Can't even hit the face

[ZGriswold83]

I feel like I have tried everything to make my golf swing better and nothing feels like it has made a difference. Every time I think that I have made progress, it ends in more bad ball striking. I hit a medium bucket of balls today and hit 1 in the sweet spot.

 

 

 

 

[GoGoErky]

You’re best bet is to find a good instructor locally who can work with you and show you what to do.

 

the movement patterns in this video are no different than in your other videos.

 

You have to fix your address position. You hip joint should be aligned with the knees and ankle. You need more vertical hinge and not get the club behind you at p2. You need to learn to rotate the hips

properly. You’re currently moving them opposite of how they should move. 
 

All these are negatively affecting what you do in transition. 

[ZGriswold83]

10 minutes ago, GoGoErky said:

You’re best bet is to find a good instructor locally who can work with you and show you what to do.

 

the movement patterns in this video are no different than in your other videos.

 

You have to fix your address position. You hip joint should be aligned with the knees and ankle. You need more vertical hinge and not get the club behind you at p2. You need to learn to rotate the hips

properly. You’re currently moving them opposite of how they should move. 
 

All these are negatively affecting what you do in transition. 

I have tried a couple of local pros. One told me to just throw to club down the right side of the fairway, the other told me to try and release the clubhead down the line. I have sought out help so many different ways and I just don't understand how to fix my issue.

[ZGriswold83]

22 minutes ago, GoGoErky said:

You’re currently moving them opposite of how they should move. 

Can you please explain what this means? Which/What parts are opposite? I think if I could understand this, I could actually get better.

[GoGoErky]

2 hours ago, ZGriswold83 said:

Can you please explain what this means? Which/What parts are opposite? I think if I could understand this, I could actually get better.

You don’t get your right hip goin back and around. Instead your left hip comes out 

[GoGoErky]

2 hours ago, ZGriswold83 said:

Can you please explain what this means? Which/What parts are opposite? I think if I could understand this, I could actually get better.

I would recommended scheduling an online lesson with Monte or Dan carraher. 

[Cwebb]

Side note: Your iron looks way too upright in lie angle.  It would take an awful lot of steepening during your swing, in order to bring those back to "square" with the ground line.

 

I wouldn't work on my swing with a club that upright

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2024 by Cwebb

[Valtiel]

I could tell you were going to skank one out of the toe as you were setting up to the ball, and you should have been able to spot this too:



You started your setup a little too close to the ball and you backed up slightly. This IMO was fine, you should have stayed right here....



...but then you did this, backed up again into your heels and moved your butt too far back. Take note of *exactly* where the club is sitting (way inside the ball) because this will be crucial below.



You then did this to "reset" yourself it looks like, but you already established a somewhat neutral position prior where the club was sitting inside the ball, so now you've just stretched your arms out a bit too reach it. You also appear to be favoring your heels too much as even after you "re-center" here you appear to be on the back half of your feet. If you had hit the center of the face after this I wouldn't have said this was an issue, but...



...right out of the toe after backing up into a position where your club naturally wanted to be. If we remove that little "reset" move you did:



We can see you basically delivered the club right through the window where you put it *before* you stretched out further to reach the ball, so you basically setup it to hit it out of the toe and then did. Had you done everything here exactly the same but removed that second scooch away from the ball you would have hit the middle.

[ZGriswold83]

1 hour ago, Valtiel said:

Had you done everything here exactly the same but removed that second scooch away from the ball you would have hit the middle.

Self sabatoge is my specialty. I have been messing around with my setup and get less upright. Trying to get my hips and ankles in line, more on the balls of my feet, my shoulders over my foot line and my hands out a bit more.

 

Being 40, Is there any chance that I can fix my swing enough to play good golf? Good golf to me, with a decent short game, shooting in the 70s and low 80s.  I'm really at a point where I don't know if I want to try to actually get better. I've just wasted the last 3 or 4 years and my swing looks exactly the same.

