Video "Casting" ...........How do I get my hands in front of ball? HELP!

[~QQ~]

What helped me was taking my right hand out of the swing...in a sense. Get a good grip with the last 3 fingers of your left hand and keep everything else as loose as possible. Practice swing or take it to the range. You can even go as far as having your right hand barely even touching the handle. For me, my right hand wanted to take over and push the club down to the ball. Don't want that. Keep your wrists loose. My 2 cents.

 

[BluesManDan]

I thought the idea of "pulling the butt of the club" is out of favor now?

I’m not worried about what is favored or not, but only what is true and works with physics and biomechanics.

In a good swing, during the downswing the arms and shaft form a right angle from the top of the backswing until the hands are in front of the right hip. During this part of the downswing the shaft moves like an arrow in a circle around the body... the butt of the club is the tip of the arrow. The hands are pulling the arrow (shaft) and that right angle should not break down and straighten.

In the OP’s video he is trying to move the shaft sideways like pendulum swinging instead of like an arrow. He’s pushing the side of the shaft, which limits power because it kills the “double pendulum”. This is why he can’t stop casting. He sets up with the ball off the right shoulder and is thinking of the swing like his right shoulder is the center of a wheel and the club is a spoke. Single pendulum scoop city! All right side dominant. Proper setup should be oriented around the left side... left side gives the structure and right side adds power.

He needs to feel something radically different!!!!!!

OP: Do the drill I recommended earlier. I’ve been a low handicap for a long time and ball striking is my strength. Keep a light grip and pull the butt of the club.

A tip when you go through the steps of the drill I recommended and build towards the full swing: once your hands pass in front of your right hip on the downswing, they should begin to go hard left towards your left hip... they don’t keep going towards the target. This movement of the hands left (left of the target) is what squares up the clubface. This will keep you from blocking it to the right. Swing your hands from your right shoulder to your left hip, again like you’re swatting grounders to the first baseman. Your swing right now, if it were a baseball swing, is hitting pop flies to left field.


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[GolfLivesMatter]

I love the sport of golf, but I have a severe "flicking" or "casting" problem I can't get rid of. Looking for anyone's recommendation.

If you watch the best golf players, they have a serious amount of lag in their release. They seem to release their hinge at the last microsecond and create a huge amount of club-head speed. They always have their hands in front of the ball at impact taking off a few degrees of loft.

No matter what I try, I can't seem to recreate this. I try my best, but when I watch my swing in slow motion, I always release early. I actually end up adding loft to the club. I realize I have other problems with my swing, but this issue is persistent. Help! See video below.



I've tried everything. I've watched the following videos with no success:

First, learn why you are casting. It's not that your some flawed person....it's physics. Nobody does it better than Jim Veneto.

 

[TrueMotionMatt]

As Matt suggested, a down the line would be helpful. Just my two cents: The cast seems to be starting at the top. You seem to be starting the downswing with your hands. I wonder if concentrating on starting the downturn with your hips would allow the hands and handle to drop into the slot. The hips turning will then drag your hands through, keeping them in front of the club head.

Not hips, feet. We don’t want to create a hip spinner. Those are bad.

 

[uitar99]

Not hips, feet. We don’t want to create a hip spinner. Those are bad.

Is this what you mean re the feet: Start with your center of gravity directly between the balls of your feet. Then as you take the club back, let your weight transfer slightly to the inside of your right foot and eventually toward the heel. As you start the downswing, plant your left heel firmly to initiate the forward rotation of your hips

 

[Desmond]

?

I guess they are

 

[TrueMotionMatt]

Sort of. I want both feet corkscrewing in opposite directions. Right one right and left one left. Some people feel the right only (me) and some feel both or just the left. Depends. Trying to stay centered and getting into the ground to help us rotate.

 

[Desmond]

This is complicated stuff - the downswing. I've spent the last 4 hours in lessons on the downswing. Drills, drills, drills. Repeat. I won't even try to explain it. Everyone has different issues (and different Instructors). It's been an education.

 

[WILDTHING]

The OP should really see a local golf pro to sort out his setup and maybe explain some of the basic principles on how to create clubhead speed (in some pragmatic form) without the need for muscling it with his right arm.

 

[McLovin]

This is complicated stuff - the downswing. I've spent the last 4 hours in lessons on the downswing. Drills, drills, drills. Repeat. I won't even try to explain it. Everyone has different issues. It's been an education.

fortunately my downswing has been a bright(er) part of my swing. i guess that’s a blessing if it’s a harder thing to fix. it’s the backswing that keeps giving me fits.

 

[jcbmv11]

Thank you to everyone who has posted suggestions! I will try them all this week with the slomo camera and report back.

