Swing troubles

Question
QUESTION: "Hey Eddie!!!  Nice of you to try to help.  I'm a decent, low hndcp. player.  Played in high school and college, but cannot seem to improve.  I play amateur events, but I cannot improve and am totally frustrated.  I should mention that I hit tons of balls, because I love to practice.  I'm a big guy, 6Ft, 285.  Not sure if this matters.  My big problems are smother hooks, toe hooks, low left shots, thin shots.  Lots of toe misses.  From the middle of the fairway with an 8 iron, I'm as likely to hit a low toe hook as to hit the green.  I have taken many lessons over the years, mostly I end up back at the same place.  I am willing to change my swing if I need to.  I taped my swing recently and this is what I see:  1) Club comes back a little shut (closed) and inside. 2) I look very tilted at the top, like my weight is all right over the ball. 3) The club starts down on a steep plane (club pointed just outside my feet) and I lower myself into the ball. 4) Then I raise up, get the club inside and it appears I swing out to the right. Note: my divots usually point right. 5) At impact, my right arm is under my left, you can see a window between the arms and I have almost no clearing.  I'm sort of standing square to the target.  Any ideas where to start? "

ANSWER: Hi Mark:
Great analysis.  If all else fails, you could learn to be an instructor!  You did great in explaining the problem.  Classic problem, and it's no problem to fix.  Just think about your golf ball for a second.  In order for the ball to spin that hard from right to left and dive into the turf, what must the clubface look like at impact?  The only way to get that is to swing too much from in to out (right divots) and use your hands too much (closed clubface) in an effort to hit it or guide it.  That produces a massive amount of spin on the ball which results in the ball going left and low, hitting it in the neck, etc.  So you must begin the path towards success.  Now again Mark, let's think about the ball.  The golf ball only does what the club tells it to do.  So if you are hitting smother hooks, let's imagine what the club should be doing to produce a fade or a slice.  That would be the exact opposite right?  So if that is true, could you make some practice swings, only take the club back until your left arm is parallel to the ground, then take a divot out by your left toe and going severely to the left?  At first, you can't even picture a divot going to the left, but I want you to do this in slow motion until you can do it.  It will feel as though you are coming way over the top and swinging way to the left.  I want you to be able to take a divot opposite or outside your left toe.  Now just picture what kind of reaction the ball would have to a clubface that was moving across the ball and the face was not closed?  Are you seeing where I am going with this?  You need to change the routing of the club....the path it moves on back to the ball.  You need to picture divots that are to the left, in essence cutting across the ball.  You need to be swinging more to the left as if from the top of your swing, everything has to be swinging towards 10 o'clock.  You currently are probably swinging towards 2 o'clock.  So take it slow and I'm glad you like to practice and hit a lot of balls.  I would start with 6 or 7 irons, tee up a ball just barely off the ground, play the ball just inside your left toe and start the process.  Only make back swings for now until your left arm is parallel to the ground.  Stay in control of what you are doing.  Do not make a regular golf swing.  You have to start building new and correct habits.  I call that a three quarter backswing at tops.  Once you swing the club back to that position, stop.  Look at the ball and then begin to unwind and figure out how to swing the club and hit the ball.  The ball should go to the left of your target, because if done correctly, you should be swinging to the left.  If the ball curves, that is your hand action.   Your job becomes sensing how to swing the club with your body rotation through the ball to a finish.  Allow your body to open and finish.  After you get to where you can make good contact with the ball pretty consistently, start moving the ball back in the stance bit by bit until it is where it should be.  But the key thougts are still swinging the club to the left, a feeling of coming over the top (exactly the opposite of what you do), and taking a divot that is going left.  Your hands control the curve of the ball so quiet them down if you see too much right to left movement in the ball.  The ball should start left of the target, not at it.  Work on balance and take it slow.  Questions along the way, write me back.  Good luck.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member

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

QUESTION: Eddie thanks.  I'll be working on this today, it does make sense.  I assume with proper rotation my downswing plane with naturally shallow.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Answer
Mark:
You downswing plane is not too steep.  It may appear to start out that way, but if you have divots to the right, your angle of attack is too shallow, not steep.  In reality, it will actually steepen a bit so your contact will be more crisp.  Go to work on it and let me know if you have any questions.  

Eddie