Right Elbow Redux II: Driver

So I've been working on driver a lot lately since my recent swing breakthroughs have been with the irons. I've been trying various different ideas all revolving around the right elbow and getting it bent at impact. So I just told myself that today at the range I was going to solve the problem once and for all. So I charged up the handy dandy Casio Exilim and only hit driver for about 2 hours. Now I only hit about 40 balls in that time since I was in full experimentation mode which consists of think, swing, film, analyze then repeat.

So this time I just told myself I had to get in the position of my hips and chest facing the target at impact. I somehow tried a thing where I sort of left my hands away from my body at the top of the backswing and instead of jamming my elbow into my stomach I just rotated my hips and chest toward the target. I tried to feel like I was swinging the club on a vertical plane with my torso horizontal. I filmed it and it was correct. It's a very different conception of the swing than the one I had been trying which was dig the elbow into the stomach and turn the hips. This one is more keep the hands high and just turn the hips and torso. The elbow jams in later in the swing at impact.

My club stays way more on plane. No more manipulating and trying to find the slot. What's funny is that I had this swing feeling 3 years ago! I got away from it. Ha kinda like Tiger going back to his swing when he was younger hehe.

Elbow stays tucked in way longer. I'm starting to understand what clearing the hips means. I'll have to do a video of this because it's hard to explain with words. I didn't hit the ball well but I wasn't going for that.

Looks so much smoother than the funky stuff I was doing before. Still not able to hit all out yet.

I was still pushing and mega slicing the ball so although I was elated that I had solved a problem that had been bugging me for 3 years I wasn't getting the impact high.

The impact high came a few days later when I had to combine the new swing with a more supinated left wrist. I experimented with having the club even more diagonal in my hand. And feeling like I was backhanding with my first knuckle. This is also hard to explain in words. But the driver was bombing and it seemed like I wasn't swinging very hard at all. I was still pushing and slicing but not nearly as bad. I was also playing around with setup positions being more closed since I'm really hitting up on the ball. I even hit two or three slight draws. One that even had that missile-like early low curve and then rise to a nice high draw!

Then I started losing it. On film it didn't look that great so I'll have to have a few more sessions getting this thing down. But I feel I've made a major breakthrough on the driver which will payoff big time this competition season.


Here's a before and after completely different.

Float Loading and Timing

Been going back to Kelvin Miyahira's stuff now that more and more people seem to be getting results with his stuff. Especially this guy.

Pretty amazing transformation I wish I could do it that that quickly. I'm going on 4 years now, but I really do love the journey and discovery aspects. But for all the intense work I do I should have better results I think sometimes.

Right Thumb

First I changed my right thumb to be shorter and more pinched with my index finger. I noticed I was regripping my driver literally at the top of my backswing to this position and it was throwing off my swing. Funny it doesn't happen with the irons though.

Back to Kelvin

I've been inspired by this video which is so exaggerated since he's a long hitter and 18 years old that it helps me develop swing thoughts.

Here's my take at low power really trying to visualize the positions with an 8 iron. It's possible for me to physically get there so the barrier must be the wrong thoughts at full speed.

I shanked this one but who cares I'm only looking at body positions and club face rate of closure. I never thought I'd be able to be so close the ground and still swing the club. It's the most unintuitve feeling if you're just starting golf.

Float Loading and Timing

So I'm thinking that there's no way you can "hold off" to get more lag. The centripetal force is just too great. So I've been playing around with timing of the load and release of the club and trying to do some float loading. I'm really trying to get that feeling that at impact the shaft is pressed up against the outside of my right bicep. This makes the release much later so the ROC is low through impact and I would think gives that elusive right elbow bend. 

Been looking at Gary Woodland's swing lately wow that is a really nice swing!