Even though I was up at 4:30 am on Saturday....I decided not to play a round.
Instead, I went down to my course a bit later and practiced for a couple hours. Then I did the same on Sunday.
At the range I hit 90% wedges and 9-irons - both days.
At the putting green I just used my Putting Track from about 10 feet away.
And when chipping, I just used my 8-iron from the rough - to make the session difficult.
My full swing is taking giant leaps this year. After Sunday's buckets, I was pumping the ball straighter and more consistently than ever - even with my driver. I've discovered a whole new feeling to strive for in my left hand (at the top, and through impact) that's been easier to attain, and sustain, each week these last couple of months.
One thing I JUST realized is that with my new, BIGGER swing, I have been finally able to keep my left arm straight at the top of my backswing. This ideal position has been elusive throughout my career. Up until now I had just assumed that I couldn't do it on account of my bad back (I've had invasive surgery for TOS).
But just this week I realized that I couldn't keep the left arm straight because my left hand was too *floaty*. So it wasn't my BIGGER swing that did anything great....it was my fixed left hand grip that not only allowed it, but IMPROVED it.
This makes some sense as I pore over the most comprehensive advice I've ever gotten:
From what i see from Face on....you got one hell of a swing. I wouldn't mess with it too much. The "faults" you have described (in my opinion) are idiosyncrasies...not really faults. With that being said, your left arm clearly bends because...
-your middle does not move correctly
-your lack of wrist set (leverage)
As a result, your left arm bends to create a secondary leverage source (energy). Therefore, your left arm has to bend to make the backswing feel powerful. This is a short answer.
Now...your wrists do not set properly because of your grip
-left hand
-palmy
-lack of pressure points
-lack of trigger finger
-Right hand
-lack of dish angle
-lack of pressure points
-lack of trigger finger.
Your middle does not wind properly because...
-your right hip is a bit high at address
-lack ground pressure (you could be flat footed) so there isn't much to wind against.
You see, there would be quite a few things you would have to do to remedy the bent left arm and still have your swing feel powerful. You have a great impact and deliver the club on a good angle so I wouldn't get caught up in in what you don't like about your swing....look at what you do right......there is a hell of a lot of good things going on there. Great job.
You see? That guy there pointed out some things about my left hand that could be making my left arm bend. I guess the problem was that I couldn't comprehend *precisely* what he was saying: palmly, lack of pressure points, lack of trigger finger.
Read the funny story behind that analysis on my other blog - Help, Please.
Now, one note on my chipping.
I already mentioned that I was using short irons from the rough to make my practice more interesting. I have a golfing buddy who's always advised what he calls *goof-around-golf* where one goes out and practices all sorts of unconventional shots with unconventional clubs. His reasoning, "You learn a lot about your swing this way."
So what have I learned?
Well, before I practiced this shot I would have thought it IMPOSSIBLE to make short pitch shots from buried lies in the rough to tight pins on fast greens....with an 8-iron!
I was wrong. But how would I have known? For 20 years I've been cheating on these shots with highly lofted clubs. Cheating myself that is....with easy practice.
Something that really helped my rhythm when chipping this past weekend was soley focusing on the length of my backswing. I guess it reduces handsiness because both hands *know* where to stop moving. It gave me a better a pause, better tempo, and produced solid shots.
This week I will skip the course again and practice some more.
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