Casting the Golf Club

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Topic: Casting

I seen myself on video for the first time yesterday and I noticed I'm casting the club way to early in my downswing.  I did a search of the forums hoping to find some discussions on this topic but nothing came up.  Does anyone else have this problem?  Are there drills that I can do to work on this? 

I'm also having a problem shanking (I hate to say or even write that word) the ball.  My instructor says it's because I start turning my shoulders too soon rather than letting my arms and hands drop down before turning.  I didn't think I had to worry about my arms and hands dropping down.  From what I understand the 1PS is just rotating back and forward.  Do the hands and arms have to drop down before rotating back through?  I'm trying to concentrate on turning with my core and this seems to help but I still find myself shanking once in awhile.  Can anyone give me suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Sammy,

Your front arm will drop down as you rotate back to impact. Because your arms are passive they will fall on their own. You must stay connected, that is, not let your lead arm get away from and keep your back elbow along your shirt seam. The other thing is to rotate your entire core, not just your shoulders through the shot.

Take some time and search this forum. There are lots of posts with good advice for everthing that ails you.

Mark

Sammy,

Look at video on impact bag. Get one and do the drills. Be careful you can hurt your wrists if you are casting and not rotating through the bag. I have found this training aid to fix a lot of what could go wrong in building my OPS. Three concepts I use: constant spine angle, passive arms, and turn left with your core on downswing.

Sammy,

When I hit a bad one, I can tell I get disconnected.  This could be a fat shot, a thin shot.  Try the baseball drill and the broom drill.  I have started doing the baseball drill as part of my preshot routine.  It may look odd but it works.

I am new the the OPS Site and DVD but have seen some really promising progress in the last month with my swing.  Can't say the same thing for the spring cleaning.

Thanks for the replies guys.  I really appreciate it.  I'll keep working on it.  I hope to meet up with Chuck when he comes into Chicago the 26th so he can cure all my swing flaws. 

Can anyone address the problem I'm having with turning my shoulders too soon?  Will turning with the core cure this problem as well?  I mean I shouldn't have to concentrate on dropping my arms before I rotate back to the ball should I?  I know you're not supposed to think about your arms and hands at all but I'm having trouble doing that.  The more I work at it the easier it'll become I guess.

Thanks again.  I love this site...it's helped me with my transition to the 1PS immensely.

Reluctant on posting any help on this issue any more than the basics as I am only a "OPS Newbie" myself.  But I can tell you I don't focus on my arms, mostly turning with my "sides".  Not sure if that helps. 

Hi Sammy,

I've been trying to overcome this affliction for a long, long, long time.  I'm not sure if the source of your casting is the same as mine, but you might find my http://ClubCaster.home.comcast.net - website interesting, especially the http://ClubCaster.home.comcast.net/ClubCasterFaq.htm - FAQ .  Also, the " http://www.oneplanegolfswing.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1962 - Secret of golf , clubhead lag. TGM -.- " thread has quite a discussion on it, including a post by me where I write a little about my efforts to overcome casting.  When I wrote that post I was feeling fairly confident that I had either learned to lag the club sufficiently, or was about to, because of some recent success on the course.  But I haven't been doing as well lately, and yesterday I videotaped my swing for the first time in a while with some rather discouraging results.  I plan to post the video clips tonight, and am hoping that Chuck can give me some feedback.  I remain convinced that following Chuck's instruction gives us our best hope for improvement.

Best wishes,
ClubCaster
http://ClubCaster.home.comcast.net - http://ClubCaster.home.comcast.net

Thanks Club.  I read the post.  Some good stuff in there.  This may have been the best advice..a post by lefty:

"You could write a thousand page tome on lag that nobody could ever hope to fully understand, or you could simply say, "Turn your body back to the ball but keep your hands back there for an instant". "

I was doing this the other night and hitting the ball fairly well but I'm not sure if I was casting or not as I wasn't recording my swing.  I may try to create that sensation again (keeping my hands back for an instant) while recording my swing to see if that helps.

I've also read through your website..some good stuff there as well.  I've bookmarked it and will continue to check in.   

I'm hoping someday while practicing I'll just get it (like a light bulb turning on) and everything will just come together. 

Thanks again.

I believe that if you focus on a swing "driver" as far as possible from the arms, casting is hard to do..  maybe focus on passive arms, maybe focus on active core or torso or left shoulder or whatever feels right for your swing.

Try to feel that the arms are connected and sort of glued more or less to the body, and let the body do the swinging.  That will create the lag you need.

Clubcaster i'm with you my friend,

Trying to stop myself from casting the club is a problem I feel I will never be able to eliminate. To those who have never suffered this ill, think yourself lucky. It's like trying to give up smoking, but 10 times harder.

