I think my cap just went down 5 strokes in 2 minutes

[sillywilly]

I was sitting in the bathroom reading my news paper yesterday (its where I do my best thinking) and it came to be.

If my back swing is messed up, im already going to be in a poor position at the top of my swing which will leave to a poor shot. so I thought, I know what a good swing looks like from the top to the finish and for me the hardest part is the back swing to get to the right position for the top... so why don't I just start my swing at the top??

U have time to feel ur weight distribution, check ur foot position, how much you have rotated at the waste, check your shoulder turn, make sure your left wrist it flat, your left arm is straight. Takes a lot of strength to hold the RIGHT position at top of your swing for more than even a second. And the flexibility required to do this in the left shoulder is unreal. i was completely warmed up and i do yoga and it was hard for me but doable so I'm guessing not everyone can do this.

The down swing was easy because everything started off in the right spot and the misses were slightly left or slightly right but nothing that would cost me strokes. I was even able to put a bit more into the shots than I normally would because when i swing harder i bend my arm, my wrist isn't flat.. I was able to put a few really violent swing on the ball and they went straight... very far. I'm gonna try this on the course after a bit more tinkering.

I've attached a picture.. i was starting my swing from set 4 in the picture attached but found i was getting more distance by starting from pic 2 but wasn't as accurate.

I know it looks silly but I've never had as good of a day at a range as I did yesterday. I was hitting straight 3w, 3h, 4h, 5i, driver, 5w... all the long clubs. it was awesome

[sillywilly]

oh one last thing, I remember last year.. .a OG'er and I were PMing back and forth about how I couldn't keep my left wring flat at the top of my swing and that was causing me to hit the ball with an open club face and slice the heck out of the ball. He suggested I that I have my wrists pre cocked so all that was left was the back swing and the shoulder turn and it worked but some times that flat left wrist would bring during the back swing, esp if I needed to give it some extra gas. That is kinda where these idea came from, just get rid of the entire back swing!!! i don't see how it adds anything to the accuracy or the distance anyway

[jvincent]

Old news. I think Leadbetter used to promote this. I can't remember what it was called.

[rezadue]

Dude, Forget the no backswing swing. You should be doing it this way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz7Yx2xczE4

[Gropper]

Dude, Forget the no backswing swing. You should be doing it this way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz7Yx2xczE4

That is clearly my new swing thought for this week!

[1972Apex]

I used to get in trouble at the top until it finally occured to me 'why go there?'.
Now I take a much shorter backswing and never take the club to the top. I also preset my wrists at the very start of the takeaway. These two changes basically fixed my major problem of getting out of position at the top, laying off and then coming at the ball from the outside.
I'm not sure your method of starting at the top will be a long-term fix, but if it falls apart you might want to try the shorter backswing.

[Eagle_Hunter]

This is NUTS!! I may have to try this at the driving range one day when no one is around.

Dude, Forget the no backswing swing. You should be doing it this way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz7Yx2xczE4

[leftylucas]

Purepoint Golf has been promoting this for a long time. In fact he said he likes to teach new students this method. I might even have the video somewhere, its a little 3 minute snippet.

[nokids]

i rather try to have a beautiful swing than switch to some ugly half swing designed to improve my hc. that's just me. i care too much about looks and appearance. i'm shallow yes. it's the same reason why i wouldn't shoot free throws in basketball underhanded even if my ft percentage would improve by 10%. it just looks stupid!

[Golfmad]

This is a drill I do once a week or so to keep my swing really tight. Players who sway-load a bit can improve immensely by grooving this in a drill.

I've had some range sessions where every ball left the middle of the face (you could see a dime-sized marked on the 6 iron) and went high and reasonably far. I've never tried it on the course, but I can't see why it wouldn't work great for some guys.

[BC MIST]

oh one last thing, I remember last year.. .a OG'er and I were PMing back and forth about how I couldn't keep my left wring flat at the top of my swing and that was causing me to hit the ball with an open club face and slice the heck out of the ball. He suggested I that I have my wrists pre cocked so all that was left was the back swing and the shoulder turn and it worked but some times that flat left wrist would bring during the back swing, esp if I needed to give it some extra gas.

