Need advice please

[KevinTPA]

Do any of you have any tips for helping me keep my hands ahead at impact? Basically my launch angle is very high (about 20* with a driver) and it is because my hands are behind the ball at impact. I'm sort of "flipping" the ball upward which causes me to lose some distance.

Does this make any sense?

[Rockford35]

You could try a heavier shaft. That would keep the club lagging a bit more behind. Do you have access to demo clubs? Try hitting a driver with a steel shaft and see the difference it makes.

R35

[ezra76]

I was showing my bro a few things in the backyard last week. (he has never played) He keeps wanting to flip big time. I had him take some 1/4 wedge swings and hinge and hold through impact. Then I had him move up to a 3/4 swing and he looked pretty good. Then I took a tee and put it in the ground about 2 inches in front of the ball (wiffle ball). I had him hit the ball with a 7i and then try to take the tee out of the ground through impact. Looked great when he got it right, perfect divot after the ball.

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

Try taking half-swings back, slowly, let your wrists cock, then slowly drag the club through maintaining the angle of your wrists until your halfway up. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And repeat.

Then practice those half-swings with a wedge and balls. Focus on maintaining the wrist cock. You'll probably find yourself making better contact with the ball than you have before if you've been especially prone to flipping the hands.

Of course, it may depend some on all what you want to do. But if you ever read the book 5 Lessons by Ben Hogan and learn from that, it'll teach you everything you need to know to stop flipping your hands.

I don't know what your grip is like, but a weaker grip also helps to prevent the hands from flipping.

[KevinTPA]

Originally Posted by Rockford35

You could try a heavier shaft. That would keep the club lagging a bit more behind. Do you have access to demo clubs? Try hitting a driver with a steel shaft and see the difference it makes.

R35

It's not only with the driver. I have DG S300 shafts on Titleist 704CB irons. I tend to flip those too. I've demo'd several clubs with different shafts with the same result.

I'm going to try what Ezra and RBB have suggested. Any more tips are always appreciated.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by KevinTPA

It's not only with the driver. I have DG S300 shafts on Titleist 704CB irons. I tend to flip those too. I've demo'd several clubs with different shafts with the same result.

I'm going to try what Ezra and RBB have suggested. Any more tips are always appreciated.

Go to the range, warm up, then take your 6 or 7-iron and hit balls.

Concentrate on only one thing: flex your knees a little more than normal, and from the top of the backswing, try to pull the butt end of the club down towards the ball. Really exaggerate the motion. Forget about the clubhead and concentrate on the butt end of the club. While doing this it helps to shorten your backswing some and concentrate on making a full, smooth, swing. Focus on that pulling motion. You will probably hit some stinkers, but you will also be amazed at some of the solid, penetrating shots you hit.

[charnockpro]

Go get a lesson!!!! simple as that!!!!!

[KevinTPA]

Originally Posted by charnockpro

Go get a lesson!!!! simple as that!!!!!

I've taken a lesson and plan on taking more. I've been playing for 14 years and play respectably. This is something minor that I'm trying to correct.

I ask people in this forum because there are several drills to correct different problems. So far I've received several helpful tips and plan on trying a few.

[charnockpro]

Only problem is what works for one doesnt always work for the other, making small changes in part of your swing can have effects on other movements later on, it is a game of very small margins where millimetres mean yards.

[Loop]

I can tell you from first hand experience...
1. When you "flip" the hands, you put more loft on the clubface, BUT it isn't as significant as you might think and isn't really what causes the ball to shoot 20 degrees with the driver. Unless you're really releasing the clubhead very early and your weight is still hanging back at impact, all of which will make an open and lofted clubface (and a push slice ).
2. A steeper clubhead path and descending blow will make a lot of backspin. The harder you hit, the more backspin, the higher the ball will climb up even if the launch angle was 10 degrees (backspin is what makes the ball stay in the air, too much will make the ball climb). Of course adding the fact that if you loft the clubhead, it doesn't help. So try having a more shallow path (ie. a flatter plane).
3. A stronger grip (ie. 3 knuckles ) can help you in having your hands stay ahead at impact, and having a more shallow path.

