| Bravo, TM, Loop, others, thanks for the comments. I assure you I am taking everything to heart, as well as with a grain of salt - wise words when dealing with the golf swing.
Anyhow, I'm in a GREAT mood right now. I just came back from Urban Links (my indoor training place) and I made a HUGE breakthrough thanks to one of the guys that works there, Jared. Jared used to play varsity golf for the uni that I did my undergrad at (Simon Fraser University). Anyhow, he's a +3 golfer and working towards getting his CPGA (still an amateur). He's more into "coaching" than doing just random lessons. I really like this approach because I feel that someone who REALLY wants to improve would do well to have regular contact with someone. I digress...
Jared came downstairs while I was busy trying to stay on plane and have good body positions at setup, impact, etc and noticed something...my release. He told me to start working on the "pump drill":
1. I should lay a club parallel to my target line right below where my hands start. I then basically take the club back to where it's pointing at 9:00 and check to see where it is in relation to my line and how the clubface is looking (should have the toe pointed straight up or even be "slightly closed" at the worst...but not open)
2. Then I take the club up to the top (which he pointed out that I should have a 90º angle with my right arm, where I was more compressed and tight into my body before whereas this will increase my extension and power and help with consistency)
3. Then I take the club back down to where it's pointing at 9:00 again and showed me where my hands should be and how my wrists should still be cocked and that the club shouldn't be "outside" the line of the club at my feet, and that the toe of the club should once again be either pointing straight up or be slight closed.
4. Do this a few times slowly, just from the top to the 9:00 position...over and over. If I ever start coming outside, stop and start again..."pumping" the club
5. After a few of these "pumps", release through. EVERY time I released, my club just nicely skimmed the mat and felt SO powerful.
I started trying this off of the launch monitor and after a few tries, I came up with the readings in the picture below. Straight with a 0º azimuth and 0º squared face is as good as it gets for contact.
The other yellow lines are how I was all over the place with earlier swings...trying all sorts of different things. The white line (and those right around it) are the ones that resulted from this drill. I was getting great power with just that release drill coming down from the top...so not even a "full swing." I'll take that accuracy anytime.
Basically, the way Jared was explaining it is that if I work on being right in line with that drill, I'll avoid these crazy outside-in swings and/or way inside-out swings that have been plaguing me lately. It will also prevent me from leaving the face open at impact.
I had NO consistent swing path and it was obviously killing me on the course. I did this for awhile and was trying it with my 4H and even my driver...I had a killer drive that was offline by about 25 yards but that LAUNCHED 275 (25 more than normal for me these days). I still came outside in on that shot, but it just flew (I only did it with two drives and kinda duffed the other one...the result of the drill with a 45" club). Anyhow, it was closer to online than anything yesterday and was also much further.
Anyhow, here's the picture: |