First Competitive Round '06

March Medal.
H Cap : 5.8.
Score : 35 points.
Conditions : Windy & Showers.

Summary :
Had no score on the 2nd, eight and 10th holes.
Out of playing practice, thinking of technique on some shots instead of focusing on target. Overall hit the ball very well but was too conscious of speed on the greens.
Had 3 3-putts ! 34 in total.

Lowlight : double bogey on par 3 2nd hole. Even Oisin had bogeyed that one (5 wood right handed, 5 wood right handed, 5 wood left handed, 5 wood putt.) !
High light : played last 5 holes in 2 under.

Time to sharpen up the scoring / putting in the next few weeks.

Lesson 8

use leverage to set club on plane, left hand down right hand up...
(as per faldo drill)
make sure to keep extension doing this !!!
dont narrow path !!
backswing good.
halfway down good ...
left hip back , right elbow down to right hip .

not turning body through from here, getting stuck and just swinging arms at it.
use the right knee to keep body moving thru impact .
work on maintaining height and balance thru swing.

Lesson 7

start downswing by turning left hip.
feel weight going into left heel. let the hands drop down, feel like its dropping right elbow to right hip.
release gradually staying down thru shot.

Lesson 6

backswing good.
start down good.

start release from half way down into back of ball while keeping right shoulder down and weight back. hold this position thru impact and let club release around the body on same plane ...

Lesson 5

Feel left shoulder down on takeaway. right down on thru, keep it down and head back thru impact. Dont release too early.

Lesson 4

Move left shoulder toward right foot. Let hands hinge up. Swing still too flat.Let left knee come behind ball on backswing. Get weight behind.Dont consciously rotate left arm on way back.Practice swing is good. Continue it to incorporate downswing.Move hip first on downswing, keep butt of club pointing at ball. Hit down the line ..

Lesson 3

Hands going too far out from body on takeaway as per august lesson.Get hands going over right foot on way back then fold right arm.Keep right elbow over the right hip. This is a much more connected compact feeling position but still has extension.

Trap a headcover in left armpit to feel the tight takeaway.Let wrists hinge early.Feel the powerful coil and unwind naturally. Will cover the start of downswing in later lessons. For now try to feel it starting from hips.

Release the club through impact !!

Lesson 2

Summary : swing too flat.Setup:Get behind the ball more. head further back, hands back a little.Driver position below so its a little more exaggerated than setup with iron.

Backswing: Need to turn more behind the ball. Move left shoulder towards right foot to start swing.Hands need to be higher at top of backswing. Use correct shoulder turn to achieve this (no lifting)Drop left shoulder perpendicular to spine angle.Practice this turn without hitting balls.

hands maybe a little too far forward in this photo- yeah its only sergio ..)

D'ont over-rotate left forearm on way back.Make sure still behind ball not lifting.Get right hip / side lower at setup.Let left knee go out a little towards ball on backswing.
Drill : Check by swinging with back almost against wall.

Lesson 1

Hands going further away from body on take-away. Wrists cocking too late (at top of back-swing). Over the top move on way down.Try to ensure hands move closer (around) to body, letting wrists cock a little earlier cutting out the movement at top of back-swing.Check hand position on the way back, see diagram.
On the way back to ball leave shoulders 'closed' longer, see diagram. Don't start downswing with shoulders.

First Post

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