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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Closed at the top of the swing

If you're struggling with a closed clubface pattern, then determining when the clubface is closed is a critical step to diagnosing a quick solution. If the clubface is closed at the top, then you should check to see if it was closed at shaft parallel in the backswing. If the clubface is not closed at the top of the swing, but you still struggle with a big pull or hook pattern, then you know it was more of a downswing error.

Show more

If you're struggling with a closed clubface pattern, then determining when the clubface is closed is a critical step to diagnosing a quick solution. If the clubface is closed at the top, then you should check to see if it was closed at shaft parallel in the backswing. If the clubface is not closed at the top of the swing, but you still struggle with a big pull or hook pattern, then you know it was more of a downswing error.

Hide
Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.960
This content video is discussing having the clubface too closed at the top of

2
00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:09.140
the swing.

3
00:00:09.140 --> 00:00:13.520
So it is possible to have the clubface too closed at the top of the swing, and

4
00:00:13.520 --> 00:00:13.680
it can

5
00:00:13.680 --> 00:00:17.440
cause a predictable set of problems down at the bottom.

6
00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:20.510
Or let's say this, let's say you're looking at your golf swing, you notice that

7
00:00:20.510 --> 00:00:20.880
you have

8
00:00:20.880 --> 00:00:21.880
a closed clubface.

9
00:00:21.880 --> 00:00:24.360
If you're going through the timeline, you want to figure out when.

10
00:00:24.360 --> 00:00:27.510
So in this video, we're going to discuss how to tell if it's too closed at the

11
00:00:27.510 --> 00:00:27.680
top

12
00:00:27.680 --> 00:00:30.120
of the swing, and why.

13
00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:34.820
So as a rough guide, I'm going to use my left arm like so, and I'm going to

14
00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:35.800
look at the

15
00:00:35.800 --> 00:00:40.440
clubface angle compared to that left arm.

16
00:00:40.440 --> 00:00:44.540
If that clubface angle is pointing more up towards the sky, that would be

17
00:00:44.540 --> 00:00:45.280
closed.

18
00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:47.800
If it's more closer to parallel, that would be square.

19
00:00:47.800 --> 00:00:52.640
If it's pointing more vertically down, that would be open.

20
00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:58.310
So what we're talking about here would look something like that, where actually

21
00:00:58.310 --> 00:00:59.040
probably

22
00:00:59.040 --> 00:01:03.460
something like that, where the clubface is in a closed position up at the top

23
00:01:03.460 --> 00:01:03.800
of the

24
00:01:03.800 --> 00:01:04.800
swing.

25
00:01:04.800 --> 00:01:08.840
Now you'll notice that a number of really elite level ball strikers are doing

26
00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:09.320
that on

27
00:01:09.320 --> 00:01:15.590
purpose, because it sets up some good dynamics as far as body rotation, lag,

28
00:01:15.590 --> 00:01:16.600
things like

29
00:01:16.600 --> 00:01:19.360
that that are really helpful for the longer clubs.

30
00:01:19.360 --> 00:01:24.050
So golfer is like Dustin Johnson, Colin Morikawa, tend to get more into this

31
00:01:24.050 --> 00:01:24.640
really closed

32
00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.500
position to help support their downswing.

33
00:01:27.500 --> 00:01:33.170
But if you don't have the impact position to match the closed clubface, perhaps

34
00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:33.440
you

35
00:01:33.440 --> 00:01:37.520
want to change the clubface instead of changing the body angles.

36
00:01:37.520 --> 00:01:42.350
That's totally a golfer decision, but let's discuss why you might have an

37
00:01:42.350 --> 00:01:43.400
overly closed

38
00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:44.960
clubface.

39
00:01:44.960 --> 00:01:50.640
So the two main causes are either I'm setting up with it really closed, or I'm

40
00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:51.440
rotating

41
00:01:51.440 --> 00:01:53.720
closed in the backswing.

42
00:01:53.720 --> 00:01:57.460
So if we're looking at the setup, we're going to do a real quick grip test

43
00:01:57.460 --> 00:01:58.120
where I've got

44
00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:00.720
the left wrist parallel to the ground.

45
00:02:00.720 --> 00:02:05.410
A strong grip would look more like this, where the club compared to this down

46
00:02:05.410 --> 00:02:06.400
the line camera

47
00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:12.040
angle is somewhere, let's say north of 30 to 40 degrees like this.

