Okay, had the gf take a video of my awful swing. Take a look, and don't hold back... any advice would be appreciated.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwAaksQlm1k

I know I'm not in a position to give golf tips; but I did notice that you don't keep your left arm straight on your backswing.

It really doesnt look that bad. Where did the ball go in that swing?

greendevil97 wrote:

I know I'm not in a position to give golf tips; but I did notice that you don't keep your left arm straight on your backswing.

I know, I don't. It used to be worse until I started tucking my left arm under my chin... but its a matter of flexibility at this point. Even without a club swing, I cant put my left arm across my body without bending it... unless I use my other arm to pull it straight.

Lerxst wrote:

It really doesnt look that bad. Where did the ball go in that swing?

Actually... that one went pretty much dead straight. One of my better drives. Very high though, so there wasn't much distance. 150 yards at most.

I agree with Lerxst; your swing doesn't look bad to me. I'd like to see a video of your swing from behind though.

How far do you usually drive the ball; on average? Do you usually slice, draw, pull or push the majority of your drives?

greendevil97 wrote:

I agree with Lerxst; your swing doesn't look bad to me. I'd like to see a video of your swing from behind though.

Yep, a vid from rear profile reveals more from a swing plane perspective.

If your "popping" it up a lot, you may be teeing the ball too high. I use long tees however, I push them in to where when the driver is just off the ground the ball is in the center of the clube face.

After reading the comments about your left arm I thought it was going to be really bent but after watching the videos, it doesn't seem that bad at all.

You have a good, full swing with your belt buckle facing the target at finish.

0. Your grip seems fine as does your setup. A light pressure / relaxed grip is better than a death grip. Weight should be evenly distributed b/w toe & heel. If anything maybe add a slight body tilt towards your back foot to increase the effective launch angle of the ball -- you'll less likely hit underneath the ball that way.

1. The left arm seems fine. I'd only worry if the backswing was past horizontal or your left arm was so bent that you could see the club head over your left shoulder at the top of your backswing.

2. You have a 3/4 backswing, again, which is fine -- will give you more control in the long term -- just like Anthony Kim. A longer backswing could "potentially" give you more distance but there are probably other parts of your game that would benefit more from improvement.

3. It's hard to see from the video but it may be that you have a vertical swing plane, which is great for short irons but more likely to result in topped balls and pop-ups in your driver. If so, you may want to work on swinging around your body rather than bringing the club up on your backswing.

4. When you finish your swing your left foot is flared out and a portion of your weight is on your back (i.e. right) foot. Try to imitate the pros. They have almost all their weight on their front foot and that foot is pretty much perpendicular to the flight of the ball.

Of couse, if you can afford it, get a real lesson from a pro (and group lessons can be cheaper).

I won't be able to view the video until I get home this evening, but I figured I'd like to comment on what's already been said.

Left arm: The rule of thumb that I've been taught is that my backswing should not extend any farther than the extent where I can keep my left arm straight. I was having a heck of a time with this, so I seriously shortened my backswing. My results have been impeccable. I might recommend some stretching excercises to do on a daily basis if the problem is flexibility. Hold your left arm straight, like you do in your address. Slowly move it back across your body as far as you can using your right arm to pull it slightly farther than you can do on your own. This should not hurt! The objective is to stretch your muscles and tendons so that you might one day be able to give a full backswing while keeping your left arm straight.

You're natural address stance should have your spine tilted a bit to the right. This should be natural because your right hand is below your left hand. Bend at the hips...keep your back straight! Posture is so important.

My golf instructor has had me actually take a step towards the target on the driving range to show how important it is to have all of your weight on your front foot on your follow-through.

greendevil97 wrote:

I agree with Lerxst; your swing doesn't look bad to me. I'd like to see a video of your swing from behind though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw8Xf56897k

This one was actually pretty bad. I was thinking too much about the camera and ended up hitting the ground much more than I should have, and the ball went right into the left trees. But, you get the idea.

greendevil97 wrote:

How far do you usually drive the ball; on average? Do you usually slice, draw, pull or push the majority of your drives?

Always slice, unless I'm on the range (then it goes dead straight). My drives go AT MOST 200 yards. I have so little power, it's embarrassing. These 150 yard par 3's I should have no trouble hitting with a high numbered iron!

