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Hi, long-time lurker here. I finally gathered the guts to videotape my swing and ask you guys for some tips.

My swing (up the line)

My swing (face on)

So, what do you think I need to work on?

Any help would be very much appreciated.

Nice smooth swing. First thing I see is that you're probably a slicer or puller. On your backswing, you look at the club instead of the ball and your weight moves more to your left foot than to the inside of your right foot. On the downswing, it looks like you do a bit of a casting and over-the-top move which leeds to you pulling the club across the ball at impact. What I'd get you to do is:

1) Backswing: Brace your right knee(keep some flex in it), and get your weight to the inside of your right foot. Also try not to watch the club on the way back, because then on the way down you will have to find the ball again - very hard to do.

2) Downswing: Try to hold the angle of the club and your hands/arms without bending your elbows. Get the butt end of the club to pint your target, this should get you into the proper position to release throught the ball.

3) Follow-Through: Exagerate pointing the head of the club to the target or even to the right of it with the toe pointing skyward or even rotated slightly to the left. Some ways to think of this are to shake your right hand with the target or as Hal Sutton would say, catch rain in your left hand.

This is probably a lot of info right now , but if you try some of these things, I think you'll start to improve .

Thanks a lot. That's a lot to take in.

My biggest problem since I started golf has been my weight transfer in the back swing, so that is dead on. I have been trying to fix that, and I think it's coming along, but still not quite there.

The thing about my head following the club in the backswing is something I didn't know I did until I saw these videos. I think it's probably because I'm pretty much self taught, and when practising, I keep looking at the position of my arms in the back swing. That is definately something I need to fix.

The downswing and follow-through points you made are pretty new to me. In short, I need to swing in a more in-out plane, right?

The feeling you want to have is to swin in to out, even though that is not what you will be doing. To be able to swing along the target line a little more, you will have to exagerate this movement.

A big reason you have a problem with your weight transfer is that YOUR STANCE IS TOO WIDE!!!!!! A stance that is too wide creates a reverse pivot. Your back leg is so far back that you would have to lift up your front foot, the whole foot, in order to transfer your weight on the backswing

OK, hold on, not so fast....

First something positive...you don't seem to be rushing the swing so the tempo I like.

Now for the critical...you've got a few things to work on but let's see if a couple of simple adjustments can tighten things up a little. You've gotten some good advice here but I think a simpler approach may produce quicker results...two things only for now...you must move the ball closer to you and get your hands to hang directly below your chin - right now you're reaching out making it difficult, I'm sure, to take the club back on the proper plane. The other basic thing is you're sliding into the shot with your hips/right side which, I'm sure, results in more power (your swing looks powerful) but you must stay behind the ball.

So try to bring your hands in and, keeping that nice tempo, from the top of the backswing bring your hands back down to the inside of the left thigh, keeping the hips quiet until impact...more of a stationary rotation, if you will, behind the ball. Since you're bringing the hands in closer you must stand a little taller with a slightly narrower stance and possibly even grip up on the club just a little...little adjustments go a long way. Don't worry about hitting it hard...looks like that comes naturally to you. I don't mind seeing the right foot slide a little after impact but not near as much as you are doing presently.

Only 2 adjustments but should be plenty to work on for now. Keep us informed on your progress.

Shade

Jogi, Narrow that stance! that is an easy adjustment to make and it addresses your problem with reverse pivoting

Cheers for the advice Shade and shootin4 par.

My stance is a lot narrower when hitting with my irons, I have been told that a wider stance can help you get distance with the driver, do you think I will lose distance if I narrow my stance with the driver? I probably won't if it will help me with my weight transfer, right?

Shade, I had shown the videos to my friend before, and he said the same thing as you, that I should move closer to the ball. I have been watching the pros on TV recently and they all stand much closer than me to the ball, so that is something I obviously need to do. When I have tried it, I feel uncomfortable, I guess I just have to stick with it.

I will work with the advice you guys have given me for the next few weeks, then the golf season is over here. I will probably start working on it again indoors in February, which is actually not that bad, because you don't have to worry about how you're playing, you can just focus on the changes you're making. Then I can hopefully start playing again in late April so I'll give you some updates and new videos then.

P.S. what would you guess my current handicap is? (Given my short game is about as good as my long game)

A wide stance does help with distance but the width of your stance is WWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY YY past wide. are you familiar with the drill where you take your arms and fold them across your chest and then make a backswing? If so do this drill with your feet as far apart as you can and you will notice that you reverse pivot. Now do this drill with feet shoulder width apart and you should not reverse pivot. Driver setup should be shoulder width apart or MAYBE 2 inches more. much wider then that and you have problems

OK, you set me straight on that one.