48
00:02:12.040 --> 00:02:16.130
So now if I brought this back, you could see that from a grip perspective, when

49
00:02:16.130 --> 00:02:16.520
I get

50
00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:22.280
that clubface pointing at the target, I can see all four knuckles, the line on

51
00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:22.960
my grip

52
00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:27.600
is pointing way out here, so to the right of my shoulder, and that right hand

53
00:02:27.600 --> 00:02:27.720
would be

54
00:02:27.720 --> 00:02:30.000
more underneath kind of like this.

55
00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:32.280
This is a very strong grip position.

56
00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:37.170
This can feel solid in the shoulder, so some golfers actually like that feeling

57
00:02:37.170 --> 00:02:37.800
, but it

58
00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:44.200
requires either a big chicken wing to hold off the clubface, which we don't

59
00:02:44.200 --> 00:02:45.080
like, or

60
00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:50.010
it requires a lot of body rotation and leaving that club behind, which can be a

61
00:02:50.010 --> 00:02:50.800
challenge

62
00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:52.640
for some golfers.

63
00:02:52.640 --> 00:02:57.330
So if I check that position and my grip isn't too strong, it's in more of a

64
00:02:57.330 --> 00:02:58.360
neutral or slightly

65
00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:02.090
strong position, then it means that I'm doing it by twisting the club too much

66
00:03:02.090 --> 00:03:03.440
in the backswing.

67
00:03:03.440 --> 00:03:08.930
That can either happen from the left wrist bowing, kind of like this, which a

68
00:03:08.930 --> 00:03:09.880
fair number

69
00:03:09.880 --> 00:03:12.560
of especially ladies tend to do.

70
00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:17.390
It can create a little bit more stability in the bicep for lifting the club,

71
00:03:17.390 --> 00:03:18.080
but it gets

72
00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:22.050
us in a tougher position, especially if we're not going to rotate a lot on the

73
00:03:22.050 --> 00:03:22.600
way down.

74
00:03:22.600 --> 00:03:27.910
Or I could do it too much, usually in company with getting this right arm into

75
00:03:27.910 --> 00:03:28.600
a flying

76
00:03:28.600 --> 00:03:34.110
position, so that this right arm is pointing more almost across and down like

77
00:03:34.110 --> 00:03:34.760
this.

78
00:03:34.760 --> 00:03:38.310
So the club looks like it's in a really strong position, and that's mostly

79
00:03:38.310 --> 00:03:39.200
because of this

80
00:03:39.200 --> 00:03:45.220
trail wrist and shoulder kind of getting disconnected and getting too much on

81
00:03:45.220 --> 00:03:45.840
top.

82
00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:51.200
If I want to see if it's more grip or the setting, then I can always look here

83
00:03:51.200 --> 00:03:51.720
at the

84
00:03:51.720 --> 00:03:53.400
takeaway position.

85
00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:57.960
So if I have a really strong grip, then when I come back, you'll see that

86
00:03:57.960 --> 00:03:58.440
compared to the

87
00:03:58.440 --> 00:04:02.440
V on the right hand, the club faces more closed this way.

88
00:04:02.440 --> 00:04:08.370
If I have more of a neutral grip, then it will just be slightly too close

89
00:04:08.370 --> 00:04:09.440
compared to

90
00:04:09.440 --> 00:04:11.640
the V on my hand like this.

91
00:04:11.640 --> 00:04:14.920
So if it's really strong like this, then that's more from a grip.

92
00:04:14.920 --> 00:04:18.260
If it's in the same line, but they're both turned out like this, then that's

93
00:04:18.260 --> 00:04:18.800
more from

94
00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:20.640
my wrist movements.

95
00:04:20.640 --> 00:04:25.470
So in other videos, we'll discuss what you have to do with an overly closed

96
00:04:25.470 --> 00:04:26.120
grip.

97
00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:29.580
Like I said, it can support some really good downswing mechanics, but the goal

98
00:04:29.580 --> 00:04:29.960
of this

99
00:04:29.960 --> 00:04:35.260
video is to just help you identify why it might be too close at the top of the

100
00:04:35.260 --> 00:04:36.040
swing.

101
00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:41.760
Okay, so this will be easier for me to demonstrate than the club face to open.

102
00:04:41.760 --> 00:04:48.710
All I have to do is rotate and stay ahead of it, and you can hit some really

103
00:04:48.710 --> 00:04:50.920
solid shots.

104
00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:53.470
Most golfers with that really strong grip because they're rotating to stay

105
00:04:53.470 --> 00:04:53.880
ahead of

106
00:04:53.880 --> 00:04:57.240
it will tend to hit more of a fade rather than an actual draw.

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Tyler Ferrell is the only person in the world named to Golf Digest's list of Best Young Teachers in America AND its list of Best Golf Fitness Professionals in America.

