Trying to really work on hip TURN down through impact rather than hip SLIDE, on full swings. It feels like a major swing adjustment, but must be corrected.

Good call. I was just about to bump up this thread because practice is all I'm really thinking about lately. I gotta air out some thoughts here.

I am still going through the massive change. Trying to go from a very cupped, across the line position at the top, to one that's more flat wristed and down the line. It all starts at address. My hands used to be way too low and address was not even close to a solid impact position. Only hope in that situation is to somehow release the cup before i get into the ball. what a joke. I was in denial for too long--about how different my address and impact positions were, also about how much I relied on timing and hand action to make a good strike. Now looking back, shudder to think of all the places the clubface went throughout my swing.

Pretty much a wholesale change. It is scary, like starting over. I have to feel like I'm really bowing the left wrist back while bringing the club back, but still I'm not even close to laid off at the top. I guess that's how ingrained the cupping had gotten.

Nowadays my hands are higher, standing farther away from the ball and posture is way better. Feeling pretty good and just trying to do a lot of reps, with and without ball, to ingrain the new action to hopefully play a couple good rounds before harsh winter sets in.

A few weeks back, I finally realised something while watching myself on swing video for the 100th time and learned about what I had not been able to put my finger on about my downswing. I stumbled upon the term "early extension", and the lightswitch came on - that is what I am doing wrong. (one thing, at least...)

Trying to un-do the wrong swing movements (not turning the hips properly in downswing in my case) is tough, as I've been doing it wrong for a long time.

The drills for this I am finding really tricky. Only thing that feels right is to just mentally make the hip move properly, but it takes concentration and while the movement seems more correct it hasn't begun to feel natural yet. But I must keep with it.

I did a grip change from interlock to overlap a few years ago and it felt terrible at first but eventually became normal and better feeling.

Another hour on the range this evening, and it is feeling noticably better. Different, but better. Incorporating a combo of drills I researched. This new, more correct, hip turn feels a bit like something unlocking- no more pressure of being stuck, less effort, more balanced through. I'm pretty excited, one of the biggest 'aha' moments in a year or more. Looking forward to this weekend and getting the chance hit more buckets.

Saw my instructor yesterday, and he showed me how I've had MULTIPLE bad things slide into my game since I last saw him in April. They are, in no particular order:

My grip has gotten too weak
My stance has gotten too wide
My chicken wing is back
My swing plane has moved "outside in" (for lack of a better explanation)

The stance issue is easy to fix. It's just a matter of remembering it. The chicken wing requires me to start carrying around my old friend the kitchen sponge, to hold under my armpit. The swing plane is a tough one, but I'm working on it. The grip is something I'm going to try to fix on another day. For now, it's helping me get the club turned to square more easily.

The good news is that by the time I left the range, I was hitting the ball better than when I got there. You can't always say that when you take a lesson.

My instructor also suggested I get my irons re-gripped. He said since my hands are so big, I need a bigger grip. Makes sense. That's something to do once it gets consistently too cold to play.

SteveMM wrote:

Saw my instructor yesterday, and he showed me how I've had MULTIPLE bad things slide into my game since I last saw him in April. They are, in no particular order: My grip has gotten too weak My stance has gotten too wide My chicken wing is back My swing plane has moved "outside in" (for lack of a better explanation) The stance issue is easy to fix. It's just a matter of remembering it. The chicken wing requires me to start carrying around my old friend the kitchen sponge, to hold under my armpit. The swing plane is a tough one, but I'm working on it. The grip is something I'm going to try to fix on another day. For now, it's helping me get the club turned to square more easily. The good news is that by the time I left the range, I was hitting the ball better than when I got there. You can't always say that when you take a lesson. My instructor also suggested I get my irons re-gripped. He said since my hands are so big, I need a bigger grip. Makes sense. That's something to do once it gets consistently too cold to play.

Fixing the chicken wing will also help your outside-in swing plane.

Bryan K wrote:

Fixing the chicken wing will also help your outside-in swing plane.

