Swing question

[SiberianDVM]

This is pretty basic: once you have reached the top of your backswing, what physical movement starts your downswing? Any thought involved?

I am having major full swing problems: unless I consciously force myself to make a FULL shoulder turn back, then start my downswing with a FORCEFUL push off of my right foot, I apparently get lazy and end up with a swing that is mostly arms and I don't get my weight to the left side.

So I get a weak push, or sometimes a pull hook.

I really need to get myself to the range when there is enough daylight to use my videocam.

 

[Irish]

I certainly try to promote starting from the hips for me

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

This is pretty basic: once you have reached the top of your backswing, what physical movement starts your downswing? Any thought involved?

Turning the hips back. Although I try not to think to much about this, except maybe in the practice swing. Everything else should follow suit.

 

[Johnny Par]

for me, I've been trying to initiate my downswing with the hips.

Check out my post here with links of Tiger's swing. http://www.shottalk.com/forum/hacker-s-anonymous/18860-swing-question.html

 

[Stanters]

Yep, lead down with the hips.

A good drill is to lay down a towel about 2-3 inches behind the ball and try and miss the towel as you come down. It helps to promote a strong drive through the ball and could help to remove the weak push shots. You will find yourself concentrating on the ball much more and not getting overly analytical, make your swing results orientated and not just aesthetically pleasing. If you set up right and strike through then the rest will look after itself to point.

And don't worry if you lose balance a little on that drill at first - it's likely you will at first.

 

[zaphod]

My thought is I need to hit the ball and can not do it from the top of back swing.

Seriously, I more concerned of where I am going to finish and let my body transition me there. The only thought i have at the top is to make sure my hands LEAD to club forward. Another way of saying keep the lag or wrist cock on the move down.

 

[Johnny Par]

My thought is I need to hit the ball and can not do it from the top of back swing.

Seriously, I more concerned of where I am going to finish and let my body transition me there. The only thought i have at the top is to make sure my hands LEAD to club forward. Another way of saying keep the lag or wrist cock on the move down.

That's my biggest problem and I think, the reason why I don't take a divot in front of the ball. I break my wrists way too early leading to picking the ball / fat shots.

 

[jackerman]

I certainly try to promote starting from the hips for me

This is so true. Promoting hip turn at the start of the downswing is so crucial to a great weight transfer. Just some facts for you. The tour avarage for hip turn at impact is around 42 - 45 deg. open to the target, with the shoulders a little open to the target. This can only happen with correct weight shift. The weight must move to about 70% to your Left Side durring impact (right handed golfer). That means weight tranfers to your back left heel through impact then back to your arch at finish. Here ia a article I wrote a little while back.

When I was the Director of Instruction at GolfTEC San Diego I saw some of the most interesting golf swings. When I asked people what they were trying to do it astonished me! In most cases golf is a game of opposites. You swing the club left of the target the ball most of the time goes right (Fade, Slice), you swing the club right of the target the ball most of the time goes left (Draw, Hook) Usually when I am teaching I need to pinpoint that little flaw that might occur in a golf swing. There are literally hundreds of moves that golfers make during a swing that can keep the ball from being hit to the target. Here are three of the most common swing flaws that have the greatest effect on shot quality for the average golfer. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>
Backswing - Overactive Lower Body – Tour players do a remarkable job of keeping their lower body stable in the backswing so that they can use their hips to drive the forward swing through impact. Most of the amateur golfers that we teach have balance issues in addition to excessive hip turn; leg action, and lower body sway (moving the hips laterally away from the target) during the backswing. These excessive movements make it nearly impossible to use the lower body effectively through the golf ball where it’s really needed. <o></o>
<o></o>
Forward swing - Incorrect use of shoulders and arms – As I’m sure you’re aware, the majority of golfers in the world are slicers. The two main reasons why most golfers slice are that they put themselves in a bad position at the top of the swing which makes it difficult to swing on plane, and they don’t use their shoulders or arms correctly swinging down into the golf ball. Tour players aggressively tilt their shoulders to the right immediately as the downswing starts to put the club and arms on the correct swing plane.<o></o>
<o></o>
The common misconception is that the shoulders swing around the spine going both back and through. However, the addition of hip rotation coming down to the ball dictates that the trail shoulder has to work vertically downward to get the arms and club to drop on plane correctly. The key to this downswing movement is that the shoulder must drop vertically and put the arms on plane, you cannot simply drop your hands on plane.<o></o>
<o></o>
Impact – Flipping the hands / loss of posture – The two swing flaws that were discussed above are typically causes of the most common issue at impact. When the lower body is too active during the backswing, and the shoulders don’t work correctly swinging down into the ball it is very difficult to open the hips up at impact like the best players in the world. When the hips don’t rotate properly through the hitting area a couple of things happen. First, your hips are in the way, which causes the upper body to lift. When the upper body lifts, it is impossible to retain a good lag angle between your lead arm and the club shaft – we refer to this as “flipping” or “casting” – because you have to lengthen the lever system to get down to the ball since your upper body has moved upward. When you lose posture, stand up, and “flip” at impact you will lose power, hit the ball too high, and the resulting contact will almost always be fat or thin. Sound familiar? You can go through the day hitting fat or thin shots all day with the same swing.

