Hi Paul,
At last i believe a grip pressure of 2 on a scale of 10 really works.
With a stable lower body and a light grip, the take away seems to be taken care of. Thanks.
I commend you for your uncanny ability on how to address the concerns of the amateur golfer who by and large is trying to get better by watching your videos without the benefit of an onsite instructor.
A month ago I was a basket case on the golf course and you took the time to give me some tough straight talk on what I had been doing wrong and a step by step plan for me to get better. I can tell you it is working. Thank you. I am now hitting shots that have little spin (fade or hook). Now hitting either straight or slight pushes or pulls).
I now would like to know what my next step should be? Should I embark on speeding up my lower body to get more distance (currently driving the ball on good contact about 220 yards) or should I strive for a perfect finish (knees touching and right foot up on toes and club shaft touching perfectly the back of head? ( I currently finish with still a little too much weight on right foot and club a little sloppy where it finishes)
Thank you
Thank you for the kind words. I truly appreciate it.
I don’t pull any punches or candy coat it. If you swing sucks I will tell you. I say this because if I don’t no one else will. I want people to do it right and will keep explaining it until it sinks in. Anyone can do this with a little understanding and practice.
I think you should let this settle in for a while and keep perfecting the positions. Perfection = distance. As you build a better swing you will get more power without even trying to get power. Keep loosening the wrists and keep perfecting the coil and uncoil. If you try for distance right now you will start hitting it all over the place. Get a few good rounds under you belt and get confident. Once confident you can do anything.
So keep doing lots of practice swings working on perfect movement. Watch what I am doing and copy it. Bring these thoughts to the range as well. Hit fewer balls and work on perfecting the movement. As you do you will master the positions and build a swing that will look like you can shoot 65.
Paul,
I took your advice and I am now hitting a nice fade or straight
w ith my driver Can I do this with my short irons ie a fade or cut or should I focus on hitting them straight.
I now can hit a nice fade with all my irons
Regards
I would be trying to hit 8 iron or less straight and fading everything over a 7 iron. Fading means it is falling slightly right. Once you master this you always aim at the center of the green (7 iron and out). This way if you pull it you are on the left side. If you over fade it you are on the right side. In other words you hit a ton of greens (thanks Jack Nicklaus).
I am working stubbornly to increase my clubhead speed :this is really happening by small incremental steps and I am now reaching 100MPH .
I have noticed that when I cock my wrists more at the top of the backswing (Without breaking the straightline of the left arm ) I gain some MPH .But this is difficult to do on a consistent basis ,because when you are on the real tee ,in front of your playing partners ,you always have a tendency to shorten the backswing .Could you please address this issue ?
Long distance hitters have an uncanny ability to let the club go down their back on the backswing ,like JOHN DALY !
What do you want me to tell you? Keep working on hinging your wrists on the range. Play a few rounds of golf by yourself so you have no pressure and get them hinging. You have to be able to take it to the course so take it to the course. Forget the score. Hit numerous balls from tees or the fairway focusing on doing this move only. After you do this a few times you will be able to do it on the course. Right now if you think of this when you play you may hit some bad shots. This is embarrassing so you avoid doing it. Don’t avoid it. Just do it.
Do not swing back past parallel with driver. At parallel then a little shorter with the shorter clubs.
Dear Paul ,How do I fin d out that my wrist hinge is optimal? Is it simply by keeping them very ,very loose ?Or working with a specific exercise to loosen them up more ?
You hinge your wrists until the bones in your wrists do not allow the club to hinge anymore. This means your wrists need to be loose while your grip is secure.
The other day when I was on the range I had a lot of balls going in a nice left curve from where I was aiming. I was frustrated because I felt like good shots with the right feeling at impact and so on….In the car on my way home I was wondering why this happen and trying go get it….and suddenly…the answer was in my head…My alignment had been all wrong…I
Yes, you were aimed at the target instead of parallel left. Glad you caught it and straightened it out. Typically, when people come back to playing after a lay off they will hit it left for a while. This is due to using the arms instead of the body to hit the ball (using arms is easy so people will always try to do this).
Make sure you are checking your alignment constantly. This is very important. This is how to do it:
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12 Responses to “How to Know If Your Swing Is Improving”
March 14, 2013
ERIABBERAHi Paul,
At last i believe a grip pressure of 2 on a scale of 10 really works.
With a stable lower body and a light grip, the take away seems to be taken care of. Thanks.
March 15, 2013
Paul WilsonEriab,
Just remember that the grip naturally tightens to about 8 out of 10 as you hit the top of the backswing with loose wrists.
Glad you got it.