 

[GolfLivesMatter]

This is complicated stuff - the downswing. I've spent the last 4 hours in lessons on the downswing. Drills, drills, drills. Repeat. I won't even try to explain it. Everyone has different issues. It's been an education.

I agree. The process of defining every single movement, weight here, then there, this goes this way, that goes that way, and then assessing every point during the downswing is exhausting. For me, this leads to over-analysis, heightened tension, and lack of fluidity. As the saying goes, the enemy of good is better. I see all kinds of "non-traditional" swings by guys who are single digits. You are also correct that what people are describing is their individual "feel" which is most often not what they're actually doing from an external point of view. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about studying the swing, or drills, but when the chalkboard comes out it becomes mentally fatiguing.

We could define all the body movements in extreme detail that we think occur to walk down a flight of stairs. There's no doubt that even this most basic of movements would turn into a "well I do this" "I don't do that" "yes you do" "no dude, this has to go first, then that", etc. That's from my old high school golf coach who actually did this exercise to prove a point to get guys out of analysis paralysis and more into movement and mental trust in their swing.

 

[Desmond]

I agree. The process of defining every single movement, weight here, then there, this goes this way, that goes that way, and then assessing every point during the downswing is exhausting. For me, this leads to over-analysis, heightened tension, and lack of fluidity. As the saying goes, the enemy of good is better. I see all kinds of "non-traditional" swings by guys who are single digits. You are also correct that what people are describing is their individual "feel" which is most often not what they're actually doing from an external point of view. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about studying the swing, or drills, but when the chalkboard comes out it becomes mentally fatiguing.

We could define all the body movements in extreme detail that we think occur to walk down a flight of stairs. There's no doubt that even this most basic of movements would turn into a "well I do this" "I don't do that" "yes you do" "no dude, this has to go first, then that", etc. That's from my old high school golf coach who actually did this exercise to prove a point to get guys out of analysis paralysis and more into movement and mental trust in their swing.

Agree - I am taking apart my swing - so good habits are built by drills - slow swing, then slightly faster. Once you get one part, you drill for the next. I make progress when I work with a trusted instructor, who shows me by video what I'm doing ... "Well I feel as if I am opening up." Well, come here an look - see how you need to open more with the chest. Your hips are open but the chest needs to open..." "But that's so uncomfortable.." Good!"

 

[GolfLivesMatter]

Agree - I am taking apart my swing - so good habits are built by drills - slow swing, then slightly faster. Once you get one part, you drill for the next. I make progress when I work with a trusted instructor, who shows me by video what I'm doing ... "Well I feel as if I am opening up." Well, come here an look - see how you need to open more with the chest. Your hips are open but the chest needs to open..." "But that's so uncomfortable.." Good!"

No doubt that slow and incrementally faster is the best way to learn golf. Break it down into segments, but not too many segments where it gets wonky. Like you, my #1 way to make any changes is shorter, and slower swings, then add speed.

During a lesson a while back the pro said, "Ok, I want you to hit your driver 100 yards with a full swing, complete follow-through". I'm thinking "oh, this is a piece of cake!". So I make what felt like a much slower swing and my body suddenly tightened-up and I topped the ball. He said that tells me we need to work on tension reduction combined with movements that allow fluidity vs. manipulation. He said the tension was created because my brain wanted to engage the default muscles that it normally uses to execute a golf swing, or something to that effect, and that I simply don't feel that engagement during a full swing, but those same muscles can't hide in a 100 yard swing.

Then he walked over and hit about five 100 yard drives with perfect impact (of course) position and follow-through to the top. Just a slow motion swing that was smooth. Makes sense, how many people struggle with 20 yard chunked or bladed wedges, but can hit a driver 300 in the fairway? The same for putting.

 

[Desmond]

No doubt that slow and incrementally faster is the best way to learn golf. Break it down into segments, but not too many segments where it gets wonky. Like you, my #1 way to make any changes is shorter, and slower swings, then add speed.

During a lesson a while back the pro said, "Ok, I want you to hit your driver 100 yards with a full swing, complete follow-through". I'm thinking "oh, this is a piece of cake!". So I make what felt like a much slower swing and my body suddenly tightened-up and I topped the ball. He said that tells me we need to work on tension reduction combined with movements that allow fluidity vs. manipulation. He said the tension was created because my brain wanted to engage the default muscles that it normally uses to execute a golf swing, or something to that effect, and that I simply don't feel that engagement during a full swing, but those same muscles can't hide in a 100 yard swing.

Then he walked over and hit about five 100 yard drives with perfect impact (of course) position and follow-through to the top. Just a slow motion swing that was smooth. Makes sense, how many people struggle with 20 yard chunked or bladed wedges, but can hit a driver 300 in the fairway? The same for putting.

