Posted by Dexter Francois
| Posted in
Equipment,
Jim Furyk,
Michael Breed,
My Rounds,
Swing Mechanics,
The Golf Fix,
Video Instruction
| Posted on Monday, August 2, 2010
I think I need some "Medicus" attention. Is there a doctor in the house? Infomercials for the Medicus Dual-Hinge Driver have been on The Golf Channel for years now. The people at Medicus boast that the "Medicus Driver has been chosen by golf pros as the #1 swing trainer club in the world." And that "it is the best selling golf training aid ever!"
The Medicus Driver is supposed to improve all aspects of your swing from the takeaway to downswing. The Medicus will break if there is an error in your swing, which is instant feedback as to which part of the swing you need to work on. Lately, I have developed some bad habits and I'm wondering if this device can help me.
When I first started playing golf, people used to compliment me on having a nice, natural, smooth swing. Lately, I'm not so smooth. Well...I'm still smooth, but the swing is not so pretty. I have developed what some are calling a reverse Jim Furyk swing. It has all kinds of loops and swing plane changes, it is a wonder I can even hit the ball.
I don't know how it started. I don't know where it came from, but it is here and looks like it is here to stay if I do not do something about it. I have been working on trying to correct it on my own. To date, I have still yet to take a formal lesson. The Golf Fix, videos on youtube, and golf related websites have been my instructors.
I got rid of "the loop" for about two weeks. I figured out that I was taking the club back way too far to the inside. This happened because I started my backswing with my arms instead of with my body. I worked on feeling as if my left hand was pushing back at the start of the swing instead of the feeling of my right side pulling to start the swing. This seemed to help me make a good full turn on the proper plane
It did not last though and I have fallen back into the bad habits. It does not happen all the time, but every now and then, I get real loopy. It seems to happen the worst when I have too long a backswing. Taking less of a backswing seems to help take out some of the loop.
Some of my buddies are saying that I should embrace my swing. In the movie "The Legend Of Bagger Vance", Bagger tells Captain Rannulph Junuh that he had lost his swing. He said, "each of us has an authentic swing". Maybe this is my authentic swing. Maybe I should just embrace it. Maybe...but I don't like it.
I do pretty well with my swing. I am averaging about 260 to 270 off the tee, but where I think it is hurting me the most is with my mid-irons. I get away with it using my wedges, but I know I am losing distance with my irons.
I have way too many moving parts. As you can see in my picture, I do get back to a pretty good position at the top of the swing. Still, I feel I need to get to where Jack Nicklaus is in his picture. That's the problem with so many moving parts. My timing has to be perfect in order to be successful. If I can stay on one plane, I know I would strike the ball more consistently and generate more distance.
My buddy has one of the original Medicus iron. Maybe I'll demo that first before I get the new driver addition. I hope it will work for me. I need help. Unfortunately with my swing, it will probably collapse on it's own when it sees me coming. Ugh!
Instructors, feel free to critique my swing. I can use all the help I can get. I wish I had footage of my swing down the line. This would really reveal my loop. More video to come as I work on my swing. Have a good round and always hit your target.
Medicus Dual Hinge Super Combo Chosen by golf pros as top swing trainer clubs in the world. Try now!
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Dex, I don't think there's too much wrong with your swing; you don't get the distance you get with a bad swing! Loops aren't necessarily a bad thing; your problem is that your loop goes back, up, and over instead of up, back, and down. (That is, you loop in the wrong direction.) That's not a huge problem to fix.
I have a couple of ideas that may help, but I'd like to see a "down-the-line" shot of your swing. If you're game, why don't you email me video copies of the face-on view of your swing (from this post) and one from behind (so I can see how you're moving from both angles). You know I always look for the simplest solution, so my suggestions won't be too difficult to try.
I'm no Jim McLean or Butch Harmon, but I was able to help Brian McGregor improve his score. Let me know if you want to give it a try.
Ok, from that angle I don't see the reverse Furyk thing... fortunately... otherwise I'd probably catch it. ;o0 That tends to happen to me.
I agree with Mike the swing in that video looks nice and appears to be very effective. Wish I'd catch that. :o)
No, the loop is there, Patricia. It's at :12 in the clip. His right shoulder is behind him, then you can see it and the club move upward just before he starts down.
