I have had trouble with my backswing getting shallow first then downswing getting too steep. I have worked all the drills you suggested from the V1 video analysis which was great. I made a stand to hold my alignment stick at the shaft angle and worked a ton in slow motion while using my camera to video and compare to the positions on your videos. Still feel like I am not getting something quite right so I went back to the beginning of the takeaway section in the KFC section and worked the drills and think I found something I am not doing correctly but wanted to confirm. The takeaway videos say to turn left shoulder down, left arm across chest and clubface pointing towards ball while keeping club head and shaft pointing approx at belt buckle (to prevent wrists from rolling). I was doing all of that, but feel like I am turning my hips too much To take the club back. When I just turn my left shoulder down (without turning my hips until left arm parallel and ready to set the wrists) I can see the club go up the shaft line. The club feels more behind me in the backswing/downswing in a much more powerful position. That’s just my feel anyway. Is the correct motion to limit the hip turn in the takeaway? In the video analysis you did of my swing you indicated I was in the correct position of left arm across chest and in line with my shoulder line but it was how I got there that made me loop in the wrong direction (i.e. over the top) on my downswing. Just wanted to check if this is correct before I put in a little more practice and submit another video analysis. Thank you!
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Hi Rick,
While this body-friendly swing is not built on creating resistance or "torque" (we're not rubber bands, after all), as long as we maintain the prescribed connections and properly execute the motions there are naturally occurring stopping points for tilting and turning. Just like the shoulders our hips turn on an inclined plane as the trail leg straightens, with the belt buckle angled downward. The hips should turn approximately 45 degrees on this inclination without restriction, facilitating an easy 45 degrees of tilted shoulder turn for a full 90. If the hip turn flattens out at any point during the backswing it can reroute the hand path too low to the inside and cause that inverted over the top loop.
Based on what you are saying you may not need to "feel" your hip turn and instead can relinquish control to simply turning the lead shoulder down - Arnold Palmer's favorite tip. If that move puts you in a correct and powerful position with the hands deep, connections maintained, and your lead arm at or just below the shoulder line at the top - and if from there you can initiate your downswing on the proper in to out path - then there's no need to concern yourself with anything else!!
Tom
Rawackerly,
We'll have to wait for Tom to comment, but my understanding is there is a hip turn on the back swing. In the down swing, the hips move lately (forward) and will turn automatically as you continue into the follow through.
Easier said than done!