Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs will be online Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST to answer your swing questions and analyze your swing videos. If you have question or video link for Brady, leave it in the comments section below!

Weldome to the Tuesday Blog Ask Brady Live! Let's get rolling...

Christian asks at 1:00:

Swing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9jtDft891c&feature=youtu.be
Grip http://imgur.com/5eyOj

Brady,
Thanks for taking the time to take a look at my swing. You're a busy dude and it's appreciated. When I was getting the video ready to send in, I noticed that in my "dark shirt" swing, the takeaway was a bit inside, so "white shirt" swing was my attempt to correct that. I think it improved, but then I noticed how much I seem to hang-on right after impact, which I believe is due to casting and/or coming over the top. But this is where my golf knowledge ends, because the swing in the video is more or less the swing I've always had, and it has never had a strong downswing to the inside. My misses are pushes, pulls, pull-hooks and a low bullet that has decent distance but isn't exactly what I'm aiming for, swing-wise. I work on my short game a good bit more than my full swing, and don't use a full swing inside 100 yards, but it would be so nice if I could move closer to working out the full-swing kinks.
Thanks a million,

Hey, that range looks awfully familiar!! The first thing I would like to see you work on is your posture at address. If you look at where your tush starts relative to a tree off in the distance and then see how far it has moved towards the ball by impact it has traveled a significant distance. When you start with the weight in your heel and your body too upright there will be an adjustment to the posture during the swing in the opposite direction. The out and over move to start the downswing was present in both the swings from Woodley and the other range despite the takeaway differences. There will be some improvement in the downswing move with the changes in the address position but it should be worked on separately. Changing the downswing shape is one of the easiest things to fix when I have you on the range in front of me because it is more of a perception change than anything else. The reason my mortgage is met every month is because people are still trying to hit the ball straight by having the club travel down the target line during impact with the face square. The fact is the club should be several degrees inside the target line as it approaches impact with the face open to the target line and closed to the path if you are going to fix your ball flight issues. While this seems complicated if read during a blog, it is quite easy to illustrate on the range. I would also like to see the gap between your right thumb and index finger closed together in the picture you sent in of your grip. This will give the club more support from the right hand at the top of the swing and prevent the face from becoming closed approaching impact. Here are a couple of pictures to show you the grip difference and posture.

Brad asks at 1:30:

Hello. I am a 15 handicap. Lately I have been getting the shanks with my irons. My driver has been straight but my irons have been very inconsistent. I have been hitting off the hosel and I am sure of it because I put some impact tape on my clubs. Can anyone tell what is causing this based off of my swings below? Anyone have any tips on what i need to do to get rid of it? Any other swing tips would be greatly appreciated as well.

FO Iron
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=MUTgUZ6vTFE

DTL Iron
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=FSl-iulkIfw

I think my swing needs a ton of help and wanted to see what you all think and notice i can change. Thanks! Any advice is welcomed

Brad, unfortunately the links to the swing aren’t working. Try to resend them ASAP and I will get you on the right track.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs will be online Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST to answer your swing questions and analyze your swing videos. If you have question or video link for Brady, leave it in the comments section below!

Welcome to the Tuesday Instruction Blog Ask Brady Live! Hope everyone enjoyed the blog. See you next week. 

Yong asks:

Love the blog!
I really enjoyed your response last week re: improving the takeaway/bringing the club too inside and addressing vertical/horizontal bend in the wrist.
-Should I try to maintain the horizontal bend as I take the club to the top?
-Can you talk about taking the club from halfway to the top? 3/4 position (when the lead arm is horizontal to the ground) I think my club is too flat and then I across the line at the top-consequently I have problems getting into a good downswing position as my initial move is too steep then I compensate by losing my posture/tush line.......It's almost a miracle that I can hit the ball........

Thanks for the kind words about the blog. While there are many different backswings that win golf tournaments I have found a certain window at the left arm parallel to the ground position that seems to be most effective. Many amateurs get the club in too flat a position halfway back. This tends to force the club across the line at the top of the backswing and leads to numerous problems with consistency. Steep in the transition is a common result that leads to losing the Tush line coming into impact, something you mentioned in your question. If the left wrist loses it’s horizontal bend or cup too early and/or the left arm rotates too much too soon the club will get flat. I most certainly think this is an area of the swing you can focus on to improve your game. The window I mentioned before is best visualized by drawing an extension of the club down towards the ground. The window is between the toes and the target line. Here are a couple of pictures to help you see the options.  

DJM asks:

All of my shots tend to push to 11 o'clock.
My alignment is straight. I use shafts at the range and I pick a spot 4 yds in front to hit to. It is a pretty consistent push from driver through 9 iron.

My hips are slightly open at address. (Lead right foot 1/2 step back.)
I have a strong left hand grip, neutral right.

The only time I get the ball going 12 or 1 o'clock is when I force my lower body to going first and it produces a nice slight draw that starts at 1 oclock. Its a lot of work and feels more like timing that something natural.

I tried aligning to right of the flag to offset = lots of ugly hookers, especially off the tee.

I'll throw up a video next time.

As a note for our readers the shot starting left of the target for a right handed player is generally called a pull not a push. The shots starting left of the target is caused by a clubface that is closed to the target line. Check out the answer I gave earlier in the blog regarding the closed clubface in my response to Aman. Starting the downswing with the weight moving towards the target via the lower body is a fundamental of good ballstriking. I would continue to work on the proper sequence of motion and send in some video so I can give you more specific information.

Jonathan asks at 2:00:

First of all I'd like to say Thank you for doing this blog. I'm a big fan of your column on Golf Magazine as well, bit disappointed when you don't have one in there! Recently I decided to make my swing simpler by switching to "One Plane Swing", I am very athletic and have bigger upper body strength. I like to compare my swing to Tour player Zach Johnson. Unfortunately, I Don't have a video to share today. Please tell me what you think about that type of swing, advantages, disadvantages, etc...
I will try to provide a swing video for next week and appreciate your take on the subject.

Thanks for the kind words about the blog and the magazine! I will let the powers that be know they need to get me in there more often;)

If you have been following the blog for a while you probably know my aversion to golf teaching “methods”. This is especially true of some of the more radical and ridiculous styles we have seen over the last few years whose names I will not mention today. The “one plane swing” method has been around for a while and there isn’t anything to bizarre about it. You will find Tour players looking like the borrow parts of nearly all methods which is why their proponents argue their relevance. The fact is that you need to look at your swing on it’s own merits and make the changes necessary to help you be more consistent. These changes may or may not include aspects of the “one plane swing”. Send in some video so I can give you my 2 cents about what the plan should be.

