Ask the Top 100 LIVE: Brady Riggs is here to fix your game
Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher Brady Riggs was online today from noon to 1 p.m. to answer your questions and analyze your swing videos. If you missed Brady, come back next Tuesday at noon EST for another edition of Ask the Top 100 Live!
Thanks to everyone for your questions and especially the videos. I hope everyone enjoyed the blog and learns from the pictures I put up. If I didn't get to your issue please ask again next week, I'm off to the lesson tee. Special thanks to Mark, Fred and everyone at JC Video for their great software and support. Have a great week!
Jack asks at 1:50:
I have
been trying to achieve the positions you describe in the 'classic
swing' on www.inpractis.com (very helpful explanations!) I still struggle with the tush line and also keeping my hip from sliding away from the target in the backswing. Any suggestions to what is the root cause?
Thanks for the videos and the kind words. I think your swing looks very good. From the target line view I think the clubface and swing path look solid. I agree with you about the tush line, but it has nothing to do with your address position. Losing the line on the downswing is the result of bumping the hips diagonally towards the target line instead of parallel to the target line. This drives the weight into the toes of the left foot too long, which makes you lose the line. The bigger issue is the slight slide you still have at the top of the swing. Your hip turn looks good for a while and then you blow it at the top. You need to feel that your tailbone is pushing closer to the target at the top of the swing than it was at halfway back. If you slow down the amount of turn you have to begin the backswing, you may feel like you still have enough room to drive your tailbone at the top of the swing to the target. Remember to work very slow at first to feel what you are doing and exaggerate the fix, it's the only way to make this change.
Send me the new swing when you have fixed it.
Vatin asks at 1:37:
Is the
lag a result of a correct body movement or is it more of an arm/wrist
control kinda thing? I've been trying all kinds of moves for years to
get the proper lag but it still eludes me.
That is a great question. The answer is both. The arms and hands have to be soft while the body changes direction to create the lag you are seeking. If the hands and arms "try" too much, especially if they attempt to "hold" the angle, you have no chance whatsoever. The body must always move before the hands and arms to create the whip-like action that lag is. If you think of snapping a towel or cracking a whip you can imagine the sequence that must take place. It is critical that you keep your arms, wrists, and hands soft to achieve success.
Brian Fox asks at 1:20:
Any
tips for how I can fix my lower body movie forward so much on the down
swing and also stop casting the club? I've been told it hurts my power
and leads to fat shots.
Thanks for the video, Brian. I agree with you about the lower body. Earlier in the blog I discussed the "tush line" and gave some pictures and advice about how to maintain it. I suggest you check that out as it is very relevant to your problems. I have to tell you I don't agree with the suggestions made to you on the video regarding your takeaway. The setup needs a great deal of work, specifically getting much closer to the ball with your lower body and bending the knees with your weight over the front of your shoes. If you put your body in a better staring position and kept your connection between your upper left arm and chest during the takeaway you would be much better off. I also agree with you that your follow-through needs work. The issue with your "tush line" will resolve this problem. You can't work on the finish by itself, it is being affected negatively by the lack of space you have through impact. Here is a picture of a young Anthony Kim hitting an iron that you should copy. Check out the set up position and then the close proximity of his arms to his body during the takeaway.
One last thing, lose that medicus, ASAP! Can't stand that thing......
Alex asks at 1:00:
I have always been told that with the grip for a right-handed player, the top two knuckles of your left hands hould aim at the target and when griping the club your right hand should basically have your right palm facing up. This seems to a be a really strong grip. Is this the way to a proper grip?
I am not a big fan of using the knuckles as a reference point. The basic idea is that your hands get on the club in a position that gets the clubface relatively square during the swing. Some great players play with a grip that is slightly weak, more play with a grip that is slightly strong, most play with a grip that is neutral. Here is a picture of a very good grip and some points of interest to help you get your hands on the club better.
