The State of My Swing: Video Evidence

This is a glimpse of my swing taken January 10, 2013. It’s driver, 4-hybrid, 7-iron and a 40 yard chip. The camera was not exactly down the line and was pointed a hair at me which causes it to seem like my posture is a bit closed to the target. What does everyone think of my current swing?

Driver down the line

Driver head on

4-hybrid down the line

4 hybrid head on

7-iron down the line

7-iron head on

short chip

Comparison shot: This video is from the first time I ever swung a driver back in mid-November 2011:

21 Responses to "The State of My Swing: Video Evidence"

Travis Scudder says:

January 11, 2013 at 9:30 am

Where is the Konika Minolta Biz hub when you need it? Or the shot tracker where we can see the ball flight. Love the takeaway- swing looks a little “long” but its really free. I have the same problem. Trying to get a little more consistent and the longer the swing- the more problems can arise especially when you aren’t practicing all the time. Great divots and looks like your ball striking is good. Keep up the good work- this stuff is fun to see! I want to get a goPro for my bag just So I can take video and photos on the course of my and my buddies. Just have it on the bag and aim it at the green to watch all the excitement- who knows what one might capture? Good job firing at the golf ball.
Caleb Fitzpatrick says:

January 11, 2013 at 1:46 pm

To my naked, untrained eye your swing looks very good. Very fluid and loose, sounded crisp. All of your practice is obviously paying off. Next step is getting your hips through faster and generating more power. How far are you driving it?
Chris says:

January 11, 2013 at 3:18 pm

swing looks very good. A PGA tour player could play with that swing. The only thing I´d change is your setup with the Driver. Your ball position is way too far forward and you´re tilting too much away from the ball. After you´ve fixed that it´s all about making your swing automatic and hitting golf shots from all kinds of lies and not worrying about mechanics much.
Richard Chen says:

January 11, 2013 at 8:43 pm

Although the down-the-line driver video starts after the setup, and thus not showing the setup, it may appears that the hands, and arms are slightly too far away from the body with the top of the club slightly outside of the chin, rather than inside the chin and under the neck.

Is the short chip really is a short pitch? In the short chip, or the short pitch, the leading leg during the backswing bends inward as little as reasonable to be fairly still to encourage accuracy by minimizing movement. The body is relative upright by standing a little closer to the ball so that the knees, and the body do not bend too much, which can disrupt balance. The trailing knee do bend toward the target a fair amount during the downswing to allow the right shoulder to turn down, and to promote weight shift to the leading side, but the leading knee and the leading leg action is compact to increase control and accuracy as the anchor of the downswing turn.

Hard to see clearly, but is the trailing hand holding the grip more in the fingers enough?
William Evan says:

January 11, 2013 at 10:51 pm

Everything looks about how I’d expect at around this much time for an amateur. Your 7 iron face on looks particularly good I suppose. Typical amateur stuff, speed isn’t quite there, balance isn’t quite right, you don’t look like you stroke the ball but kind of whip through it.

I don’t know how to describe what I mean so to illustrate here’s a few pitch shots from someone I don’t know on youtube that is stroking the ball with a balanced, powerful move. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TxbEL6UfL0
Frank Flickersome says:

January 12, 2013 at 10:58 am

Your hands seem to be pretty low at the top of your back swing, I would like to seem them a little higher, thus you will be able to generate more club head speed on the downswing. How far are your average drives going?
Ryan says:

January 12, 2013 at 2:08 pm

You’re turning your shoulders too flat with all clubs, and your ball position is too far forward with all clubs.
3foot1 says:

January 12, 2013 at 8:49 pm

While I agree that Dan’s pitches don’t look as smooth and rhythmic as the one you posted — though slow motion and music enhance the effect — what matters isn’t fluidity but repeatability. The best ballstriker in history was Moe Norman, and his swing wasn’t a model of grace. But it was exactly the same every time. In another 6000 hours, Dan’s swing just might be comparably repetitive…
Jason says:

January 13, 2013 at 4:11 am

Dan – this looks pretty fluid and relaxed to me. I’m sure that there are technical flaws (some of which people here have pointed out) but the key here as 3foot1 says is repeatability. Can you pull out a swing you can trust when the pressure is on and execute the shot you need to hit? If yes, then you’re good to go in my view. Jim Furyk and Corey Pavin would’ve been hammered if they’d posted their swings on the net and they’ve done OK…

However, the one thing I would say is that your ball position is too far forward and this (if I recall correctly from the golfshot stats in your prior blog entries) is why you miss to the left off the tee (and I imagine on other shots when you miss). I’d suggest you practice with it back in your stance a little – maybe back an inch, hit 30 shots; back 2 inches hit 30 shots; 3 inches, 30 shots etc – for as long as necessary to get the shot pattern you want. Obviously adjust for each club as needed.

But well done – and your round of 73 is testament to your progress. #keepitup!
Abraham says:

January 13, 2013 at 11:13 am

Looks like you’ve sorted that early wrist cocking. Onwards and upwards.
VinnyMorrissey says:

January 14, 2013 at 1:36 am

swing is fine, even if there are minor flaws….now the question is this, lets play for $1000 a hole, matchplay….will you choke?
Dave says:

January 14, 2013 at 4:48 am

Hi Dan, looking pretty good. I would like to see you get your arms higher up on the take away/backswing.(wider/longer stretch especially on the initial take away when the shaft is parallel with the ground will help this). I’m not sure about your camera angle but the shaft should I believe have an inch or two of daylight above your head at the top. Your shaft is cutting through the middle of your head. Get those arms up higher on follow through to finish too. Get the the feeling that you are tall and like superman. It’s hard to tell with the speed of the video but from behind it looks like you are getting a nice angle on the top of the back swing(looks like about 65-67 degrees? and you are coming down nicely and it looks as though you are hitting your swing plane. So yeah try and get those arms up nice and high and you will notice a difference with distance. It’s quite a hard concept to do though but check out a few of the pros on the you tube and you will see what I mean. Adam Scott comes to mind so check this out this link if you get a chance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DIcmJilO_w
MA says:

January 14, 2013 at 8:57 am

+1 to all comments that mention the low hands at the top of your backswing and finish.
thedanplan says:

January 15, 2013 at 5:12 pm

Good to know.
thedanplan says:

January 15, 2013 at 5:12 pm

Only one way to find out. Where are we playing?
thedanplan says:

January 15, 2013 at 5:12 pm

Thanks Dave. checking out the video right now…
thedanplan says:

January 15, 2013 at 5:13 pm

Trying to!
thedanplan says:

January 15, 2013 at 5:14 pm

Good point. Thanks for noticing that.
thedanplan says:

January 15, 2013 at 5:14 pm

Same as Jason, thanks for noticing
thedanplan says:

January 15, 2013 at 5:15 pm

I could put the TrackMan up and then compare the swing to the flight path on that. Would be a great way to see more info. Perhaps next sunny day I’ll throw that combo together.
JT says:

January 18, 2013 at 7:09 am

Pretty insane that your swing looks this solid when you just took up golf 2 years ago.

Ball position on the 7-iron could use a little adjustment (it looks pretty far forward which i am always guilty of – do you hit a lot of “moon-ball fades” with your mid irons?). It looks forward on your driver too, but I don’t see how it could too far off from ideal, because I remember your driver clubhead angle on the trac-man was pretty close to matching the tour pro swing.

Keep up the good work! I have to admit I am pretty jealous. At about the same time you started, I was around a 16 index and began spending a huge deal of my free time trying to improve… but now I’ve been stuck at an 8-9 index for a while, and it feels hopeless.

Any general advice for trying to escape the plateau?

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