Tom asks at 1:45:

Hy Brady your blog is very nice ! Can you give me advices on my swing please . Thank you for your time .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPsBq9gZS08&feature=youtu.be

Thanks for sending in the video Tom but I wish you would have told me a little more about what’s going on with your ballflight. Without knowing the issues it is difficult to advise you to change something. I can tell you that you would be wise to work on improving your contact with the Tush line during the swing. It begins to lose contact with it during the backswing and continues to push towards the ball as you approach impact. This creates problems in numerous areas of your swing from getting the right elbow trapped behind the right hip during the downswing, losing the flat left wrist during impact, difficulty in rotation with the body and a lack of extension. Try to feel a little more weight towards the front of your shoes at address to allow you to move back into the right heel at the top of the swing. This will encourage you to maintain contact with the line on the downswing and improve your ballstriking. Here are a couple of picture of address and the tush line during the swing to help you visualize.

and this link to a one of my videos on youtube Brady Tush Line explaination

Aman asks at 1:15:

Aman here again
You had requested for some video of my swing, so I have uploaded two sides along with a few pictures of my stance, grip and follow through
If asked to evaluate my swing, I like my backswing.
On the down I squat too hard, and I think I've just gotten into a bad habit with this jerky movement on the downswing(something like Charles Barkley does!)
I 'm really tired of this and I would want to try and do something different.
As a feel player, I don't like the feel of the swing. I don't like the way I'm swinging the golf club. These videos show me hitting two five yard draws.
But on the course, I revert to other patterns and either duck hook or pull hook all my clubs.
I usually prefer transferring the weight, and that doesn't happen anymore! I end up taking a lazy swing which leads to the dreaded hook.
The whole suggestion of aiming right and bringing it back left, isn't that just a band aid fix?
What I DO like about my swing, is its speed, but again, that doesn't look like its doing me too much good!
Hence, I had asked you for some help with trying to switch to a fade.
Also, I was given some advice by a PGA professional when he was down here, that my shafts which are Project X 5.0, need to be changed (irons)
He claims that my swing speed is very very fast and it needs a heavier shaft. Because of the shafts being so light, they are whippy when I come on the down and pull it left.
Any suggestions here?
I would also want to send you a few videos of my short game techniques the next time.
Thank you for all your time and effort.
Aman Misra from India

Swing videos: (seven iron is the club used)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXilNCJ2s1U&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oomsqmOyQ4Q&feature=youtu.be

Pictures:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42122431@N00/with/71959

It really helps to see the swing Aman. Let’s start with the equipment. While I think a Project X 5.0 is a bit soft for you I don’t think it is going to fix your problem with the hook. Without seeing your numbers regarding clubhead speed, ball speed, etc. it is difficult for me to tell you the correct shaft flex but chances are 6.0 is closer to what you need.

The real question you need clarity on is why does the ball hook? If swinging more to the right was going to fix the problem it would have already. In fact, what you are discovering is swinging more right is only exacerbating your problem. The major issue with your golf swing is the position of the clubface, it’s CLOSED! Remember that the ball will start extremely close to where the clubface is pointing and curve based on the path relative to the face. The duck hook and pull hook shots are hit with the face closed and the path inside out to the face position. The more you try to swing right the more the path is inside to the closed face and the more the ball will hook. If the face is closed enough there is no amount of swinging out that will start the ball right of the target to allow it to curve back. There are some that would have you keep the closed face position and teach you to swing more left to get the two to match and straighten out the ball flight. I am not a big fan of this methodology. I would rather see you get the face in a square position and then make the necessary adjustments to the path to make the ballflight straight. From there you would have the option of playing shots that curve both directions while minimizing the damage done by a poor swing. So, the question becomes where does the face get closed? Since you were smart enough to include a picture of your grip we can eliminate it as a cause as it is fairly neutral. While there are some that say bowing the left wrist actually puts the club is an open position based upon it’s orientation to the ball at the top for practical purposes I completely disagree. In your swing the face is “closed” because the left wrist has lost any semblance of bend it started with at address, has moved beyond flat and is bowed at the top. This closes the clubface and requires you to dip and drop down to get the club inside in an attempt to get the ball right of the target. If you can change the position of the left wrist at the top of the backswing and maintain it a bit on the downswing you will kill the pull hook forever. Check out the pictures and get to work.

Please send in some new videos after you make the changes and feel free to send in some shortgame stuff as well.

Crodgolf asks at 1:00:

I've been struggling with blocking the ball to the right... I know it's because I'm sliding through impact. What can I do to work on this?

There can be a number of issues in your swing that can create a case of the blocks. Sliding the body through impact can trap the club behind you making it difficult to get the face squared up in time. I would like to see you focus on two specific things through impact to help you get rid of the problem. The first is maintaining more height during and post impact in your upper body. It is usually the hips and legs that are sliding towards the target when getting stuck hitting blocks. When this happens the right side (right handed players) can get pinned down and back through impact making it very difficult to square the face without a large amount of hand manipulation. This is why the common overcompensation for the block is a snap hook. If you key on maintaining the height of your head and chest through impact it will significantly help you get the club back out onto the proper path and square up the face. The second key would be to allow your eyes to work out with the ball as the club strikes it. This is similar to the swings of Carl Pettersson, Annika Sorenstam, Joe Durant, and to a certain degree Robert Allenby and Darren Clarke. When the eyes are tracking the ball immediately during and after impat the body rotates much easier. When you replace the sliding of your body with rotation it will also help the club attack on a better angle and require less manipulation with your hands. Again, focus on maintaining your height through impact and allow your eyes to catch up with the ball immediately after contact and you will be on your way to eliminating the block. Here are a couple of pics to help you visualize.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs will be online Tuesday at noon EST to answer your swing questions and analyze your swing videos. If you have question or video link for Brady, leave it in the comments section below!

Welcome to the Tuesday blog Ask Brady Live! Thanks to BR and the entire staff at Bandon Dunes for an amazing couple of days on the beautiful Oregon coast. If you ever have the chance to head to Bandon don't pass it up!!! Thanks to everyone for your questions and comments. Look forward to hearing from you again next week. GO KINGS GO!!

Jeff asks at 1:45:

Do you have a drill to improve the take away? I bring the club too far on the inside.

Thanks for your feedback.

If the address position isn’t the cause of the problem the fixes are fairly simple. You need to maintain the bend(s) in your left wrist present before you moved the club. In other words the left wrist has both a vertical bend and a horizontal bend at address. If you lose one or both of them during the takeaway the clubhead will go inside during the takeaway. If you focus on keeping the hands closer to the right leg while keeping the bends in the left wrist you are good to go. Here are some pics to help you visualize.

Stewart asks at 1:20:

I think i have the same problem as Tiger. On the downswing I come too much from the inside and the club sometimes gets stuck behind me and I block it. It seems that the longer the club I hit the bigger the problem I have drawing it. Can you help me with any drills for this etc.

