Baseball Swing?

About once every ten shots, I send the ball sideways and it seems to be worse with my short irons (7-PW). Driver and fairway woods are ok. I initially thought I was shanking, but I don't think it's coming off the hosel ... it's that the face is way open. Here's what I think it is ... I come through the contact area with the butt end of the grip leading the way, similar to a baseball bat. (The back of my left hand is more parallel than perpendicular to the target line). The club head is way behind and open, which sends the ball sideways.

As a kid, I learned to swing a baseball bat long before a golf club. I think this has instilled a lifelong swing flaw for me. To make it worse, I started played softball for the first time in 10 years this spring. (I have since stopped playing)

Has anyone else had this problem? Any recommended drills?

Thanks in advance.

I *think* youre describing a block. Try making sure you keep the club low to the ground for the first part of the takeaway to get some width in the swing. You can block when you pick the club up too steeply and simply dont give your arms the time and space to come down and around. When this happens the butt of the club goes straight at the ball, the face is way open and the ball shoots off right

I agree with PNEARN, you are probably blocking the shot due to a very late uncocking of your wrists thus keeping the club face open at impact.

Try making a much earlier release of the wrists while not letting your hands get ahead of you, keep your right shoulder back and the but end of the club pointing at your belt buckle longer through impact.

Regards
Brian

I think I found something that seemed to help. I made it a point to rotate my shoulders more in my backswing (shoulder under/past the chin).

Can under-rotation of the shoulders cause blocking? I was thinking that with a longer rotation, my hands have a longer time to "catch up" and through on the downswing. Is this right?

dfix16,

I send balls to the right when I turn the shoulders faster than I can handle. I concluded that turning the shoulders too fast will leave the clubface open at impact so I don't turn the shoulders too fast any more and I don't send balls to the right any more.

Instead of trying to turn the shoulders faster, I try to accelerate the hands faster. That doesn't leave the clubface open at impact.


Martin Levac

Hi dfix.
I agree with martin 100%. Another answer would be to try and keep your back facing towards the target for as long as possible when starting the downswing . This will stop you from allowing your shoulders from turning too quickly during the downswing
cheers

I didn't mean that I was rotating my shoulders faster ... just longer. So when my shoulders further rotated, my hands have more time to come through. What I was thinking is that under-rotating my shoulders was causing an overuse of my arms.

I thought I was overusing my arms as soon as I was using them just a little. Now I know better. Overuse of the arms is when it starts causing problems. Well, I have yet to reach that point of overuse of my arms because I haven't seen a problem yet.


Martin Levac

I don't believe this.