Today we started the lesson discussing keeping the right side “long”. I was under the assumption that you did that with the hips, but you actually do it with the right obliques and right lats. After getting to the top of the backswing, you do a very short move down to return the right hip to level, then you push with your right obliques and right lat through the ball. When you do this, your shoulder drops back and it looks like the club face is going to be completely open at impact. For me, it also looks like the club is going to hit my toes.
This is getting the club behind you and being able to come inside out. For the time being, I am falling back a little bit, but this is what I need to do to get the feel. After the first slight move down on the downswing, the entire right side moves the body through the ball causing the right side to fall behind the right hip.
It feels as if I am swinging to the sky and I am going to miss the ball. After a few swings and a couple toed shots, I actually hit a couple good ones. For the time being, My entire upper body is falling behind the ball which will be fixed in the future, but I have to get this feeling.
Patrick also showed me that as the club comes through, makes impact and starts to exit the impact zone, my right lat needs to support the shoulder and move the shoulder, arms and hands to the top of the swing. Once the club gets to about eye level after impact I can feel my right lat take over and move the right shoulder and right arm so the club is over my head.
As I practice this move, my right shoulder and the right side of my upper body really feels as if it is falling back. The club feels as if it is going to hit my toes and the club face is completely open. I will practice this for two days and allow Patrick to clean me up. Overall, now I know why amateurs come over the top. It feels very foreign to let the club from the inside on the downswing. It really feels like the swing is super steep and you are going to completely miss the ball.
Oh, the joys of golf.
UPDATE: I am now 129 lessons in in June 2020 and I still come over the top. I am unable to drive under with my right lat because my shoulders pull through the golf swing. While Patrick thinks my backswing is very good, and full, I still do not grasp how to create power in the golf swing. It is maddening to know that I am 20 months into golf lessons and still cannot swing correctly. Instead of holding off with my left shoulder and left leg, I jerk with my shoulders through and my left leg completely collapses. I then hit a ton of toe shots. Sigh.
