QuestionQUESTION: Thanks for the listen. I have trouble getting my weight transferred over to my right side (righty)going back and up. Thereby, I'm on top of the ball at the top. Consequently my move down and through my head sways past the ball. I hit alot of balls thin and often on the toe of the iron. Rarely do I get good contact. My length gets shorter and shorter. Whereas 2 years ago I hit a 7 iron from 150 yds, I now hit 6 or 5.
I feel when I make a good turn and shift over that I can't quite get back. I would imagine this is more psychological as its been so long that I failed to get over there in the first place.
Is there some drills here? Would it make much sense if I set up with more of my weight over on my right side at address? Would what I've explained earlier cause the thin .. no squareness hits?
I have long thought that the thin hits were due to a early release coming down or 'flipping'. It wasn't until yesterday when i saw on camera just how much I'm stacked over the ball at the top, that I really gave myself any opportunity to work in from behind and release through.
I'm writing this with 2 challenges i probably have to work through (1) get more of my weight over to the right side going back and (2) stay at and behind the ball swinging through. As to my left heel going back, I have always kept the heel down or rolled slightly in >> due more to 50 yrs playing the game. I guess I could work to allow same heel to come off ground, but boy if feels a bit strange.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Jim
Profile
ANSWER: Hello Jim: Your problems are not at all unusual and you're describing parts of a reverse pivot. Let me start by saying a couple things; first, once you put the club in motion, about 95 of what happens thereafter is driven by reflex. Just like you blink when something comes at your face, as things happen in your swing, you react and counter-react.
Secondly, as we age and our eyes change, and/or our physical capabilities change, we sometimes unknowingly adjust our setups. Another thing that happens to golfers, especially those that read golf magazines and tinker with tips found therein, is that they try certain things, identify the change they try by its feel and because one gets used to how it feels, they try to reproduce that feel and end up overdoing until finally they've changed to the point they can no longer compensate.
Going back to the first thing I mentioned, your lack of weight transfer is a reflexive reaction to being unbalanced. You're not letting yourself shift because of what occurs when you force it; which is that your weight gets outside your right foot and can't get through in sync with your club. You mentioned "flipping" your hands. This is a response to being ahead of the ball; when you don't get behind it and start forward, everything (hips, knees, shoulder and head)are ahead of the ball except for one thing, your hands. This is where your reflexes kick in and you try to catch the club up by hitting from the top. And because you're out of balance, you instinctively restrict your movement so that you'll stay in place long enough to hit the ball.
As I said, the reason you抳e changed could be from one or many things that have happened. It could be from something as simple as straining your back moving something and feeling better over the ball by not bending from the hips as much. Whatever the cause, you抮e no longer in position to make a balanced golf swing; and because I can抰 see what you抮e doing, I抣l explain the position that affords the best balance and how to get into it. Before I do that, let me explain the thin and toe hits. Because you抮e stacked over the ball at the top of the backswing, your weight is already forward and cannot go any further; so what your reflexes have you do is kind of stand up as you抮e hitting the ball. This will pull the club up and to the left.
In order for your weight to shift properly, you must be on the balls of your feet and balanced before the swing motion begins. Before I get to that, I cannot stress enough the importance of proper aim. Regardless of your aim, your mind抯 eye identifies where the target is and will alter your motion to get the ball moving towards your target. For example, if you aim right, you抮e apt to come over the top to get the ball back on target. Your feet, hips and shoulders must be on a line that is parallel to your target line. Once the aim is correct, do these things in this order:
1. With your legs locked straight, bend from the hips until your shoulders just pass the tips of your toes;
2. Bend your knees only enough to unlock them;
3. Stand far enough from the ball to allow your arms to hang straight down from your shoulders, and;
4. Make sure the weight settles in on the balls of the feet.
This is the position you抣l see most touring pros in and it affords you the best chance of making a good swing. I caution you to put yourself in front of a mirror to learn what you look like when you抮e in this position and not to rely upon the 揻eel? You cannot expect to feel the same every day and you won抰.
I抳e included a picture that shows what the above refers to along with numbers. Give yourself some time to adjust to this different position. Because you抣l be in a more balanced position, aimed at your target, your reflexes won抰 have much to do other than help you hit good shots.
Good luck Jim, keep me updated on your progress.
Fairways and Greens,
John
www.golfnutts.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for the tip/s! A couple of follow-up comments.
I understand the reverse pivot position, but I will not 'fire and fall back' like many will. Instead, i find myself merely swaying forward past the ball. An like i said and i believe you agreed, that by being that far on top of the ball will cause me to 'flip-out' with my hands >> it actually causes me as well to break down on the follow through .. thereby aswift break in my right arm and 'up I go to a short-armed steep upswing .. like a U!
I like what you commented to 'once you put the club in motion .. it's reflex and reactionary. My motion back has been around my midsection/belt buckle with a ample turn >> again though, the trun fails to move over to my right foot (or inside my right instep). I flex the knees to what I feel is ample, but I'm sure the right knee has to get a bit straighter to accomodate this 'turn over the ball' vs. the weight shift over the right side. Question - would you recommend a starting move to get me over to that right side? Do you see any benefits/cost by turning in one motion to where i could get .. say .. my left shoulder over my left knee?
I enjoy my practices and simply wish to work with a program. And appreciate the numbers to a good set-up. I do feel I'm in a adequate athletic position at the address >. knees slightly flexed, arms hanging, weight on the balls of my feet. Some of my trouble could have been years ago, when I used to 'move inward with the knees' thereby feeling the weight at address on both the inside insteps of both feet.
I've checked my alignment and generally practice with a club on the ground to verify.
My shot dispersion is one of two >> either I pull the ball (when I generously try to make a good hip turn going back >> and then over the top) .. or try to give it the 'guided tour' and make an all arms swing and then the thin hits going everywhere, generally weak to the right.
I had a video made some 7 years ago www.golftec.com and the log-in is 002-04-0361. The password is jima
I've changed a bit since then, no more the pronounced 'caddy dip' going down and through >> plus no more 'slightly loop going back and into the ball'.
I have a 8 hdcp >. barely play to it as i'm hitting probably no more than 3 or 4 greens a round due to my iron play. Short game and putter pretty good yet.
Thansk again for your patient read
Jim
Answer
Your setup Profile
Jim: I抳e clipped your setup position from your video and have added lines to point out a couple things. The space between the line and the heel indicates your weight is on your heels. The line extending through your thigh should hit you in the foot, the fact it doesn抰 tells me the knees are bent way too much. Another clue is as your back swing unfolds, the amount of daylight between your legs increases, meaning your right leg is straightening and your left is pointing more than it should at the ball; keeping you from shifting your weight to the rear.
Even though we are all playing with the same muscles, they don't work the same. The way you maintain your balance through impact is to dip slightly.
I would suggest moving the line from your butt to the ground to within 2 inches of your heels and the line through your thigh so that it hits your foot. From this position you will be able to find the balls of your feet easier, your right knee can remain flexed, allowing you to move through the shot without dipping.
Once in this position you抣l want your sternum to move over your right foot in the back swing. A good drill for this is to lift your left foot off the ground in the back swing, putting your left knee in front of your right and have it point to the rear. Do this by maintaining your spine angle and holding that position for a moment or two, then plant your left foot back in place and finish the swing. This drill is a great way to feel the weight shift and to work on your balance. Once you抳e done this a few times, make back swings without lifting the left foot but recreate the feeling of shifting the weight.
After you work on this for a while, let me know how it goes.
John