[GoGoErky]

3 minutes ago, ZGriswold83 said:

Self sabatoge is my specialty. I have been messing around with my setup and get less upright. Trying to get my hips and ankles in line, more on the balls of my feet, my shoulders over my foot line and my hands out a bit more.

 

Being 40, Is there any chance that I can fix my swing enough to play good golf? Good golf to me, with a decent short game, shooting in the 70s and low 80s.  I'm really at a point where I don't know if I want to try to actually get better. I've just wasted the last 3 or 4 years and my swing looks exactly the same.

Never too late to get better. But trying to go it alone or without a good instructor isn’t going to get it done and especially in a short period of time.

 

Will also take proper practice and patience as changing movements patterns doesn’t happen quickly 

[ZGriswold83]

22 minutes ago, GoGoErky said:

Never too late to get better. But trying to go it alone or without a good instructor isn’t going to get it done and especially in a short period of time.

 

Will also take proper practice and patience as changing movements patterns doesn’t happen quickly 

As long as I have clear direction as to what I'm doing wrong and what I can do to fix it, I can practice and be patient. I have received a lot of good tips here, unfortunately it just hasn't worked for me.

[Valtiel]

46 minutes ago, ZGriswold83 said:

Self sabatoge is my specialty. I have been messing around with my setup and get less upright. Trying to get my hips and ankles in line, more on the balls of my feet, my shoulders over my foot line and my hands out a bit more.

 

Being 40, Is there any chance that I can fix my swing enough to play good golf? Good golf to me, with a decent short game, shooting in the 70s and low 80s.  I'm really at a point where I don't know if I want to try to actually get better. I've just wasted the last 3 or 4 years and my swing looks exactly the same.

Well unless being 40 has some direct link to self sabotage or scooting too far away from the ball, then I think it's safe to say that yes, you can definitely improve things lol. Lets start here:



Based on this visual combined with context from your video, I see several issues. One, you're favoring your heels slightly, so in saying that you're trying to favor the balls of your feet....you're not doing that yet. I see your toes about off the ground about as much as Adam's heels are, which is to say very slightly but it indicates which side is being favored. Two, your butt is stuck out too far which is part of why your weight is favoring that direction. Three, as discussed you've artificially scooted yourself too far from the ball. Four, we can see how toe up the club is on the ground, indicating your clubs are either too upright and/or you've moved too far away from the ball. Right out of the gate you're *not* setup for success here. Your backswing rotation is now forced to be incorrect because otherwise you wouldn't hit the ball:



When your butt is stuck out too far and you've manufactured a position where "neutral" would have you swing a whole clubhead width *inside* the ball, what would you guess is possible rotation wise? Your brain is smarter than you are here so it's all subconscious compensations. You can't rotate properly because to do so would create that *slight* sinking away from the ball you see with Adam here, or at minimum it would maintain your distance from the ball. We've established however that your setup and distance from the ball are both wrong, so maintaining that would be bad and getting any *further* would be worse, so you rotate towards the ball in almost exactly the same amount the Adam pulls back away from it. This mirrors your difference in setup; he's favoring the balls of his feet and is the correct distance from the ball so he can push "back", you're favoring your feels and are too far away from the ball so you have to swing "forward". If you moved exactly like Adam from your position and made a downswing from there you'd miss the ball on the inside, or toe shank it. 



Now in the downswing you swing out further towards the ball because only now are you finally getting towards the front of your feet, plus as established you were too far away at address so now your brain is trying to get you back to the ball per my previous gif about the shifting in clubhead position and where your "neutral" was that you overrode at address. The correct pelvic moves that you see from Adam here have the effect of maintaining your distance from the ball, and as stated you're too far away so you can't move correctly.