I hope that’s the only problem you share with Tiger…

There are multiple reasons why the club gets stuck behind on the downswing ranging from losing the tush line, taking the club back too far to the inside, across the line at the top, sliding the hips too far to the target on the downswing, hanging back, too much tilt at address, etc. Without knowing what the issues are it is hard to give you specific advice as to the cause of the problem. In the interim there are a couple of things you can do to help you get the feel of staying up on top of the plane on the downswing. You can start by hitting some drivers off the ground as it teaches you very quickly how to keep the clubhead higher as it approaches impact. Hitting shots that start left of the target and move right in the air with the irons is another excellent way to change the shape of your swing without dealing with technical information like shaft angle and elbow positions. The basic idea here is to get the facts as to the cause of the problem and then work on the specifics on the range and leave them there. On the golf course I would much rather see my students work on a general feel or direction than an isolated body part.

Casey asks at 12:50:

I think my game is coming around but I have a couple questions I was hoping you can help me with. My left thumb has been feeling a little sore lately on the joint closest to my palm. To you happen to know possible causes for this? I think maybe my grip started getting too weak again.

Also, could you checkout my chipping and putting in this video? On putting I've been trying to keep thinks simple and make sure my setup is solid. On chipping I've been working to shallow the club out and use the bounce better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzL8DtGsfWI&list=UUbAQrm62MeRt4pCeJq5twdA&index=2&feature=plcp

If you haven’t hurt the thumb with a specific shot then it is likely you have some inflammation from repetitive use. I would treat it with ice, rest, some anit-inflammatory medication and keep an eye on it. If the grip has gotten to weak it can put some undue stress on that joint. Send me a quick video with a close up of your grip next week so I can see where it is.

The putting stroke looks pretty good with one exception. I would like to see the inside of your left biceps (upper arm) stay closer to the body during impact and into the follow through. It is currently separating too much which can prevent the clubface from releasing properly and cause the ball to be pushed right of the intended line. The amount of contact between the upper arm and side of the upper body at address should remain a constant through the stroke.

The chipping is another matter. I would like to see your body become more stable during the entire chipping motion. This is best achieved by having a bit more weight on your front foot in the address position. Unlike the putting, the arms and body are too connected to you during and after impact. Don’t be afraid to allow the arms and club to work a bit more independently from the body during impact and into the finish. The motion looks too contrived and manipulated. I would also like to see the length of the backswing matching the length of the follow through. Your follow through is much longer than the backswing, if anything I wouldn’t mind seeing it exactly the opposite. Get to work on it and send me the changes!!!

Steve asks at 12:30:

Several readers of your blog have commented on their back issues and adjusting their swing to compensate. I have back issues, muscle related, not disk related. I am in my mid fifties, single digit handicap and my fitness level is very good. But I am making swing changes to lessen the stress on my back and glute area. You had a great reply to a similar question from Cliff on your December 13 blog. I, too, am standing taller to the ball at setup, and focusing less on turning my core and more on just getting from my right side to my left side as Jimmy Ballard advocates. My back swing is a bit steeper than it was before. My goal is to keep my right hip as level as possible throughout the swing. I have been using the walk through drill when on the range, stepping forward with my right leg as I complete the swing. I know that Gary Player used this drill and even swung this way, occasionally, while playing. This is a great drill and has helped me tremendously to get to my left side. But practicing with this drill has added a quirk to my regular swing. My right foot (toe) actually comes off the ground now after impact and resets about 6 inches closer to the target as I have moved forward onto my left side. Is this something I should be concerned about? My ball striking is getting pretty good with this swing adjustment and I have much less back pain.

Great question Steve! Very happy to hear you have found a way for you to swing that is easier on your back. The step through drill is very effective for dealing with hanging back during impact. I have seen the right foot move like this in the past and it often is the result of having the stance a bit too wide at address. Try narrowing the stance to prevent the foot from stepping during the regular swing.  

I would also recommend allowing your eyes to rotate out with the ball during impact. This has been done by many players over the years including Annika, Duval, Joe Durant, Charles Warren, and recently Carl Pettersson with great success. It allows your right side to move up and around sooner into the follow through taking more stress off the lower back without having to move the back foot off the ground. Here are a couple of pictures to help you see the difference. Keep up the great work.

Mark asks at 12:00:

Hi Brady,
Thanks for this great blog.
My backswing used to be way under plane and way across the line at the top. I'm working very hard to fix that to be on plane.
Some vids:
Here, i was trying hard to get my club to strike from an inside path. that gets me under plane and across the line, like my old swing (though not as bad as it used to be), but I can draw the ball. I get snap hooks sometimes though.
http://www.v1sports.com/swingstore/D199DD9D912E.mp4

Here's the new backswing plane (a little short), but then I think I come over the top a little:
http://www.v1golfacademy.com/SwingStore/E5E346037830.mp4

I think my biggest problem now is that my transition to my downswing puts me a bit over the top, causing some slices.
So I'm trying to figure out how to work on a better transition. I can't seem to stop coming over the top.
Of course, I'm no pro, so I could be way off here. take a look and please share your thoughts and any tips/drills.

Thanks for sending in the videos Mark. I think your description of the swings is accurate. The first swing is quite sloppy with the club inside during the takeaway and bouncing across the line at the top of the backswing. This leads to the club working under plane on the downswing producing the hook. The takeaway looks much better on the new swing, the top is under control and the length is a big short. I agree that the downswing is a bit over plane but overall it is a much more playable motion.

In the new swing you are struggling to maintain the tush line. You begin losing the line during the backswing which is indicative of two things. First, you need to make sure the weight is starting in the balls of the feet and not the heels. When you are pivoting during the backswing the weight needs to work towards the left heel and not the toes. One of the problems with losing the tush line is it pushes the left hip closer to the ball before the transition making it impossible to keep the arms and club attacking on the proper angle. I would like to see you keep the improvements in the swing but work on the tush line to fix the over the top issue you are currently struggling with. Here is a picture of your swing during the transition and a couple images of the change to help you see the difference. 

After Tiger Woods missed the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship, we asked Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers if they thought Tiger would stay with swing coach Sean Foley through the end of the year.

Here's what the Top 100 Teachers said:

Comments:

"Mr. Foley will be another casualty of the wrath of El Tigre. Next up Moe, Larry and Curly. Curly handles the short game." --Tom Patri, Tom Patri Golf Services, Naples, Fla.

"What they are working on is actually 'stuff.' Tiger will get it going again soon." --Mike Adams, Hamilton Farm Golf Club, Gladstone, N.J.

"Tiger has never had a stretch like this and it will lead to their downfall." --Bryan Gathright, Oak Hills Country Club, San Antonio, Texas

"Even for Tiger, golf is like farming, not school. Results come by following a rigorous process and not by cramming. Tiger's current stats, 19th in GIR and 2nd in total driving, are a lot better than his being 167th and 192nd at the end of 2010, and the stats point to his 'crop' being ready to reap before long." --Dom DiJulia, Dom DiJulia School of Golf, New Hope, Pa.

