are behind it, even with short irons.

<a href="http://imgur.com/eh1UT"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/eh1UT.jpg" alt="" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /></a>

Something that's said here often is if it's working for you, keep doing it. And I hit it ok, but there's no way I'm close to the "forward lean with minimal downward strike" that it takes to hit good quality shots.

When I try to get in a better impact position, I just thin the ball around the course.

What keeps me reading here is the idea that you can upgrade what you have and hit the ball better without going backwards or starting over with a method at square one. It's out there somewhere.

 

[hp12c]

I got here over three years ago. I learned a lot and tired to incorporate elements of COFF and NSA into my swing. It's gone in circles. Sometimes I think I'm genuinely improving, sometimes I think I'm going backwards.

Here's what bothers me most. I'm ridiculously ahead of the ball when I hit it. If you draw a line up from the ball at impact, all you can see is my right foot and leg and some of my right forearm. It seems like most good players are behind it, even with short irons.

<a onclick="_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Outgoing', 'imgur.com', '/eh1UT']);" href="http://imgur.com/eh1UT"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/eh1UT.jpg" alt="" title="Hosted by imgur.com" /></a>

Something that's said here often is if it's working for you, keep doing it. And I hit it ok, but there's no way I'm close to the "forward lean with minimal downward strike" that it takes to hit good quality shots.

When I try to get in a better impact position, I just thin the ball around the course.

What keeps me reading here is the idea that you can upgrade what you have and hit the ball better without going backwards or starting over with a method at square one. It's out there somewhere.

[/I]

I have those videos too I got em about 14 months ago, I also felt at times I was moving forward other times I felt I was goinf backwards too. Part of my problem was I wanted perfection all the time every shot with that compression sound!, but I see that even some less then perfect shot are really playable really! So for me I look for more playable golf shots and really working on IOTR, this has really helped my pitches and chips.

 

[ms1170]

Have you tried baseball. It sounds like you could get a pretty good jump out of the batters box.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Try this:

See if you can hit a wedge shot with only a 3/4 backswing and only a 3/4 follow through without letting your right foot get off the ground. Ball flight should be a slight draw. If you are inflexible, allow the right foot to come up slightly but try to limit it. Also it's really important to only do 3/4 back and through.

 

[Lindsey Newman]

You have to get all the way down before you go level to up. If you don't, you'll be forced to get the "down" right before the strike and the hand path should have bottomed out before that point.

 

[OLIVER1]

You have to get all the way down before you go level to up. If you don't, you'll be forced to get the "down" right before the strike and the hand path should have bottomed out before that point.

Lindsey
Can you expand on that
Do you mean the handpath getting down earlier, the right side or a combination of both?
Fascinating area of study

 

[Matt 4-L]

Great comments by both Jim and Lindsey.

 

[Lindsey Newman]

Lindsey
Can you expand on that
Do you mean the handpath getting down earlier, the right side or a combination of both?
Fascinating area of study

Depends, could (probably)need more vertical hand path - coming from either more early tilt ( not likely ) or more arm swing ( most likely). OR a combination of both.

 

[DCgolf]

Getting ahead of the ball is an effect. You need to get on to the cause. Do you fade/slice? Are your shafts too flexible? Do you have a big move to the right off the ball? Do you have a very early release like club head throwaway? Do you hit fat shots? All these things can and will drive you way ahead of it. You can't just put a fix on the move. There's a reason you're doing what you're doing. Especially if you KNOW what your doing and can't stop it.

 

[Kevin Shields]

Huge call from DC. If you know what you're doing but still do it, well, there is a root cause you are unaware of. You obviously hit it better getting ahead of it.

 

[Erik_K]

Getting ahead of the ball is an effect. You need to get on to the cause. Do you fade/slice? Are your shafts too flexible? Do you have a big move to the right off the ball? Do you have a very early release like club head throwaway? Do you hit fat shots? All these things can and will drive you way ahead of it. You can't just put a fix on the move. There's a reason you're doing what you're doing. Especially if you KNOW what your doing and can't stop it.

