Lesson #134 – June 23rd, 2020

We are still at Knight’s Play due to Coronavirus. I am very proud of myself for allowing Patrick to tinker and refine my swing without me trying to figure it out myself. It took a very long time to accept that my tinkering does not help. In fact, it hurts the process.

Today, Patrick really focused on the downswing. My backswing continues to get better as Patrick holds my left hand and left elbow to allow my left core and lower lat to drive to the top of the backswing. When he does this, it really feels like I am coming under my right shoulder. Patrick does continue to re-establish my right lat at the top of the backswing. Instead of lifting with it, Patrick taps it to make certain it remains stable and what feels “low” to me. I used to lift with my right shoulder which made my entire right side feel high in the backswing.

With the downswing, we first re-establish the left knee over the left toes in what almost feels like a semi squat. I then need to make sure my right shoulder is passive and soft. I drive under with my right core and right lat. Something Patrick really focused on was my core turning and continuing to turn on the downswing. It works the exact same way it does on the backswing. If my right lat and right shoulder create the downswing, my core is never going to catch up or be used at all. The core should lead the lats on both the backswing and the downswing.

Patrick really challenged me with the finish of the swing. If I can continue to use and turn my core, my left foot should remain planted and my upper body turns around my lower body. At this point, I simply am not flexible enough nor is my core doing enough to allow this to happen. Patrick basically has to hold me up because my upper body and head are “heavy” through impact. As my core starts to work through impact, it will support my upper body and head it will make my upper body feel lighter. There is a lot of work to be put in to get my core to support my turn on the follow through.

We continue to refine and perfect the chipping motion. Patrick wants me to get length in the drill which means my left lat is going to lead the left arm. This will lengthen the left arm without hyper extending it. When done correctly, the swing definitely feels longer.

UPDATE: We are now in late February 2021, I am over 230 lessons in and I still have the habit of lifting with the upper right side to finish the backswing. I have gotten much better until about three quarters of the way through the backswing and at the very top of the backswing I want to lift with my right lat. While this is better than before and much better than lifting with my right arm or right shoulder, it still causes me to fade the ball and come over the top right at impact. If I can suck in with my lower right side all the way to the top of the backswing, I hit the ball great. Still plenty of work to be done.

You can find all my lessons here.