Originally Posted by philfree (Post 9697555)

I don't know about all this. :D

Most shots are missed or results determined before a golfer ever starts his downswing. Most slices are caused when the player takes the club away inside the target line causing him to have to re-route the club over the top in order to hit the ball at the target. The over the top move of course creates a pull or a shot that starts left. That being the case your average player will hold the club open through impact turning the pull into a slice. If he doesn't he'll smother it or top it. If that's the case then moving ones right foot back a couple of inches might exacerbate the problem.

And the direction the ball moves or curves after it starts in a given direction is determined by the direction the clubface is pointing at impact. I guess ones release could play a factor in that but that's not a good way to look at that in my humble opinion. I think focusing on ones release can be a mistake. It's not baseball. In golf the release is a natural result that occurs when one properly swings the golf club. I never think about my release unless I was going to keep the clubface from closing on a knockdown or punch type of shot. Even then I think of it as just holding the face open or even keeping the toe from passing the heel of the club. I'd never think of releasing or holding my release.

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins (Post 9697759)

FWIW, Donger's neighbor's analysis actually points to him hitting a push slice, which will go the farthest right of all ball flights.

Originally Posted by Donger (Post 9697671)

People who have seen me swing (neighbor's a pro) say that:

I grip WAY too hard.

I swing inside the ball, whatever that means.

That my back swing isn't far enough (bad back). And that when I begin my forward swing, it's REALLY violent.

That the club face is WAY too open at the top of my backswing. Said that one should look like a waiter holding a tray at the top...

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch (Post 9697773)

I'm a 10 handicap, played Saturday. For some odd reason, almost every long iron I hit was fat. It was infuriating. I.e. a 4iron off the tee would go about 150 yards straight, but fat. 3 iron would go 170 yards, fat. I would rather scorch the ball on a line and pull it 50 yards into the woods OB left of the green, pin high, rather than being fat and straight and short. It was awful. Worse than taking penalties.

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins (Post 9697776)

Many times you can self-diagnose with the swing. If you want to know where your path is, just look at the divots you make. If they point to the right of the target line, then your path is too far inside; left and they are too far outside.

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins (Post 9697776)

Many times you can self-diagnose with the swing. If you want to know where your path is, just look at the divots you make. If they point to the right of the target line, then your path is too far inside; left and they are too far outside.

Originally Posted by Donger (Post 9697784)

They are all left, when I actually leave a divot.

I'm also one of those people who is "afraid" of hitting off the fairway. I'm much more comfortable hitting out of the rough. I think my flaw is that I try to scoop up the ball up, instead of "hitting down on the ball." When I hit off the fairway (and the ****ing ball actually leaves the ground), I barely leave any divot.

Make sense?

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch (Post 9697793)

What was I doing wrong then? My buddies said they coudln't find anything different at all. One said i was talking the club too far back and thudding it on impact. It was infuriating whatever it was.

Originally Posted by seaofred (Post 9697798)

I actually use an app on my phone to record my swing and then diagnose what I'm doing wrong when I go through a hitting slump. The app is called coacheseye if anyone is interested. Pretty helpful tool.

Originally Posted by seaofred (Post 9697833)

Yeah, it's a lot easier. That app actually lets you slow it down and play it frame by frame. It's helped me a few times.

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58 (Post 9697724)

Little of both.

First time I saw myself on video I about shit myself. My front shoulder was turning damn near to my BACK foot. And my hands were breaking down at the top. There are vids of me with a driver where the head is below my ass. Unreal.

Now my swing key is to stop my backswing when my front shoulder gets to the ball - and I've lowered my scores significantly over the last month or so.