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Flatter = Better?

ImaBeRealReal

ImaBeRealReal

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Frisco, Texas
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Long story short its been a long and frustrating road back after wrist surgery almost 2 years ago now, when I was in the middle of my best golf ever at an 8.2 handicap. Since its been range session after session, lesson after lesson, all for not it seems. I've had sessions where I'll start out grooving it and end up hitting 10 foot high gopher killers with a wicked slice, or vice versa, start a session terribly and hit well at the end.

Today I decided to try and keep my hands more inside and take the club back flatter, after a few awkward feeling swings I found myself staring to hit everything high and exactly where I was aiming. 58* - Driver, everything was right on line with an ever so slight draw. I was about 10-15 balls from the end of my bucket so I went and bought another just to be sure. Out of a 75 ball bucket I hit 2 thin... that's by far the BEST I've done with a bucket in months. I was still feeling a little awkward but as I was watching the ball flight I was quickly getting over it.

So my question to the swing gurus, for a weekend warrior that just wants to shoot in the 80s again, is a flatter swing something to worry about, or is it just an indication that I may have been getting to quick and steep with the swing I was trying to "recover" after surgery?

As always, thanks in advance ladies and gents.
 
I'm not a swing guru, but I can tell you there's a happy middle ground.

If you get too flat, you'll get too far inside. From there, you'll have choice but to come over the top. I know this because this is a flaw in my own swing I'm working to correct.

But whether you're just flattening out a too-steep swing with nothing to be concerned about, or creating a bad habit is impossible to say without seeing video. With video, someone qualified like Freddie could tell you whether things are OK or not. And of course so can your local pro.
 
ImaBeRealReal said:
Long story short its been a long and frustrating road back after wrist surgery almost 2 years ago now, when I was in the middle of my best golf ever at an 8.2 handicap. Since its been range session after session, lesson after lesson, all for not it seems. I've had sessions where I'll start out grooving it and end up hitting 10 foot high gopher killers with a wicked slice, or vice versa, start a session terribly and hit well at the end.

Today I decided to try and keep my hands more inside and take the club back flatter, after a few awkward feeling swings I found myself staring to hit everything high and exactly where I was aiming. 58* - Driver, everything was right on line with an ever so slight draw. I was about 10-15 balls from the end of my bucket so I went and bought another just to be sure. Out of a 75 ball bucket I hit 2 thin... that's by far the BEST I've done with a bucket in months. I was still feeling a little awkward but as I was watching the ball flight I was quickly getting over it.

So my question to the swing gurus, for a weekend warrior that just wants to shoot in the 80s again, is a flatter swing something to worry about, or is it just an indication that I may have been getting to quick and steep with the swing I was trying to "recover" after surgery?

As always, thanks in advance ladies and gents.
Click to expand...

Most of us average golfers don't stay connected and by starting with your hands lower you will keep the club in front of you which tends to keep you connected (arms,shoulders and hands together) which is a good thing, but it depends on where you are starting as wadesworld said. One common error golfers make is picking the club up with their hands and this flatter swing will tend to keep you from doing this and will tend to get the shoulders to lead the backswing.
 
Evidenced by so many, Lee Trevino, Dana Quigley, Jim Furyk, Jim Thorpe, Ray Floyd, Allen Doyle, Tommy Gainey... there are many ways to skin a cat.

Whether limited by physical ailments or general ability, if you can groove it, play it, and don't sweat it.
 
I swing extremely flat...I make Kuchar look like he comes over the top. My swing looks more awkward than a one-legged cat trying to bury its business on a frozen lake but it works for me somehow.
My opinion; if it works play it and love it.
 
I don't claim to be a guru at all, but this is something the pro I take lessons on is having me work on. He's trying to get me to take my backswing back as flat as possible (I had gotten way to steep and was really pulling it) for the same purpose you seem to have discovered, which is a nice, high draw. It's working for me and it does feel awkward, especially with shorter clubs (for me anyway), but the results have been pretty good.
 
I have first hand experience with being too steep and the injury that resulted from my swing error.

Last year I tore the ulnar collateral ligaments in my left wrist (lead hand) and lost close to 6 months of golf because of the injury.

The injury was most definitely the result of being too steep and early extending that lead to casting. Three REALLY bad things for the wrist!

My swing coach (Gary Winters) had me fix two very specific things that fixed all three of my issue and lead to zero pain in my wrist. Needless to say, one of those fixes was to flatten my swing.
 
Everyone has a swing that works for them, this may it for you. But be careful, you can groove anything on the range. Staying connected and keeping the club in front of you is all the matters. Steep or flat as long as the club stays out in front, you're good
 
Can you explain "club staying in front of you"?
 
BradMorris said:
Can you explain "club staying in front of you"?
Click to expand...

At address the club is in front of you. When making your swing the club should remain in front of your chest. That is until it gets to the top of your swing. But once the down swing starts the club should fall back into the slot or arms on front of the chest again.

The upper body are working together instead of behind you or our racing the chest. It's about marrying the arms and chest (body) to work as one. Of the club lags behind the chest or gets stuck, you will block it or flip the hands to catch up. Either way you will be out of position 8 out of 10 times on your next shot.
 
Thanks for the explanation. Would love to see some videos from above some of the greats to see the relation of the club relative to their chest throughout the swing.
 
I'm slowly getting back to where I was last year not having to stay quite as flat to hit good shots this week. Relying on a big shoulder turn and rather quiet hands and legs again. Thanks for the tips guys.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
 
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