At the range

Finally took the time on Sunday afternoon to hit the range for a practice session. Played on Saturday morning and was having a torrid time. Shot a 100 (+1) which wasn't terrible, but it frustrates me when I know I can play much better.

In particular, I was chunking my longer irons and hitting them fat. Seeing the divot start way before the ball is disheartening. And if you're like me, it takes me a while to sort out the problem. The outside in / over the top swing was still apparent too.

Thankfully, the short game was quite tuned. Was comfortable chipping around the greens and managed to chip over a bunker and watch the ball roll down the basin and into the cup for a much needed birdie on Hole 7.

I thought it was a good idea to record my swings and it really helped me to visually focus on what needed to be fixed. Tips and suggestion are gladly welcome. 

If you notice, I placed an alignment stick on the mat just to help to groove proper alignment and check that your ball flight is consistent with your target line. Also definitely record your swings or have a friend help (I positioned my phone on my bag which worked perfectly). It makes it so much easier to identify the problems.

There were a number of swing issues that I concluded from the video(s):

1. Outside in / over the top;

2. Incorrect swing plane during the down swing;

3. Club head was pointing too much to the right of the target line on the back swing. Ideally it should be parallel to the target line;

4. Not keeping / maintaining posture during the swing;

5. On the downswing, my lower body wasn't leading my upper body and thus the outside in swing and incorrect swing plan.

EDIT: 6.08.2014
6. My friend told me that my 'take-away' was too close to my body, thus, too rounded a swing which, contributes to the outside-in swing. He advised that I try to push further from the body whilst maintaining the swing plane. Also mentioned that my right knee was turning too quickly. Tried some adjustments and it helped with my ball striking, so that's good news.

I also managed to sort out my 'Hitting-fat' problem. Essentially, if you' re hitting it fat, the swing is bottoming out much earlier in the swing arc then it should, thus the divot before the ball. The pros will tell you that you always make contact with the ball first then the turf, to compress the ball. Easier said that done though. So what was I doing wrong?

Figured out that I wasn't transferring my weight sufficiently and effectively during the down swing. Plus my ball position was a little more towards my lead foot when it should have been more centre for my setup and swing. 

I was also making a conscious effort to push off my right to shift the weight and I was really extending my arms on the down swing and through the follow through for better contact and distance. Worked a charm.

Towards the end of the session, I was pleased with how I was hitting the ball and was trying to get the hang of feeling the lower half of my body lead the downswing (i.e. bump my weight / hips to the left to allow the arms to drop and swing from the inside). It's not there yet, but it's improving.

For those hitting it fat, here's a good video, which explains why you hit it fat and demonstrates an easy tip to over come it. 

Played at Borneo Highlands (next post) yesterday during the second day of Hari Raya and was pleased with how I was hitting my irons so the practice at the range definitely helped.