March 14, 2013
jimmarlowPaul,
I commend you for your uncanny ability on how to address the concerns of the amateur golfer who by and large is trying to get better by watching your videos without the benefit of an onsite instructor.
A month ago I was a basket case on the golf course and you took the time to give me some tough straight talk on what I had been doing wrong and a step by step plan for me to get better. I can tell you it is working. Thank you. I am now hitting shots that have little spin (fade or hook). Now hitting either straight or slight pushes or pulls).
I now would like to know what my next step should be? Should I embark on speeding up my lower body to get more distance (currently driving the ball on good contact about 220 yards) or should I strive for a perfect finish (knees touching and right foot up on toes and club shaft touching perfectly the back of head? ( I currently finish with still a little too much weight on right foot and club a little sloppy where it finishes)
Thank you
March 15, 2013
Paul WilsonJim,
Thank you for the kind words. I truly appreciate it.
I don’t pull any punches or candy coat it. If you swing sucks I will tell you. I say this because if I don’t no one else will. I want people to do it right and will keep explaining it until it sinks in. Anyone can do this with a little understanding and practice.
I think you should let this settle in for a while and keep perfecting the positions. Perfection = distance. As you build a better swing you will get more power without even trying to get power. Keep loosening the wrists and keep perfecting the coil and uncoil. If you try for distance right now you will start hitting it all over the place. Get a few good rounds under you belt and get confident. Once confident you can do anything.
So keep doing lots of practice swings working on perfect movement. Watch what I am doing and copy it. Bring these thoughts to the range as well. Hit fewer balls and work on perfecting the movement. As you do you will master the positions and build a swing that will look like you can shoot 65.
March 14, 2013
paulelliottPaul,
I took your advice and I am now hitting a nice fade or straight
w ith my driver Can I do this with my short irons ie a fade or cut or should I focus on hitting them straight.
I now can hit a nice fade with all my irons
Regards
March 15, 2013
Paul WilsonPaul,
I would be trying to hit 8 iron or less straight and fading everything over a 7 iron. Fading means it is falling slightly right. Once you master this you always aim at the center of the green (7 iron and out). This way if you pull it you are on the left side. If you over fade it you are on the right side. In other words you hit a ton of greens (thanks Jack Nicklaus).
March 14, 2013
RaymondCHASTELI am working stubbornly to increase my clubhead speed :this is really happening by small incremental steps and I am now reaching 100MPH .
I have noticed that when I cock my wrists more at the top of the backswing (Without breaking the straightline of the left arm ) I gain some MPH .But this is difficult to do on a consistent basis ,because when you are on the real tee ,in front of your playing partners ,you always have a tendency to shorten the backswing .Could you please address this issue ?
Long distance hitters have an uncanny ability to let the club go down their back on the backswing ,like JOHN DALY !
March 15, 2013
Paul WilsonRaymond,
What do you want me to tell you? Keep working on hinging your wrists on the range. Play a few rounds of golf by yourself so you have no pressure and get them hinging. You have to be able to take it to the course so take it to the course. Forget the score. Hit numerous balls from tees or the fairway focusing on doing this move only. After you do this a few times you will be able to do it on the course. Right now if you think of this when you play you may hit some bad shots. This is embarrassing so you avoid doing it. Don’t avoid it. Just do it.
Do not swing back past parallel with driver. At parallel then a little shorter with the shorter clubs.
March 23, 2013
RaymondCHASTELDear Paul ,How do I fin d out that my wrist hinge is optimal? Is it simply by keeping them very ,very loose ?Or working with a specific exercise to loosen them up more ?
March 24, 2013
Paul WilsonRaymond,
You hinge your wrists until the bones in your wrists do not allow the club to hinge anymore. This means your wrists need to be loose while your grip is secure.
Watch:
3 Ways to Set The Top of the Backswing: https://ignitiongolf.com/backswing-top-3-ways
Secure Top of Backswing: https://ignitiongolf.com/secure-top-backswing
March 15, 2013
LottaLiljegrenThe other day when I was on the range I had a lot of balls going in a nice left curve from where I was aiming. I was frustrated because I felt like good shots with the right feeling at impact and so on….In the car on my way home I was wondering why this happen and trying go get it….and suddenly…the answer was in my head…My alignment had been all wrong…I
March 15, 2013
Paul WilsonLotta,
Yes, you were aimed at the target instead of parallel left. Glad you caught it and straightened it out. Typically, when people come back to playing after a lay off they will hit it left for a while. This is due to using the arms instead of the body to hit the ball (using arms is easy so people will always try to do this).
Make sure you are checking your alignment constantly. This is very important. This is how to do it:
Alignment: https://ignitiongolf.com/golf-alignment