"Sean is dealing with a lot of old issues with Tiger's swing. Give him credit for trying to get Tiger's wrists fractionally cupped and his shaft in better position." --Rick Smith, Treetops Resort, Gaylord, Mich.

"Yes, but may not make it long into 2013." --Krista Dunton, Berkeley Hall, Bluffton, S.C.

"Tiger will give it at least through the Masters 2013 to see if Foley's 'method' can work." --Ed Ibarguen, Duke University Golf Club, Durham, N.C.

"Sean has done his job extremely well. Now it is up to Tiger to get out of his own way." --Bruce Patterson, Butler National Golf Course, Oak Brook, Ill.

"What's working for Hunter Mahan and Justin Rose is not working for Tiger. Tiger needs to make up with Butch and return to getting back to basics. Now, Tiger's mind is way too cluttered to play consistent golf." --Ted Sheftic, Bridges Golf Club, Abbottstown, Pa.

"Woods hasn't fixed the driver, and his distance control with irons is still suspect. The root cause: he's too steep on his downswing." --Kip Puterbaugh, The Aviara Golf Academy, Carlsbad, Calif.

"Yes, but it won't be a good decision unless Foley gets off swing mechanics and starts helping Tiger to play the game." --Keith Lyford, Golf Academy at Old Greenwood, North Lake Tahoe, Calif.

"Frustration will cause him to change." --Jim Murphy, Sugar Creek Country Club, Sugar Land, Texas

"Foley is just not getting the job done. It is crazy to think how many wins Woods would have if he had not changed from near the perfection of the 2000 season." --Eric Johnson, Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa.

"Nothing against Sean, but Tiger is starting to understand that he needs to play his way back to the top. Nobody can think their way through a two-second motion. Golf by the numbers just doesn't work." --Jim Suttie, Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, Lemont, Ill.

"Tiger doesn't need a coach. He needs to start playing golf again, instead of playing golf-swing. I personally do not think the 'move' he is trying to do goes with his body or framework." --Chuck Evans, Gold Canyon Golf Resort, Golf Canyon, Ariz.

"Yes. Who would he go to next?" --Mike Bender, Magnolia Plantation Golf Club, Lake Mary, Fla.

"I suppose. Tiger is pretty stubborn, and Foley says that Woods is only two years away from where he wants him." --Jerry Mowlds, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course, North Plains, Ore.

We're tired of our playing partners re-enacting the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs when it's time to tip the forecaddie so we asked the most knowledgeable men and women in golf -- the Golf Magazine Top 100 Teachers in America -- how much you should tip your caddie, forecaddie, locker-room attendant and even the guy who cleans your clubs. Here's what the Top 100 Teachers said:

Comments:

"Ask the caddie master what is appropriate for the club you are playing at. They differ."

--Todd Sones, White Deer Golf Course Vernon Hills, Ill.

"Over $100 at high-tier course /$61-$81 at a mid-tier course/$41-$60 at a low-tier course."

--Rod Lidenberg, Prestwick Golf Club Woodbury, Minn.

Comments:

"Again ask caddie master, but normal is $30 to $40."

--Todd Sones, White Deer Golf Course Vernon Hills, Ill.

Comments:

"$5 per pair of shoes."

--Todd Sones, White Deer Golf Course Vernon Hills, Ill.

"$5 if no shoe shine, $ 10 if shoes are shined."

--Jim Murphy Sugar Creek Country Club Sugar Land, Texas

Comments:

"$3 to $5, depending on how good a job he does."

--Todd Sones, White Deer Golf Course Vernon Hills, Ill.

"$5 to clean clubs and take clubs to car."

--Jim Murphy Sugar Creek Country Club Sugar Land, Texas

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs will be online Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST to answer your swing questions and analyze your swing videos. If you have question or video link for Brady, leave it in the comments section below!

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of Ask Brady Live! I will keep the blog up and answer more questions later today. Thanks again for all of your participation and check back in later tonight.

Scott asks at 2:15:

Can you give me a tip on my swing below? I can tell by the video that I am standing up too fast after impact, but I can't seem to get out of the habit. Is it just a matter of keeping my spine angle or is there something else causing the issue? My miss is mostly to the right when I dont close the clubface. Thanks for the help!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6mtEVRnOcQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHajNf8lo7Q

The club is across at the top forcing the club to inside on the downswing. The body is standing up to help the club drop inside but it has consequences. When you stand up the clubface will actually lay back into a more open position making it likely you will miss right. I would like to see you get the club lined up more parallel to the target line at the top so you can attack on plane. When you no longer need to stand up to fix the path your body will be more likely to stay bent over and maintain some forward lean through impact. This will help the club exit less vertically through impact and make the ball start more on line and stay on line.

Aman Misra asks at 2:00:

Dear Mr Riggs,
Thank you for your opinion on working with my scoring last week.
Related to that, I have two questions.
I had identified that I hit very few greens in regulation because I hook the ball way left with all my irons.
Jack Nicklaus had once said that the way to hit a consistent fade would be to break the ball into two equators and hit the left equator (for a right handed golfer).
What would you suggest, as I would like to switch to a fade?
Secondly, I have also identified that I am weak with my wedges 100 yards in.
The 50 yard in mark is weakest, as I hardly seem to get up and down from those areas.
Any suggestions?
Thank you for your time once again sir.
Aman Misra from India.

This information helps considerably Aman. Let’s start with the wedges: I can tell you that many low handicap players don’t enjoy hitting intermediate wedge shots. They are difficult to hit solidly as the swing isn’t full and the wedges have a tendency to dig some deeper than desired divots at times. While practicing these shorter wedges will help you become more consistent I would encourage you to avoid this distance whenever possible. If you can’t get all the way to the green or the complex surrounding it (sand and rough) then lay back to a fuller distance with the wedges. You will find you are more consistent from a fuller wedge distance than a half wedge. One little tip when hitting the wedges is to keep your upper body rotating around to the target. In most cases stopping the body is the most common mistake people make when hitting that shot.

Fixing the hook and turning it into a fade is another matter. I would start by looking at the things that make hitting a hook most likely beginning with the clubface. If the face is closed to the swing path the ball will hook. Make sure the grip is fairly neutral and check out the pictures of the left wrist position at the top of the backswing I posted in the previous question. When the grip and left wrist are under control try to hit some straighter shots to gain some feel about where the path and clubface are during the swing. I wouldn’t want to see you changing the ballflight to a fade without first getting some control over some neutral alignments. If you get the opportunity to send in some video it would make this process much easier. Here is a picture of a neutral grip to copy.

