New golf swing video comparing now and six months ago

I’ve been busting my butt lately and was curious if there had been any noticeable differences in my swing so decided to get the camera out today and do a little before and after video comparison.

The top video is from today; beneath is from February of this year:

My initial reaction upon seeing today’s video was “crap!” I thought that I was making a huge change in the take away and keeping my wrists flatter at the top of the swing and staying shorter with the club, but to my dismay the visual didn’t back up what I thought it would. Then I watched the slow motion capture from February and realized that I had actually made some large strides in the direction that I want to be going.

It’s not exactly as ginormous as I had hoped for, or thought that it would be, but there are some noticeable differences and things are at least moving in the right direction. The crazy part about golf is that in order to actually change an inch you have to feel like you are changing a mile. We have these neural pathways that get stronger by the day and when you venture down one path for a couple of years it’s very difficult to switch directions over night (or over 3 months). But, it’s not impossible by any means, it just takes concentrated effort and consistent feedback. I thought that I had made huge headway in a few aspects of that swing you see on the top, but now know that I need to bring a camera out more often as it is obvious that my proprioception and reality don’t exactly make perfect mates.

That all said, there are some wonderful things going on with the new swing and I’m happy to see a side by side comparison of the two. This is the right direction to head and without these changes I was destined to plateau. Once the new swing is in full force and I resolve the kinks my game will be able to progress. And when that happens we will see how far it takes me and what is needed to take that one step further (or is it farther? I can never remember).

With constructive criticism in mind, what are the thoughts out there on the direction of this swing?

17 Responses to "New golf swing video comparing now and six months ago"

BryanK09 says:

August 24, 2013 at 9:34 pm

I have a small piece of advice that has made some serious feats in my swing and after watching your videos, I think it will SERIOUSLY help you too, cause you have the same issue as me it seems.

Your initial takeaway is VERY two-pieced… i had videos of my swing and I noticed that my 2-piece takeaway made my swing pretty inconsistent, constantly battling misses left and right. If you started making your takeaway more of a one-piece takeaway, i think you will IMMEDIATELY notice gains in yardage and MUCH more consistent, flush shots. I think if you try this, you will make some serious progress in where you want to be with your swing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Knb1kYuOLc

watch that video, and you will understand everything about the one-piece takeaway.
thedanplan says:

August 24, 2013 at 9:46 pm

Bryan,

That take away you are talking about is exactly what I was alluding to in the blog. that was what I was shocked about not having changed much.
Cheers,
Dan
Kent says:

August 25, 2013 at 5:45 am

the only thing that matters is the flight of the ball. Is it flying better now, or was it better in February? BTW, I greatly admire your quest.
AIPM says:

August 25, 2013 at 7:57 am

Another thing… I think it’d very important for you to, in a way, take the suggestions here with a grain of salt. Going off of your last post, I would suggest that if you see a good video or someone suggests a swing thought/key, you shouldn’t ever incorporate it without first running it by your coach. I’m not saying to ignore us, but to always run things by Bruce before you use them, or else you run the risk of getting distracted in your practice like you talked about last post.

Sure, a lot of what we say here could be very true and good observations, but if your coach wants you to get to a feeling or position in another way or not yet, he’ll let you know. I’d use this as an opportunity to show loyalty to what he says and to show that you really trust him as a coach.
Richard Chen says:

August 25, 2013 at 11:11 am

Distance from ball for the driver.

Here we go again.

It appears the hands setup further and further away from the body as the clubs get longer.

Experiment setting up closer to the ball for the driver during setup. Hands appear to be about two hand lengths away from body, rather than about one hand length away from body at driver setup.

This experiment can be done by slowly standing gradually closer and closer to the ball for the driver, or by tugging in the hands really close to the body in one shot with the arms more vertical during setup, and the driver shaft more horizontal during setup.

Venturi said that most stand too far from the ball. Miller’s Youtube video says to not stick the hands too far out. Shawn Clement’s Youtube video on “Distance from ball Part 2″ gives a demo of not reaching too far out for the ball during setup.

