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Ponda · 06-05-2007, 09:30 AM

No, I'm a RH.

I cal it the Mickelson drill just because I see him doing it all of the time, other pro's may do it though. The point of the drill is to help with making your right elbow (for a right handed hitter) stay tucked in next to your ribs and not fly out. Since I had played baseball pretty much all of my life, I was in a habit of swinging my elbow out wide...at the peak of my back swing it looked more like a baseball swing than a golf swing. So he stuck the towel in between my right elbow and rib cage and told me to swing, but not to let the towel drop. The drill is in the link below...

Flying Right Elbow

stevel1017 · 06-05-2007, 09:42 AM

Ah ok, thanks. The old flying right elbow, that will do it :-) At the top of the backswing, the right elbow (for right handers) should be at 90° and look like a waiter holding a tray.
I have been reading up on Harvey Penick's magic move. If the right elbow is in the correct position at the top, then the move is when the wieght shifts forward to the left, at the same time, the right elbow is returned to the body (right hip). This puts the club in the "slot"

Ponda · 06-06-2007, 12:53 AM

Right, today I was back to my same old bad habit...the slice. My elbow wasn't flying out though...for some reason I'm now coming over the top and adding that nasty tail. I don't understand how in a matter of hours I can go from hitting my tee shot perfect to developing another bad habit and screwing everything up. I'm trying to keep my hands straight and come through the ball instead of rotating my right hand over and having a better swing plane. I guess that's why golf can be the most frustrating thing in the world.

stevel1017 · 06-06-2007, 01:04 AM

it's not really the right hand rolling over, it's more the forearms, look at the pro's, they all roll the forearms over, it releases the club.
Maybe rolling over is the wrong term. But I hope you understand what I mean

mkoreiwo · 06-06-2007, 10:41 AM

I feel for you...

I have been slicing drives to the point of wanting to leave my woods in the bag. Then, on Sunday, I was smokin' 'em. It was like a dream - on one hole i hit a 3W 290+,(though downhill to a flat landing area 0 it was still pure, I could feel it as soon as it left the club) and on the last my drive was like a cannon shot, based on the scorecard, it was just shy of 300. What I had been focusing on that day was keeping my backswing under control, and not letting the club get past parallel. I was actually thinking 3/4 swing, and relax.

I was ecstatic, then yesterday... horrible again. But I will get to the range and see if I could find that swing again... So I guess my suggestion is less of a swing.... That's all I got.

Good Luck!!

mike

bjterry62 · 06-13-2007, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ponda

I am finally hitting the ball straight again...

I think I may have met Jesus today...just maybe. Today I was at the chipping green going through my normal warm up. And I notice that this old man is coming toward me. He walks up to me and says "What in the hell are you doing?". Considering I've never met the man in my life and I'm down there minding my own business...my only answer is "uhhhhh......I'm practicing my short game, sir". He then starts to ask me if I think what I'm doing is the correct shot for where I'm trying to hit the ball. Considering it was just a practice green and that there wasn't a bunker between me and my destination...I guess a high loft shot wasn't what I was looking for, but I was practicing it anyway. He then began to ask me a series of questions...

1. Are you on a high school golf team? No, I played baseball for four years...
2. Why are you here? Well, I'm a walk-on at my local college and I want to get better...
3. What do you shoot? I shoot low 80's consistently and I occasionally break into the 70's...
4. What do you think you need to be shooting to be an asset to your college team? Umm....mid 70's for sure...

By this time I'm willing to jump off a roof if he tells me too just by how stern he is. He then looks me dead in the eye and asks me, "do you want to get better?". Of course I answered yes. In a matter of 2 or 3 hours I probably could have wrote a book on how much knowledge I had gained. He touched on a all kinds of stuff...course management, different kinds of shots that I need to practice, how to manage my emotions (he said golf is the weirdest sport he's ever played, you can play like shit but score well, or you can play great and score like shit), and so on...

So after about 2 hours worth of lecture and tips, he asks me if I have any questions. I went on, and told him how I'm hitting my driver like pure crap...he hands me my club and I swing literally 2 times. He then grabs my golf towel and sticks it in between my right elbow and ribs...the Mickelson drill. I've honestly never hit the ball straighter, and it seemed almost effortless to hit well passed the 250 yard sign. I walked my usual 9 holes after that and I didn't miss a fairway or green...first time I've done that in a looooong time.

This probably doesn't do anybody any good by reading this post, but needless to say...I've never been more excited about my game.

I think I would probably be in church on Sunday, just in case!

Ponda · 06-17-2007, 03:33 PM

Hey guys, got another question....I went to D ick's today to hit some new drivers. I'm not sure how accurate their computer is, but I had a swing speed of about 100-105. Now, I've changed my swing a little...keeping my elbow in and really turning my hips and trying to work on getting in the slot. I got rid of the "slice" and now it's more of a push to the right, so I'm thinking that's another good sign that an x-stiff is not a good choice. I hit a stiff Hibore XL and hit it pretty well...the computer said it was still going right, but the guy wouldn't take off the plastic on the grip, I could feel the club twisting when I would swing. Then I hit a regular flex Sumo Square and the computer showed that it was going straight down the middle but had a small tail right at the end. The guy told me that it was more than likely because of the R flex shaft. They didn't have an S flex so I didn't get to hit that. Anyway...here's where I've got a choice to make...

I went to another golf shop close by, they also didn't have a S-flex...but they did have a used R flex priced at $300.00. Then I talked him down to $250.00...Would an R-Flex be more beneficial for a swing speed of 100-105 or would a S-flex be better? Kind of a dumb question, since I should probably try out an S-flex first, but I'm having trouble finding one that I can actually test.

300Yards · 06-17-2007, 09:39 PM

That depends entirely on you. Some people hit a slightly whippier club, and others, hit a stiffer club. I'd hit a few more balls with the S and R flexes, before making a choice, but go with whatever is more beneficial to you.

bjterry62 · 06-18-2007, 10:34 AM

300yards is right, it all depends on you. I use an R flex (260cpm) and have a SS of 118+/-. But, I also have friends that do not swing as fast that feel like they have no control at all with my woods. So, it all depends on what you like the feel of and what works the best for your swing. One thing to remember, swing speed is only ONE fitting perameter. You also need to consider your transition and tempo. The Transition takes place when you end the backswing and begin the downswing. The more aggressive your transition, the firmer the shaft needs to be. Usually, people with an aggressive transition have a fast tempo. Tempo is the rythm of the swing. A good pro/fitter can tell you if you have a slow, medium or fast tempo. BTW, mine is slow, which allows me to use a more flexible shaft.

BT