Sirchunk's Swing Quest

[GolfSpy BOS]

3 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

This game has me questioning my sanity on a regular basis. You should see the looks my wife gives me when I talk about wrist flexion and de-lofting the club at impact. I think she is considering having me committed. That, or her eyes glaze over and all she hears is "blabbity, blabbity, blah, golf stuff, mumble".

So are you saying it’s like this with Mrs Chunks?

 

[fixyurdivot]

23 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

I'm about 2 1/2 hours away from you. If you ever want to head up and spend a day working on your game let me know.  I'm here for you. I have access to a private course. Range, short game practice areas, and of course the golf course itself. Not to mention all the crap I have at home and the simulator.  We can put an 8 hour day in with breaks and lunch and get you off to a good start on your journey. 

I immediately thought of you when I read Jason's thread... very cool Tom!  

 

On 7/25/2021 at 5:38 PM, sirchunksalot said:

Recently, I purchased the "No Turn Cast" from Monte Scheinblum and am working on developing a functional swing. I'm not saying this is the be all, end all as I'm looking to start lessons in a couple of months. 

Jason, I hear lots of positive things about Monte and I'm sure you'll start seeing benefits from his instructional aids. If I can offer one bit of advice it would be not to let the want for improvement overshadow enjoying the game.  Good luck!

[sirchunksalot]

I haven't been able to get out and hit balls this week between the heat and some rain. Getting off work and coming home to 95 with high humidity is tough. Plus, I don't have a ton of shade in my yard and where I do, it slopes. I have spent the week working on getting better wrist set earlier in my backswing. Any time I pass a club, I'm picking it up and working on it.

The funny thing is, I think when I started this game I was doing it right. My thought now is to keep my right palm facing the ground longer as I'm taking the club back and naturally letting everything sync up after that. 

The new overlap grip is coming along nicely and I'm planning on taking it to the course with me tomorrow. I don't expect miracles, I'm actually expecting things to go around average. The important thing to me is to be able to stick with the results of what I'm doing right now and start building a foundation for a better swing. 

My plan is to play bogey golf mentally and not be disappointed by anything that happens and just have fun. I'm getting to play another round with a buddy from work and his son, who is new to the game, and root them on. 

[Kenny B]

3 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

I haven't been able to get out and hit balls this week between the heat and some rain. Getting off work and coming home to 95 with high humidity is tough. Plus, I don't have a ton of shade in my yard and where I do, it slopes. I have spent the week working on getting better wrist set earlier in my backswing. Any time I pass a club, I'm picking it up and working on it.

The funny thing is, I think when I started this game I was doing it right. My thought now is to keep my right palm facing the ground longer as I'm taking the club back and naturally letting everything sync up after that. 

The new overlap grip is coming along nicely and I'm planning on taking it to the course with me tomorrow. I don't expect miracles, I'm actually expecting things to go around average. The important thing to me is to be able to stick with the results of what I'm doing right now and start building a foundation for a better swing. 

My plan is to play bogey golf mentally and not be disappointed by anything that happens and just have fun. I'm getting to play another round with a buddy from work and his son, who is new to the game, and root them on. 

When you take the changes you are working on to the course, it will feel weird and you will likely hit bad shots.  Don't be upset; this is going to take time.  Playing with a buddy, you are going to want to play the best you can, and that will likely mean you will revert to your old swing.  Go ahead and play with it if your changes aren't working out, but get right back to the drills as soon as possible.  It's tough to make major changes during "golf season" because we want to be outside playing as much as possible.  Soon, a change will start to feel "normal" if you keep doing it.  First, that will probably be your overlap grip.  Then the wrist set will start to feel better.  Take one step at a time.  Have fun!!!

[sirchunksalot]

I got out to play today and see how the new swing thoughts are going to hold up on the course. I went pretty much as expected and it wasn't pretty. Shot 58/57 for a 115, I hit 2 fairways, zero greens and 39 putts. My strokes gained comparing against a 20 handicap were as follows.

I had a good range session beforehand, but couldn't take it to the course. I was especially disappointed in driver as I was hitting it well on the range. 

I didn't hit a decent iron shot until the 12 th hole, before that I topped every single shot. It was brutal. 

I found myself switching between old and new swing, but I know it'll take time to adjust the pattern and I accept that fact. 

I was most proud of not giving up and just having a good time. It'll get there eventually and there are going to be bumps in the road as I work to get better. 

[fixyurdivot]

22 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

I was especially disappointed in driver as I was hitting it well on the range.

Very odd... that almost never happens to the rest of us .  Besides Tom's offer, have you looked into a local pro for a series of lessons?  

[sirchunksalot]

14 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Very odd... that almost never happens to the rest of us .  Besides Tom's offer, have you looked into a local pro for a series of lessons?  

