Twisting hips open?

This is really an update of the thread I started concerning the rotation of shoulders, but I need some input concerning my latest and greatest "solution." (Greg can laugh now .)

I was shooting iron shots weakly off to the right with glancing slices. I kept trying to visualize what was going on with the club face to produce such wicked shots. After trying different things over a couple of days, all the while trying to keep my spine angle the same throughout the shot (as well as trying to keep the club from being wrapped around a tree ), nothing was happening except mounting frustration. Finally I considered that I was twisting my hips open really early which would explain, at least in my mind, the pulling of the club head away from the ball. This, again to me, would account for glancing weak strikes of the ball.

So, I tried to do the things I had been focusing on (such as tension-free grip and arms, although "tension-free" was difficult to come by, maintaining spine angle, not swaying of the backswing) and I sought to keep my hips still (radically so) on the forward swing. Though it felt awkward at first, I started making decent contact again.

My question is this: Does this make sense, or am I so messed up that I'm doing something wrong which is merely patching something else that's wrong?

As always, thanks.

Bill

Cmays,

Thanks. Back when I was really hitting my irons well, I worked on the concepts I had picked up concerning the 1-plane swing because it seems a simpler swing. Somehow, I think I start mixing some 2-plane with the 1-plane. I go through this from time to time. Is there a good source you would recommend for the 1-plane swing in order to see the right concepts?

Thanks,
Bill

CMays,

You've set me right in my mind again. I indeed had been trying to mix a more upright 2-plane iron swing with my more natural 1-plane swing. After reading your comments, I went out and hit a few 8 irons with a more "around the body" swing, what I understand the 1-plane to be, and I was making really nice contact with a nice draw or sometimes straight.

Also, something Brian W. wrote on another thread, the one about taking divots, perhaps, helped me. He noted that you have the same swing with all clubs. I had read the Golf Digest "tip" about breaking 100 in, I think, June's issue about visualizing a Ferris wheel with irons and a merry-go-round with woods. I made it work for a bit, but I think following that made me start mixing the 2-plane and 1-plane swings in my irons. As my natural 1-plane would try to take over, the wheels would come off.

Again, CMays, thanks. I often cannot follow what you are writing about, but you really helped me here.

Bill