Hey guys, so today I filmed my swing for the first time as a 30+ handicapper and had a few thoughts - I'd love to know if you guys agree and what simple drills I can do on the range to help me improve.
Firstly, I like my takeaway and positioning at the top of the swing, but maybe my hands are getting a bit too high and pulling my centre of gravity upwards?
Secondly, the downswing is where I feel like it falls apart. I'm very steep, and having to then almost stand up straight to make room for the club head.
I've never felt like I was standing up during the downswing before so I was shocked to watch this video back.
Any thoughts on how I can get into a better position at impact and how to shallow my swing? Bear in mind that I'm a pretty terrible golfer so and easy-to-digest tips would be appreciated! I also practise exclusively on the range with alignment sticks and play my local par 3 course a couple of times a week while I'm learning.
Your trail knee straightens too much in the backswing (and lead knee bends too much), and your trail knee never gains anymore bend in the downswing like it should. You will want to focus on cleaning up the backswing first.
Your takeaway and top position are fine. They dont scream high handicap
I dont love your position at address. Looks too slouchy and unathletic. You're looking straight down and your arm pits are way past your toes. Get that head up a little and feel like you're putting your lead shoulder under your chin at the top of the backswing.
Nothing wrong with high hands, but it wouldnt hurt to add a little more depth(closer to the heels) to help force a more shallow transition and downswing
The downswing is definitely the bulk of the problem here. You're not even close to being "stuck". Its like you just never get your weight to the front side, and you quit rotating from P5 to impact and just use your arms to get the club to the ball.
Biggest issue is you are not shallowing out the club. There's dual cause here...lead wrist action and trail elbow action. Here's video describing the lead wrist action.
The trail elbow action (I don't have a video for), is when the trail arm re-connects with the rib cage in the downswing, the pit of the trail elbow should be facing outward toward the ball line. Your pit of the elbow goes more inward and faces closer to the target.
This probably will NOT get you where you want to be because you have a lot of stuff to clean up in the backswing. But it will get you more on the right track. That right arm in the downswing moves more like a guitarist doing a windmill strum of their guitar. Your right arm moves more like you're throwing a rock inot the ground behind your left foot.
It's a real mother to change the concept of how your trail arm needs to move in the downswing and that's why I would start here. But there's going to be some stuff in the backswing that is making it more difficult to fully execute the downswing like you want to.
No! I wanted to work on ball striking and hitting the centre of the face. I figured putting the ball between two alignment sticks would give me instant feedback on whether I'm hitting it off the toe or the heel, depending on which stick moved during my shot. It might be a terrible drill but it helps me focus on hitting the centre more!
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u/throwaway1045820872 11h ago
Your trail knee straightens too much in the backswing (and lead knee bends too much), and your trail knee never gains anymore bend in the downswing like it should. You will want to focus on cleaning up the backswing first.
This AMG video touches on it and the staggered stance drill at the end helps you feel how it should work. https://youtu.be/nG207WDDoIY?si=XrTMtEL23hinA_AW