Start by getting closer like you were in your first address position adjustment, and actually get on the balls of your feet by lifting your heels off the ground and setting them down lightly so you actually know where they are. Your whole address position shimmying thing has you doing the opposite, staying in your heels constantly and only slightly coming forward towards your toes. I'd guess this is giving you a very inaccurate sense of where your pressure is because you're so heel-biased when getting addressed to the ball that it's throwing off your sense of neutral. At best you're 60/40 heel/toe, likely closer to 70/30, and you want to flip that.

[joedizzy1978]

I know a thing or two about golf swings. Before anyone qualified dispenses advice, there should be questions asked. For example, what are you attempting to resolve?  In what manner(s) did you attempt to fix?

[ZGriswold83]

43 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

Well unless being 40 has some direct link to self sabotage or scooting too far away from the ball, then I think it's safe to say that yes, you can definitely improve things lol. Lets start here:

I feel honored for the breakdown, thank you.

 

This might sound like the biggest placebo effect ever. But, I have very flat feet, very little arch. I swear there have been certain golf shoes that I play better in. Could different shoes help me feel more on the balls of my feet? I'm guessing I just need to be more aware of making sure pressure is more towards the balls of my feet.

[ZGriswold83]

41 minutes ago, joedizzy1978 said:

I know a thing or two about golf swings. Before anyone qualified dispenses advice, there should be questions asked. For example, what are you attempting to resolve?  In what manner(s) did you attempt to fix?

I can think of 1 pro who had a discussion like that with me. Unfortunately, he's not in my area any longer. Every other lesson the pro stands there and watches me, tells me try to do XYZ. That sticks for about a week and then is gone again.

[Phabs]

 

Sorry this had me dying laughing 🤣🤣

[bcjim]

25 minutes ago, ZGriswold83 said:

I feel honored for the breakdown, thank you.

 

This might sound like the biggest placebo effect ever. But, I have very flat feet, very little arch. I swear there have been certain golf shoes that I play better in. Could different shoes help me feel more on the balls of my feet? I'm guessing I just need to be more aware of making sure pressure is more towards the balls of my feet.

Ever try orthotics? Flat feet that want to mimic normal arch feet require a shoe or orthotics that essentially provide an arch.

[biker74]

15 hours ago, GoGoErky said:

You’re best bet is to find a good instructor locally who can work with you and show you what to do.

 

the movement patterns in this video are no different than in your other videos.

 

You have to fix your address position. You hip joint should be aligned with the knees and ankle. You need more vertical hinge and not get the club behind you at p2. You need to learn to rotate the hips

properly. You’re currently moving them opposite of how they should move. 
 

All these are negatively affecting what you do in transition. 

Well said sir.Hands on one on one for someone truly wanting to improve is vital.Or at minimum online 

[GoGoErky]

9 hours ago, ZGriswold83 said:

I can think of 1 pro who had a discussion like that with me. Unfortunately, he's not in my area any longer. Every other lesson the pro stands there and watches me, tells me try to do XYZ. That sticks for about a week and then is gone again.

What is your practice routine like after a lesson?

 

Do you do any slow motion work on whatever drills your instructor gave you and regular swings?

 

Do you video yourself doing the drills and then watch them during the range session to ensure you are doing things correctly? 

 

Do you hit any balls from p6 or p3? Or all balls hit full swings?

 

 

Edited November 25, 2024 by GoGoErky

[ZGriswold83]

13 hours ago, Phabs said:

 

Sorry this had me dying laughing 🤣🤣

need an example of Early Extension?????

[ZGriswold83]

13 hours ago, bcjim said:

Ever try orthotics? Flat feet that want to mimic normal arch feet require a shoe or orthotics that essentially provide an arch.

I haven't, I'm going to look into some though.

[Valtiel]

20 hours ago, ZGriswold83 said:

I feel honored for the breakdown, thank you.

 

This might sound like the biggest placebo effect ever. But, I have very flat feet, very little arch. I swear there have been certain golf shoes that I play better in. Could different shoes help me feel more on the balls of my feet? I'm guessing I just need to be more aware of making sure pressure is more towards the balls of my feet.