Nate asks at 1:40:

Any thoughts on how I can improve my swing? I still struggle with a club face that is somewhat 'shut' at the top which can lead to some inconsistent ball striking. Also, I'm wondering if couldbe a problem that my hands and arms are too high and "disconnected" from my body at the top of the swing. Thank you!

http://youtu.be/S28qqZ4MD9c

http://youtu.be/GtEysE3LnEg

Strangely enough, my left-handed swing looks much better to my eye with a neutral clubface position at the top...

http://youtu.be/0LHuO18reEo

Thanks for sending in the videos Nate. Whenever I get a question with videos I always look at the videos before reading the text to see if my impression is matching the comments of the person that submitted. In your case I completely agree with your thoughts about the right handed swing. I thought the clubface looked a bit shut due to the bowed left wrist position and your arms looked a bit high and disconnected. The club gets in a fairly solid position coming down with the iron swing but looks too inside with the driver. Your posture was getting too upright on the downswing with the driver forcing you to lose the tush line. I would like to see your upper left arm and chest stay a little bit more connected as you reach the top of the backswing. This doesn’t mean I want your left arm significantly lower than it is now but a bit more attached, especially with the driver, will help you keep the club from falling back under plane coming down. I would also like to see the left wrist maintain close to the same amount of bend it had in the address position when at the top of the backswing. This would make the face neutral and when combined with a bit more connection at the top improve your consistency. Here is a picture of Faldo and O'Hair at the top to give you a couple images to work from.

Shannon asks at 1:20:

Hi Brady! Are there any drills that I can do to eliminate my club from being across the line at the top? My practice swing is perfect, but when I get over the ball, I guess the tension in my right hand carries the club over my head instead of down the line. Thanks!

Good question Shannon. The question begs why do you feel the need to change it? Is it just an aesthetic issue or are you suffering with some ball flight issues related to it? The common miss for lower index players that are across the line at the top are pushes and hooks. When the club is across is will start down on too steep an angle forcing the better players to make a correction to a more shallow attack. This almost always drops the club under plane approaching impact forcing a flip of the clubface to get the ball at the target. If these are your problems you need to fix the top, if not, you are probably looking in the wrong place. You need to work on your left arm rotation and what is a quarter turn by the time you get to the top of the backswing. Check out this video describing the quarter turn and send in some video of the swing so I can give you more specifics.

Quarter Turn

Golfnutkuma asks at 1:00:

Tiger Woods' unwinding in his '20s always looked extremely explosive, for lack of a better word, to me. Was that explosiveness his undoing? Muscles in a man in his '30s can't maintain that kind of explosiveness?

Thanks for the question. I think explosiveness is a very accurate word when describing Tiger’s golf swing. There are probably five ways to look at Tiger’s dip in form over the last couple of years: There is no denying he has had significant left leg issues. If memory serves I believe there have been four knee surgeries and a couple achilles tendon problems as well. This is an area his dynamic and explosive action could have contributed to his “undoing”. When you are competing on the highest levels at an early age you have to use every ounce of energy, effort, and torque to produce distance to be a factor. Without getting to far into the technical aspects of the swing he was putting a tremendous strain on the leg and has suffered the consequences. While this has definitely played a significant role in his problems don’t discount the other four. They include playing musical chairs with coaches, changing putters from his Scotty to a Nike, changing his shortgame technique which was once the best in the world and finally a small little issue with his Cadillac and a few waffle house waitresses. I honestly believe Jack’s record is safe.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs will be online Tuesday at 1 p.m. EST to answer your swing questions and analyze your swing videos. If you have question or video link for Brady, leave it in the comments section below!

Welcome to the Tuesday editon of Ask Brady Live! The blog has been quite busy today so I will pick up with the answers later tonight. Check back later for more....

Ryan asks:

The blog is awesome, thanks for your efforts.

I have a question about hip turn. I have heard that restricting your hip turn creates torque that should increase distance. I have recently begun restricting my hip turn and make a full shoulder turn, and have noticed my ball flight is higher but distance suffers a little bit. Is the distance loss a by-product of the increased loft or could it be a swing synchronization problem? Also, I seem to not have a whole lot of weight shift when I limit my hip rotation (or less than before)and wonder if that could be contributing to the loss of distance.

The swing change seems to make me more consistent with distance as well as trajectory. I do not have any video of my swing but hope to have some soon. Thanks!!

Thanks for the kind words about the blog. Just say no to this idea of restricting hip turn. This ideas has since been proven as completely detrimental to power and consistency and no longer holds any weight in most teaching circles. Allow your trail hip to turn much more freely going back and you will find the results immediate and profound.

Andy Scott asks:

feel like im pretty flexible and I can make a bigger shoulder turn then in this video but when I do my timing goes completely and don't feel like im benefiting from the extra clubhead speed..... Any suggestions?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-ZEtztUHdQ&feature=youtu.be

Sorry Andy but I can’t seem to get the video playing. Maybe you can send it in again next week.

Aman Misra asks:

Hello sir,
What would be your advice to work on scoring on a regular basis?
I'm a nine handicap.
Thank you
Aman from India

Thanks for the question Aman. The first thing you need to do is understand your own game to figure out where your strengths and weaknesses lie. I would begin by keeping track of some vital statistics. Fairways Hit, Greens in Regulation, Putts per round, Putts per Green in Regulation, Up and down percentage from within 30 yards of the green, Up and down percentage from greenside sand, stroke average on Par 3’s, 4’s and 5’s is a good place to start. Once you have the numbers you will see obvious areas where you need to focus your practice time and attention.

Facebook user asks:

I am a lefty with a pretty nasty left to right slice at times... any suggestions on what I can do to help improve it? I have tried a few things and nothing has really stuck. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks :)

There are different approaches to fix this issue. One theory is to focus on fixing the path first to a more inside approach. The idea being that the face is significantly open to the path causing the slice and making the path more inside will narrow the gap and eventually make the face closed to the path. The problem with this idea is when there is a typical cause for the face being open like a poor grip or excessively bent lead wrist at the top fixing the path won’t help the slice. This can only make the problem worse. I prefer to fix the face first leading to the opposite miss. If the clubface is closed and the path is still outside in the ball will generally hook or be pulled off line. This is a strong motivator to swing the club more from the inside as it will immediately get the ball on line. The instincts to swing the club in a direction away from the miss are very strong and lead to the slice in the first place. Fixing the clubface first allows the student to use their instincts a swing more from the inside to get the ball at the target. Find out why the face is open first and clean that up before moving onto the path and you will be hitting it better very quickly.

Facebook user asks at 1:45:

Brady! Maybe you have a drill or a thought to "feel" process for women to create lag in their downswing. All too many of my students show up casting the club and look like pretzels trying to just let gravity have its way. I'm getting them there but not in my usual 15 minutes like everything else. Also, tell me what to do to get into the Top 100? I cannot continue to have the teaching results I'm having and go unrecognized for it!

