***Official Bushwood Country Club Lounge***

[smittysbar]

Okay, here is a place for the Golfers to talk about tournaments, clubs, swing help or thoughts.

Today is the Players Championship, which I think ought to be the 5th Major. Largest pot in the PGA. The daunting 17th, which seems to bring excitement every year. At least we will get to see Sergio blow up yet again.

I am ready to see some water balls!

[philfree]

I was going to go the course but it looks like it'll be raining by 6:00. It might give me an hour of play time but I'd feel rushed at this point. Can't be rushed and accomplish anything on the golf course.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by philfree

I don't know about all this.

Most shots are missed or results determined before a golfer ever starts his downswing. Most slices are caused when the player takes the club away inside the target line causing him to have to re-route the club over the top in order to hit the ball at the target. The over the top move of course creates a pull or a shot that starts left. That being the case your average player will hold the club open through impact turning the pull into a slice. If he doesn't he'll smother it or top it. If that's the case then moving ones right foot back a couple of inches might exacerbate the problem.

And the direction the ball moves or curves after it starts in a given direction is determined by the direction the clubface is pointing at impact. I guess ones release could play a factor in that but that's not a good way to look at that in my humble opinion. I think focusing on ones release can be a mistake. It's not baseball. In golf the release is a natural result that occurs when one properly swings the golf club. I never think about my release unless I was going to keep the clubface from closing on a knockdown or punch type of shot. Even then I think of it as just holding the face open or even keeping the toe from passing the heel of the club. I'd never think of releasing or holding my release.

Moving your foot back won't make your backswing more inside, it will make your downswing more inside.

You are confused by my verbiage.

When I say "weak release" I'm talking about the release that 90% of amateurs have, which is an improper release. A lot of people call it a chicken wing. They come in too steep and hold on for dear life. A strong release is a correct one, similar to a properly hit tennis forehand, wherein the right arm overtakes the left and it feels like you are shaking hands with the target.

FWIW, Donger's neighbor's analysis actually points to him hitting a push slice, which will go the farthest right of all ball flights. It's rarer than a classic over the top move, but the best solution a feel based one: feel like you are finishing the shot on your front foot. It's what happened to Tiger Woods when he went bad with the Haney swing. Too much of his weight stayed back and w/ a weak grip he couldn't save the shot with his hands.

Ball started right (face angle, due to grip) and went right (weak release).

[Donger]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

FWIW, Donger's neighbor's analysis actually points to him hitting a push slice, which will go the farthest right of all ball flights.

I ****ing knew it. BRB.

[Prison Bitch]

I'm a 10 handicap, played Saturday. For some odd reason, almost every long iron I hit was fat. It was infuriating. I.e. a 4iron off the tee would go about 150 yards straight, but fat. 3 iron would go 170 yards, fat. I would rather scorch the ball on a line and pull it 50 yards into the woods OB left of the green, pin high, rather than being fat and straight and short. It was awful. Worse than taking penalties.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Donger

People who have seen me swing (neighbor's a pro) say that:

I grip WAY too hard.

I swing inside the ball, whatever that means.

That my back swing isn't far enough (bad back). And that when I begin my forward swing, it's REALLY violent.

That the club face is WAY too open at the top of my backswing. Said that one should look like a waiter holding a tray at the top...

Many times you can self-diagnose with the swing. If you want to know where your path is, just look at the divots you make. If they point to the right of the target line, then your path is too far inside; left and they are too far outside.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

I'm a 10 handicap, played Saturday. For some odd reason, almost every long iron I hit was fat. It was infuriating. I.e. a 4iron off the tee would go about 150 yards straight, but fat. 3 iron would go 170 yards, fat. I would rather scorch the ball on a line and pull it 50 yards into the woods OB left of the green, pin high, rather than being fat and straight and short. It was awful. Worse than taking penalties.

Thin wins.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Many times you can self-diagnose with the swing. If you want to know where your path is, just look at the divots you make. If they point to the right of the target line, then your path is too far inside; left and they are too far outside.

They are all left, when I actually leave a divot.

I'm also one of those people who is "afraid" of hitting off the fairway. I'm much more comfortable hitting out of the rough. I think my flaw is that I try to scoop up the ball up, instead of "hitting down on the ball." When I hit off the fairway (and the ****ing ball actually leaves the ground), I barely leave any divot.

Make sense?

[Prison Bitch]

What was I doing wrong then? My buddies said they coudln't find anything different at all. One said i was talking the club too far back and thudding it on impact. It was infuriating whatever it was.

[seaofred]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Many times you can self-diagnose with the swing. If you want to know where your path is, just look at the divots you make. If they point to the right of the target line, then your path is too far inside; left and they are too far outside.

I actually use an app on my phone to record my swing and then diagnose what I'm doing wrong when I go through a hitting slump. The app is called coacheseye if anyone is interested. Pretty helpful tool.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Donger

They are all left, when I actually leave a divot.

I'm also one of those people who is "afraid" of hitting off the fairway. I'm much more comfortable hitting out of the rough. I think my flaw is that I try to scoop up the ball up, instead of "hitting down on the ball." When I hit off the fairway (and the ****ing ball actually leaves the ground), I barely leave any divot.

Make sense?

That's a classic over-the-top swing.

I understand your frustration. Golf is psychologically counter-intuitive. You hit a thin shot, so you want to help the ball in the air, which only causes you to hit it thinner.


This is an excellent description of OTT. FWIW, this guy really knows his stuff and explains things in a very understandable manner.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

What was I doing wrong then? My buddies said they coudln't find anything different at all. One said i was talking the club too far back and thudding it on impact. It was infuriating whatever it was.

There is no way to know w/o seeing it.

Things it could be caused by:

1) Too steep of a downswing
2) Loss of your spine angle, which throws off your swing plane
3) Casting the club
4) Ball position

If it was just your long irons, it might be more of a mental block. They're hard clubs to hit and a lot of times I rush when swinging them, which leads to fat or thin contact. When I incorporate more patience and better rhythm in my transition I hit them far better.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by seaofred

I actually use an app on my phone to record my swing and then diagnose what I'm doing wrong when I go through a hitting slump. The app is called coacheseye if anyone is interested. Pretty helpful tool.

Thanks. I haven't recorded my swing in several years. So much easier now.

[seaofred]

Yeah, it's a lot easier. That app actually lets you slow it down and play it frame by frame. It's helped me a few times.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by seaofred

Yeah, it's a lot easier. That app actually lets you slow it down and play it frame by frame. It's helped me a few times.

I would kill for the PING putting app on Android.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Little of both.

First time I saw myself on video I about shit myself. My front shoulder was turning damn near to my BACK foot. And my hands were breaking down at the top. There are vids of me with a driver where the head is below my ass. Unreal.

Now my swing key is to stop my backswing when my front shoulder gets to the ball - and I've lowered my scores significantly over the last month or so.

I started the year focusing on an attempt to keep my right shoulder back on the downswing, then slowly went away from it. Hit the ball like refried ass yesterday, then went back to it on the range and was flushing everything again.