Hi, do you struggle with all clubs or just the longer clubs.

Try to get the feeling of the arms swinging down without the influence of the shoulder turn. ie hold the shoulders back and swing the arms straight down. The shoulders will feel that they are still closed to the target at impact.

The right arm karate chop move is helpful in starting the club down. You may also feel your left shoulder rises and the right shoulder lowers as the arms swing down rather than turning them too soon. Check that your spine is angled away from the target at the top of the swing and not tilted towards the target. The hip bump may be a reaction to the shoulder turn and your spine tilt on the backswing.

Practice with a short iron first and slower swings. Make some swings and stop the club halfway down making sure that your shoulders are still closed and the spine is still titled away from the target. Do this 2 or 3 times and then swing back to top and hit the ball. Bring your right foot back slightly from target line to help exagerate the inside swing path. Try and hit a few draws/ hooks with a 7 iron and then move to a longer club.

Hope this helps. John

I had my first lesson yesterday with Chris Lebiedz in PA, a Level 2 Certified Instructor and this is one of my 2 big flaws, the first being I slide my hips and the second the hip bump. She had me do this in the mirror with my arms and elbows at chest height, then turn into your back swing (this helps me load up the right leg and not slide) then do the hip bump, you will see it in the mirror and feel it better seing it. I struggle with it still and am gonna hit the mirror then the range today after work and see if I can get it right. When I do it in the mirror I can see how it gives me time to allow my arms to drop in better and get my weight moving forward rather than hanging back like I usually do also allowing me to stay behind the ball instead of ahead of it like I have been doing a lot lately. After doing it a few times (more like a hundred) in the mirror I can see it and feel it better and then I take full swings and I can relate the feeling much better now. Hope this helps you too.....

Your progress and thoughts as you correct the downswing phase would be most interesting to read. Please follow up with what the instructor points out and what are the key points that help you out.

Will do...seeing her again next Thursday and hopefully by then I may have that phase of my swing fixed. If i can stop the hips from sliding and just turn away and bump the hip then all else shoudl fall on plane much better! BTW I thought I was a 1 planer until yesterday, LOL.....

 

 

Posted By rdougw on 06-04-2010 11:51 AM
Your progress and thoughts as you correct the downswing phase would be most interesting to read. Please follow up with what the instructor points out and what are the key points that help you out.

Years ago I read Harvey Penick's The Little Red Book the night before I was going to play. He had a chapter called the Magic Move.He explained pulling your right elbow (for a righty) down at the same time you started your lateral shift would get you on plane and create a smooth but powerful downswing. Well,I tried it the next morning hitting a 9 iron to a 139 yd par three. It hit the green,bounced twice and rolled straight into the hole!!! My first hole in one! It has been a great swing thought for me when I played my best golf. Give it a try. BTW the book is a good read as well.