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Fast Track Downswing

Hi everyone!

I was going through a period of hitting lots of fat shots. once I started doing the fast track program I started making better contact and hitting divots in front of the ball. my issue now is I have a pretty bad slice. I have tried crunching the right side and sending more weight forward but I haven’t seen much success. I was thinking this would help get my club moving more in to out. Also, it feels hard to get even more weight forward as the fast track program has you getting a lot of weight forward before the downswing (tailbone to target and presenting weight forward). After watching recordings of my swing it looks like I have a good amount of in to out in my swing however my club face looks very open. I have tried moving the left arm off of the chest but it seems to produce a “chicken wing“ in my follow through for me. I have tried letting the weight of the club head hit the correct position in the backswing but I see straighter shots when I really focus on what my wrists are doing And when I do this it produces less of a slice but definitely not a draw.

I was wondering if anyone has some advice or has been experiencing some of the same issues?

overall, i really like the fast track program! I think it has addressed a lot of questions I was having and got me to start hitting good divots again! I think I am in a good place with my swing I just need to get rid of this slice. thanks!

-Clayton

10 comments

10 Comments

cagomgig001

Jul 01, 2021

Hi everyone! I wanted to thank you all for your comments And taking the time to help me out! Sorry for the delayed response but I really wanted to take everything in and experiment. I was out hitting today and these tips really helped decrease the amount I was slicing. I still hit a few with a slice but that happened when I was getting lazy with what I needed to focus on.

The things I was working on were:

really using the ground to start my downswing and delaying my arms (as to not try to hit the ball from the top of the downswing) I found that my foot was not overrating anymore and simply started to roll over.
getting my left arm off the chest and trying to make sure my arms were extending straight out at 45 degrees after impact.

I was hitting pretty straight and even hit a few draws. There are more things in these comments that I will be trying as well like looking in the mirror and checking my head placement, making sure weight is forward. But I do want to thank everyone for the help. I feel like I could go play a round Rn and not lose too many balls in the woods :)

Tom Saguto

Jul 01, 2021

Replying to

That's some fantastic progress, @cagomgig001!! The great folks here in this community know their stuff, speak from a "been there, done that, here's how I fixed it" perspective, and are extremely supportive of their fellow members - so much so that I could step aside and this forum would not even skip a beat! I'm certain you'll find yourself "paying it forward" to others as you become more comfortable with the swing.

In the meantime, keep up the great work, get out there and play, and have fun doing it - that's what it's all about!!

GolfLivesMatter

Jul 01, 2021

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I'm not sure what "crunching the right side" means. It sounds like a forced manipulation of the club to send the face to right field. The weight on the left side is great UNLESS you push off your lead foot early in the downswing which sends your weight backwards and the club face on a weird and unpredictable path. I suggest going back to basics and perform your backswing in a mirror from a face on view to check your position at the top, then start down and STOP (not looking in the mirror) and catch yourself in the mirror at your midway down position. See where your head is vs at address, where your weight is...do you feel it on your trail foot?....meaning do you feel your left foot pumping up early in the downswing? Putting weight forward is great but if the left leg is sending the weight to the trail foot on the downswing then it makes things worse.

danny

Jul 01, 2021

Replying to

Crunching the right side refers to your side muscles. Its a feeling thought "I'll do a right side crunch to start the downswing" Does that make sense?

You're kind of doing a left side crunch in the backswing when you bring the hips around and tilt. So, you're doing the opposite on the downswing only you're trying to start from the bottom up and thinking about crunching the side muscles is a way to start the downswing bottom up.

GolfLivesMatter

Jul 01, 2021

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Replying to

@danny Oh, I see what your saying. I think that could be a relative to tucking the butt. However, if I start hitting fat shots and thins most often my weight is drifting to my right somewhere in my swing. Tom's "Left, Left, Left" video is best to check my weight distribution.

danny

Jul 04, 2021

Replying to

@GolfLivesMatter you're right! left left left should be the new mantra for me!

danny

Jun 30, 2021

I think maybe focus on the setup and keeping everything quiet. We need to keep the wrist and hands from doing very much. so really, I've been more focused on a ground up swing. I gave up the crunch, I gave up the hip slide thoughts.

Now, I'm more focused on getting the tailbone toward the target on the back swing and starting the downswing with my trail foot rolling toward the target. This creats that nice lag feeling where the club is following the arms which, are following the shoulders which are following the lower body which, gets going from rolling the trail foot. It's a really weird feeling and you really have to give up "controlling" the club to the ball...

When you get there is is truly an experience!

Danny

kipheeg

Jun 30, 2021

Try dropping your trail foot 2 inches behind your lead foot on the setup. That will promote an in to out swing. Usually works for me as a quick fix to slicing. You can always adjust if it’s over correcting and you start hooking it.

Tom Saguto

Jun 30, 2021

Hi Clayton,

Let's see if we can drum up some responses from the community. To kickstart this, @danny, @Nocona Colt Abernathy, @Buford T Ogletree, @desmondmoss, @GolfLivesMatter - any suggestions come to mind for Clayton?

By the way, that lead arm does need to move off the chest during the downswing. This does not mean that we lose the connection between the upper arm and the side of the pecs, but since we brought the lead arm 45 degrees across the chest in the backswing, we need to get it off of there in order to get to a good impact position.

Tom

Nocona Colt Abernathy

Jun 30, 2021

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Replying to

I just realized there was a new fast track course. lol. I will check it out.

As for your issues, you can slice the ball whether you swing it to the left or right. The slice is produced by a club face that is open to the path. So, you need to address your clubface, NOT your path. Be wary of trying to crunch the right side too much because 1: you can injure yourself and 2: You can unknowingly be putting too much weight on the back foot.

The "chicken wing" arm happens because your brain knows you are going to hit the ground behind the ball, so it lifts the arm to make contact. My suspicion is either your issue is manipulating the clubface early in the swing or you're not turning through the shot. Remember, you want to use the shoulders to take the club away from the ball. The hands are not active. This puts the club in the correct spot at the top to deliver the club straight at the ball. As for the turn, I think you're so focused on the path, that you are preventing your body from turning.

I personally have trouble shifting weight forward, so I start with more weight on my front foot (my hips are preset forward) and then turn from the top. The outward force of the turn is what forces your left arm off your chest. Go back to the 90% weight drill. You need to get the feeling of a lengthened left side at impact.

FYI. Your arms should be fully straight at 45 degrees after impact, but after that the left arm can break. You don't need a wrap around finish, but I assure you, Mike Bennett's left arm is bent at the finish.