As you all know, I like to cruise the comments in the blog to keep my finger on the pulse of the Surge Nation. Two weeks ago, frequent commenter, Kevin McGarrahan, posted this self-diagnosis of some swings that he had uploaded to the Internet. It was interesting to note all of the helpful comments his fellow Surgites made and, so Kevin, in keeping with that same helpful spirit I would like to add my two cents worth with a diagnosis and prescription of my own. But first, let's review what you wrote:
"I've uploaded two new face on views. One shows excessive sway on the BUS; the other shows much less. I'll put up a couple of down-the-line views later. I've been doing slow-motion swings inside [the house] to try to groove the correct positions. But, when I get outside with the camera, I have several problems.
1) I can't get to the toe line very well. At waist height, my club is still outside the line. At 9:00, my club head and forward arm are on the line. At 9:30, my hands are in the correct place, but the club head is now laid off.
2) As I start the FUS, my hands go toward the ball instead of dropping to the toe-line. Even though I hit some very good shots, I get no consistency because of this and then to finish slightly left of the T-Finish.
3) Even with outward pressure on my left knee, I still get too much hip rotation and kick the knee inward too much on the BUS.
Like lots of others, I feel like I am doing things correctly, but the videos show quite a different story."
Well, Kevin, the main thing I take away from your self-diagnosis is that you must be awful close to getting the swing just right. Hopefully, with the couple of tweaks that I discuss in today's video, you'll be able to get your BUS within parameters which will get your finish in line as well.
Watch the video for the detail but if you can make two rather simple adjustments I think you'll find the consistency in your swing that you've been looking for. My first suggestion is to check the rotation of your arms as you go into the Catcher's Mitt. I think you are under-rotating so that the club is still somewhat closed as it gets to the Mitt. This causes you to be a bit late getting the club to the toe line and as a consequence you continue to rotate your hips as you lift. So while your hands are in the correct position that extra bit of rotation has caused your club to go deep into the SBG. And we all know that you can't get back to the aiming line if your club is laid off without making some sort of an adjustment. That may mean casting the club up and out as you begin the FUS, but this will give you an outside-in swing path and a nasty slice. Or you may find yourself flipping the club just before impact, but that will most likely result in a pull. Or, as I think may be most likely in your case, you may be starting your shoulder turn too soon. So as you swing indoors this winter, really concentrate on completing that slight arm rotation as you go into The Catcher's Mitt. This will allow you stop your hip rotation and just lift the club to its vertical position. Use your video capability to check your progress--you may even want to zoom in on the Catcher's Mitt area and watch your swing in slo-mo to see if you are getting the toe up or if it is still closed.
The second tip I have for you is to make sure your back arm moves a little back and inside during the BUS. This is an essential part of the swing that many often overlook. You can use the Clip Board Drill to illustrate what this rear arm movement looks like or if you have my 14 Drills To A Better Swing video, the perfect drill is, appropriately titled, "Into The Catcher's Mitt".
Good luck, Kevin, and keep us posted on your progress in trying to...
...Keep It Vertical!
The Surge
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