Spinning out when starting downswing with left heel

[Nuevo_eph]

I'm now starting my downswing with a left heel plant (I'm a righty) and I love it. A lot. I feel it gets me in a great impact position and I'm comfortably striking the ball almost every time with a wonderful tempo.

It worked well for a week...

Now I am spinning out with my shoulders and whipping around, over the top, resulting in a rather consistent pull hook that is just unusable. Does anyone have a swing tip that can help me keep my right shoulder and side in the in-to-out or in-to-in slot while still allowing my downswing trigger to be a smooth left heel plant? I'm pretty consistent about keeping my right elbow in and I don't feel it is the arms or hands that are casting. Rather, it's like my heel plant now leads me to lunge my right should out and forward.

I'm hoping to keep the heel plant going but am afraid it may not work out. I'm seeing my coach tomorrow, btw.

 

[MWard]

That snap hook is fun isn't it? ukes:

Start with the lower body turning first before the upper body. That doesn't mean turn your hips back towards the target as much as possible and then let the upper body whip through, I don't think that'll do you much good. However if they start first back towards the target and then the upper body starts, that might give you some better results.

 

[Nuevo_eph]

So there should be a distinct delay between the two? I can see how that might help since if they start together I can easily make the shoulders come out and over (OTT) but I'm not sure how to ingrain that delay.

Hmm. Thanks, of course.

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

I'm not sure to what extent this will help you but it helped me-

 

[Mulligan9111]

So there should be a distinct delay between the two? I can see how that might help since if they start together I can easily make the shoulders come out and over (OTT) but I'm not sure how to ingrain that delay.

Hmm. Thanks, of course.

Just for craps and giggles. Take your backswing all the way to the top and then stop. Then slowly start turning your hips, you should notice that your arms will drop without you moving you trying to make them. I essentially think of this as dropping into the slot.

Then do the same thing as above, but start your downswing with your shoulders. From here you should see that it moves you into an OTT position.

These are both exaggerated examples, but it hopefully gives you an idea of how the upper and lower body can effect your swing.

 

[Scrap Iron]

What are your hips doing. Are they going to the target or the bushes on the left. I find if my hips are pulling my swing through and are going left my shot is a pull as the arms follow the bodies natural alignment

 

[Nuevo_eph]

Both of those last tips help. My coach also had me keep my hands and club going further down the target line on my backswing in order to give me more width. It appeared to him that I was crowding my arms and club in so much that they had nowhere to go but out (OTT) when I start my downswing.

He just happened to be at the range during lunch so I will see what else I get tonight in addition to trying the two items above.

 

[Scrap Iron]

Both of those last tips help. My coach also had me keep my hands and club going further down the target line on my backswing in order to give me more width. It appeared to him that I was crowding my arms and club in so much that they had nowhere to go but out (OTT) when I start my downswing.

He just happened to be at the range during lunch so I will see what else I get tonight in addition to trying the two items above.

Serious my tip helped. That's awesome always nervous giving advice on someone's swing. Hit em long and straight man good luck

 

[Mr. Satchmo]

Both of those last tips help. My coach also had me keep my hands and club going further down the target line on my backswing in order to give me more width. It appeared to him that I was crowding my arms and club in so much that they had nowhere to go but out (OTT) when I start my downswing.

He just happened to be at the range during lunch so I will see what else I get tonight in addition to trying the two items above.

Try to bend your right knee towards the inside of your stance, and make sure your front foot is straight not flared out a title to the target-the front foot flared restricts the upper body during the backswing which in turn requires more lower body movement-my PGA instructor taught me that. What this does is keeps your lower body and your upper body coiled against each other during the backswing so when you start your downswing you won't use too much of your lower body nor will you spin out-I had this problem and it was really bad because I had pulls and slices and the occasional pull hook. Also with the coiled feeling I find it easier to not force the weight shift or the downswing sequence.

 

[Nuevo_eph]

Serious my tip helped. That's awesome always nervous giving advice on someone's swing. Hit em long and straight man good luck

To be honest, I missed your tip because I had left my browser open for a while when writing that!

But I am pulling them to bushes (waaay left.) What you said make sense, though, because it IS my hips and you made me realize that. The foot bump causes my hips to spin out and, in turn, make my shoulders spin out.

I'm starting to think this is not the best trigger unless I can minimize the wrong action by the hips.

 

[Nuevo_eph]

Ok, the restraining your body part is the key. I began to get a little too loose, laterally, with everything and moved around a lot. By quieting it with the tension, I've kept things more firm and my my swing's bottom less random.

Next up is focusing on a better rotation away during the backswing, which sets me up for rotating through on the downswing without going over board. I would describe it so: If I don't have a good rotation on the backswing, I start my downswing turn in a position that is closer to the left of my target, closer to the bushes and hookville!