Stand Up and Be Recognized..!!!!!

[Mors Ab Alto]

I would like to extend a hearty thans to someone on this forum, but unfortunately I don't know who it is. Allow me to explain:

It was a bout 2 weeks ago, and I was reading through a thread that had to do with instruction. In one of the longer posts, someone mentioned that they do not subscribe to the idea of using the hands to bring the club down, but instead using the shoulders and that the shoulders also help to square the clubface. I have been struggling with my irons lately, changing from being a "striker" to a "picker". This was leading to inconsistency, higher scores and an overall feeling of self-doubt in my game. Well, I took that one thought, of using my shoulders to bring the club down, and I have been shooting in the low 80s/upper 70s once again. I love my irons again, and while I am not hitting every green, I am getting close enough to scramble for par. The feeling on confidence I have on my approaches is one I haven't had in some time.

So to whomever it was that imparted that small piece of wisdom, I would like to say "thank you". Now, can you fix my driver, because I think the swing change is affecting it and it has gone on the fritz?

P. S. Still trying to figure out how to upload my swing videos so you guys can see my monstrosity of a stroke.

 

[Johnny Par]

great to hear that your swinging your clubs better and playing better overall.

I am in the same situation where it is getting frustrating, my swing is soooo off these days that I am going to sign up for lessons.

Don't get me wrong, the information you read on these forums is great advice and suggestions but I need illustrations and up close instruction.

 

[cypressperch]

Since you said the post was a longer one, it

was probably me. Dave and others also think big muscles like shoulders being the heart of the swing, with the hands playing a role that is secondary though still important.

As far the driver, I do not really change the swing that much. As the club length gets longer, you stand somewhat farther from the ball. With all clubs you assume an athletic stance with the arms hanging almost straight down from the shoulders (hands are away from the body some for clearance but you are definitely NOT reaching out to the ball).

The longer the club, the longer you keep the clubhead low when going back. You are establishing your angle of attack when you start back! Being closer to the ball with short irons, your swing becomes more upright with them. I like turning until my back faces the target, but with short irons, I do not recommend bringing the arms up as high, so the swing is both more upright and more compact.

With the driver, keep the club face square to the target line for two feet or so. The shoulders turning will automatically bring the clubhead in. When the shaft is parallel to the ground it is ALSO parallel to the target line. When the left arm is parallel to the ground, you have created an "L" shape with the left arm and the club shaft. From there, I like to go on up until the driver shaft is parallel to the target line and pretty close to being parallel to the ground. With the big muscles still controlling the swing by controlling the turn, I like the arms to come down (almost fall down) while the back is still turned (hips of course have started their turn to get things out of the way for attack path to ball) towards the target. The club shaft returns to the point at which it was both parallel to the ground and to the target line. From that point, you can just fire the right side to the ball by thinking of the right shoulder going right under the chin. If well timed, you will actually be hitting ever so slightly UP on the ball as well as THROUGH the ball. It is OK if the hands are not as ahead of the club at impact as with shorter clubs. The shorter the club, the farther the hands are ahead of the ball at impact. With a three wood, the are just a bit ahead indicating that there was a bit of downwardness in the angle of attack. Continue your shoulder turn and the clubhead comes to the inside automatically. Do not try to keep the clubface square to the target line too long after impact! This prevents a good release, probably causes a slice, and the ball has already gone anyway.

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

 

[Fourputt]

great to hear that your swinging your clubs better and playing better overall.

I am in the same situation where it is getting frustrating, my swing is soooo off these days that I am going to sign up for lessons.

Don't get me wrong, the information you read on these forums is great advice and suggestions but I need illustrations and up close instruction.

I agree that you can learn a lot from reading tips here and elswhere, but there is no substitute for the eye of a qualified professional to be sure that what you are doing is fundamentally sound rather than just a band aid on a severed artery.

 

[Sandpiper3]

Haha, when you said it was a longer post my mind went straight to cypress too.

 

[Mors Ab Alto]

Hey, I found it! It was cypressperch, I should have known. Thanks man, not only have you helped reintroduce 12 clubs back into my game (namely my 16* - LW), but I decided to try this swing with my driver, and lo and behold, I'm booming them again. So to you, Mr. Perch, I owe a debt of gratitude. If you're ever in the vacinity of west Texas, give me a holler, and I'll buy you a beer (or beverage of your choice).

Damn if this forum doesn't kick the crap out of the old GR forum!

Still trying to figure out how to hook up my camcorder to my computer (something wrong with my program driver, like always, my drivers fail me). Then you will see the monstrosity that is my swing. Think if John Daly's and Jim Furyk's swings had a baby, and that baby had vertigo. That's the best description I've yet to come up with.

 

[Rockford35]

You have a 16* lob wedge? That must be some shoulder squaring...



R35

 

[ezra76]

You have a 16* lob wedge? That must be some shoulder squaring...



R35

Probably would go higher and shorter than most of my LW attempts.

 

[Rockford35]

Probably would go higher and shorter than most of my LW attempts.

If you hit the face, it goes up and far. If you skull it, it goes farther, but not where you want it to go.

R35

 

[Mors Ab Alto]

In Perch I Trust...

You have a 16* lob wedge? That must be some shoulder squaring...



R35

Under the guidance of cypressperch, anything is possible.

 

[Rockford35]

Under the guidance of cypressperch, anything is possible.

LOL.

That would make a deadly T-shirt.

:biglol:

R35

 

[Mors Ab Alto]

LOL.

That would make a deadly T-shirt.

:biglol:

R35

How about on a leather mankini?!?

 

[JEFF4i]

Haha, when you said it was a longer post my mind went straight to cypress too.

I truly enjoy his posts, they are always fully explained and well thought out. Long, but worth every letter.

How about on a leather mankini?!?

What's a mankini?

 

[Mors Ab Alto]

What's a mankini?

It's a man's bikini. It's a little inside joke.