swing question

[SiberianDVM]

My biggest golf problem, other than the occasional pull-top into the left rough, is a lack of distance with my driver, and to a lesser degree the other clubs.

God knows, I've got enough swing thoughts running through my tiny little brain already, but this one just occured to me, and I want to ask your opinions.

Good shoulder turn on backswing- CHECK. I do that. 90* or so.

What about shoulder turn in the other direction in the downswing? How important is that it be an active shoulder turn, as opposed to a passive one?

I think I kind of quit early and this is a contributor to my poor distance.

 

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

It sounds like that could keep you from getting a full rip through the ball, and you'd just be relying on your arms to generate clubhead speed. Although the bigger thing is what are your hips doing, I think, and then you want the shoulder turn to be following that. Getting the shoulders to follow through will mean you aren't decelerating which could hurt some.

Try looking at some swings of the PGA guys, see how their hips and shoulders go through.

 

[bdcrowe]

That could definitely cause a lack in distance, and to a very large degree problems in direction. The ball will go where your right arm extends to. Without a shoulder release, where are the arms extending? and do they repeat from swing to swing.

You want a good drill? Grab a tennis racket and practice a smoothe 2-handed tennis stroke from the R side of your body to the L (R handed aren't you?). This is the same feel you should have with a golf-club, only on a descending plane.

Another good one for this is to take practice swings, starting with your feet together. As you begin your downswing, step your left foot out into a natural golf stance. This will get your lower body moving, which should naturally pull your upper body and shoulders through into a full follow-through, and in good tempo.

Good luck with it.

 

[Farquod]

Gotta throw one more swing thought at you too, doc, just 'cause you can never have TOO many. One possibility, as a righty, is that you're pushing through with your right arm and right side, while your left side remains passive. That will cause a ton of problems, from fats to lack of distance to scooping at the ball to "chicken wingin'." Make sure you're pulling through with the left side at least as hard as your're pushing through with the right.

As per Hogan, "I try to hit the ball hard with BOTH hands."

 

[SiberianDVM]

Gotta throw one more swing thought at you too, doc, just 'cause you can never have TOO many.

My only regret is that I have to spend the weekend wearing camo and cannot go to the range. I have a theory that if I cram 1 more swing thought into my brain, my head will explode.

Thanks for the ideas, and I will try some of them out when I get back.

 

[Eracer]

Watch Phil Mickelson, and how he "rebounds" at the end of his follow-through. It's not a violent motion, and the club is pointing slighty down towards the target. It's proof, pure and simple, that he's made a powerful swing THROUGH the ball.

Harvey Penick said that all he had to do was look at a player's follow-through, and that told him everything he needed to know about the rest of the swing. Get the club up and over your left shoulder on your follow-through, rebounding back a little while facing the target (do the "pose"), and you will hit the ball straighter and longer. And to get a better left-side move, hold on a little tighter with the left hand.

 

[Highline]

splash the water...as it were....

Worst advice I ever got.....

 

[ezra76]

I find I generate more power with my hips than anything. When I really rip one I actually squat down and stand back up through contact. Golf digest had this in some pictures (thats where I got my avatar). Of course you first have to be confident enough that you will make solid contact to fully swing through the ball, not at it. I hit one today a little high on the ball with a full through swing. At first I thought it was a wormburner, it was literally like 1ft. off the ground for 200yds. then rose up to 10ft. It ended up 10yds. behind the 150 marker on a 475 yard par 5. Unfortunately I clipped a branch trying to cut the little dogleg right to the hole on my second.