Eh asks at 12:45:
Brady, I have a problem with coming over the top at times, mostly with the driver. Lately it's resulted in a hook, rather than a pull-fade. Can you offer any good drills to correct this? My swing thought that seems to work is to exaggerate having my right shoulder (I'm right-handed) move down and under, rather than out and around.
That is a swing thought that can work. The one thing I would love for you to understand is that the club doesn't attack the ball from directly behind it, but from inside it. In other words, the club should work toward the INSIDE-BACK of the ball and not the back of the ball. If you focus on getting the club to track properly, the right shoulder will do exactly what you are describing without having to focus on it. As a rule, you are always better off thinking about the direction the club should be taking instead of a specific body part.
Scotty asks at 12:30:
I'm
having a lot of trouble understanding when to start the transition from
backswing to downswing. Is there a movement or position that I should
key on to know when to start coming forward? I have a late wrist hinge
and have been waiting until I feel my wrist really start to hinge fully
before coming forward. This is somewhere after my right elbow folds and
my shoulder turn is almost complete. I'm not sure if this is correct or
if I should start coming forward sooner, say just as the right elbow
begins to fold on the backswing. This is screwing everything up as I'm
waiting for a "feeling" to know when to go forward. Thanks so much for your help. When you start the downswing is very personal. It has to do with your athletic ability, body type, and personality style. The important thing is that your weight move towards the target before your arms and club come down. The best way for you to get the sequence down is to actually throw a ball. This will help you feel the "when" of the downswing so you can stop focusing on the pieces. You need to get your mind out of your elbows, shoulders, and especially your hinge, if you are going to be a consistent ball-striker.
SJ asks at 12:15:
Brady... What things should I be working on... here is my video.
Thanks for the video, SJ. You have a classic in, up, and over move. The slightly inside takeaway gets the club too far behind you as you move to the top of the swing. The momentum of the arms and club coming up and toward your head near the top continues as you start down, forcing the club to attack on a path that is too much from the outside. This leads to the pull you hit in the video, and can produce shots that start left and go further left, or start left and slice.
The basic idea here is that the backswing is three-dimensional: it goes back, up and in. If you get too much of one early you can get the opposite effect later. In your swing, the excessive "in" the club has as you take the club back leads to the "out" the club achieves as it come down. You need to change the shape of the swing to improve the ball-striking. Here is a sequence that will help you visualize the right move.
JJ asks at 12:00:
Here are a couple of videos..... and some things that I see. On the backswing.. my arms seem to go away from my body at the
beginning rather than straight back. I also have to much armlift at
the top of the backswing. What is your analysis and how do I fix these
things? On the downswing.... I notice when the club is parallel to the
ground the clubhead is behind my hands (too far inside). How do I fix
this and do you have any other thoughts. One last question, I have one of these tac-tic things to keep the
wrist flat, the only training aid I ever had. What do you think of
these? Hopefully the camera angles aren't too bad!!
This is one of those times as a teacher when you can fix something that is obviously unusual and most likely make the student worse. I see no reason at this point to change your backswing dramatically because it does what a good backswing should do, set up an on-plane downswing. There is no question we could make it look more normal, but I don't see where the results would improve.
Here is where I think you could get better. You don't come close to maintaining your "tush line" during the swing. If you have read the blog at all over the past few months you know this is one of the elements of the swing I am particular about. If you draw a line perpendicular down on the back of your tush and one horizontal above the top of your head you will see how much your posture has changed during the swing. While you stand up and get closer to the ball with your lower body during the swing, the vast majority of Tour players are more bent over and the same distance from the ball with their lower body at impact. This fault will make you inconsistent, make it difficult to his short irons crisp, and make it nearly impossible to hit a fairway metal solid.
To fix this you need to get your knees bent over your toes and start with the weight out of your heel and in the balls of your feet. This will enable you to move weight into your LEFT heel going back (as you are left handed) and into your right heel going through. Ironically, this will make the takeaway and backswing look more neutral. Check out the pictures below to help you see the difference.
