Hey Russell one question. In this thread you really helped me to get shallow by intending to swing and release more in to out. This was super helpful, by the way, and had led to some of my best rounds ever.
Is there a swing thought for me to continue to do this but to also be swinging directly down the line at the target as we have discussed here? Is it just open up the stance, aim left, and move the ball forward? Thanks again!
Thanks, Russell. I'm hopefully heading to the range soon, waiting for some company to clear out.
Your tips make sense- I just hope I can execute them. I have been trying over the past couple days to keep my hands in and move them along the toe line but literally could not make myself actually do it. It's maddening! Will report back.
Well, on the way down, the are at heel or maybe even behind your right heel. Left arm slides down the chest as shoulders are closed to the target.When pro’s hit the ball, almost always the hands from top of the swing will actually work down and deeper back as the first move. However, since your hands work under the plane on the backswing, the first move will be straight down. It will work for sure. You might have to add a feeling of keeping your back to the target longer. As you let your lead arm work down the chest. If your shoulders turn through after the hands are at waist high, it has very little impact on swing path. If shoulder works out and flat while hands are high, it throws the swing path too far outside. 1. Turn to top of swing2. Let hands work straight down with back remaining to the target3. From waist high, the entire body can come through together. You won’t hit the outside ball if you swing from inside. Just know, if you are on the course and you hit a peeler, it’s nothing wrong with your swing. Path just got a little too far out to in. Meaning that from the top, you led with shoulder turn vs arms working down. Once you get an understanding of your proper feel, you can hit the peeler on one swing and realize it’s not a major flaw…just a little out of sequence. Exaggerate arms working down with back to target and it’s done. This will link back to our original discussion. When you first do this drill, the shank will be gone, but you might see the ball curving from right to left (because path is inside out). That just means you need to move the ball forward a little more until it curves from left to right. This problem, by the way is good. It’s getting you closer to understanding that you have complete control over the swing path…which is a step closer to being able to curve the ball right or left with very minimal changes.
Ha Russell, you were right on! It worked and the ball was moving right to left at first. I moved it forward a tad and voila ! Just such a relief to not shank! Thanks again!
Hey Russell- I didn't score great (86) but I didn't have any diving hooks off the tee and did pure a couple of drives with a fade, that felt really good! Many of my drives were straight or had a slight draw. I may have been over correcting at time as I was slicing my long irons at times, which almost never happens. I'll continue to work on it on the range and I'm sure it will become much more second nature. Thanks again so much for your amazingly detailed help!!!
@Kevin if you are going to play a fade it’s imperative the ball never turn left. It’s ok to hit a straight shot, but never ok to have the double cross.
You always have a few options.
the clubface determines where the ball starts
the swing path (relative to the club face) will determine the curvature
so, if the ball curves left, the swing path was right of the clubface at impact. If the ball curves right, the swing path was left of the club Face.
the first question is, where did the ball start. If it started online, then the club face was good. If the ball over curves or curves the wrong direction, you have a swing path problem.
Since you are playing on the front side of the swing arc, the further you move the ball forward, the more left your path will go automatically. Assuming you are trying to release straight down the line.
if you see any curve left, especially with driver, the ball needs to move further forward.
Move the ball forward further until it starts over curving to the right…then dial it back.
A straight shot means your club face and the swing path were the same. That’s the acceptable miss. again, we are aiming for a shot that’s mostly straight and drops to the right. You can have the mindset of taking dead aim and if the ball moves, it will drop right.
for your irons, same questions. Where did the ball start? If it started online, club face was good. Too much curve means swing path went too far out to in. This will most likely be caused by lining up too far right and your brain will autocorrect and yiu will swing too much over the top (to hit a target that is left of your alignment).
Finally, it’s really important that you don’t make corrections based on a bad swing. They happen. So, every swing, you have to answer 3 questions before diagnosing:
if you pick an intermediate target no more than a foot in front of the ball…did you release to the target? If so, go to step 2. If you didn’t…because you forgot about target and tried to “hit the ball” then stop. Don’t analyze the shot. Chalk it up to a bad swing.
where did the ball start? If online, face was good. If it started offline, you have a face control issue. This is fixed by grip or release pattern.
how did ball curve? If it curved wrong direction or too much, we have a path problem. We correct this by proper alignment and correct selection of intermediate target.
