Swinging Around Body

[JRJ]

Hi Michael. I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. As you know my swing tends to be steep and my right wrist cocks instead of bends at the top. So as a result of your JRJ Swing Analysis of me, I've been working on bending the right wrist and getting that right palm against the wall feel at the top. In addition, I've been working on keeping the clubface looking more at the ball longer during my takeaway so as to NOT get the clubhead pulled back behind me so quickly (i.e., trying to take the clubhead more UP the shaft plane line at address to the top). So my question is....everybody says if your steep, "swing more around your body" This makes no sense at all to me because clearly I need to swing more UP and less around on the takeway to avoid whipping the clubhead inside and then severely crossing the line at the top. So when should I be swinging more shallow and what's a good feel to get the club re-routed onto the proper plane on the way down for a guy with a lot of arm swing like me?? Best, JRJ

[Michael Jacobs]

Jrj,

What a great question! That question shows me how much you now know you stuff and how far you have come in understanding what goes into a quality stroke pattern.

If a golfer makes a very flat initital take back of the club, which means that the club severly goes around the body with there is nothing left to do other than yanking the club up by cocking the right wrist and creating too steep a club angle. It is a proper blending of the arms raising up and working the club back that gets that backswing in an advantageous location. Your thoughts in the backswing sound great...

As for your question on how to flatten the down swing., tilting by understanding the difference between address hips and impact hips will be the key. There is no better tip for you than the Tilt Tip in the video tip archives. the tip is from guest host Brian Manzella.

Review that tip and report back... I think it is time for you to tape you swing again and send it up so we can see where to go from here.

Glad you are doing well

[landshark]

mike:
i find i do take a flat takeaway but never get enough up in my backswing. how necessary is this? would this lead to constant underplane issues. misses would be slightly fat and some thins?
thanks

[Michael Jacobs]

mike:
i find i do take a flat takeaway but never get enough up in my backswing. how necessary is this? would this lead to constant underplane issues. misses would be slightly fat and some thins?
thanks

Landshark,

This would definitely lead the underplane issue. It is real important to get the club shaft at least as high as the right shoulder. You need to add the right amount of arm lift to blend the movement so that the club scouts out the right shoulder at the top of the stroke. The sensation might be one of the club going out more the on the backswing, another sensation is that the right arm pit gets exposed on the backswing

[Michael Jacobs]

[landshark]

thanks mike. as soon as it warms up here in st louis, i'll keep working on that. pretty much what i thought.

[Michael Jacobs]

Landshark,

I would do some indoor training this winter to get accustomed to the different sensation. It might feel like the club is going out .......... make some rehearsal moves where you feel like your right arm is assuming a quarterback's throwing location. This will give a firm feel for being over that right shoulder instead of lower than the right shoulder..

[landshark]

Mike: I don't know if you look at little clips or not, but here is a couple of my swing from earlier in the year. 'I' feel as if this is my fault, so can you verify?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiYgEIQbbjU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQkyK7WEpC4

[Michael Jacobs]

Mike: I don't know if you look at little clips or not, but here is a couple of my swing from earlier in the year. 'I' feel as if this is my fault, so can you verify?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiYgEIQbbjU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQkyK7WEpC4

landshark,

do you have this video in any other format where we can do a slow motion analysis. It would be very helpful for you

[landshark]

sorry mike. this was shot from my little digital camera on regular motion. i don't know how to change the format to slow it down or for better quality