Closed at the top of the swing

If you're struggling with a closed clubface pattern, then determining when the clubface is closed is a critical step to diagnosing a quick solution. If the clubface is closed at the top, then you should check to see if it was closed at shaft parallel in the backswing. If the clubface is not closed at the top of the swing, but you still struggle with a big pull or hook pattern, then you know it was more of a downswing error.

Show more

If you're struggling with a closed clubface pattern, then determining when the clubface is closed is a critical step to diagnosing a quick solution. If the clubface is closed at the top, then you should check to see if it was closed at shaft parallel in the backswing. If the clubface is not closed at the top of the swing, but you still struggle with a big pull or hook pattern, then you know it was more of a downswing error.

Hide
Video Transcript
WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.960
This content video is discussing having the clubface too closed at the top of

2
00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:09.140
the swing.

3
00:00:09.140 --> 00:00:13.520
So it is possible to have the clubface too closed at the top of the swing, and

4
00:00:13.520 --> 00:00:13.680
it can

5
00:00:13.680 --> 00:00:17.440
cause a predictable set of problems down at the bottom.

6
00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:20.510
Or let's say this, let's say you're looking at your golf swing, you notice that

7
00:00:20.510 --> 00:00:20.880
you have

8
00:00:20.880 --> 00:00:21.880
a closed clubface.

9
00:00:21.880 --> 00:00:24.360
If you're going through the timeline, you want to figure out when.

10
00:00:24.360 --> 00:00:27.510
So in this video, we're going to discuss how to tell if it's too closed at the

11
00:00:27.510 --> 00:00:27.680
top

12
00:00:27.680 --> 00:00:30.120
of the swing, and why.

13
00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:34.820
So as a rough guide, I'm going to use my left arm like so, and I'm going to

14
00:00:34.820 --> 00:00:35.800
look at the

15
00:00:35.800 --> 00:00:40.440
clubface angle compared to that left arm.

16
00:00:40.440 --> 00:00:44.540
If that clubface angle is pointing more up towards the sky, that would be

17
00:00:44.540 --> 00:00:45.280
closed.

18
00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:47.800
If it's more closer to parallel, that would be square.

19
00:00:47.800 --> 00:00:52.640
If it's pointing more vertically down, that would be open.

20
00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:58.310
So what we're talking about here would look something like that, where actually

21
00:00:58.310 --> 00:00:59.040
probably

22
00:00:59.040 --> 00:01:03.460
something like that, where the clubface is in a closed position up at the top

23
00:01:03.460 --> 00:01:03.800
of the

24
00:01:03.800 --> 00:01:04.800
swing.

25
00:01:04.800 --> 00:01:08.840
Now you'll notice that a number of really elite level ball strikers are doing

26
00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:09.320
that on

27
00:01:09.320 --> 00:01:15.590
purpose, because it sets up some good dynamics as far as body rotation, lag,

28
00:01:15.590 --> 00:01:16.600
things like

29
00:01:16.600 --> 00:01:19.360
that that are really helpful for the longer clubs.

30
00:01:19.360 --> 00:01:24.050
So golfer is like Dustin Johnson, Colin Morikawa, tend to get more into this

31
00:01:24.050 --> 00:01:24.640
really closed

32
00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.500
position to help support their downswing.

33
00:01:27.500 --> 00:01:33.170
But if you don't have the impact position to match the closed clubface, perhaps

34
00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:33.440
you

35
00:01:33.440 --> 00:01:37.520
want to change the clubface instead of changing the body angles.

36
00:01:37.520 --> 00:01:42.350
That's totally a golfer decision, but let's discuss why you might have an

37
00:01:42.350 --> 00:01:43.400
overly closed

38
00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:44.960
clubface.

39
00:01:44.960 --> 00:01:50.640
So the two main causes are either I'm setting up with it really closed, or I'm

40
00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:51.440
rotating

41
00:01:51.440 --> 00:01:53.720
closed in the backswing.

42
00:01:53.720 --> 00:01:57.460
So if we're looking at the setup, we're going to do a real quick grip test

43
00:01:57.460 --> 00:01:58.120
where I've got

44
00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:00.720
the left wrist parallel to the ground.

45
00:02:00.720 --> 00:02:05.410
A strong grip would look more like this, where the club compared to this down

46
00:02:05.410 --> 00:02:06.400
the line camera

47
00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:12.040
angle is somewhere, let's say north of 30 to 40 degrees like this.

48
00:02:12.040 --> 00:02:16.130
So now if I brought this back, you could see that from a grip perspective, when

49
00:02:16.130 --> 00:02:16.520
I get

50
00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:22.280
that clubface pointing at the target, I can see all four knuckles, the line on

51
00:02:22.280 --> 00:02:22.960
my grip

52
00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:27.600
is pointing way out here, so to the right of my shoulder, and that right hand

53
00:02:27.600 --> 00:02:27.720
would be

54
00:02:27.720 --> 00:02:30.000
more underneath kind of like this.