The key for developing lag with all players is working on the proper sequence to begin the downswing. Players generally cast the club when the downswing begins with their hands and arms instead of their body. Like all athletic motions moving weight in the direction of the target before the arms, hands and/or object being swung is the key to speed and power. Working on stepping towards the target to begin the downswing is a great way to impart the proper feel without weighing someone down with technical junk. These are best done with practice swings and eventually ball on a short tee with a middle iron. Once the player has the feel of the proper sequence the “feel” of stepping without the actual step is easier to achieve.

Nick asks at 1:25:

How do i hit a cut shot/stinger with an iron off the tee if i naturally hit a small draw?

For a right to left player this is a very difficult shot. Hitting a cut shot/stinger with an iron off a tee can’t be a situation you are faced with on too regular a basis. If you are determined to hit it make sure you are doing it with a clubface position that is closed to the target line and not open. If you try to hit a stinger or strong fade with the face open you will see the ball fly high and right of the target. Start with the face closed and swing left through impact limiting the height of your finish. This will help the ball start low and slightly left of the target while allowing the ball to fall right in the air. Keep in mind that if the face is closed to the path and the target line the ball will fly left of left. Like all new shots make sure you are having success on the practice tee before you try it on the golf course.

Michael asks at 2:05:

Last week you told me to do the same drill as JP. I just have a few questions regarding it. When I do it, my right glute is not in full squeeze at all, actually I feel like there is no squeeze. Is this indicative that I'm not doing it correctly? Also, can the feeling of keeping the right heel on the ground through impact help me with this problem? One final question, do you have a drill for me to feel the proper trail leg movement from the top of the downswing to impact? The other drill helps me, but I cant seem to transfer it to the downswing fully.

It is always difficult to transfer new elements into the full swing. I always mandate my students to work on the changes to their swing in slower and shorter motions until they feel more familiar. Once they have achieved a certain level of competence moving into the full swing is much easier. You definitely should be feeling the right glue squeeze through impact that should be the thought for you during practice as you begin your downswing. Things are happening very quickly coming down so if you wait too long to focus on the leg and tush it is usually too late. As I mentioned to JP earlier in the blog the right heel can stay down longer through impact without it being a mistake. Working away from the ground through pushing the legs may look like very little is happening even on video but the player doing it will tell a different story.

Scott r Jesse asks at 1:45:

how do i get the most out of my swing without over doing it. my drives usually go fairly straight and a good 250 or more yards.im right handed and sometimes my ball seems to turn from left to right.is it something with my stance or anything you suggest to keep it straight?

Thanks for the question Scott. It sounds like you are driving the ball quite well. A slight fade and 250 yards is what Trevino said would win 10 tournaments a year on the PGA Tour. Of course, this was about 30 years ago….

The ball will turn right because the clubface is open to the path you are swinging on. The amount it is curving, where it is starting, the trajectory and the distance the ball is traveling are all based upon this combination of clubface position, path, angle of attack and where you hit the ball on the face. Without getting some of that information from you via a description of your shots or seeing it on video I have no clue what is going on. I can tell you a great way to make changes to your swing in a positive way is to create the exact opposite shape to your shots. Mess around on the range and you may discover that trying to get the opposite shape makes the ball go straight. Let me know how it goes.

JP asks at 1:25:

Thanks for your continuing to do the blog and the great insight. I worked on the drill you gave me last week and I have a few resulting questions.

1. I understand the drill until the "push off the left toe portion". With my left leg straight, I don't feel as if I get much push at all, is my weight not distributed correctly ?

2. While hitting some balls I did notice that my left foot is now staying on the ground thru impact, just curious if that is any indication that the leg is working more correct ?

3. Should I be feeling that my left knee never moves toward the target line ? (if so, maybe I could place an object in front of the knee while hitting balls?)

me attempting the drill..... am I close at all ??
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3yNydcKIyI ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3yNydcKIyI

Nice effort on the video JP, fantastic. The drill is fairly close. Once your legs are straight, I want your upper body to be getting closer to the ground and your tush further from the ball when you rotate your hips. This will help your trail arm become more bent and down in front of your trail hip approaching and at impact. The glute in your trail leg should be getting squeezed and you will feel some stretch and fatigue in your quads and hamstrings. Obviously, I don’t want you to slam your legs into a locked position at impact. However, I do want your legs to push away from the ground while your upper body remains bent over. If you don’t have the rotation in your hips through impact your trail arm will have to straighten out too early regardless of how well you are pushing.

Let’s deal with your questions:

The push off the big toe of the left foot is subtle and shouldn’t change your posture as it is doing in the video.

The left heel should come off the ground slightly at impact when hitting full shots. I would prefer the amount the heel comes off at impact stay there for a couple frames and then release fully to the finish. This isn’t something to try to accomplish but is a RESULT of working the drill properly.

If you look at the swing of Rory McIlroy you will see both of his legs moving towards the target line during the transition. The difference is he is able to work the hips and legs back around properly and explosively during impact. The answer is you can get the left knee working towards the target in the transition if you are able to get it in the proper alignment at impact. This is extremely difficult for most mere mortals so chances are you should avoid it.

Paul asks at 1:05:

Thanks so much for the help a few weeks ago! I've been working on getting my right elbow and hands through quickly on the downswing and now I'm pulling pretty much every shot well left. But i'm encouraged because i'm striking the ball better than I ever have! I've noticed that my left shoulder and hands are still moving hard left after impact. Should I hold back my right side ever more and try to swing to right field or is there something in my setup that could help correct my path? Are my hands and head too forward at address?

Here is my swing:
http://youtu.be/SrtmTVwuL-U

Always happy to help Paul. One thing you should always keep in mind about the golf swing is that set-up and impact aren’t the same. While everything you do at address has an effect on the rest of the swing, the position of the hands at the start has nothing to do where they will be at impact. The cause of the ball going too far left is the face being closed at impact. This is caused by a grip that’s too strong at address and forces you to go hard left through impact with the arms and club to keep the face from rolling into an even more closed position through impact. I would like to see the grip become neutral and the face square so the low left exit of your hands and arms through impact will cause the ball to go right of the target. This will make “swinging to right field” mandatory for you and change your ballstriking.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs was online Tuesday at noon EST to answer your swing questions and analyze your swing videos. If you have question or video link for Brady, leave it in the comments section below!

Hope everyone enjoyed the Masters as much as I did. What a great week for golf! Thanks for a great blog. See you next week.

Chris asks at 1:30:

Lately I've been hitting a lot of dead pulls with my driver. I aim down the right side on most holes to play the natural draw, but lately I often pull the ball across entire fairways into trouble on the left. Unfortunately, I don't have any video to post, but do you have any general tips for avoiding pulls? I am making solid contact and there isn't any extra draw/hook on the ball, just a huge pull with a slight right-to-left. This isn't an issue my irons, I have the occasional low, pull hook with the irons but I usually trace that with getting wildly out of rhythm and allowing my arms to come through too quickly. (I have been working on a new swing and still have the occasional swing where I revert to old habits.)

