A week or two ago, David Bories wrote into Customer Service looking for an explanation on why he was hitting the ground behind the ball when swing his longer clubs, but not when he used his shorter ones.
"I can easily use your swing, with less back pain than the rotational swing with short irons, BUT when I get to my 5-hybrid and longer length clubs, I often hit the ground behind the ball. Suggestions, please."
Dave, there are a number of possibilities for why this is happening so I will go over the most likely ones here. Since my #1 Surgism is "The Setup Determines The Motion" let's start there. It may be that your ball position is too far forward so that when you return your club head to a point centered on your body, the ball is not where it needs to be. This could explain why you are hitting the turf first. If you occasionally top the ball too, then this could be your problem. It also could be that you have your ball position too far back in your stance and so that your longer clubs are coming in on too steep of a plane and are therefore taking half the county with them as they drive into the ground behind the ball.
Another setup problem could be where you are aiming your nose. If your cock your head to the rear, as I have seen some instructors recommend, this places your field of focus well behind the ball and may be the cause of your ground strikes. I recommend that you keep your nose pointed at the ball as this will ensure that your field of focus is centered on the ball and not anywhere else. Can you imagine holding a nail and then cocking your head so that your field of focus is well behind it? Unless your are a glutton for punishment, of course you wouldn't do this. Treat the ball as the nail and the club as your hammer to keep your focus on the one thing that matters: the ball.
Moving on to potential problem areas in your swing, check your turn to see if you are approaching 90 degrees or more. If you are over turning, your arms and club are headed deep into the Sacred Burial Ground and as we all know, the most traveled road out of that dangerous territory is the Over The Top route. If you swing to parallel, gravity often causes the club head to sag a bit adding even more impetus to cast the club up and out. This means your swing will be too inside and the only way back to the ball is over the top. If you come in from too steep of an angle of attack you could be driving the ball into the ground.
Your problem could also be caused by taking too wide of a stance. We covered this point in detail a couple of days ago so I won't belabor the point here, but a wider stance could be causing a Reverse Tilt which could then cause a reverse weight shift resulting in your hitting behind the ball.
Dave, if you can video your swing from a face-on position with the camera and ball in direct alignment with the center of your body, you can learn a lot about where your problem is coming from. If you need further help, check out our Online Golf Lesson capability here.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
If you can't view the YouTube video above try CLICKING HERE. You must allow popups from this site for the link to work.
Comments
Chaastwo,
Chaastwo,
We don't have the schedule put together yet for 2013 but our new strategy could be loosely described as "have students, will travel" so let me know what city your are in and maybe we can get something close to you.
We are also in the early planning stages for the 2013 Swing Surgeon Spring Golf Tournament which may be held in north central Florida in March so you may want to get your help sooner rather than later so you can play!
In the meantime, book mark this website: www.dontrahanacademyofgolf.com for our latest schedule of where we'll be. I just posted a series of four one day schools in Denver August 14-17 if anyone out there is interested. This one is with Surge AND Dave Seeman.
Tom Jans
Director of Marketing
I'm having trouble getting
I'm having trouble getting the online golf lesson thing to work.ÃÂ A few months back, I paid for an online locker with Swing Surgeon. I finally got around to shooting the video, logged in, wrote a message and uploaded my video.ÃÂ No reply for 10 days (it says 48 hr turn around).ÃÂ I've written 2 follow-up emails.ÃÂ Nada. I called Customer Service and they "forwarded my message".ÃÂ Nothing.ÃÂ
On top of that, I haven't been able to find any way to PAY for the lesson... I keep getting sent to my locker with no button to pay for the darn thing.ÃÂ Also, my Coach is listed as: "Tom Jans, Not Available."ÃÂ What the heck?
I know this is not the place for Customer Service issues, but I've run out of options.ÃÂ Any advice?ÃÂ Have others had success with the online lessons locker?
I think it's pretty much one
I think it's pretty much one of everybody's "problem areas".
We all want it, very few of us have it, and personally I don't play very well if I spend much time worrying about it. ;-)
P.S. One of the best examples I have ever seen of maintaining knee flex to totally stabilize everything was the fairway bunker shot by Tom Watson today on hole 17. With the ball in the bunker well below his feet he had to use extreme knee flex and hit an unbelievable blind shot into the green. The slow motion of it was beautiful to watch.
Steve. I saw the shot Watson
Steve. I saw the shot Watson hit and the key was knee flex and a firm lower base.ÃÂ It reminded me of a shot I had last week from a fairway bunker.ÃÂ My stance was ouside the bunker with the ball about 2 feet below my feet.ÃÂ Awkward stance made me realize I had to stay firm with my stance and use all arms with the swing.
I hit a smooth hybrid about 145 yds to 8 feet from the pin and couldn't believe I pulled off the shot.ÃÂ Btw...I missed the birdie putt.ÃÂ ;0((
After watching Watson miss the short putt on 17 I was thrilled to see him drain the long one on 18 to make the cut.ÃÂ Class act for sure.