55
00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:32.280
This is a very strong grip position.

56
00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:37.170
This can feel solid in the shoulder, so some golfers actually like that feeling

57
00:02:37.170 --> 00:02:37.800
, but it

58
00:02:37.800 --> 00:02:44.200
requires either a big chicken wing to hold off the clubface, which we don't

59
00:02:44.200 --> 00:02:45.080
like, or

60
00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:50.010
it requires a lot of body rotation and leaving that club behind, which can be a

61
00:02:50.010 --> 00:02:50.800
challenge

62
00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:52.640
for some golfers.

63
00:02:52.640 --> 00:02:57.330
So if I check that position and my grip isn't too strong, it's in more of a

64
00:02:57.330 --> 00:02:58.360
neutral or slightly

65
00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:02.090
strong position, then it means that I'm doing it by twisting the club too much

66
00:03:02.090 --> 00:03:03.440
in the backswing.

67
00:03:03.440 --> 00:03:08.930
That can either happen from the left wrist bowing, kind of like this, which a

68
00:03:08.930 --> 00:03:09.880
fair number

69
00:03:09.880 --> 00:03:12.560
of especially ladies tend to do.

70
00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:17.390
It can create a little bit more stability in the bicep for lifting the club,

71
00:03:17.390 --> 00:03:18.080
but it gets

72
00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:22.050
us in a tougher position, especially if we're not going to rotate a lot on the

73
00:03:22.050 --> 00:03:22.600
way down.

74
00:03:22.600 --> 00:03:27.910
Or I could do it too much, usually in company with getting this right arm into

75
00:03:27.910 --> 00:03:28.600
a flying

76
00:03:28.600 --> 00:03:34.110
position, so that this right arm is pointing more almost across and down like

77
00:03:34.110 --> 00:03:34.760
this.

78
00:03:34.760 --> 00:03:38.310
So the club looks like it's in a really strong position, and that's mostly

79
00:03:38.310 --> 00:03:39.200
because of this

80
00:03:39.200 --> 00:03:45.220
trail wrist and shoulder kind of getting disconnected and getting too much on

81
00:03:45.220 --> 00:03:45.840
top.

82
00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:51.200
If I want to see if it's more grip or the setting, then I can always look here

83
00:03:51.200 --> 00:03:51.720
at the

84
00:03:51.720 --> 00:03:53.400
takeaway position.

85
00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:57.960
So if I have a really strong grip, then when I come back, you'll see that

86
00:03:57.960 --> 00:03:58.440
compared to the

87
00:03:58.440 --> 00:04:02.440
V on the right hand, the club faces more closed this way.

88
00:04:02.440 --> 00:04:08.370
If I have more of a neutral grip, then it will just be slightly too close

89
00:04:08.370 --> 00:04:09.440
compared to

90
00:04:09.440 --> 00:04:11.640
the V on my hand like this.

91
00:04:11.640 --> 00:04:14.920
So if it's really strong like this, then that's more from a grip.

92
00:04:14.920 --> 00:04:18.260
If it's in the same line, but they're both turned out like this, then that's

93
00:04:18.260 --> 00:04:18.800
more from

94
00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:20.640
my wrist movements.

95
00:04:20.640 --> 00:04:25.470
So in other videos, we'll discuss what you have to do with an overly closed

96
00:04:25.470 --> 00:04:26.120
grip.

97
00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:29.580
Like I said, it can support some really good downswing mechanics, but the goal

98
00:04:29.580 --> 00:04:29.960
of this

99
00:04:29.960 --> 00:04:35.260
video is to just help you identify why it might be too close at the top of the

100
00:04:35.260 --> 00:04:36.040
swing.

101
00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:41.760
Okay, so this will be easier for me to demonstrate than the club face to open.

102
00:04:41.760 --> 00:04:48.710
All I have to do is rotate and stay ahead of it, and you can hit some really

103
00:04:48.710 --> 00:04:50.920
solid shots.

104
00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:53.470
Most golfers with that really strong grip because they're rotating to stay

105
00:04:53.470 --> 00:04:53.880
ahead of

106
00:04:53.880 --> 00:04:57.240
it will tend to hit more of a fade rather than an actual draw.

Have questions about this video?

Ask Mulligan for personalized guidance on technique, drills, or how to apply what you've learned.

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This video hasn't been assigned to any topics yet. Browse all topics in the sidebar.
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