I am looking into getting lessons once the weather cools off a bit, probably end of August or early September. There's a pro at my course, but I am looking at going to the local country club where I hope they have equipment to either record my swing or a launch monitor. I need to research it a little bit more to find out what they have available. 

[fixyurdivot]

4 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

I am looking into getting lessons once the weather cools off a bit, probably end of August or early September. There's a pro at my course, but I am looking at going to the local country club where I hope they have equipment to either record my swing or a launch monitor. I need to research it a little bit more to find out what they have available. 

Good plan. Just my opinion here but I think you are at a point where a series of well spaced lessons, from a competent pro, would be your best investment. There really is no replacement for direct feedback from someone who can analyze your trouble spots and get you working on correcting them. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

4 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

I am looking into getting lessons once the weather cools off a bit, probably end of August or early September. There's a pro at my course, but I am looking at going to the local country club where I hope they have equipment to either record my swing or a launch monitor. I need to research it a little bit more to find out what they have available. 

What equipment are you hoping they have and why?

[sirchunksalot]

19 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Good plan. Just my opinion here but I think you are at a point where a series of well spaced lessons, from a competent pro, would be your best investment. There really is no replacement for direct feedback from someone who can analyze your trouble spots and get you working on correcting them. 

I totally agree, I really think getting a pro to look over my swing might be able to identify my faults and help me determine the root cause of my issues. 

[sirchunksalot]

Just now, RickyBobby_PR said:

What equipment are you hoping they have and why?

Video, just so they can replay what I'm doing and point out where I might be going wrong. I'd also like to see something like a Trackman just to see what numbers (launch, angle of attack, etc..) I start with and see if I can make improvements.

Not saying a good pro can't improve my game without it.

I looked up the pro at the County Club and saw he was Teacher of the Year in the state a couple of years back, so I'll probably go with him either way. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 minute ago, sirchunksalot said:

Video, just so they can replay what I'm doing and point out where I might be going wrong. I'd also like to see something like a Trackman just to see what numbers (launch, angle of attack, etc..) I start with and see if I can make improvements.

Not saying a good pro can't improve my game without it.

I looked up the pro at the County Club and saw he was Teacher of the Year in the state a couple of years back, so I'll probably go with him either way. 

Any pro with a cell phone has the video capability already and the latest phones are as good as most regular cameras pros have used, but like the launch monitor a good pro is using that for the golfer more than the pro. 
 

A launch monitor is nice to have but being able to see ball flight IMO is more important. Seeing how the flight changes will help more so you can see what it was and what is is so that when practicing you have a reference point to compare to

 

[RickyBobby_PR]

The most important thing is that you mesh with the instructor and that his/her methods and approach work with you and how you learn. All the equipment, technology and training aids won’t matter if you don’t mesh

[sirchunksalot]

Just now, RickyBobby_PR said:

The most important thing is that you mesh with the instructor and that his/her methods and approach work with you and how you learn. All the equipment, technology and training aids won’t matter if you don’t mesh

That will be the first thing I will look for with the instructor. I have no flexibility in my left ankle and know that it's something that will have to be accounted for. I'm curious to see if it's something they can work around to improve my swing.

[sirchunksalot]

I got out today to play with consistent setup of my camera and tripod and see if I've made any significant progress with backswing A. It's very incremental, but from my untrained eye, I'm noticing a couple of things. 

1. I'm getting the clubhead more even with my hands from DTL, not as consistently as I'd like, but there's a little progress.

2. I'm still not getting my lead wrist quite flat enough, old habits die hard.

3. I'm still not getting enough wrist set at left arm parallel and am relying on my transition to finish it. 

I have a feeling that this one part of my swing is going to be a long process, and that's ok. Years of bad habits aren't going to disappear over a couple of weeks time, but I'm committed to the process and will get better. Hopefully before I start lessons it'll be a little more functional. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

Camera angle is now too far offline to the other side. It should be right down your target line.  While it does look like you have better position of the clubhead inline with the hands it could be the camera angle which is why it’s important than it’s actually down the line and consistent every time you record

heres a screen cap from a video I took of one of my buddies today. While not perfectly down the line your camera should be more in the position

[sirchunksalot]

5 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Camera angle is now too far offline to the other side. It should be right down your target line.  While it does look like you have better position of the clubhead inline with the hands it could be the camera angle which is why it’s important than it’s actually down the line and consistent every time you record

heres a screen cap from a video I took of one of my buddies today. While not perfectly down the line your camera should be more in the position

Thanks, I'll have to make that adjustment in my set-up. I was going for the center of my shot being at my hands laterally like in the Breed video, and just noticed the center horizontally was too low. I think he mentioned belt high. 