I have found that my bump
I have found that my bump seems to be less pronounced with the longer clubs.ÃÂ If I focus on a correct bump, I avoid the chunks! Well, most of the time. :)ÃÂ Also, making sure the pre-loaded heavy right leg seems to make the bump more natural.ÃÂ
It was a little weird when I
It was a little weird when I first tried mine (not pulling up the payment option initially and so on). If you haven't paid for it, it's probably never actually been sent to an instructor. Did you select one of the letter options at the top of the Send Your Video screen to choose which coach you wanted (or first available)? Mine has worked fine since that first slightly odd occasion. I've shared the resulting videos on my YouTube channel for people, so it really does work.
Tom..will you stillÃÂ be
Tom..will you stillÃÂ be having the Spring tournament again in 2013 at Old South?
Thanks
Robert:My WTF is 33, but your
Robert:
My WTF is 33, but your chart does not take height into account.
I am 5-5, do you think 43" is still good?ÃÂ I am looking into getting a driver soon.ÃÂ Thanks,
Jerry - Warren, MI
Wow great to find you again.Ã
Wow great to find you again.ÃÂ I look forward to reading your comments.
I bought a locker back in Feb
I bought a locker back in Feb at the 4.95 discount price. I have the email verification, but how do I find it, (my locker) on the site for verification. Everything I've tried or looked under doesn't list lockers. I'm hoping to make use of it this fall.
EDIT: Never mind, I figured it out. I had to actually sign in to the lesson site itself to find my data. It is nice to see your 14-Drills being shown there. These are always worth reviewing numerous times.
Looking for Chicago or
Looking for Chicago or somewhere near...
Height has nothing to do with
Height has nothing to do with it, only how far your hands are from the ground.
ÃÂ My son and I are the same height but he has arms like the "missing link" and shorter legs than I have. His clubs are so short to me that it feels like I am bending over a ridiculous amount just to address the ball with his clubs.
The longer the club the more
The longer the club the more angle differential there is between the forearm and the shaft at address.
During the forward swing something has to happen to that angle to hit the ball instead of hitting the ground.
Several things can happen and they can be combined. Most of us fall into one of these categories or are somewhere between 1 and 2, or between 2 and 3.
1. The most desirable is for nothing to happen to the angle and have the left arm vertical at impact just as it was at address and the shaft angle also just like it was at address. Not likely to happen with a vertical swing unless your name is DJ.
2. The second most desirable thing is for the hands to be slightly higher and further from the body at impact than at address and the head slightly back from where it was at address, which lessens the angle differential slightly, making it easier. Most pretty good golfers fall into that category to some degree.
3. Much less desirable options are for the front shoulder to pull out severely at impact and for the spine angle to pull up and out at impact, giving more room for the angle to straighten and allow the arms and the shaft to be pretty much in line at impact.
The longer the club the more that whole issue presents itself so of course a shorter club is much easier to hit without hitting fat. Dropping properly into the slot from the top gives us our best chance to fall into category 1 or 2 or between them. Having clubs too long for us to handle pretty much eliminates any chance to get out of category 3, or even worse, hit most of the shots fat with all longer clubs.
ÃÂ Thanks!ÃÂ No, I hadn't
ÃÂ Thanks!ÃÂ No, I hadn't clicked on the typewriter letter representing one of the instructors.ÃÂ Talk about not obvious!ÃÂ That's just awful as an interface with no instructions.ÃÂ I'd been to that page a dozen times looking for a non-existent payment button. I'm uploading the video right now.
Anybody besides me think that
Anybody besides me think that Zack Johnson and Joaquin Phoenix could be twins?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Your height doesn't matter
Your height doesn't matter particularly. What matters is the proportion of your legs to your arms, which is represented by the wrist to floor measure. Those numbers are a good starting point, but if you're working with a fitter to get a driver, he'll help you determine exactly what length you need for your swing. Look at what you would spend for a top brand-name off-the-rack driver, and then go to Doc Griffin's site (www.docgriffingolf.com) and check out his distance fit driver. You'll be surprised that it's actually less expensive than many big name drivers, and you will almost certainly hit it better than any off-the-rack driver you could find.
I sometimes hit behind the
I sometimes hit behind the ball when taking a practice swing with my driver.ÃÂ That reminds me that I must shift my weight to the left side better on the downswing.ÃÂ When I do that, I hit the ball flush.
You can either click through
You can either click through Online Lessons above, then click on the Step One image to take you to the online skills coach site, or you can bookmark http://swingsurgeon.onlineskil... and log in there with the email address and password you set up when you registered for the locker.
They certainly do have some
They certainly do have some major similarities in their features.