Agree - lessons always tighten me up. I noticed it yesterday and stopped it. Just relaxed and the lesson made a lot of progress because we could keep moving on...

 

[GolfLivesMatter]

Agree - lessons always tighten me up. I noticed it yesterday and stopped it. Just relaxed and the lesson made a lot of progress because we could keep moving on...

Desmond, what I have found after that conversation I had with a sports PT / Yoga guy is my shoulders, especially the right shoulder, is always "up" or tense on the course, and when trying to do something new. It's not a fault, it's because my right side is somewhat too engaged in my swing at times, and it stresses-out my right side, and even my left shoulder scrunches-up. I suggest checking your shoulders, posture, and entire body for tension on a far more consistent basis during practice and play. It creeps-up on me without knowing. Especially when putting.

 

[Desmond]

Desmond, what I have found after that conversation I had with a sports PT / Yoga guy is my shoulders, especially the right shoulder, is always "up" or tense on the course, and when trying to do something new. It's not a fault, it's because my right side is somewhat too engaged in my swing at times, and it stresses-out my right side, and even my left shoulder scrunches-up. I suggest checking your shoulders, posture, and entire body for tension on a far more consistent basis during practice and play. It creeps-up on me without knowing. Especially when putting.

Thanks. I am attempting to check posture and stay loose -- in fact, I started experimenting with breathing - in through the nose on the backswing, out on the downswing. You might try trainfuly.com - they were on here and were offering their program for $49, if I remember correctly. It a program, not too long, every other day, that focuses at first on loosening the adhesions and stiffness in shoulders, legs, back, etc.

 

[dhartmann34]

Really? Are they still around?

I take in person lessons from Tim, so they're definitely still around. Been working on this footwork and issue myself.

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[GolfLivesMatter]

Thanks. I am attempting to check posture and stay loose -- in fact, I started experimenting with breathing - in through the nose on the backswing, out on the downswing. You might try trainfuly.com - they were on here and were offering their program for $49, if I remember correctly. It a program, not too long, every other day, that focuses at first on loosening the adhesions and stiffness in shoulders, legs, back, etc.

I will check that out. And you know what's really weird for me? The Yoga guy said to lay on a hard floor on my back for about 5 minutes and let my body relax. That sounds simple, and it is, but holy COW when I stood up I was actually standing with perfect posture. And it's interesting you talk about breathing because now when I putt I check my shoulders, arms, and body for tension, then I take two long breaths, and then putt and I don't look where the all is going. Plus, I challenge myself to guess where the putt went, left, right, and how far. It's uncanny how much closer to the hole I got without all the worry.

 

[GolfLivesMatter]

Thanks. I am attempting to check posture and stay loose -- in fact, I started experimenting with breathing - in through the nose on the backswing, out on the downswing. You might try trainfuly.com - they were on here and were offering their program for $49, if I remember correctly. It a program, not too long, every other day, that focuses at first on loosening the adhesions and stiffness in shoulders, legs, back, etc.

BTW, you offer a lot of very good suggestions and ideas.

 

[Flipit]

I take in person lessons from Tim, so they're definitely still around. Been working on this footwork and issue myself.

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Hmmm, I thought tim was hurt.

 

[dhartmann34]

Hmmm, I thought tim was hurt.

Haven't heard that. I'll find out Sunday at my lesson.

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[TrueMotionMatt]

Hmmm, I thought tim was hurt.

He was bit by a German Shepherd and has been recovering... he was hurt big time!

 

[razaar]

I will check that out. And you know what's really weird for me? The Yoga guy said to lay on a hard floor on my back for about 5 minutes and let my body relax. That sounds simple, and it is, but holy COW when I stood up I was actually standing with perfect posture. And it's interesting you talk about breathing because now when I putt I check my shoulders, arms, and body for tension, then I take two long breaths, and then putt and I don't look where the all is going. Plus, I challenge myself to guess where the putt went, left, right, and how far. It's uncanny how much closer to the hole I got without all the worry.

I have been doing Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement exercises/ lessons for 30 years. They are simple easy movements that release excessive tension in the fascia or myofacia. I created movements that mirror what I try to do in the golf swing, both for a righty swing and a lefty swing for symmetry. Breathing is a big part of the exercises. After each session my whole back is touching the floor where before excess tension was preventing it from doing so.

 

[GolfLivesMatter]

I have been doing Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement exercises/ lessons for 30 years. They are simple easy movements that release excessive tension in the fascia or myofacia. I created movements that mirror what I try to do in the golf swing, both for a righty swing and a lefty swing for symmetry. Breathing is a big part of the exercises. After each session my whole back is touching the floor where before excess tension was preventing it from doing so.

This may sound like a really stupid question, but why is breathing part of the routine?