I was disappointed that the grid feature on my GoPro didn't show up on the preview on my phone since that would make it so much easier. I'll remember next time to place an alignment stick at where I place the ball and center up from there. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

11 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

Thanks, I'll have to make that adjustment in my set-up. I was going for the center of my shot being at my hands laterally like in the Breed video, and just noticed the center horizontally was too low. I think he mentioned belt high. 

I was disappointed that the grid feature on my GoPro didn't show up on the preview on my phone since that would make it so much easier. I'll remember next time to place an alignment stick at where I place the ball and center up from there. 

If you have alignment sticks you could lay one down on the target line and the use the other to push into the ground til its belt high and have it right in the middle of the one on the target line. Then aim the camera at the top of the alignment stick in the ground 

[sirchunksalot]

10 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

If you have alignment sticks you could lay one down on the target line and the use the other to push into the ground til its belt high and have it right in the middle of the one on the target line. Then aim the camera at the top of the alignment stick in the ground 

That's a good idea! Hadn't thought about using an alignment stick for that purpose. 

[cnosil]

1 hour ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

 It should be right down your target line.

 

Interesting,  everything I have seen and have been told is that it is hand height and should be centered on your hands.   I have also put a string on the ground that goes from the camera to below my hands.  

 

 

[RickyBobby_PR]

14 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Interesting,  everything I have seen and have been told is that it is hand height and should be centered on your hands.   I have also put a string on the ground that goes from the camera to below my hands.  

 

 

The hands are what I’ve seen from many, but the video I posted earlier from breed was belt. And for target line was to reference direction and to help him have a better idea of angle and not have it pointed sideways at the hands 

[heavygolffeels]

On 7/31/2021 at 11:49 AM, sirchunksalot said:

I got out today to play with consistent setup of my camera and tripod and see if I've made any significant progress with backswing A. It's very incremental, but from my untrained eye, I'm noticing a couple of things. 

1. I'm getting the clubhead more even with my hands from DTL, not as consistently as I'd like, but there's a little progress.

2. I'm still not getting my lead wrist quite flat enough, old habits die hard.

3. I'm still not getting enough wrist set at left arm parallel and am relying on my transition to finish it. 

I have a feeling that this one part of my swing is going to be a long process, and that's ok. Years of bad habits aren't going to disappear over a couple of weeks time, but I'm committed to the process and will get better. Hopefully before I start lessons it'll be a little more functional. 

 

are these screenshots from the same swing?

[sirchunksalot]

30 minutes ago, scooterhd2 said:

 

are these screenshots from the same swing?

They are from the same shot. I wanted to make sure I had continuity in the photos. 

[heavygolffeels]

20 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

They are from the same shot. I wanted to make sure I had continuity in the photos. 

Nice. Some of your faults are relatively easy to fix, and you could make some rapid improvement. Sticking with Montes NTC would be a good thing. Work on the No Turn as much as the cast. Read his False Turn blog post as well. It's your backswing to a T. Your turn gets your into a tough spot, where all you can do is come down steep and early extend. 

https://rebelliongolf.com/false-turn-and-loss-of-tilt-in-the-backswing/

And something like a wall drill would help limit how inside you get and reinforce the NTC on the way down. Good for bad weather as well. I like to turn the club around so the handle is on the wall. Lots of slow motion reps. 

 

[sirchunksalot]

58 minutes ago, scooterhd2 said:

Nice. Some of your faults are relatively easy to fix, and you could make some rapid improvement. Sticking with Montes NTC would be a good thing. Work on the No Turn as much as the cast. Read his False Turn blog post as well. It's your backswing to a T. Your turn gets your into a tough spot, where all you can do is come down steep and early extend. 

https://rebelliongolf.com/false-turn-and-loss-of-tilt-in-the-backswing/

And something like a wall drill would help limit how inside you get and reinforce the NTC on the way down. Good for bad weather as well. I like to turn the club around so the handle is on the wall. Lots of slow motion reps. 

 

I appreciate the article, I've read and bookmarked it for future reference to keep reminding me not to lose tilt in my backswing. I went and looked at the video of my face on swing and believe you hit the nail on the head with that one. I definitely look like the golfer on the right in that article. 

I apologize for the bad camera angle, still working on a more consistent set-up when doing video. Plus, I was fairly open to the target. It's still pretty obvious that my right shoulder is not in a good place. I was watching the guy in the background and he was definitely more of the Monte look from the article. 

 

 

[sirchunksalot]

After further thought about looking at the copious amounts of flaws in my swing, my current mood is:

It'll get better, I have no doubt as I am really determined to have a better swing. I just love this song, it made me laugh out loud the first couple of times I listened to it. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

42 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

After further thought about looking at the copious amounts of flaws in my swing, my current mood is:

It'll get better, I have no doubt as I am really determined to have a better swing. I just love this song, it made me laugh out loud the first couple of times I listened to it. 