We have been playing on
We have been playing on extremely soft and rain soaked fairways lately so it has been very easy to hit fat shots.ÃÂ Something that has helped me pick a lot of these shots more cleanly off the fairway is a swing thought related to maintaining consistent knee flexÃÂ that also helps to limit movement of the forward knee while doing the BUS.ÃÂ After accordioning down to the knees out address postion, I imagine that the backs of the knees are touching something low like a coffee table behind me and try to maintain that feel during the BUS.ÃÂ This works better for me than just trying to maintain some indefinite and easily overdone outward pressure while doing the BUS.ÃÂ It is very easy to sense any excess movement of the forward knee while doing the BUS.
Another benefit ofÃÂ this swing thought is that itÃÂ seems to help me keepÃÂ my weight betterÃÂ centred over the archesÃÂ of the feetÃÂ and decrease a tendency that I have of losing balance towards the toes through impact.ÃÂ This might alsoÃÂ helpÃÂ some people that are ÃÂ having a problem with heel shots, and shanks.
They were just there in the
They were just there in the Chicago area, so it may be a little while before they get back there.
ÃÂ When I quit watching the
ÃÂ When I quit watching the cut line kept going back and forth between 2 and 3 so I didn't know if he made the cut or not.
ÃÂ Tom,
ÃÂ Tom,
You might want to edit the link you posted.ÃÂ Only the "golf.com" part is linked, not the "www.dontrahanacademyof " part.
Kevin
I find that with the Driver
I find that with the Driver and the PPGS vertical swing its more likely to hit the ground fat vs the flatter rotational swing.ÃÂ Appears that theÃÂ distance from the club head to the ball is shortened using the PPGS.ÃÂ RandyÃÂ
Dave,ÃÂ Check this.ÃÂ You
Dave,ÃÂ Check this.ÃÂ You may be trying to hit the ball harder with your long clubs than you do with the irons.ÃÂ If so, you may be casting the club which will result in breaking your wrist sooner and hitting behind the ball.ÃÂ Ask me how I know.ÃÂ Claude
Hi Surge........You must be
Hi Surge........You must be right eyed dominate!ÃÂ When the left eye is dominate, it is OK to let the nose be turned right. The nose gets in the way of us left eye dominate people :).
Sliding is a good cause for
Sliding is a good cause for hitting the ground before the ball, also.
Your driver is most likely
Your driver is most likely too long to swing properly with a vertical swing. A flatter swing will allow you to use a longer driver, but that doesn't necessarily improve distance, and certainly doesn't improve accuracy. Measure your driver shaft and your Wrist-To-Floor length. Here's a chart for a rough starting point as to what your driver length should be:
WTF.......Driver length
29-32.......42.5
32-34.......43
34-36.......43.5
36-37.......44
37-38.......44.25
38-39.......44.5
39-40.......44.75
Dont see how the nose can get
Dont see how the nose can get in the way. I am left eye dominate and dont have a problem seeing the ball when my nose is pointing at it. We are all a bit different I guess
Yea that golf.com link you
Yea that golf.com link you have there leads to a nice picture of Susan Petterson on their. LOL
ÃÂ Shakes his head.
ÃÂ Shakes his head.
Could be a simple matter that
Could be a simple matter that the clubs are too long
ÃÂ I am also left eye
ÃÂ I am also left eye dominant.ÃÂ I have never had a problem with my nose getting in the way.ÃÂ The only time I had a problem was when I tried to make both eyes work equally and my vision would jump back and forth from one eye to the other.ÃÂ When that happened, I couldn't tell exactly where my nose was pointed.ÃÂ I have found that I have to point my nose at the back of the ball to have it actually pointed at the center of the ball.ÃÂ I've worked at it enough that I rarely even think about it unless someone comments about it.
ÃÂ Thanks, guys. I had a
ÃÂ Thanks, guys. I had a space in the link that diverted the route! It's now fixed for anyone that wants to keep up-to-date on our golf school schedule.
It happens to me whenÃÂ I
It happens to me whenÃÂ I don't have my forward arm straight at contact.
Surge....ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Do
Surge....
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ Do you have any class/clinics scheduled next March in SW Florida? I really need hands on help.
ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ ÃÂ
Thanks Robert, Steve.Jerry
Thanks Robert, Steve.
Jerry
It sure is. Sliding, swaying,
It sure is. Sliding, swaying, or any movement of the spine prior to impact can cause chuncks, or tops, and a host of other bad hits. I amÃÂ constantly working on a steady spine angle, it is one of my problem areas. A good fix is proper knee flex.ÃÂ
ÃÂ Doc,
ÃÂ Doc,
This is a bit off topic, but I am going to experiment with an old set of Cobra Hump Shaft irons I have in R-flex. They have a .380 tip which is very hard to find. Do you per chance know of any place I might find some .380 tip shafts in a L/A-Flex in steel or preferably graphite, at a low to moderate price. If not, how well do the brass shims work with a .370 into a .380 hosel. Any suggestions would be appreciated.ÃÂ ÃÂ Thanks.