New to Saguto Golf. I have only been practicing this new swing for a few weeks now. Overall, I am enjoying the lessons and the idea behind this style of swing but I am noticing a common problem now that I am moving to this swing.
I played 9 holes today and hit every single iron shot thin. I got little to no height on every shot, some were just straight ground balls. Could anyone point me in the direction of what I could be doing wrong?
My drives were either slices or sky balls that went < 100 yds. The next longest club I use is a 3 hybrid - which I either caught thin or just flat out topped it.
On one of the Par 5’s of the course, I threw down a few extra balls to see if I could figure it out - all I could think of was maybe my arms were not remaining a unit. Sure enough, I glued my elbows together hard and cracked a nice crispy KFC 7-iron up towards the green.
Ironically, prior to learning this swing, my common problem was fat shots/hitting behind the ball - now its the complete opposite haha. The good news is I haven’t hit a single fat shot since learning this new swing so theres at least one positive.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks @Tom Saguto - makes total sense. I picked up a copy of that S&T book so I’ll be sure to reference that.
Played another 9 holes today, tried to focus on the 3/4 quarter swing / 2.8 drill. Had quite a few good strikes and one perfect divot in front of ball 8-iron shot into the green - so good I had to take a pic!
@CTgolfer1464 - While keeping the same distance between the elbows throughout the swing and maintaining the "flying wedge" are certainly important keys to a repeatable swing, the "relationship" I refer to is that between our upper torso and the ball. The degree of inclination we establish at address should be preserved, but this obviously does not mean that we just stay hunched over the ball while only swinging our arms back and through. The way we accomplish it is by the combined tilting, turning, and extending movements of the spine as taught in the first few lessons of Chapter 2. When properly executed this keeps our "relationship", head, and swing center intact and puts us in position for consistently crispy ball striking.
Below is an excerpt from the S&T book showing how the spine works in the backswing. Of course we do not get out of address posture to stand straight up, tilt, and then turn separately; it's the combination of these that give us the proper backswing look.
@Tom Saguto Quick question for you.
In the 2.8 drill, you mention to “keep the relationship” at address, backswing, and follow through but what exactly is the relationship you’re referring to? The elbows/arms staying together? The wrist angle? All of it? I think I’m confusing myself on what stays together here.
Thanks @Ronald Burkholder and @Tom Saguto ! I’ll definitely spend some time with that 2.8 drill. Ironically, the next day I went out to the range to practice that drill and ended up taking some nice divots in front of the ball! Played 9 holes the next night on Tuesday and tried to just go 3/4 of a swing focusing on that 2.8 drill feeling - definitely had some success, but still needs work. Its a marathon, not a sprint! Looking forward to posting on my progress.
Thanks again.
Welcome, @CTgolfer1464!!
I wholeheartedly agree with @Ronald Burkholder's recommendation. Also, as someone who is just embarking on a significant awing change - as this most likely is if you are transitioning from a prior "shift & lift" move - then patience with the process is a must, and this includes setting realistic expectations for when you are out on the course.
Here's some preliminary advice to help you get off to a good start on your journey to the Land of Ball Striking Bliss:
1) 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 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 & 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 emphasize 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. Chapter 1 of the Golf Swing Simplified program (GSS) and Part I of Get Out & Go Play (GOGP) both address this.
2a) GSS: One of the many great things about this swing is that you can achieve solid ball striking even at the most basic levels. This is why I oftentimes will suggest that students park themselves on Chapter 2 of the GSS course for an extended period of time after locking down Chapter 1's foundational elements. Chapter 2 reinforces the body motions and the weight-forward component. Work yourself sequentially and gradually through the chapter, and then commit yourself to that drill in Lesson 2.8. Learn it. Practice it. Master it. And then - as Ronald said - you can even use this partially abbreviated swing on the course and play quite well with it as it will provide plenty of distance. (It actually is the full swing minus just a couple of power accumulators.) Once you've got that down, you will be well prepared to move forward in the curriculum and well on your way towards taking ownership of YOUR swing!
2b) GOGP: This quick-start program is exactly as it sounds - it is designed to fast-track you out onto the course so you can have fun - and success - playing as you learn! Should you choose this path, everything in #1 above still applies, and as implied above in 2a you will still want to work through it sequentially and gradually, mastering each lesson before moving ahead to the next one. In this program, Drill #5 - The Flying Wedge is the one you'll want to park yourself on and nail down.
3) Also, as you progress always keep in mind the V1 Swing Video Analysis service, 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.
We look forward to hearing from you regularly in the Forum and to assisting you in building a consistent, low maintenance, powerful, body-friendly swing that will bring your enjoyment of this great game to a new level!
TS
I think this must be a common phase we go through converting from the old swing to the S&T swing. I would have you work on the 2.8 Lesson drill. That will eliminate any remaining flip of your wrists, which leads to topping, Thin shots, and even fat shots sometimes. The other thing to look at is to make sure you truly are getting the lead shoulder down and not leveling out during the back swing. Also, if you are getting some bend in the lead arm during the backswing and holding that through impact you will top and thin it because you just reduced the length of the swing circle radius.
I think, based on my experience, that you should master the 2.8 drill before you move onto to the other videos where Tom has you swinging for power and distance. By master, I mean you can execute the drill correctly 9/10 times with every club in the bag. Practice the drill on the range and play a few rounds using the drill for every full swing when playing on the course. If you can do the drill competently, you will find you will hit more fairways and more greens without suffering any appreciable distance loss.
Good luck and don’t give up.