I have yet to find a swing thought or feel that truly cuts it (excuse the pun). When I do i'll buy everyone on this site a pint.

Links

Good point arbano,

but if Tiger had my swing flaws he wouldn't play decent golf. Actually maybe he would, but I can't.

Tiger could play one armed and still win tournaments. He is a wonder of golf, but an unrealistic swing model for humans.

Links

Tiger will only be beaten by a man with a stronger will to win. It won't happen in my lifetime.

Nicklaus, Hogan, Woods. No perfect golf swing in there, but 3 brilliant minds.

I have a crap swing which hinders my perfect mental attitude.

Anyway I just want to kiss casting goodbye. Flyfishing - i will keep up the drills. Something happens though when I put down the broom and pick up a club!!

Links

Sammy,

Here's my 2 cents.  I have found that no drill gets me back on track to the promised land of rotation like putting a headcover,or golf glove under the armpit of the front arm and staying connected.  this works so well that I have played a round of golf tucking my left shirtsleeve in the armpit.  If done properly, it is almost impossible to get off track using this drill.  Better yet, put a towel under both armpits and swing away. 

[QUOTE=One Planer said]

Great!!  Anither guid reason tae go ti Scotland.  Pints all around on our man Links, lads. 

  Planer,

11:19 PM????????

Regarding the spell check ...............is it a little late and a few too many pints, or were you just funnin'?

dw

Nae bother, Yin Planer, twas a doddle fir mi

Hae ye sum Scots in ye, bonnie lad? Yer lallans is braw!

Off to the range tonight, with 2 headcovers, a broom, a metronome and a bucket o' patience.

Thanks guys.

I worked on some of these drills last night.  Mainly the headcover under the right arm drill with mixed results.  I had a hard time even hitting the ball with the cover under my arm.  I'm not sure if I was focused too much on keeping the cover under my arm or what.  I think I stay pretty connected during my swing though.  I'm not sure how much casting I was doing as I wasn't able to set up the video recorder.  I haven't tried the broom drill but plan to tonight.  I think I may be thinking too much about too many different things during my swing.  I just can't stop myself.  I think if I can get the mental aspect under control, I would be much better off.  Most of the shots I was hitting, I was getting a ball speed between 106 and 110.  That seams a bit low to me.  What's the ideal ball spead for a 6 iron.  I was hitting on the Golf Achiever II.  Thanks again to everyone for thier help.

One planer,

You are better at my own language than me!! I knew there had to be a bloodline!

Going to the range tonight.

Sammy, I know what you mean about swinging with the headcover under your arm. It really highlights if you have been swinging with the arms and body disconnected. The first time I tried it I thought Chuck was having a laugh. I felt like I was swinging with a straitjacket on. It does work though if you stick with it.

Don't make the mistake I made though and use your wallet instead of a headcover. My wallet ended up 15 feet down the range. Quite embarrasing retrieving it (and all the cards that fell out).

Links

Links,

That's exactly what it felt like...like I was in a straight jacket.  I'll keep working on it.  Thanks buddy.

Sammy,

If you struggled with the headcover drill, that is an indication that you are not using rotation and staying connected.  When you get the hang of it, you will sometimes hit the ball better than you do without the headcover.  When I first tried it, I was a spazzzz.  Don't give up.  It takes 21 days of daily dedication to break an old habit and form a new one. 

Some advice.  Don't try 20 different drills daily, looking for an instant fix.  It takes work and time.  Pick a drill and practice it faithfully.  Some of us, me and Flyfishin, have a favorite drill, and we do it at a minimum 3-4 times per week, every week.  Fly and I (kind of catchy isn't it) do the Body Drill.  That headcover drill is a part of Vijay's daily practice routine on the range and is a staple of golf instructor Jimmy Ballard who taught folks like Hal Sutton.

Play well.

One planer,

I keep the headcover under my arm for the full swing during the drill. By using the headcover rather my shirt it allows a little seperation between my arm and chest on the follow through. i.e. the bulk of the headcover helps, where something thinner feels impossible to keep in.

Am I doing it wrong!

Links

Hey, My only problem in my downswing is sometimes I too get my arms disconnected from my body. It doesent happen too opften but when it does I hit high cuts with my driver and with an iron I come to steep on it.

I havent really done anythign about it its like when it does happen I think OOPS I came over it abit but never do anything to stop it.

So now im happy with all of my swing now I will start doing drills to keep it up. I think ill do the headcover drill that sounds good. I use to do that but just forgot about it in the end.

Also to stop it I felt myself drop the club inside but if your doing the one plane swing you obviously dont want to do that

If I was you, Stick to the headcover drill and feel like the rotation of the body in the downswing makes the club get to the ball not the arms or hands.