Swing Problem

[15andlife]

I went to my golf expo last night and got on a launch monitor, it said that I had an outside in swing and was over the top. The guy said that I swing with my arms too much and that I throw my arms at the ball, so what I am wondering is is this an easy problem to fix or do I need to completely redo my swing or should I leave it as it is.

[warbirdlover]

I think everyone goes through this. It' easy to fix with some pro's help...

[ezra76]

Lol. My exact problem also. I have to get going in a few minutes but I'll get links to a few drills I've used to help correct it. Fear not though, going from an OTT swing to playing a solid fade is an easy transition. Not as sexy as a draw flight but you'll kick the crap out of those guys when they start hooking it.

[halifax_golfer]

<----- hooker

[cypressperch]

first thing that moves is the clubhead (of course, the hands and arms move too) and the last thing to move might be the left heel coming up a bit or at least "wanting to" (These days. a lot of golfers keep the left foot flat on the ground going back.). On the down-swing, the whole process is reversed. What moved last MUST move first! Some will say that the down-swing begins with a lateral "bump" to the left made by the left hip. They say "bump" so that it is a brief movement rather than a sssslide to the left which causes all sorts of problems. The main problem is that if you slide, you will not turn your hips. If the hips do not turn, the lower body stays in the way preventing the proper "from the inside attack of the ball."

From what I just wrote, I hope you can see that even if we start the swing by moving the left hip, if it is a big slide, we might not clear things out with the lower body, and we could get an "out-side to in" clubhead path.

Just as common, if not more so, an error which results in the "outside to in" clubhead path, is starting the downswing with the hands and arms which is wrong. Remember, the downswing is the reverse of the backswing. So the left hip moves to the left a bit and then starts turning. Now, we make a move that is one of the most important to having a really good swing. Actually, the move has already sort of started. When your back is facing the target after a full coiling on the back-swing, if you allow it to happen, with the turning of your hips, you will find that your hands (STILL COCKED!) will fall automatically almost to your waiste. With the hands still cocked, your left arm and the shaft of the club make the letter "L". You have dropped the club into the "slot." From this position, you can release that angle with everything you got and the clubhead accelerates right through the ball. The clubhead path will be from the inside, to square, and after impact, back to the inside.

Some additional points:
The clubhead will come to the inside of target line going back, and it will come to the inside after impact naturally and automatically if you think of coiling the shoulders going back and have the arms follow the shoulder turn. Hitting through the ball means you are keeping the shoulders turning through impact, and again, just let the arms follow the lead of the shoulders right on up to a full finish.

I find that if I press down on my left heel to begin the downswing, that my downswing easily follows the correct sequence. Again, turn the hips rather than creating a long slide to the left.

Good posture is key to these ideas working. At address, make sure that your arms are hanging almost straight down from the shoulders with just a tad of reaching out towards the ball.

With the driver, it will help if you think in terms of hitting the ball on the back, inside quadrant of the ball. This promotes the "from the inside" attack of the ball.

Do all of this smooth and easy, like Retief or Ernie. A lot of speed and muscular effort going back will not give you more distance since you are moving away from the ball. A smooth and easy swing makes it easier to make the transition to the down-swing. Starting the down-swing slow will help you with the sequencing which clears the hips out of the way which will automatically get the club coming down and then you release that letter "L" hitting through the ball.

Best of luck to you with your swing. Sincerely, Cypressperch

[Sean]

Pay the local pro $30 for a lesson ($30/hour around here anyway) Man, I swear my first lesson had me looking like a pro in 5 swings as opposed to the hook machine I was pre-lesson.

It's worth it to have a guy trained to spot what you're doingand having them communicate it to you.