[quote=jogi]
Shade, I had shown the videos to my friend before, and he said the same thing as you, that I should move closer to the ball. I have been watching the pros on TV recently and they all stand much closer than me to the ball, so that is something I obviously need to do. When I have tried it, I feel uncomfortable, I guess I just have to stick with it.
[quote]

Can I just add some 'technical' reasons why the advice given by shade and shooting is great.

The swing arc is determined by the relaxed left arm. It must hang down like a piece of rope at address because that is the natural position it will return to in a free swing. If you 'reach' for the ball you will end up having to manipulate the club with the muscles of your arms and hands to 'hit' the ball and you will never be able to guarantee a consistent 'impact' position.

A narrower stance allows the weight to transfer much more easily to the inside of the right foot on the back swing and the inside of the left foot on the downswing. (which you said was your problem) A fully balanced swing can be done with the feet together (an exercise mentioned by jcgolfpro in another thread). This would be a great exercise for you to practice to get the correct weight transfer 'feel'. The feet should never go more than an inch or so outside the shoulder width and only when you feel your weight transfer has been mastered. Hope this 'adds something' to the good advice already given.

Nice analysis. Here's some more. (What would golf be without more advice/tips :)

1. The takeaway goes outside. I saw this twice from "down-the-line" view.
2. The head is turning possibly because you are thinking about loading up on your right side. Try starting your turn with your shoulders, and not with your hands. This also helps #1 above. I had this problem too.
3. Inside->Out swing. Your shoulders are open at impact. I'm guessing you slice rather than hook.

What is good:
1. Your right hand doesn't cup at the top of your swing. This allows you to stay on plane.
2. Your spine angle at address from behind is good. Not bent over.
3. Head stays in position. (up-the-line view)
4. If you connect, you probably hit it far.

I'm guessing you slice rather than hook. It looks like you can hit it 220-240. Maybe even longer if you connect but your bad ones can be really in the woods to the right. I'll guess your handicap based on your age (less experience and not practicing your short game as much as you should) is anywhere from 16-20. But you aren't short. And you are actually working on your distance so you must've been able to hit kinda straight before. I've always stated to myself that if you can hit the fairways 200 yards and have a pretty good short game, then you will average 90 in a round.

I kinda like this: Here is the video, some advice please, and guess my handicap. Maybe I'll be next.

-Roger

I have my swing on video....but I don't know hoe to get it on the internet!

Can anyone help me please?

My golf instructor told me that your arms must naturally hang down from your shoulders at set up. Your arms look to be reaching a bit for the ball. The instruction was: Take your normal posture and just relax your arms so they hang naturally. Then grip the club. Do not reach as that impedes the wrist cock.

Good luck. I am sure with all these tips your swing will get really wacky. Hee Hee

Setup:
Your body is aligned well right of your target, indicating that you are not paying as much attention to how you are aligned with the clubface as you should. First put the clubface behind the ball, aimed at your target... then set your body square to the face of the club. That will make it much easier for you to align yourself.

You look to be a tad back on your heels and your arms are stretched out to meet the ball. If you move your weight over the ARCHES of your feet (not the balls) and let your arms hang down, you may find that you still need to scoot a tad bit closer to the ball.

Your front foot is supporting too much of your weight.. if anything you want to be slightly on your right foot about %60/40. And your stance is a bit too wide as well.. the wide stance combined with being back on your heels will result in a lot of sway and a loss of a stable swing axis.

The grip of your left hand looks to be a tad bit strong, your left forearm is quite clearly rotated clockwise at setup... but your right forearm is perfect.

Finish:
The club is on a good plane back to where the ball used to reside, indicating that the forearms did not over-rotate or under-rotate during the swing. However, your back is WAY too arched. I understand you are trying to catch the ball slightly later in the arc to create an ascending blow, but your hips are not supporting your upper body during the swing. This is primarily due to your right hip trying to "TWIST" around your left while your upper body is trying to hang behind the ball and your extra wide stance. Your hips are trying to get over your front foot for balance, but your upper body cannot be allowed to catch up or you would hit low slices... and with a body alignment already set up to the right, that would be really bad news.

Transition:
Your hands have gone too far above your shoulders. This is causing a great deal of "clubhead throwaway". In effect, you have to throw the club back away from your body in order to regain the radius of the arm swing. You don't actually regain that radius until you are nearly at impact.


Disreguard anything people say about the inside takeaway you have. Once you fix your setup, your takeaway will improve.