 

[SiberianDVM]

Are y'all saying that you don't push off of your right foot? That you can turn your hips to the left while your weight is on your right foot?

If I don't actively push off of my right foot, so that my weight goes to my left foot, then it is impossible for me to turn my hips.

If my hips don't turn, then my swing is all arms, and is over the top.

 

[jackerman]

Not True,

When you push off your right foot you will (mostly) tend to slide and or bump your hips forward. This will increase the possibility of a early release. (hitting it fat or thin). By posting your left leg and using centrifugal force of the swing (around your body) this will help you get the weight to your back left heel through impact. If you would like just watch any tour pro's left foot through impact you will see the left toe lift up ever so slightly through impact.

Jeffrey Ackerman

 

[gwlee7]

Doc, a simple feeling move to try that could help smooth out your transistion is to "squash a bug" with your lead (front) foot to start yourself down.

It will feel different than pushing off your right foot but, give it a try. As others have said, you want to post up on that lead (front) leg coming back through.

 

[JasonMacIsaac]

My downswing starts from grounds up, feet, knees, hips body then clubhead.

 

[SiberianDVM]

Doc, a simple feeling move to try that could help smooth out your transistion is to "squash a bug" with your lead (front) foot to start yourself down.

I tried this last night (along with my Tour Tempo player) on some half wedges, and it seemed to work well. I was too tired after a long day at work to work on any full shots. Maybe this evening.

 

[Eracer]

When I was the Director of Instruction at GolfTEC San Diego I saw some of the most interesting golf swings.

As soon as you mentioned the pros' angles I knew you were involved with GolfTec. I've taken 10 of 15 lessons in the plan, and it's certainly an interesting approach to the swing. I appreciate the approach, insofar as it tries to make one emulate the positions of the best golfers. I've been having some difficulty with the drills, since they tend to exaggerate the proper motions. I tend to mimic motion, and have really had a hard time on the course. For example, my first drill was the Chair Drill, and on the course I moved my weight much too far to my right on the backswing (which is what the drill actually forces you to do.) Did I need to get more to my right side? Absolutely. Did the Chair Drill help me? Eventually, I learned to integrate a much better turn. I'm just not sure that the exaggerated motions in the drill are the best method for me. And GolfTec is nothing if not method-based. I've stopped my lessons for a while, wanting some time to integrate what I've learned. I will go back soon and finish, and I'll probably keep taking lessons from GolfTec. The video feedback alone is very valuable to me. I would like to see some mo-cap, and maybe they're working on that. I would at least like to see them add simulators, since hitting into a net is - to me at least - pretty useless.

 

[Eracer]

Are y'all saying that you don't push off of your right foot? That you can turn your hips to the left while your weight is on your right foot?

If I don't actively push off of my right foot, so that my weight goes to my left foot, then it is impossible for me to turn my hips.

If my hips don't turn, then my swing is all arms, and is over the top.

A friend of mine once had me take one swing thought to the course:

From an athletic starting position, feel "right heel/left toe" at the top, then "left heel/right toe" at the finish.

It was a very simple and effective way to get good weight transfer.