Using the Mirror with the Golf Stroke

[Martee]

When working on your golf stroke by yourself eithe a video or mirror can be a definite asset. Both have positive and negatives. Obviously the video allows for watching the total motion whereas the mirror is limited in the motion you can observe.

The mirror allows you to validate in more real time than the video

For awhile I have been researching the use of Video and Mirrors on working on the golf stroke. Both have uses and both have draw backs from what I can see. There is a common drawback to both, you need to know what you are looking at. That may not sound very profound, but practice and doing analysis with a faulty understanding, isn't going to aid a golfer in development of a good golf stroke.

Obviously if we continue to view top pro golfers, we are going to see a wide variety of golf motions and positions. So does the analysis of another golfer benefit you? Looking or focusing on a particular component of another's golf stroke, does this aid in making your golf stroke better? Heck is that component compatible with your stroke?

Thus I come to the problem, what and how should you use the mirror.

Monitor hands at the Top? Do we know the correct alignment?

Plane Angle Line? How do we account for various clubs?

Head Position?

Ball Position?

If you had marks/lines on a mirror, would they be different for other golfers?

Is there a difference between using a convex mirror over a flat mirror.

I know a few people here use them and claim success, what I am looking for is how do set the mirror up and what check points you use and how you arrived at them.

I will give an example of using the mirror that provided incorrect information. I worked hard a flat wrist at the top. In fact I would go to the fault of arching it at times. In reality what i visually saw as a flat wrist, and you could put a stick on it, was in fact an arched wrist when cocked. Once I learned what to look for when cocking the wrist, that changed the position at the top and thus improved my golf stroke. But yet looking back and the position and the pictures, most would have said I had a flat wrist, now I have a cupped wrist. They would be wrong.

Another one that always amazes me is the Plane Angle, everyone seems to have an opinion on what is too flat or too steep not withstanding the golfer's stoke components. What is with that anyway? A guess is that 90% or more of the golf instruction that exist today would inform Mr. Hogan, his swing is too flat. Makes you wonder?

[mb6606]

The mirror might be the best training tool.

I use a cheap framed closet mirror. I set a dowel in iside the frame of the mirror at the exact angle as my right foreamr at address.
I practice the right forearm takeaway over and over. At the top my
hand(s) match the dowel plane line.

Another great plane drill I got from watching Chuck's video clip. http://chuckevansgolf.com/media/righ...f_approach.mov
Watch Chuck's right forwarm angle clip. Set the left hand dowel as Chuck does to match the impact right forearm angle. Swing a dowel in your right arm to the top. The left and right arm dowels should line up perfectly on plane. Simply the best way to understand and ensure the correct plane line.