You're welcome, and no I wouldn't consider that a placebo at all. My feet are as flat as the midwest and I need comfort there too. Most of it though is just being aware of where your pressure is, regardless of foot type. Comfort helps, but if you're stuck in a routine that has you on your heels most of the time then your sense of pressure is biased and you'll end up stuck there without realizing it. A little feel drill I like is practicing hitting little half punch shots literally up on the balls of your feet, heels off the ground slightly, and a little *too* close to the ball just so you can feel the exact opposite of what you're doing in the swings you posted here. The drill when done correctly can help give you a sense of working *back* somewhat throughout the swing, because you'll want to seek balance by leveling out towards the middle of your feet going back AND you'll want to increase your distance from the ball slightly because of the "too close" position coming down. Both of these are good feels in general and extra relevant for you because you start back and spend the whole swing coming forward to get to the ball. 

[ac6]

21 hours ago, ZGriswold83 said:

I feel honored for the breakdown, thank you.

 

This might sound like the biggest placebo effect ever. But, I have very flat feet, very little arch. I swear there have been certain golf shoes that I play better in. Could different shoes help me feel more on the balls of my feet? I'm guessing I just need to be more aware of making sure pressure is more towards the balls of my feet.

 

I think it certainly does make a difference. I have flat feet and years ago put a set of half-length orthotics in my golf shoes. The additional 1/4" or so that it raised my heel made me feel like I was falling over my toes, so as a compensation I sat into my heels at address. This had the effect of making me shift back out toward the ball in transition. Result--I fought the shanks for nine holes before figuring out why everything felt so weird. 

 

With that being said I think you really just need to practice your awareness of where your weight is and how it's shifting. Getting on a pressure plate is one way to connect your movements to data if that helps you, but a regular old balance board can help you build that awareness as well. 

Edited November 26, 2024 by ac6

[ZGriswold83]

17 minutes ago, ac6 said:

 

I think it certainly does make a difference. I have flat feet and years ago put a set of half-length orthotics in my golf shoes. The additional 1/4" or so that it raised my heel made me feel like I was falling over my toes, so as a compensation I sat into my heels at address. This had the effect of making me shift back out toward the ball in transition. Result--I fought the shanks for nine holes before figuring out why everything felt so weird. 

 

With that being said I think you really just need to practice your awareness of where your weight is and how it's shifting. Getting on a pressure plate is one way to connect your movements to data if that helps you, but a regular old balance board can help you build that awareness as well. 

I had a pair of UA shoes that felt like this, I ended up getting rid of them.

[ShortGolfer]

I find it takes a couple months to change something.  Last year I learned to hit the ball first with my irons.  Now I can hit a 100 yard shot off the fairway or off a Par 3 Tee Box using the same club!

Then I worked on driver alignment at the beginning of the year.  At the end of the year I realized I had an issue with sidespin and fixed it with a more neutral grip.

 

At the end of last year I was making good ball contact with my irons, but missed tiny Par 3 greens more often than not, so I'd clean it up with a wedge.

Now I'm pretty good at my approach shots when I'm within 100 yards.

 

I had a stroke 25 years ago.  What I need to do in the off season is to work on regaining the sense of feel on the bottom of my right foot!

It was OK two years ago but lost it over the winter.  Now I need to find it again if I want to get good driver distance and accuracy.

Fortunately I remember what I did last time to fix that!

Edited November 26, 2024 by ShortGolfer

[joedizzy1978]

On 11/24/2024 at 7:11 PM, ZGriswold83 said:

I can think of 1 pro who had a discussion like that with me. Unfortunately, he's not in my area any longer. Every other lesson the pro stands there and watches me, tells me try to do XYZ. That sticks for about a week and then is gone again.

Hint….there is one attempting to have that conversation with you.