Fade/Push Slice - Video Included

Carter

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For a while now I have been having trouble losing the ball out to the right.

It always starts on my target line or sometimes right of it (right hander) so I don't thing my swing path is the cause. With my irons I get a 5-10m fade thats workable but with the driver I hit a LOT of push slices.

I had a lesson not too long ago and have been working my posture through impact as well as my address position (hips further forward and more space between myself and the ball.)

I've uploaded a slow-motion face on and down the line view hitting a PW (sorry about the low quality). Please let me know what you think and also any good drills to help maintain posture through impact.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZi4EF7WAZo&hd=1 - Face on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T-S8PDHI70&hd=1 - DTL

Thanks!
 
Overall, I'd say that's a great motion you're putting on it. But since you're asking, I have a thing or two to say about it...

First, I disagree that the path is not part of the issue. It's a common misconception that the ball always starts on the path of the club and is then affected by the face. It's just not true. The physics and geometry of it are best left for another time, but what I can tell you now is what I'm seeing in your swing, which is a little out-to-in with a slightly open club face.

Follow me on a journey through your video. First, check out the face-on video and note the amount of glove flap showing at setup. Now take it to impact and note that you see a little bit more of that glove flap (it's not much, admittedly), meaning the club doesn't have as good of a chance to square up. Hold that thought though- the drill for this will be included in the drill for path.

Now look at the DTL video and note where the club is when it returns to parallel w/ the ground (about the :08 mark, requires some well timed pause skills). It's outside your hands so the shaft is pointing left of your target/footline. That would pull if the face was square to that path, but hearing what shape you're describing and the video evidence from the front view, it's open (or opening).

Finally, you fall into the ball on the takeaway, which is not helping issues in that when you counter that movement on the downswing, it hinders your chances of squaring the clubface (and keeping posture and impact).

So what to do? The classic pump drill with a few (exaggerated) checkpoints. Mimic a downswing motion and stop the club at parallel to the ground. Don't just square the shaft to the target line, go the extra mile and point the butt of the club right of the target. While your body is memorizing that position, flatten out (or even bow) that left wrist and really turn down the clubface such that it is pointing almost at the ground. If your real swing hit these (over-exaggerated) positions, you'd pull hook everything. (I just ran and tested these numbers: I hit a 7 iron with an inside out path of 10 degrees and an 11 degree closed face and it pulled 5.4 degrees off the face with 2700 rpm of side spin relative to 2200 backspin. Nasty pull hook.)

You're welcome for your new miss. Seriously, though, that should get rid of the ball leaking right.

Hope that helps,

Trevor Broesamle, PGA
GolfTEC Santa Barbara
 
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