Ive been complaining about a pulling problem, inconsisten contact, shanks, tops, fats...etc...
Tonight I went to the driving range with all these swing thoughts in my head about how to fix these problems.
Guess what did it?
Shortening my backswing, I was reaching too far back in my backswing. Ive dealt with and fixed this problem over and over again since I started playing golf. You really have no idea what happens in your backswing because what it feels like can lie to you. Every time I have done this I have actually hit the ball further and much straighter just by shortening my backswing. I dont think that I have a short backswing now, maybe just short of paralell, but in an attempt to reach for that extra power I was going way past paralell and apparently coming over the top to compensate. Every time I do this it is like magic, most or all of my inconsistencies go away and I make shots that look like I know what I am doing. Does anyone else deal with this, any way to fight it?
hehe, sorry if I gave you to much to think about on the range!
Yes, every golfer experiences this. I go through it off and on. My swing will be dead on for like a month and I'll just be oozing with confidence, and then all of a sudden something ever so slightly changes and then my swing is off again and I'm back to a relentless search to find out what I was doing before that I'm not doing now. lol.
One thing I like to do is when I am swinging/playing good. I like to write down everything that I'm feeling or doing during the swing, so if my swing takes a vacation, I can use it as a reference and hopefully get back on track.
You really have no idea what happens in your backswing because what it feels like can lie to you.
Very true...helps to find a picture window where you can see your reflection just to get a fix on your position at the top. How to stop overswinging?...what's the position of your back foot (right foot for a righty)?
Swing Thoughts:
Spine angle - maintain it the club will return to where it started.
Balance - if you keep it the backswing will not be an overswing.
Keep you elbows together on the downswing. Works for me.
Look at your wrist at the top. Bowed or bent is bad, requires timing to unwind and creates inconsistent contact.
Easier said than done. Practice lots - I have to.
Good Luck.
... Does anyone else deal with this, any way to fight it?
I deal with overswinging all the time. I'm trying to shorten my swing, but have a hard time determining where to start applying power, especially with the driver. For now, I've settled on swinging "normal" for my driver and my fairway woods, but trying to be more compact with my irons, especially the short irons.
I've been trying to ingrain the feeling that I'm stopping the backswing at a certian point in my backswing rather than just swinging the club back as far as I can. I try to do this by swinging either a weighted club, two clubs taped together, or by using a weight with a handle (it's called the Mojo). Also (this coincides with another thread Left arm/club straight) if I keep my lead arm (right for me, a lefty or left for you normal people) straight, I don't swing back as far. Doing these things seem to have helped me at least get the feeling that my swing is more compact.
Here is what did it for me at the range last night. When I get to the top of my backswing my tendency is to bend my left arm (right handed) when I sense tension in my swing (left shoulder and elbow). This is subconcious but it happens. I have learned that the tension is a good thing. Instead of bending my arm when I feel this tension in my left shoulder and elbow I keep it relatively straight and use the tension as a cue to begin the downswing. It also gives me the feeling of tightening and unwinding a spring. Better tempo, better contact, better distance, and a real penetrating ball flight. This sounds silly but when I do it that way I take nice perfect divots, ball first contact and feel really powerful, stay down and hit the ball perfectly no thin shots, plenty of spin and power no scooping. My transition from back to downswing is pretty quick too, like reaching the furthest point bending something and then letting it go. Just my two cents, it works for me.
My issue is trying to swing too hard, but it's the same thing, have to relearn not to do it over and over again. Everytime I get a lesson I am told not to swing so hard, then I don't and I get better, but it starts getting faster and falls apart over time. I can't learn either.
My issue is trying to swing too hard, but it's the same thing, have to relearn not to do it over and over again. Everytime I get a lesson I am told not to swing so hard, then I don't and I get better, but it starts getting faster and falls apart over time. I can't learn either.
October 18th, 2006, 11:25 PM
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