The lower ball flight than you are used to is THE normal ball flight!
It is a sign that you strike the ball without de-lofting the club and is a consequence of the correct motion engrained with your “Basic Motion” work.

However, if you’re looking for a higher trajectory, change nothing except ball position: place it closer to low point until you get the desired ball flight. But do it WITHOUT altering your motion. Ball position changes, not the motion.

The yardage issue is not normal and is a clue that you probably need more compression on the ball: ie. go more DOWN and OUT.

I then hit a bucket with nothing but my 7 & 8 irons. My ball striking was great. I had been hitting a lot off the toe. I hit zero off the toe after the drill. I had been hitting a baby draw and was hitting about a 5 yard fade using the hitting mechanics. It changed my swing path according to my divots.

My ball flight with the new mechanics is flatter and lower which I do not like. Will that work its self out with more practice and better compression?

I also did not notice much of a yardage distance 5 yds or less between the 7 & 8.

Anyway it feels weird but good. I feel almost robotic but next trip will try to work on a complete high follow through.

Keep going. I know that for you this is not going to be as easy and instantaneous as it did with my wife.

The most important is that you keep thinking about and trying all the things you read here:
You’ll need to incubate all those concepts and feels first.
Incubation time varies from people to people but the egg always hatches into a “aha” moment.

Agreed; that’s why I appreciate the Golfing Machine: it is a System and not a Method (ala Stack & Tilk for instance).
It references all THE WAYS and not THE WAY to hit the ball correctly – just assemble the components the way you prefer!

However all the swings must obey the same imperatives:
- a flat left wrist AT IMPACT (no matter how you get there)
- a Clubhead Lag Pressure Point (your index trigger finger)
- tracing a straigh plane line with that Pressure Point

Great comment!

“I would feel it at the top of my swing and then when I attempt to strike the ball, I would unconsciously lose it on the downswing because I was concentrating on hitting the ball.”

This illustrates the mantra “put your mind in the Hands, not in the ball”.

However when I consciously try to maintain it, it feels that I am swing way TOO EFFORTLESSLY i.e. the club was travelling too slow for my liking because my hands must always be in front of the clubhead.”

This slowness is the correct feel: And at the same time you feel that you cannot go any faster (!!!) as it is pretty tough to drag that heavy clubhead.

Therefore any quick and jerky feel on the downswing is improper execution!

I totally agree with you, and will continue to work on it

Cheers,
Mike

“I have been reading some forums (golfwrx.com) and you can nearly hit your normal distance swinging from 9 to 3, since the ball contact is much better.

I think for guys like us, a more compact swing is what is needed.”

Exactly right.

The keys to success as a Hitter:
SHORTER BACKSWING
SLOWER STARTDOWN
SLOW and HEAVY FEEL

The Hitter has a shorter backswing than the Swinger. In fact, the shorter the better!
A Hitter trying to lengthen his backswing risks activating his right arm way too soon on the downswing.
As a consequence he will run out of right arm before reaching to the ball. At gis point his brain won’t allow to miss the ball and will flip the club in a desperate attempt to touch it: thin shot!

If, like Mike, you are “athletic”, Hitting is good because you are in control of your motion as opposed to Swinging where you must let centrifugal force go.

But I strongly encourage you to shorten your backswing AND perform the slowest startdown possible, especially with the longest clubs! I know this is counter intuitive but try it and you’ll understand.

Gripping the club tight is good as we want no wobble in the grip. Club pro’s will discourage you to do so for a reason: many amateurs who grip it very tight ALSO tend to dead lock everything and crisp their wrists which is worst!

The best way is to grip it tight BUT keep loosened wrists EVEN with Hitting because it helps a lot to feel and sustain clubhead inertia (aka Lag Pressure!).

I appreciate your compassion

I’m slowly getting their, more on my own with my relentless study of the swing, experimenting on “feel” and “sensation”, and seeing some better results.

I am willing to hang in there, as I am NOT a quitter in anything I do!

Your swing thought is a good one, and thank you for sharing it.

Cheers,
Mike

Sorry to see Mike struggling with his swing. When I started to find the lag with my #3 pressure point, it was really hard to maintain it. I would feel it at the top of my swing and then when I attempt to strike the ball, I would unconsciously lose it on the downswing because I was concentrating on hitting the ball.

However when I consciously try to maintain it, it feels that I am swing way TOO EFFORTLESSLY ie the club was travelling too slow for my liking because my hands must always be in front of the clubhead.

However, when I trusted this sensation, the result would always be a solid middle of the clubface strike. I was a duffer before I discovered #3 pp. Now it feels that I get all the distance and accuracy I need with half the effort. like magic.

Now one of my swing thoughts on the downswing is get the feeling of lag and then make my right forefinger chase my left shoulder while keeping the wrist assembly intact….weird but it works.

Also there are some products that helps you feel this #3 pp, which I won’t mention but it has a link on this page.

I used it and it helped me tremendously.

Again, I am too long winded.
cheers

Maybe this is an “athletic” thing…

I have been reading some forums (golfwrx.com) and you can nearly hit your normal distance swinging from 9 to 3, since the ball contact is much better.

We are 2 “peas in a pod” I guess.

I think for guys like us, a more compact swing is what is needed.

MIke

I’ve always thought I was a HITTER anyways…LOL!

I’ve never had a smooth, flowing swing to a full finished position.

Mike