Again, it's not hard to fix, but I'd like to see it down the line to confirm exactly how he's moving. From this angle, I think it's the takeaway problem he mentioned... but that's a simple fix. The rest of his swing looks really sound to me.
@Mike-Thanks for the advice. So I need to reverse my loop huh? I will definitely try it. I like my swing. I get made fun of. I hear the snickering in the background, but it makes for some good conversation. In the long run though, I think it will only hurt my game.
I will try to get some video of my swing from down the line. Thanks for the offer. And the simpler the better. I subscribe to the K.I.S.S.(keep it simple stupid) theory of life.
Thanks Patricia. Like Mike said though, it is definitely there. I can feel it as soon as I start my swing. Sometimes I can stop mid swing. Other times, I continue and hope for the best. And the results aren't really that bad. Just not long enough with my approach shots. I just feel, like I said, with so many moving parts, I'm sacrificing energy and distance.
Dex, don't think of this as "reversing your loop." There's a tendency for players to see something wrong in their swing and say, "Oh, that's a problem I need to fix." That's the wrong mindset.
Often, the more dramatic "problems" we see in our swings are actually symptoms of other, more basic problems earlier in the swing. If I'm right -- and the reason I want to see a down-the-line clip is so I can confirm this, although I'm pretty sure -- I think your main problem is your takeaway. And if I'm right, fixing the takeaway -- which is a fairly simple problem to fix -- will automatically get rid of that faulty loop.
If you watched Hank Haney trying to fix Ray Romano's swing, you saw how frustrating it can be to make a big change to your swing. Let's fix the little things first; then, if another problem remains, we'll take a look at it.
That episode really helped me. That's when I got rid of the loop for the two week period I mentioned. I had forgotten about those drills. I will have to review that episode if I can find it. Hopefully I can get some film of my swing this weekend so you can break down. I hope it's as easy a fix as you say.
Mike makes good sense. I see the mild "swivel." But hopefully it is a small fix issue.
You have obviously found a way to play a good game with your swing. None of us have "perfect" swings.
It's really a matter of making your swing most efficient so you can get the biggest bang for your buck-so to speak.
I admire you for putting yourself out there for critique. It can be a tough thing to do. :o)
If I'm right, the fix will be that easy. An incorrect takeaway puts your hands in a position where "up and over" is the only place they can go. Correct the takeaway, and the hands run right up the plane like they're supposed to... and put you in a proper position for the downswing.
And if it turns out I'm right, I'll give you two "drills" you can use to learn the feel of the correct position... and neither requires any special training aids. One doesn't even require you to use a club!
Trust me on this one, Dex. The Haney method may actually be overkill for the problem you have. And how do I know? Because I used to have the same problem -- an over-the-top swing that let me hit my woods and short irons, but not my midirons. (The reason, in case you're curious, is that you can sweep woods and short irons and still get acceptable results, but midirons require a downward hit that you can't get with that over-the-top movement.) I had a lot of problems that you don't have, but Carl Rabito (the teacher who helped me, and who you might even have seen on TGC -- now he works with Jeong Jang, among others) fixed almost all of them by correcting the first half of my backswing. Carl had me hitting solid mid- and long irons in one lesson, and I never had a problem with them again.
Without getting into a lot of detail, a correct takeaway not only affects how you square the club -- it also puts the club on plane, starts your upper body coiling properly, and helps you keep your spine angle consistent. It's one move to correct several errors -- that's about as simple as it gets -- and yet it seems that nobody wants to deal with it.
@Heather - Thanks for stopping by. The swivel is there and we are trying to work with it or around it or something. I think you're right though. I shouldn't be thinking about what my swing looks like but rather making it the most effective it could be. I just want that "Big Easy" swing. Smooth and efficient.
@Mike - I'm definitely willing to deal with it. The problem has to be with my takeaway because I can automatically feel the loop coming as soon as I start my swing. If I can fix it I will be a happy camper.
I went out to practice yesterday but there was no one else on the range to film me. I'm supposed to play on Sunday. Hopefully I can get footage then. I'm excited to see what ideas you have.