While the enclosed pic is 7 years old, it illustrates the approximate position from which I start my swing and have started all my full swings for at least 12 years. I agree with you that a flat left wrist at the top is an essential part of any good swing and my PRESET gets me in this position, before I swing. The left arm is straight, the left wrist is flat and kocked, the right wrist is set back on itself, and the right elbow is in a submissive position - all top of the back swing positions, again, before I swing. From what you see in the pic, all I need to do is turn my shoulders to complete the back swing.

While it may not look like Ernie Els, the PREST obviously makes it easier to be consistent and correct at the top, which is what you want, and as a result, should make it easier to get back down to the ball, correctly.

I could not care less about what my swing looks like, because it's the straightness of ball flight that helps produce good scores, not how pretty the swing is.

The preset is NOT unique. In the mid eighties it was David Leadbetter who had both Nick Price and Nick Faldo swing this way for a while when they were revamping their swings and both went on to become the world's best at one time. Both originally had "one piece" takeaways, a characteristic that some still believe is ideal, but potentially problematic, to one with an earlier wrist set, which helps golfers become more consistent.

[sillywilly]

so i came up with this in my 6th year of golf without any help... leadbetter came up with this in the 80's, he was golfing longer than I was.. .moral of the story is I'm smarter than him

[poper]

If the toe of the club is pointing skyward half way into your backswing (at this time the end of the grip is pointing at your target), this should be all the wrist cock you have to focus on. The rest of the wrist cock will come naturally, you don't even need to think about it.

YOur right though, a good backswing can set you up in the right position. But its that first move down, I think is the most important. I typically focus on my right elbow coming into my ribcage, while simutaneously my left foot goes down. What this does it brings the club inside, and start the transition of weight.

A good drill on the range would be to hit balls from a stopped position at the top, feeling your weight and all in the right position, but focus on that first move down.

Cheers,

RP

[mberube]

While the enclosed pic is 7 years old, it illustrates the approximate position from which I start my swing and have started all my full swings for at least 12 years. I agree with you that a flat left wrist at the top is an essential part of any good swing and my PRESET gets me in this position, before I swing. The left arm is straight, the left wrist is flat and kocked, the right wrist is set back on itself, and the right elbow is in a submissive position - all top of the back swing positions, again, before I swing. From what you see in the pic, all I need to do is turn my shoulders to complete the back swing.

While it may not look like Ernie Els, the PREST obviously makes it easier to be consistent and correct at the top, which is what you want, and as a result, should make it easier to get back down to the ball, correctly.

I could not care less about what my swing looks like, because it's the straightness of ball flight that helps produce good scores, not how pretty the swing is.

The preset is NOT unique. In the mid eighties it was David Leadbetter who had both Nick Price and Nick Faldo swing this way for a while when they were revamping their swings and both went on to become the world's best at one time. Both originally had "one piece" takeaways, a characteristic that some still believe is ideal, but potentially problematic, to one with an earlier wrist set, which helps golfers become more consistent.

That’s a pre-swing drill I do on the course and during practice. Preset my hands and then turn my shoulder to the max. This solves a lot of issues. My shoulders are very flexible and my backswing tends to go too far for nothing thus I’m less compact. This drill keeps me compact and keeps my hands in front of me and that prevents me from getting stuck on my DS.

That being said, starting from the top makes me jerk too much to start the DS but if you able to prevent from hitting too hard it’s surely a good starting position. That being said, the golf swing is mainly about timing and tempo. Starting from the top, for me, screws-up those two key points.

[mpare]

Are you putting this to a vote?

so i came up with this in my 6th year of golf without any help... leadbetter came up with this in the 80's, he was golfing longer than I was.. .moral of the story is I'm smarter than him

[mpare]

I recall a drill from years ago that accomplished much the same thing. From the address position, the golfer simply cocked his wrists and then turned his shoulders. That should then put you in a perfect position at the top. If I can find a video, I'll post it.

[Gofish2]

Homer Kelly talked about this in the 80s and Golf magazine did an article in the fall of 2007. The fact that you never see it on the golfcourse brings into question the efficacy of this approach. If it works off the tee would it not be equally beneficial off the grass ? I'll try it tomorrow at Pineview when no one is looking