golfrewind.com

Hi Everyone,

I'm about an 8 HC and I can hit it a long way but really need to work on controlling the ball so I can keep it inbounds. I don't think my hips and shoulders are clearing correctly. Do you guys have any tips/drills to help me out and get me in the right positions? Here a few videos of my swing:

Rear View Video:
YouTube - Golf Swing Slow Motion

Side View Video:
YouTube - Golf Swing Slow Motion - Profile View

Thanks!

I'm no pro but your swing looks technically sound to me. I was trying to focus on anything that I thought might be a problem but it all looks sound. You might try gearing back a touch to gain more consistency.

Gearing back a little would help. The one small thing i noticed is that your hands start to move backwards very early in the take away generating an early wrist cock. I read somewhere that the better golfer breaks his wrists late in the backswing, this is achieved by keeping the triangle formed by club and arms intact for as long as possible on the backswing. I watched some video of pro swings and all but a couple do this. After trying this move (i play off 10) i have found my ball striking to be slightly better although this could be down to a slower, more controlled take away while concentrating on the triangle. Anyway try it, i think it could work for you.

I saw that your chin was down forcing you to block the shot. Try lifting it up and allowing your left arm to go under it.

+1

Looks good, but you do look a little 'tense'. Pay some special attention to your grip, making sure you grip it relatively lightly, and make a few waggles to shake yourself loose before your swing.

You don't clear your hips like Tiger, but you clear them well enough. As already mentioned, everything looks sound from both angles. However, you are apparently having dispersion problems due to your comment about "keeping it inbounds. What are your tendancies? Give us an idea about your shot patterning and we might be able to give some more accurate advise.

BT

My shot pattern is either a wicked duck hook or a push slice. The hooks are the majority of the missed shots. I'm really trying to slow my swing down and make sure to clear my hips, keep the plane/angle of the shoulders down through the ball and get my entire body through the ball. I will take some new video today and post updates later. Thanks!

That shot pattern tells me that you are coming at the ball from the inside, which isn't all bad. I do the same thing. Since some are hooks and some are push slices then the inconsistancy is caused by you grip and / or how hard your going at the ball.

Let's cover the "going at the ball" part first. What I mean here is that sometimes you may be swinging "harder" than others. For instance, If I just swing my normal speed, my shot pattern will be pretty consistant. If I try to swing easy and take the same grip, I will hook the ball every time. If I try to knock the dimples off the ball, I will slice every time. What is happening is when I slow my swing down, I release the club a little too early and hood the clubface. When I swing too hard, I release the club late and don't get the clubface square in time. Now, you said that you are trying to slow your swing down to allow your hips to clear and that most of your bad shots are duck hooks. This is EXACTLY what happens to me if I try to "swing easy". In your video, your hips are clearing fine, so what I would do is try to get consistancy in your tempo / swingspeed. Your normal swing should repeat to within a +/- 3MPH. When you get to this point, then your shot pattern should become more consistant. Once there, if your shot is a hook, then start weakening your grip VERY SLIGHTLY. I mean just a shade weaker. Your shots should start straightening out. Do just the opposite if your shot pattern is a slice/fade after building consistancy. The trick is to not make too big of a change in your grip. A little bit can make a big difference.

Now, if you're already swinging consistantly and you have the shot pattern that you described, then your grip is inconsistant. Try to concentrate on placeing your hands on the club THE SAME WAY IN THE SAME PLACE EVERY TIME!! Just as mentioned in the preceeding paragraph, a slight difference in your grip can make a big difference in the results.

Check these 2 things out and I believe you will find the answer you're looking for.

BT