This is correct. I, too, have a big move into/ahead of the ball. There's a reason for it. Tour quality impact positions are an effect of doing a myriad of things correctly before the strike.

In my case I tend to come down steep and have a sweep/cast type release too. I think I am overly wide coming into the ball and I guess I need to move ahead aggressively otherwise I'll bottom out a foot behind the ball.

Erik

 

[DCgolf]

This is correct. I, too, have a big move into/ahead of the ball. There's a reason for it. Tour quality impact positions are an effect of doing a myriad of things correctly before the strike.

In my case I tend to come down steep and have a sweep/cast type release too. I think I am overly wide coming into the ball and I guess I need to move ahead aggressively otherwise I'll bottom out a foot behind the ball.

Yes. My history of seeing this is that club head throwaway is a common cause of sliding way ahead. In fact you HAVE TO to avoid laying sod over it. nobody just decides out of nowhere to do these things. There is a REASON for all of them. DC

 

[EF426]

Getting ahead of the ball is an effect. You need to get on to the cause. Do you fade/slice? Are your shafts too flexible? Do you have a big move to the right off the ball? Do you have a very early release like club head throwaway? Do you hit fat shots? All these things can and will drive you way ahead of it. You can't just put a fix on the move. There's a reason you're doing what you're doing. Especially if you KNOW what your doing and can't stop it.

I appreciate the comments, but how do you tell the causes from the effects? Seems like you could just as easily say that throwaway is an effect of something else.

I think this is a big problem with somewhat educated golfers like myself. I see the swing on video, I can see the differences between me and good players, so I throw in the first few steps from NSA and things certainly look better.

But I don't hit it better.

And its tough for moral because you could be wasting your efforts on an effect and not a cause.

But I still wake up every day thinking that I'll find the answer!

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

I appreciate the comments, but how do you tell the causes from the effects?

Experience.

Seems like you could just as easily say that throwaway is an effect of something else.

it is, generally open clubface issues.

I think this is a big problem with somewhat educated golfers like myself. I see the swing on video, I can see the differences between me and good players, so I throw in the first few steps from NSA and things certainly look better.But I don't hit it better.
And its tough for moral because you could be wasting your efforts on an effect and not a cause.
But I still wake up every day thinking that I'll find the answer!

Not trying to be mean but that's why you need to find a good instructor that knows the caues/effects so that he/she can fix your causes and/or explain them to you and you can work on them. Would save you time/frustration and probably money if you are trying to fix yourself spending a lot on range balls.

 

[art]

I appreciate the comments, but how do you tell the causes from the effects? Seems like you could just as easily say that throwaway is an effect of something else.

I think this is a big problem with somewhat educated golfers like myself. I see the swing on video, I can see the differences between me and good players, so I throw in the first few steps from NSA and things certainly look better.

But I don't hit it better.

And its tough for moral because you could be wasting your efforts on an effect and not a cause.

But I still wake up every day thinking that I'll find the answer!

Dear EF426,

We have not met, but I hope you have been reading most of the posts on this great site.

As to cause and effect, the golfing world has been turning the lower body faster and faster, destroying the ability to maintain lower body dynamic balance.

'Bumpy back ,KEEP IT BACK' took me 1000 research papers, and 5 years to develop, and define. (Google "Bumpy back vs Diagonal Stance" for an explanation of the importance of consistent TEMPO, and dynamic balance).

The 'keep it back part encourages the lead hip to turn faster (and earlier) counterclockwise during the downswing than the rear hip, and IMO, if you DON'T have this sequence, makes you swing your arms around the rear hip.

So my suggestion is to review a few of your videos, concentrating on the path and timing of the hips during the transition and downswing to look for the CAUSE of you rerouting your arms to get around the rear hip, and reflex your hands to get the EFFECT of "getting ahead of the ball".

Please let us know the results.

Regards,
art