Golf Smart Academy Forum — Big Pushes w/ Driver

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Big Pushes w/ Driver ¶

By: Ed C on April 23, 2022, 8:47 p.m.

Hi Tyler,

Shaking off a rusty swing here.

Here are two driver swings, with the current miss being a push or push fade to the right.

The 3rd swing is a 7-iron where I'm practicing a 9-3 "feeling". Positionally it's probably more like a 10-2 swing, but the eye opener is the ball flight is consistently a nice baby draw that flies just as far as my full swing with quieter arms/hands at impact and better extension on the follow-through. It's just an easier swing to make and is more consistent.

My hypothesis is my "full" swing is too long and I should work on ingraining the shorter, more compact swing as my "stock swing" where my whole body feels like it's working together instead of as disjointed pieces...

Last edited by: Ed C on April 23, 2022, 8:55 p.m., edited 6 times in total.

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Re: Big Pushes w/ Driver ¶

By: Ed C on April 24, 2022, 4:08 p.m.

One other observation I had about my backswing is that my trail leg push "looks" to be too lateral, causing the hip slide over the front foot. When I practice pushing the trail leg at a 60 degree angle from the ground (so the trail leg push feels more 'up' than 'forward'), instead of sliding so much laterally, it seems to keep me more centered.

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Re: Big Pushes w/ Driver ¶

By: Tyler F on April 24, 2022, 9:17 p.m.

In the little video, you can see the club face more closed in the iron shot compared to the driver. But if you look at the driver, you have so much shaft lean that if you did close the face, you'd have almost no loft. So you're stuck a bit

Also, it looks to me like that left shoulder is really pulling again (steepener) which in your case is balanced by the early extension. But your early extension makes the path too much in to out making you likely to get the hook/block pattern.

To fix the early extension, you'll have to down regulate that arm pull with the "dont' break my arms"/"Moe Norman arms" idea.
https://www.golfsmartacademy.com/golf-instruction/block-trail-arm-throw/
https://www.golfsmartacademy.com/golf-instruction/dont-break-my-arm/
https://www.golfsmartacademy.com/golf-instruction/moe-norman-arm-drill/

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Re: Big Pushes w/ Driver ¶

By: Ed C on April 24, 2022, 10:35 p.m.

Thanks Tyler.

When I'm doing the Moe Norman drill and keeping the lead elbow pointed down the line, it almost feels like I'm dragging the handle across my torso, or like I'm unsheathing a sword across my torso with the lead elbow pointed high in the air down the line.

Could this be the wipe?

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Re: Big Pushes w/ Driver ¶

By: Tyler F on April 25, 2022, 9:11 a.m.

That's one way someone could describe the wipe. So yes, I'd say that's not a bad feeling to investigate. Although, it could also mean that you're providing too much of the hit from the arm motion instead of the core/obliques. So the feel depends.

Keep monitoring that feeling on video to see if it's a one practice feel or a one week feel :)

Last edited by: Tyler F on April 25, 2022, 9:12 a.m., edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Big Pushes w/ Driver ¶

By: Ed C on May 9, 2022, 9:52 p.m.

Here is my face on swing after working on Moe Norman & "don't break my arm" drills.

Right now it feels like as soon as I start bracing, the hips fly open while the torso and shoulders try and stay closed to the target, leading to more side bend. Almost like an 'x' factor for the downswing...

Last edited by: Ed C on May 15, 2022, 10:09 a.m., edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Big Pushes w/ Driver ¶

By: Tyler F on May 16, 2022, 6:32 p.m.

A good visual checkpoint for the Moe Norman move is the space between the left bicep and ribs. You can see how your shoulder is pulling around behind you more so than the two Johnsons swings at the same point. I think the x-factor feeling you describe is a good one, but it needs to continue through the release a bit longer.

Tyler