Thanks for the blog, it has become required reading for me every week!

Glad you enjoy the blog, Chris. Keep in mind that the ball will start where the face is pointing. There are multiple reasons why the clubface would be more closed through impact. The grip can be too strong, the left wrist (right-hander) can be too bowed on the downswing, the hands can be overactive through impact, your body can be hanging back causing the overactive hands, etc. These are all possibilities. You should also check the ball position as a ball played too far forward can also produce a closed face at impact. If you are going to play the draw, I would prefer your alignment be toward the center of the fairway and your swing produce a shot that starts right of the target and works to the left in the air. This requires a path that is attacking from the inside, and a face that is closed to the path and slightly open to the target line. Work on starting the ball right of the target and get back to me.

J from the UK asks at 1:15:

I have been playing and practising hard now that the season is in full swing. Here are some updated videos which I'd be grateful for your opinion.

I have worked hard on limiting movement off the ball in the takeaway. I am really pleased with the results as my misses are not nearly as severe as when I tried to "load" onto my right leg. I suppose it's now a better pivot.

My question to you is how do better players use the ground for leverage, particularly in the downswing? It's a phrase I hear a lot but have never really understood it.

Did you enjoy the Masters? I think I like "Bubba Golf".

As ever, thanks for the blog!

Thanks for the video. Yes, I really enjoyed the Masters. Louis Oosthuizen might have the best swing in the game. As a student of the golf swing it was a joy watching him swing the club. Bubba is a baller, reminds me of watching Seve. I really enjoyed watching him PLAY the game.

I think your golf swing looks really good and you are using your legs effectively. I am going to shoot a video this week showing how your legs can provide more explosive power through impact. Check back in next week.

Casey asks at 12:45:

Just wanted to send an update video and get your thoughts if you think I am on the right track. I think my pivot from face-on has improved a lot (I like to watch Snead's hips a lot because I struggle with sliding/pushing off my right leg too early). I am really trying to groove this move currently but would also like to see my right elbow stay tighter to the body from DTL during the release. I think that will make the clubface more stable through impact, do you agree?

Thank you for the help. Good call on Fredy at the Masters!
-Casey

DTL:

Face on:

I agree that the pivot looks better from face on. I would like to see your left foot remain flatter on the ground through impact and into the finish. This would help stabilize the clubface on its own and minimize the action of your hands and arms. I personally don’t mind the arms moving out away from the body during the release with the driver. The fad of going low left with the arms, hands and shaft through impact doesn’t match with the greatest drivers over the last 40 years. It was hard to see on the video but it looks like the left wrist was quite cupped at the top of the backswing. Don’t let it get out of hand…

Michael asks at 12:35:

I appreciate you helping golfers who want to improve. I just wanted to ask you a few questions regarding my swing. I sent a video in February and you told me that I had to steepen my shaft on the backswing. Is it better now? I am currently hitting the ball severely off the heel and I am hitting the occasional shank, especially on half-wedge shots. I know I early-extend and I know that is the cause of most of my problems, but what causes me to come off of the tush line in the first place? I can’t seem to pinpoint any specific fault in my swing besides some head sway. Also, do I swing too steep on the way down, and why do I maintain my tush line until halfway down in my swing? Basically I just want to minimize my early extension in order to become more consistent and strike the ball solidly.

Here’s the video, it has both face on and down the line views in it:

Thank you for any help/drills, it is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the video, Michael. Check out the question and answer directly below as it applies to you. In the video you sent the shortest clubs had the worst posture in the address position as the weight was sitting well back into your heels. This virtually guarantees you will shoot your lower body toward the ball on the downswing. The other issue has to do with the shape of your backswing. The club is well across at the top, which often leads to a steeper transition and the need to drive the legs toward the target line to shallow out the angle of attack. I would love to see you improve your posture at address and work on lining the club up in a neutral position at the top of the backswing. The function of the legs through impact really needs the bulk of your attention, but getting the other elements under control will make it easier. Do the drill I recommended in the answer below and check out these pictures of the posture and top of backswing to get you started.

JP asks at 12:00:

Hi Brady... Last week you told me

"The knee is working out toward the target line and the ball instead of down and 'behind' the right knee. You need to get the trail leg working properly through impact to prevent the collision between the left hip and elbow to clean up the contact."

How do you work on getting the trail leg working properly? (I watched several pros on video and wasn't sure how to notice this)

I am having issues with drop-kicking the driver again, sometimes 18 inches behind the ball... what can I do? (I need to get that thought out of my head)

Drop-kicking the driver is very typical when your lower body moves toward the ball. It makes yourupper body hang back and become vertical putting the bottom of the arc behind the ball. Getting your left leg to function properly will help your upper body remain bent over the ball and free up space for your left elbow to get in front of your left hip. This will fix the drop-kicking issue and help you avoid the shank as well.

Here is a drill to help you feel the proper location of your legs through impact. Without a club, take your address position with normal amount of forward lean and knee flex. Straighten both legs while remaining bent over and rotate your hips around to the target while keeping your legs straight. While maintaining the forward lean, straight legs and hip rotation, push up on your left big toe so it shifts the weight more onto your front foot. You should feel some stretch in the inside of your left thigh and your left glute should be in full squeeze. Once you get the feel of this, hit a few shots with a 7-iron starting in this position that travel 10 yards. Move on to some short shots from a normal starting position where you try to achieve this spot following through a very short distance. Increase the speed and length of the swing as you gain more control over your legs until you are hitting full shots. This takes time and effort as I’m sure you are aware, but you are ready for this step. Here are a couple of pictures to help you visualize the legs.

Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs will be online Tuesday at noon EST to answer your swing questions and analyze your swing videos. If you have question or video link for Brady, leave it in the comments section below!

Welcome to the Tuesday Blog Ask Brady Live! Thanks to all for the great questions and comments. Can't wait for Thursday! BTW, looking for Couples to have a big week.

Ryan Stewart asks at 1:30:

You gave me a few things to work on 4 months ago: 1) Straighten both legs at impact. 2) keep tush line on downswing. 3) move right elbow in front of right hip. Curious to see if I am on the right path and if you could address my head moving away from the ball on the downswing but keeping the tush line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIy0HJAA_vo&feature=channel

Swing from 4 months ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Ah440gGY0&feature=channel

The swing is better. The earlier hinge in the takeaway is helping the club work more up and on plane but is a bit overdone. This will make hitting the driver a bit awkward and I would like to see the left arm and clubshaft around 90* when the arm is parallel to the ground. The legs look much better through impact as does the tush line. The upper body could stay a bit more bent over through impact. This will give the right arm more room to get down in front of the hip and prevent it from straightening out too early. The arms and club are working a bit out and away from your body which can lead lead to thin shots and trajectory problems with the irons and a push/hook combo with the driver. Overall, I am very impressed with the changes and think you are close to getting the swing into a maintenance mode instead of continuously making changes. Send in some more video when it changes.

