follow up

Question
QUESTION: Hello Eddie
Thanks for making your expertise available to us. I am tall-6'5". I have a problem I'll call a "late" club. I get there before the club resulting in a block. Not a slice but a block. I would be very happy with a consistent fade. I hit the short clubs really good.The longer the club the later it is(driver of course is the worst). How can I get the club more in front of me and not behind? Don't have a distance problem. I have a "longish" swing but not overly so. Would like to hear your ideas on this. Thanks Ken

ANSWER: Hi Ken:

Looking at this logically, which does not always work in golf as we know, the shorter the club, the easier it is to get back in front of you to hit it pretty solid.  Simply put, with your longer clubs, the handle of the club is moving past your zipper (midsection) before the clubhead reaches that point, resulting in a block.  I want you to also check to see if you are swinging too much from inside to out.  Straight blocks to the right are often related to a club swinging too much from the inside, resulting in a block.  However, if the club is swinging into the ball on a good path, then you simply need to "release" the clubhead a little sooner than you do.  You'll have to feel "at impact", that the clubhead and the handle line back up and point at your belly button.  To do that, you'll have to swing the clubhead a little more and slow the handle down a bit.  Let that clubhead swing into the impact area.  For a while, you'll have to feel as though the clubhead will arrive at impact before the handle does.  Obviously, that is the opposite of what you are describing, but in order to change something, sometimes we need to go to the opposite end of the spectrum to feel it or sense it.  Now, if your path is too much from the inside, then you'll need to fix that only.  But if your path is good into the ball, then you'll have to get that clubhead to release a little sooner than you do.  

Eddie Kilthau
www.victorygolfworks.com
PGA Member

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks again Eddie for your help with this. If my path is too much from the inside(and it has been many times-I can tell because divots go to the right (I am right-handed) what would you suggest to get a correct combination of path and the release you described? Thanks and I think if I can get things a little more in-synch it will help a lot. Regards Ken

ANSWER: Ken:

Simple drill.  Tee up a ball with a 5 iron.  Play the ball opposite your left toe.  Set up with clubhead in the middle of feet.  Take the club back 3/4, which means, when your left arm is parallel to ground, stop.  Club should be at a 90 degree angle to the arm at that point.  Once there, unwind and swing.  In order to get up to the ball, you will feel as though you are coming over the top and swinging to the left.  Remember, ball is pretty forward, so because the club moves (or should move) to the left after impact, you'll have to feel as though the club is coming over the top.  The goal of the drill is get the ball to start to the left of the target.  If the ball starts left of target, you obviously are not coming from the inside.  I don't mean turning your hands over to hook it Ken, that is not what I am talking about.  I am only speaking of the path the club takes to the ball.  So what is the opposite of inside and shallow?  You guessed it:  outside, over and steep.  Hit some balls sensing how from the top, as your body opens to go hit that ball, the left shoulder will feel as though it is moving downward and behind you.....like going into your back left hip pocket..    Just a feeling.  As a result, the club will move out and over and swing down and to the left at the ball.  That is correct.  Sounds weird, but I had to do this and I have taught this to several students who all have corrected the path issue.  You can do it with any club, but I would stick with a 5 or 6 iron until comfortable.  You are looking for the ball to start left of target and stay straight.  If the ball is hooking, then you are rotating your hands too much.  In fact, a perfect combination of what to look for is a ball that starts to the left of target, goes straight, then slightly fades back towards the target.  Remember, this is just a drill.  Do not play this way.  Practice this way.  The more you move the ball back in your stance, the more from the inside you will come.  To change this, drastically do something different.  Good luck.

Eddie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks again Eddie, One more question-when I want to "catch the clubhead up" with the butt end of it should it feel almost as if I'm casting it? When you described why the club is late I may be trying too much to keep it behind the hands into and beyond impact. Thanks a bunch
Ken

Answer
Hey Ken:

No.  Use the knuckles of the left hand and the logo on your glove.  Now picture this before you do this and then go practice this, it's not that hard.  As the club swings into the impact area, the logo of the glove and the knuckles of the left hand should be rotating down towards the ground.  The right hand will feel as if it turns over the top of the left hand past impact.  This rotation is your answer.  Never will you be casting it.  Never, never.  It seems all of what you do is OK, but instead of trying to hold off the club through impact, allow the back of the left hand to rotate down and over towards the ground.  You'll need to hit balls to feel this, when to do it, how much to rotate, etc.  But it is never a casting motion or a flipping motion.  I do not want independent hand action from the swinging of your arms.  All that is required is some rotation.  Good luck, let me know.  

Eddie