SingleDigits wrote:

After reading the comments about your left arm I thought it was going to be really bent but after watching the videos, it doesn't seem that bad at all. You have a good, full swing with your belt buckle facing the target at finish. 0. Your grip seems fine as does your setup. A light pressure / relaxed grip is better than a death grip. Weight should be evenly distributed b/w toe & heel. If anything maybe add a slight body tilt towards your back foot to increase the effective launch angle of the ball -- you'll less likely hit underneath the ball that way.

A body tilt to the BACK will make me NOT hit underneath the ball? That sounds kind of backwards... you'd think it would make me uppercut the ball...

SingleDigits wrote:

1. The left arm seems fine. I'd only worry if the backswing was past horizontal or your left arm was so bent that you could see the club head over your left shoulder at the top of your backswing. 2. You have a 3/4 backswing, again, which is fine -- will give you more control in the long term -- just like Anthony Kim. A longer backswing could "potentially" give you more distance but there are probably other parts of your game that would benefit more from improvement.

My backswing used to be all the way back, until I read an article on here to shorten it to horizontal or less. I basically go as far as I can without bending my left elbow (much). This helped me significantly.

SingleDigits wrote:

3. It's hard to see from the video but it may be that you have a vertical swing plane, which is great for short irons but more likely to result in topped balls and pop-ups in your driver. If so, you may want to work on swinging around your body rather than bringing the club up on your backswing.

This is quite likely, I swing my driver the exact same way as my irons. Possibly a good reason my slice is so bad!

SingleDigits wrote:

4. When you finish your swing your left foot is flared out and a portion of your weight is on your back (i.e. right) foot. Try to imitate the pros. They have almost all their weight on their front foot and that foot is pretty much perpendicular to the flight of the ball.

Yes, I noticed that too. Sometimes my foot stays where it is and sometimes it does as it did in the video. Usually if I shift my weight, it stays as is, but I tend to only be able to make one correction at a time when I swing. Lately I've been consciously thinking about swinging with my arm under my chin so I dont bend my left elbow (Im surprised I didnt have a bruise on my left shoulder from my chin the way I used to swing). Eventually both adjustments will be second nature.

SingleDigits wrote:

Of couse, if you can afford it, get a real lesson from a pro (and group lessons can be cheaper).

I agree completely. I want even just one or two lessons, just to go over my grip and swing...

bjohn13 wrote:

I might recommend some stretching excercises to do on a daily basis if the problem is flexibility. Hold your left arm straight, like you do in your address. Slowly move it back across your body as far as you can using your right arm to pull it slightly farther than you can do on your own. This should not hurt!

I will try this for sure. I know it's just a matter of stretching over time, and that was certainly a stretching exercise I did back in my baseball playing years!

Oh yeah your way over the top. That's a big reason why your slicing. Can you see it?

Lerxst wrote:

Oh yeah your way over the top. That's a big reason why your slicing. Can you see it?

Yeah, I think so. Probably the reason I hit the ground, too.

Flatten your plane a bit so that your not going outside to inside cutting accoss the ball. Once you get it a little flatter (inside to out) you'll notice that your ball will draw or hook.

BTW, I forgot to mention that you have a good tempo with your swing. A good tempo will help tremendously for your entire game: putting, chipping, pitches, etc.

Regarding the tilt, yes, it should give you a slight uppercut. The slower your swing speed, the more loft you need to maximize distance. Go to Golf Galaxy and hit a 13 degree driver to see if you get any extra distance.

I also noticed during your backswing your front knee moves back towards your right leg, allowing your hips to rotate a bit. For more power, keep your hips almost stationary while your shoulders rotate above your hips. The greater the angle between your hips & shoulders the more power you store and then can release.

Lerxst wrote:

Flatten your plane a bit so that your not going outside to inside cutting accoss the ball. Once you get it a little flatter (inside to out) you'll notice that your ball will draw or hook.

I actually have the opposite problem...my swing goes inside to out causing the ball to hook right into the ground (my wrists also tend to come through too soon, which causes a rarely seen pull/hook combo). The odd part is, though, that it will roll 100 yards after it hits the ground. Now, I'm trying to learn to temper that a bit so it will go 200 yards in the air first.

What I find impressive about this thread, though, is that ipv is really showing a dedication to studying his swing and learning how to correct his problems. When you are watching video of your swing, trying to find your errors, that's when I know that your serious about improving.

Hey Chris, When you get to the point where you find you're hitting them straight (for the most part). After you finish the shot, hold your postion and take the club and point it directly out from your belly button.

The ball should be going in the direction your hips (belly button) are pointing. It has been a very amazing revalation for me. (This is why Im hitting most of my fairways)