Kris asks at 1:00:

Thanks for the answer last week. I took a few videos last week (of course got a new driver yesterday, but I'm sure the swing still applies lol).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HpKKTFFUUU&feature=youtu.be This one I lined up right because I'd been pulling it left, and it went dead straight into the right trees about 230 yards down field.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh2c-fpqAik&feature=youtu.be This was 2 holes later; I lined up straight, and had a slight draw to this shot where I ended up in the left rough about 260-270 yards down.

Thanks. P.s. For fun I filmed my wife. We spent all day getting her to this point (she's essentially a beginner). She hit this with my driver about 170 straight where she was aiming (right rough near the trees). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uigG1jR0Fk&feature=youtu.be And suggestions I can send along to help her out? Next time we're out I'll film her hitting irons, that's where she starts topping the ball all the time.

Enjoy Masters week!

Thanks for sending in the video of both you and your wife. Let’s start with her. She has good posture at address and does a nice job of maintaining it throughout the swing. This isn’t very easy for most beginners. For someone who has never played before she is off to a good start and shows a great deal of potential. I would have her grip the club properly and work on finishing her swing in balance. Bombarding her with a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo is a sure way to make her not want to play. When it comes to your golf swing there are several things that would help you hit the ball more consistently. I would start with the takeaway. Let’s get the club started back a bit straighter so the clubhead is less inside. This will help the club from getting so far across the line at the top and help you maintain so more stability in your body throughout. Like your wife your balance in the finish needs to improve. I would like to see you hold your finish for a couple of seconds and “pose” after impact. This will keep you from forcing things so much and allow the club to work past you and release more effectively. Here are a couple of pictures of the takeaway and the finish to give you some visuals.

JP asks at 12:40:

Brady..... I posted last week and you said my hands and arms needed to get deepter on the takeaway, so I worked on that. While doing that I started hitting the ball off of the heel/shank it more. To correct this, I tried to feel my right arm swing much more to the right on the downswing.

1. Does my backswing look improved to you?
2. Does my swinging the right arm right on the downswing a bad thought?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJvI-CpOUdc&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgpNBJSCX24&feature=youtu.be

I think the backswing looks significantly better. The issue with the hosel has to do with your left leg through impact. The knee is working out towards the target line and the ball instead of down and “behind” the right knee. This traps the left elbow behind the left hip forcing the arms out away from the body and brings the hosel into play. You need to get the trail leg working properly through impact to prevent the collision between the left hip and elbow to clean up the contact. Swinging your right arm to the right on the downswing is a short term fix for the contact but isn’t correcting the left hip issue.

Herbert asks at 12:20:

Could you please explain the reason why putters do have a a loft at all?
It seems that getting the ball rolling forward properly a 0dg loft would be the obvious.

Thanks for the question Herbert. Most putters have approximately 4* of loft. The reason for this is the ball is actually sitting down under the level of the top of the grass when it is resting on the green. If the putter didn’t have loft the ball would have to roll “through” the grass in front of it making it bounce immediately. This makes distance control nearly impossible. The loft on the putter helps the ball get out of the grass and creates a “skid” across the top of the grass. This occurs for roughly 20% of the putt before the ball begins to have a true roll. If the player presses the hands more forward at address more loft is usually beneficial. Hope that helps.

Matt asks at 12:00:

Brady, Thanks for doing this blog. It is always good for one or two swing tips or thoughts each week. Here is a link to a couple of driver swings of mine from this weekend. The first swing was a dead pull and the second was a dead push. I was hitting my short and mid irons very solid, but started spraying it everywhere with the woods. I would appreciate your thoughts on how I can drive it a little more consistently. Thanks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKDIkEe7ZRg&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Thanks for the video Matt. There are a couple of things I would like to see you work on that will make the swing more consistent: The arms and club are too far out away from your body on the downswing and approaching impact. While this can often be the result of mistakes during the backswing this isn’t the case with your swing. The clubface is in a terrific position at the top and the backswing overall is quite good. Your change of direction is dominated too much by your arms and hands and not enough by your feet and legs. As a result, the arms have too much of an active role starting down forcing them out away from the body. This makes the club attack on both an excessively steep angle and too much of an outside path. If you changed direction earlier with your feet and legs “stepping” to the left before the club reached the top the arms would stay closer to the body and the club would attack both on a shallower angle and more from the inside. Work on the transition and send me the changes so we can move on to the legs through impact.

Comments:

"None of our business!"

--Brad Brewer, Rosen Shingle Creek Golf Club, Orlando, Fla.

"This one's toooo HOT to touch..."

--Lou Guzzi, Talamore Country Club, Ambler, Pa.

"Augusta National’s greatest strengths are also its greatest weakness. They do things their way."

-–Jim Murphy, Sugar Creek Country Club, Sugar Land, Texas

"Since Augusta National is a private club, they can do anything they want. The media and women’s rights groups should find more important things to discuss. Having said that, I think this would be a great chance to get rid of a controversy and take in its first female member."

--Mike Davis, Walters Golf Academy, Las Vegas, Nev.

"They can do with it as they wish. Should an all-female club be forced into accepting a male?"

-–Steve Bosdosh, The Members Club at Four Streams

"Becoming CEO of IBM transcends gender, therefore she should be invited."

--Bryan Gathright, Riverhill Country Club, Kerrville, Texas

"No. The invitation should only come if its based on the same criteria for everyone."

--Brian Mogg, Waldorf Astoria Golf Academy, Orlando, Fla.

"Yes. But what they should do and what they will do are two different questions."

--Jim Suttie, The Club at TwinEagles, Naples, Fla.

"No, not unless they want her. It is a private club. End of story."

--Eric Johnson, Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa.

"Augusta should invite whomever they deem worthy: women, men, black, white, etc."

Tom F. Stickney II, Bighorn Golf Club, Palm Desert, Calif.

"It's the greatest golf club in the world, and it finally seems ready to move into the present. There are a number of avid female golfers that should be invited to join Augusta National."

--Ed Ibarguen, Duke University Golf Course

"Yes. It is my understanding that the gentlemen of Augusta National have always asked the CEO of IBM to join. Why would they not? Maybe she would invite me as a guest to play with her."

Carol Presinger, Kiawah Island Club, Kiawah, S.C.

"Yes, but it won’t happen."

--Brady Riggs, Woodley Lakes Golf Club< Van Nuys, Calif.

"Have The Boys from Augusta finally met their match, Tradition? How ironic -- the thing that kept women out might end up being the only thing that gets them in."

--T.J. Tomasi, Keiser University School of Golf, Port St. Lucie, Fla.

"Most definitely!"

--Dana Rader, Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge, Charlotte, N.C.