Standing closer to the ball allows the hands to swing closer in front of the rear hip during the downswing, so that the hands swings and releases more in a straighter line across the lower body during the release to make the release easier and faster.

Standing closer, the rear hand will pass more “under” the rear shoulder, rather than out away from “under” the rear shoulder during the release. This enables the turning down rear shoulder to press down with more body weight on the club handle during release to apply more force on the club handle during release. For example, it is easier to do pushups with the hands directly under the shoulders than if the hands are spread out away from under the shoulders.

Standing closer, the arms will swing closer to the body during the downswing to gain turing speed according to the physics law of the conservation of angular momentum like figure skaters do high speed spins by pulling the arms closer into the body. This physics law provides “free” increases in speed without needing more energy to be supplied. Take advantage of “free” giveaways when it is there, as there are little that are free in the world.

Standing closer, the backswing will automatically be a little more upright, as the arms are naturally forced to swing more up and down during the backswing and downswing.

Standing closer, the “v” angle between the club shaft and the arms will be more, providing increased “pre-cocking” of the wrists during setup to reduce the need to cock the wrists during the backswing, so that less cocking movement during the backswing will simplify the backswing to increase accuracy.

etc etc. It could take a whole book to list and explain why pro’s and champions tend to stand more closer to the ball than the average players.

This is a mental thing. Most golfers when they begin, they tend to stick their hands and arms way out away from their bodies by standing far from the ball. They think they are creating a bigger arc to generate more clubhead speed. Of course, the reverse happens by standing too far from the ball, as explained above.
Eric says:

August 25, 2013 at 1:41 pm

I think you hit it on the head. Use video EVERY time you’re on the range. I video every swing with my phone and review periodically during range sessions. It makes all the difference.
Abraham Chamberlain says:

August 25, 2013 at 3:30 pm

Definitely making good improvements with the swing. Are the stats reflecting the changes?
pete says:

August 25, 2013 at 6:07 pm

It looks a lot more athletic now. you really fire the hips on the downswing now. not sure what the data looks like, but it certainly looks like a much more powerful swing.
Marco says:

August 26, 2013 at 7:35 am

Looks pretty good! It seems the continuous work with a coach pays off.
Rusty Cage says:

August 27, 2013 at 6:23 am

Nice adjustments, Dan. Didn’t realize how much flatter your old swing was until compared to the new one. Also looks like the club is much more out in front of you these days.
jamie says:

August 29, 2013 at 4:16 am

Looks fantastic!! release soo much better!!
Brian Kuehn says:

August 29, 2013 at 7:03 am

The LPGA is in town at your old stomping grounds, CECC. Any plans?
Chris says:

August 29, 2013 at 3:12 pm

Nice work buddy. Take it one step and one swing improvement at a time. We’re rooting for you.
Luke Petterson says:

September 1, 2013 at 3:35 am

Mate what video camera are you using for the above videos? Thanks
Clay Ballard says:

September 12, 2013 at 8:21 am

Great improvements Dan! Way to get the hands higher in the backswing and the arms working more in front of the torso on the downswing. How much distance have you gained with the increase in arm elevation at the top?
David Wisemantel says:

September 12, 2013 at 7:33 pm

Hey Dan,

Have you ever checked out http://www.rotaryswing.com?

Someone with your kind of time, articulation and dedication could get a tour calibre swing relatively quickly and inexpensively if you put the time in. The swing is based on biomechanics rather than traditional golf instruction.
dw says:

September 15, 2013 at 8:29 am

Dan, congratulations, you share at least one same swing flaw as me, and after hundreds of golf lessons, I still can’t fix it reliably. On your takeaway, you arms move slightly outside, not inside the line. this is symptomatic of not enough turn at the very beginning of the swing. Of course you need to keep the clubhead outside your hands going back, but you need to get the arms closer to you which will happen if you can turn more at the very start of your swing. This has profound effects on the downswing when you do it properly. I know I havent licked it as my practice is anything but deliberate….

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