Ok here’s an interesting one to throw out to the group. I’ve noticed lately that when I try to do an extended shoulder turn that I sometimes inadvertently come out of the tilt and are too vertical or level on the backswing, resulting in slices or fat and thin shots. The head comes up and the swing breaks down. Curious if anyone else has experienced this issue? I find that if I shorten the backswing to 3/4, the issue is reduced or resolved and/or if I drop my right foot back a bit and angle it a bit to the right I can still stay in position and not come out of the swing. Anyone else have this issue? Tom...thoughts?
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@kipheeg - This is likely because what seems like 3/4 to you is actually the complete backswing! Reaching back for more is like conducting a séance for those old swing demons, and they sure come back to haunt us when we do. Remember - the depth we create by getting our hands behind the trail shoulder at the top gives us all the power we need, even if it "looks" like less than a full swing compared to our old "shift & lift" days. Trust me - you've created width and plenty of distance for that club to travel by taking it deep; there's no need to try to get to "parallel" - that false deity of swings past. Execute the motions, understand your body's natural stopping point, and then - the most difficult part - train yourself to stop there!
So, you need to feel and ingrain your body's natural stopping point in the backswing where the tilting, turning, and extending motions are complete. This is the point where if we were to try to go any further any or all of the following will occur:
1) the lead arm will bend and/or lift
2) the wrists will break down
3) the lead knee will kick inward towards the trail side
4) the lead shoulder will level out and lose its orientation towards the ball
5) weight will shift into the trail side
The chapters, lessons, and drills that comprise the Golf Swing Simplified course curriculum are not randomly ordered; they are designed to be taken sequentially from the beginning. Regardless of a member's skill level, this swing necessitates a complete reboot for someone transitioning from a shift & lift swing (which is typically the case), and therefore it is imperative that one take sufficient time to ensure that the fundamental components of the first couple of chapters are mastered. From the ground up there is nothing superfluous in the Stack & Tilt swing - in other words, everything with a purpose, and a purpose for everything. (For example, contrary to shift and lift where you may be taught to keep your trail foot perpendicular to the target line as a means of "creating resistance" in your trail side, in S&T we flare both feet out 10-20 degrees in order to facilitate a free flowing, inclined hip and shoulder turn.) I cannot overemphasize this enough, as frustrations predominantly occur when students jump ahead in the curriculum without properly dedicating themselves to the foundational base upon which our consistently repeatable, powerful, low maintenance swing must be built.
Fortunately, my prescription for you is the same one that I mentioned in response to the other post about shoulder tilt and dip, provided, that is, that you have worked through Chapter 1 and locked down your foundational base!...😎