@Kevin you aren’t hitting a “block” with that swing pattern. A block has to be a terrible anomaly where you completely change your swing path.
With this swing pattern, you are coming inside and under, then you come over the top meaning your swing path is left of where you lined up. If the face is square to that swing path it’s a straight pull. If it’s closed to the path it’s a pull hook. If it’s open to the path it’s a flavor of a fade (Depending on how open it is).
It‘a really important to understand this because misdiagnosing a “block” as a miss means the corrective actions are 100% different...and more importantly CAN‘T ever work with your current swing pattern.
Ultimately to get you cruising down the right path:
1. decide what shot shape and swing pattern you would like to see.
2. We will walk through the grid explanation so you understand why you are hitting the shot shape and what causes the shot pattern you want…also understand the associated miss…because when you play golf, you have to understand what your miss is going to mean…and most importantly, to practice so that your miss ALWAYS goes the same direction.
Once you have your mind aligned to the goal, then you can really practice with a purpose and getting good at golf will become so much fun.
hard to tell with this angle. One thing I did notice is that you may be bringing your hands too inside at the start of the backswing This could cause your trail elbow to get too far behind your body. I've compared your back swing at parallel to Tom's. Look at the difference where the club head is in relation to the hands. Not sure what particular issue your having. your shot on the video looked good. So my tip could be totally unrelated to your issue. :)
I wouldn’t get too caught up in that part just yet. It’s just a consequence of sequencingThe takeaway and specifically letting the lead hand get too active rolling to the inside (vs keeping the logo facing the ball as hands get a free ride in the backswing). However, the warning is this…so many good golfers lose their way getting worried about the club getting inside and deep early. Reality is this…some of the best golfers of all time used that swing pattern with great success. It’s not really a match for “modern instruction” but I would say…ignore the swing aesthetics until you decide what type of shot pattern you would like to play. That bit we can change easily as a byproduct of working to get the swing pattern/ball flight you prefer to see.
While I personally refrain from offering swing video analyses here as it conflicts with my V1 service, I'm confident you'll find that many of the Forum's "regulars" have a solid knowledge of the swing and can offer very valuable insight from their respective experiences. If you do not receive any responses, I encourage you to look at some of the other posts in the Video Analysis Room, see who some of the regular analysts are, and tag them here in your post (use the "@" sign and then start typing their name and the system will then give you the ability to choose that member - just like I did in tagging you at the top of this message).
By the way, in the future if at all possible it would benefit your fellow members if you can include a face-on view of your swing in your post. Also, a description of your contact quality (fat, thin, crispy, etc.) and ball flight would be helpful as well.
Hey Russell one question. In this thread you really helped me to get shallow by intending to swing and release more in to out. This was super helpful, by the way, and had led to some of my best rounds ever.
Is there a swing thought for me to continue to do this but to also be swinging directly down the line at the target as we have discussed here? Is it just open up the stance, aim left, and move the ball forward? Thanks again!
Got it, Thanks Russell! I appreciate the help so much!
@Russell Hogue, PhD You always have fantastic insight, any thoughts by chance, sir?
@Gerry_Lager Interesting, I had not noticed that! When I miss, it's a pull hook or a block. Thank you for the feedback!
hard to tell with this angle. One thing I did notice is that you may be bringing your hands too inside at the start of the backswing This could cause your trail elbow to get too far behind your body. I've compared your back swing at parallel to Tom's. Look at the difference where the club head is in relation to the hands. Not sure what particular issue your having. your shot on the video looked good. So my tip could be totally unrelated to your issue. :)
@Kevin,
While I personally refrain from offering swing video analyses here as it conflicts with my V1 service, I'm confident you'll find that many of the Forum's "regulars" have a solid knowledge of the swing and can offer very valuable insight from their respective experiences. If you do not receive any responses, I encourage you to look at some of the other posts in the Video Analysis Room, see who some of the regular analysts are, and tag them here in your post (use the "@" sign and then start typing their name and the system will then give you the ability to choose that member - just like I did in tagging you at the top of this message).
By the way, in the future if at all possible it would benefit your fellow members if you can include a face-on view of your swing in your post. Also, a description of your contact quality (fat, thin, crispy, etc.) and ball flight would be helpful as well.
Tom
PS: I hope you're enjoying your LagShot!
Am I prematurely straightening my trail leg? Please excuse my attire, was at the gym before the driving range...