Many of the flaws are symptoms of a flaw or two. Fixing setup and takeaway will fix most of the issues 

[HeathS16]

Hey @sirchunksalot! Just saw this! I'll be following along and wishing you the best of luck my dude! 

[heavygolffeels]

@sirchunksalot Yes, face on confirms it. I had a strong suspicion from the right hip, left knee out, and forward drift of the head down the line. 

If you follow Monte you will hear this all the time. @RickyBobby_PR is right above as well. Most of the flaws that you might be seeing are not flaws at all. They are compensations. Coming into the ball you early extend, stall your speed, and stand up on the shot. That might be easiest thing to circle in the video as a huge flaw, but if you did not do that you would smack the earth and dig your club into the ground a foot behind the ball. That move is actually helping you. The real flaws are earlier in the swing that get you into the positions that force the compensation later on. Of course everybody has micro flaws everywhere, but your low hanging fruit is going to be setup and backswing. 

Do look over that false turn post. Look at some video of other players. I'd hone in on players that maybe dont take the biggest turn in the world but are really efficient. Rahm, Trevino. I really like Carl Petterson in that he slightly exaggerates a few things that would be helpful for you. More outside takeaway, more upright, really over the right hip without swaying. Not the strongest, most athletic, flexible guy, but gets in done efficiently. 

Trevino and Petterson here maintain there tilt away from target. The load is really into the right hip. The left knee is forced in from the turn into the right. The front foot rolls over from the turn and getting weight into the right. They have no need to force a turn past parallel. The lower body is loaded and ready to unleash. Particularly with Trevino who really has that right hip back and leg straightened. Meanwhile, you have lost the tilt away from the target from the false turn. There is limited turn into your right hip. You are more just over your left hip. Impossible to have desired the leg action from there or you would buckle over. At the top you are basically stuck. You'd have to have a very athletic lower body move to try to recover. I don't see it happening. Until this is fixed, you will struggle with consistent contact.

The good news is, its a very common fault. A good coach could help you out. You have the ability to fix it yourself with some study and practice, but ultimately you just have to develop the feel for a proper loading. 

 

And a Div 1 college player with pressure plates. I've heard 65/35 weight in the right heel vs the toe is average for PGA. He is close at 70/30. Point is, when the turn is deep into and over the right, the weight should be on the right side and mostly in the heel. 

 

[sirchunksalot]

4 hours ago, scooterhd2 said:

@sirchunksalot Yes, face on confirms it. I had a strong suspicion from the right hip, left knee out, and forward drift of the head down the line. 

If you follow Monte you will hear this all the time. @RickyBobby_PR is right above as well. Most of the flaws that you might be seeing are not flaws at all. They are compensations. Coming into the ball you early extend, stall your speed, and stand up on the shot. That might be easiest thing to circle in the video as a huge flaw, but if you did not do that you would smack the earth and dig your club into the ground a foot behind the ball. That move is actually helping you. The real flaws are earlier in the swing that get you into the positions that force the compensation later on. Of course everybody has micro flaws everywhere, but your low hanging fruit is going to be setup and backswing. 

Do look over that false turn post. Look at some video of other players. I'd hone in on players that maybe dont take the biggest turn in the world but are really efficient. Rahm, Trevino. I really like Carl Petterson in that he slightly exaggerates a few things that would be helpful for you. More outside takeaway, more upright, really over the right hip without swaying. Not the strongest, most athletic, flexible guy, but gets in done efficiently. 

Trevino and Petterson here maintain there tilt away from target. The load is really into the right hip. The left knee is forced in from the turn into the right. The front foot rolls over from the turn and getting weight into the right. They have no need to force a turn past parallel. The lower body is loaded and ready to unleash. Particularly with Trevino who really has that right hip back and leg straightened. Meanwhile, you have lost the tilt away from the target from the false turn. There is limited turn into your right hip. You are more just over your left hip. Impossible to have desired the leg action from there or you would buckle over. At the top you are basically stuck. You'd have to have a very athletic lower body move to try to recover. I don't see it happening. Until this is fixed, you will struggle with consistent contact.

The good news is, its a very common fault. A good coach could help you out. You have the ability to fix it yourself with some study and practice, but ultimately you just have to develop the feel for a proper loading. 

 

And a Div 1 college player with pressure plates. I've heard 65/35 weight in the right heel vs the toe is average for PGA. He is close at 70/30. Point is, when the turn is deep into and over the right, the weight should be on the right side and mostly in the heel. 

 

After reading your post ( thank you, btw) I came home and took some quick video working on getting a feel for remedying a false turn. I took a screenshot from the video and thought I'd post it up. 

I think I'm over compensating for the fact I don't make ball first contact usually and went way to the extreme wanting to get weight forward and keeping it there. Still not anywhere near perfect, but I'll keep working on it.