I went out Saturday afternoon on a beautiful sunny day in Honolulu. I did tell you guys I was stuck here in Hawaii where the golf courses look like they belong in Heaven with beautiful fairways and greens that look like velvet? Anyway. Here is my first real-time account of hitting the ball with the Saguto formula. On my first outing, I did not fully understand completely but on yesterday's trip, I tried to do everything I saw and thought I learned. Hit about 150 balls. The last basket of 50 was probably more than I should have but I could stay all day. I would say I contacted the ball well with very few tops but, I still had a few. Good VS bad was about 30/70 but even when the shot went wrong I felt solid contact I had zero slices and I don't think any shots went right but most shots beelined to the left on a straight trajectory hard and straight. Even some drives were all low with power. some straight and some to the left. kind of like those "stingers" without control. I don't want to call it a hook because they did not hook. it was almost like I was pointing that way but, I was not. So what's the thing? too much weight on the left? too high on the backswing? a little of both? Sometimes I even felt off balance.
Several times I did have that magic carpet ride feeling where it doesn't even feel like you hit the ball but it goes high and straight but, not on those beelines to the left
@Tom Holt and @Les Shirt,
As @Gerry_Lager says, without seeing your swings (which is key to any accurate assessment), the most likely culprit is steepness somewhere in the downswing. Have a look at this diagnostic video from the Downswing section of Fixing Common Swing Problems, and if that seems to apply then continue on in that section with the drills related to Problem #1.
If you've not yet done so it would be wise to take video of your swing so you can actually see what's going on. Take some from both perspectives - face-on and down-the-line (the latter being taken from the stance line and not the target line). You might also consider posting your swing videos in the Forum's Video Analysis Room. While I don't personally review these as it conflicts with my V1 service, you may be pleasantly surprised by the knowledge base and helpfulness of this great community!
And since I mentioned it, the V1 Analysis is an effective and inexpensive service that I highly recommend to everyone in the school. I liken it to bringing your swing into the shop for a tune-up or minor repair. Scheduling one on a quarterly basis for preventive maintenance will do wonders for keeping things humming along nicely, and it's also a great tool for pinpointing and resolving any issues that arise. The process involves downloading the free V1 app and then submitting two videos to me through the app - one down-the-line (captured from your stance line, not the target line) and the other face-on. You'll find more information about the V1 Analysis halfway down this page on the Saguto.Golf site.
@Tom Holt without seeing your swing I'm going to say what I've discovered when I got left. Usually a bit steep on the downswing and not sliding hips towards the target. When the lateral slide stops the rotation takes over and my right shoulder and my club enters the 'no fly zone'. (i.e. off plane over the top)
Hey Tom, just to say that I experienced the same thing re: the shots going left. As you say, not hooks, just pretty straight shots but to the left of target. I checked my alignment, then wondered if maybe my clubface looked square at address from my perspective but was in fact slightly closed, so opened it a few degrees and that seemed to help. Haven't had much chance to get any practice in the last couple of weeks, as the weather here in North Wales has been pretty wet and windy. Itching to get my net and mat set up in the garden.
P.S. Sorry to hear about the Honolulu thing : it must be awful for you. 🤔