Wrist hinge / driver

Question
Hi again :] I've been having some struggles with my driver this last week, and a question on wrist hinge in the backswing.

First of all, I WAS hitting a low left shot, and my coach said that I was hitting down on the ball, and that I should be swinging up into it with my hands rotating through the ball. I'm also putting the club in the middle now, instead of forward. However, I'm hitting VERY different shots now. Either A: A fade/slice. B. Low left (still) C. VERY high ball flight, straight but not very far... Help?

Also, I want to be clear on the "wrist hinge" in the backswing. I am currently not too aware of it, but a few weeks ago I was focusing on making sure I DID have a good wrist hinge (coach told me). But I was watching the golf fix and the person there said that there shouldn't be much wrist hinge (like steve stricker's swing). I have no clue what to follow. I tried less hinge on my backswing and it works as well. Which one should i follow?

Thanks!

Answer
Jeff:

You're getting way to hung up on this wrist hinge thing.  Here is the proper position of the left hand at the top of the backswing.  The club should rest on top of your left thumb and there should be a slight dish in the left wrist.  If you don't swing the club to parallel, then the club will rest against the left thumb, cocked up against it.  I don't believe your left wrist should be flat, I believe that closes the clubface too much.  As far as how much wrist hinge you should have, it should be a natural hinge so that the angle between the shaft and the left arm is NO MORE than 90 degrees when you reach the top of the backswing (wherever that may be).  

Please check all the magazines and look at all the good players with drivers in their hands.  The ball is located just inside their left heel, their hands are in front of their belt buckle, and their head is behind the ball.  The swing with a driver must be more around you, not up and down.  If your swing is too steep into the ball (hitting down on it), you need to find a big hill that you can make baseball swings.  The more you make baseball swings pretending there is a ball about waist high, the more you will feel a more rounded swing.  

I actually would take you to "the hill" if you were my student.  I use a hill on my range where the lies are way above your feet.  I tee up drivers for all my students who do what you do or slice it.  The ball is about knee high in relation to them standing on the hill.  When they first start, they usually slam the club into the ground about a foot behind the ball, because they are too steep (like you).  After a while, after making several practice baseball swings, they begin to hit the ball off the tee without touching the ground.  They begin to sense how the swings works more around their body instead of so much up and down.  Once the club flattens out a bit, they begin to hit their driver with a more penetrating ball flight and a slight draw.  

So, go practice some baseball swings.  Either find a hill or make a tee about knee high and start making some swings.  In no time, you'll feel how the club should swing more around you instead of up and down.  Good luck.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member