[charnockpro]

In the end ball flight tells u exactly what has gone before, so to suggest you flatten the plane of your golf swing is not appropriate, you have to fit what you are doing around your physical build and what happens in ball flight.

I would suggest that you make sure your weight distribution is 60/40 to your right side, your ball level with your left armpit to encourage a shallow sweep up on the ball and this will encourage a flatter ball flight, if you try holding the angle too much you may have too much laterality to the target and this will lead to a shank in the irons and some low heelers with your woods

It would be easier to diagnose your problems if I knew your ball flight characteristics ie does it start left or right of the target? And does it curve any particular way

[Augster]

Your left wrist needs to be bowed out toward the target at impact. Suppinated. It's counter-intuitive. This delofts the clubface.

Practice with your chip shots always keeping your left wrist bowed at impact. Not a problem as that's how most folks chip. Then move to 90* back, then to 3/4 always keeping the wrist bowed at impact.

You'll be rid of the "flip" in no time.

Read 5 Lessons.

[Loop]

Originally Posted by charnockpro

...so to suggest you flatten the plane of your golf swing is not appropriate, you have to fit what you are doing around your physical build and what happens in ball flight....

... to encourage a shallow sweep up on the ball and this will encourage a flatter ball flight

When I'm talking about flattening the plane, it's the plane of the club, which makes it easier to make a more shallow path.
But I guess we're all talking the same thing, but in different terms....

[warbirdlover]

Do you use an interlocking or overlapping grip? I hope you don't use a "baseball" grip.

[cypressperch]

The shorter the club, the more the hands will be ahead of the ball at impact. Allow the club to sit naturally behind the ball at address. With the club so situated the shaft takes the angle it is designed to have for that club. You simply "stand to the club." Since you sweep the ball off the tee with the driver, the hands are about even with the ball at impact rather than ahead. The three wood is almost a sweeping shot, but since there is a tad of downwardness in the angle of attack, the hands lead slightly. The shorter the club, the greater the angle of attack.

If you want to reduce the angle of attack, I would suggest keeping your shoulders more "level" throughout the swing." Make sure that you are coiling rather than rocking your shoulders. The shoulders move on a more horizontal plane; the arms move on a more vertical plane. All the golf swing is is coiling and uncoiling the shoulders as the arms move up and down. Of course there is also a turning of the hips.

To get the hands in the proper position at impact, you might try maintaining the angle you will have in the right wrist at address. This angle increases as the shaft length decreases. Allow the swinging of the clubhead to have a natural effect on the wrist angle, but just make sure that as you approach impact you have not allowed the wrists to release all of that angle. As you swing the clubhead through the ball (rather than striking at the ball), you let the angle go and the clubhead will then go to the inside of the target line. Keeping that angle in the wrist intact too long will rob you of a lot of power and probably produce a slice since releasing the club brings the clubface squarely only if it is allowed to release.

Two drills to help you with this:
1) Feet together drill. Take a five iron and hit shots with your feet actually touching one another. Do not swing real hard and this becomes a lot easier. You will find that coiling and uncoiling the shoulders, rather than rocking them, is the best way to maintain your balance. You will also have to stay "connected" to hit shots at your target. You will swing smoother and smoother with more rhythm and a very nice tempo all of which comes from having to maintain balance on such a narrow foundation. You will find yourself loosening up which removes tension and makes such shots possible. In time you will hit these shots about 85% the distance you will with your regular stance. When you do take your regular stance, I think you will find that your alinement will be greatly improved.

2) Full motion, half speed drill. Take your driver and try to hit it half as far as your normal drive distance but using a full swing. The only way that this is possible is to slow the swing down. The result, after a short period of this feeling awkward, will be improved smoothness, timing, and therefore greater accuracy. Invariably, contact improves and we will very often be surprised at how far the ball goes, and how accurately it goes, when we slow down the speed of our swing. When you are hitting the ball straight consistently, slowly pick up the speed until you find the point at which you can retain that good contact. Trust me, you will lose that good contact at some point.

These two drills can cure almost every problem a golfer can have with his or her swing. I guarantee it. As mentioned before, I double your money back for any advise that I give that does not meet your every expectation. Just joking, but the drills do work. Best of luck to you with your game. Sincerely, Cypressperch