If you occasionally lose the ball to the right or have trouble squaring your club at impact, today's video should help you understand why. Regis Rauch is a 7 handicap and hits straight shots, so he's grasped the concepts of the vertical swing and successfully implemented them into his game. However, he'd like to improve even more and hitting shots to the right is his biggest hurdle.
Hi Don,
I am having great trouble squaring the club face. I hit many weak shots to the right side and cannot hit the ball "solid" with a gentle "draw." My driver is approximately 225 carry and pitching wedge carries approx. 102. What is causing the problem of these weak shots to the right? I do not slice the ball and occasionally something goes correct7tly and I do hit a draw, but not enough times. These shots are just enough to the right that I miss the fairway and the green. I am a 7 handicap.
Thanks for your help,
Regis Rauch
There's a few different reasons why a golfer can lose shots to the right. I'll explain how alignment, ball position, and your swing path can all keep you from hitting your target.
Keep it vertical!
The Surge
If you can't view the YouTube video above try CLICKING HERE. You must allow popups from this site for the link to work.
Comments
Causes for wek shots to the right
Regis, here is another one which I was doing and my shots sounded much like yours. I had a fitting in Reno, NV with Doc Griffin and after seeing me swing for a bit, he told me that I was opening my forward hip up too soon sometimes and it would cause me to hit that weak shot to the right. After concentrating on keeping the forward hip more still, I started hitting the ball solid and straight until I opened up that hip again which caused that same weak shot to the right. Anyway, another thing to check out.
Indeed
Yeah, sometimes my old rotational swing jumps back into my lower body, particularly when I really want to lay into a ball, and my hips snap open and I know in the instant of contact that I'm going to be looking for my ball somewhere well right of the fairway. Sometimes well right of the next fairway.
It's time
Okay boys and girls,
Watching todays daily made me want to watch Surges all time short video on the driver. Those who have been with Surge and the PPGS for along time may still have this one. I have found it, saved it and lost it a couple of times. Here it is, vintage Don Trahan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaP3q4QDcs8
If you pay close attention you will see that the lesson applies to all irons and woods not just the driver.
I love this one. BTW a few years ago I witnessed Surges eyes closed diver shot in person. He was indeed an eagle scout.
It's Quiet Time
Nice link, Robert. Obviously, if we could get a close up (from the knees down) on any Surge video, we would find out that Don is very quiet....the lower body is quiet. And the swing is Quiet-Athletic-Complete. One of my thought triads, born from PPGS and Surge.
And If ever there was a time where a person might start moving and dancing and adjusting the lower body, this situation might be it. But Nope. A vintage PPGS video, Don is just launching a variety of little missiles, quietly and efficiently with just nominal, but informed, tweaks. Luv it.
Noticed also today, while reviewing a 2013 slo-mo of Inbee Park's short-iron swing....her feet and lower body are ridiculously quiet. You don't even know if she's golfing until you see a slo-mo iron shaving a divot in front of her very quiet feet. Even Anika had something nice to say.
Edits made 8/13
Massive X-Factor!
Gals & Gents;
Just to ad some glitter to this simple and powerful swing. Don has massive X-factor in his swing. I'm not talking the supposed "torque" difference between the stable lower & turned upper body - restricted hip turn aka Jim McLean.
Nope, it is the quotient when you draw vertical lines on the screen when he is in the top of his backswing. One on his spine to the ground. Draw another from the ground up to his right shoulder. Bam - there's the real X.
http://www.golfwrx.com/89009/what-is-a-full-turn/
Spine tilt is maintained away from the ball, rear shoulder does not go closer than his right foot ((dreaded reverse tilt power leak) to the ball.
Try this on the last swing at 02:29 on the link above.
I'm gonna stay, not stray from one of the most efficient swings around yet is also body friendly, I hope we can gather more in here.
Jim.
Spin
So Monday I got to play a nearby private club on a course apparently designed by Ben Hogan himself (and called the Hogan Course, the club is the Trophy Club--they were holding a membership drive I think using Golf Galaxy to help them draw people in with the chance to play a round). I played reasonably on about half the holes, and had a few utter, miserable, disgusting holes (took an 8 on a par 3 when my tee-shot rolled up to the base of a tree where my only swing was left handed and I bounced the club off the root my ball was resting against and it just kept getting worse).
Anyway, the course was in excellent shape, as one would expect from a private club, and the greens were lightning fast and very receptive. Which brings me to my point about spin--the greens themselves have a lot to do with whether or not you get a ball to spin and stop (or even back up). For most of us playing on public courses with greens that get a lot of wear and tear, the ball won't spin much more on them than it will on the fairway. But at the Trophy Club, I launched a high, cut 4-iron down wind, just over the flag on a par 3 and it didn't go 4 inches from the pitch mark when it landed. The hole before that I hit a sand wedge into the green on a par 5, struck it much better than I expected and flew it 15 yards past the hole to the back shelf, and it spun back down the slope to hole high (unfortunately 25 feet left of the flag, leaving me a nasty side-winding putt that didn't stop until it was 10 feet below the hole on the other side). I'm used to getting my ball to stop on the green with short irons, maybe even come back a few inches with my 56* or 60* wedges, but I've never had a ball back up 15 yards unless it was because it bounced off of something. So if you're wondering why you can't spin a ball like the pros, some of it has to do with the quality of the courses you're playing.
Causes For Weak Shots To The Right
Regis, another possibility might be that the lie angle of your irons is too flat. I was hitting weak shots to the right earlier in the season. Working with my fitter, we analyzed my swing and found that the toe of the blade was striking first, thereby weakening the swing and pushing the ball right. He adjusted the lie angle two degrees upright. Since then, my distance and direction have both improved. Good luck to you.
Dick