This is factually correct.

Okay. I actually got to play what I think will be my last two rounds of the year today. Since it has been about a month since I last played, I hit the indoor range on Wednesday just to get the kinks out. I took video of my swing, and I was absolutely amazed at what I saw.

First, some background. At the end of the summer, I was absolutely crushing my driver and fairway wood. My irons, on the other hand, took a trip way down south. It got to be pretty horrible.

After watching video on the range, I actually kind of liked what I saw out of my driver and fairway wood. Where my game is right now, my swing with those clubs will suffice. My irons? My backswing has somehow gotten to the point where it is wild and out of control. It was insane....way past parallel. So I don't know when this happened, but it certainlly explains why my irons went to hell at the end of the summer. So I started to concentrate on shortening my backswing. It feells extremey awkward, but at least I started getting some good results out of it.

I've been practicing pretty hard lately and I think I am getting there. Wrist is now flatter at the top and the club is less across the target line, more down it.

Lately what i've been doing in practice is to pause the swing at the top, for one or several seconds before starting down. I used to avoid doing this because I would usually shank or top it from there. But having forced myself to work on it, I can now hit it somewhat solid, surprisingly far too. I think what the exercise does for me is help me check the position at the top, as its hard to hit it solid from a faulty position.

legitimatebeef wrote:

Lately what i've been doing in practice is to pause the swing at the top, for one or several seconds before starting down. I used to avoid doing this because I would usually shank or top it from there. But having forced myself to work on it, I can now hit it somewhat solid, surprisingly far too. I think what the exercise does for me is help me check the position at the top, as its hard to hit it solid from a faulty position.

There are two schools of thought on this, and both seem to be equally compelling. The first, and the one I adhere to, is that the change in momentum at the top of the swing is absolutely crucial to developing proper tempo. The second school of thought, and the one that is employed by one of the greatest golfers I've ever played with (Amy Anderson of NDSU), is that coming to a complete stop at the top of the backswing is absolutely crucial to making sure that the forward swing has begun from the right place.

A chilly and windy visit to the practice range tonite. The improved hip turn I'm working on is coming along really well on the irons striking, but can't hit the driver at all now. Going to take some more time to adapt.

I found a neat video of Watney from an interesting angle that really shows the left side clearing like I'm trying to work on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x74XH3JmgOk

For the last couple of days i've been really working on my takeaway and wrist hinge. Keeping the club on plane going back and up to the top. Also been working on keeping the putter in control and putting in one piece shoulders and torso and arms with my head down on the ball. It's been going very well and will be put to the test this weekend. I'm looking for 75 HIGHEST even in the off season.

Took the driver to the driving range for the first time in a long time. It really exposed what's going on with my swing. I couldn't get a ball in the air, I sweated, a horrible despair came over me that made me want to hurl the club out into the void, and then shout to the whole world I'm quitting golf (for right now).

There is something seriously messed up with my angle of attack. I think maybe in trying so hard to get rid of a cupped wrist has left me with a severely bowed position at impact. I'm probably doing what Harvey Penick described as taking the whole bottle of aspirin at once. Knowing my hands used to be too low at address I would set out to have the highest hands at address as possible.

So now I'm adrift, swing confidence in tatters. Pretty sure I'm at rock bottom. Just gonna let it go for a bit, try not thinking so hard about it for a change.

All this swing tinkering of late - so hard to get comfortable. Went to the range today after some really poor ball striking yesterday to try to figure out what is up. Did some slo-mo video. Discovered some very sloppy footwork has crept back in to the downswing. Oh brother.

Hit a bucket tonight. It was better than okay, had some improvements after a couple adjustments. This got me thinking...

Starting now I am going to make a notebook to keep in my bag or car or at home, and after every round or practice session I am going to write down what I was working on, how it felt, what was good or bad, etc. I think this might help.

Sometimes I'll come back to something and recall, "Oh yeah, I forgot to do X because it helps with Y and Z". Maybe the swing journal can assist.