thin and weak contact

Question
hi, i am hitting the ball thin, too high and am not getting a penetrating flight with any of my clubs. i have no confidence with my ball striking. i struggle to take divot with iron shots and if i force myself to take one i usually hit it fat. i have 3 videos for you to have a look at so you can see where im going wrong. one of the video's is a punch shot, i always hit the ball good when i have an abbreviated follow through. thanks ( the links for the videos are below, they are web addresses) http://files.filefront.com//;6572098;;/

http://files.filefront.com//;6572144;;/  

http://files.filefront.com//;6574548;;/

Answer
Rhys:  If you freeze the two swings at just a couple inches past impact position you'll see that your punch swing shows a full extension; whereas, the full swing shows your left wrist cupped.  This adds loft to the club and makes taking a divot difficult if not impossible.

Looking at the top of both swings shows the full shot going well past parallel.  When you go that far in the back swing, you make it necessary to hit from the top to catch your hands up with your shoulders and hips and that causes an early release and the cupped left wrist at impact.

As for the 3rd video; if you draw a line from your hip pockets to the ground, you'll note the line hits the ground a good 6 inches from your heels.  This shows that your weight is back on your heels making it difficult to make a weight shift in the back swing.  This is demonstrated by your right leg straightening and your left knee flexing towards the ball.  Imbalance and the resulting leg action keeps your weight on the left side and causes a slight dipping of the left shoulder.  In the forward swing, because you've dipped and are already on the left side, you have to raise up as your left leg straightens making it difficult to hit down on the ball and take a divot.

The fix?  Shift your weight to the balls of your feet at address (move the line from your back pockets to the ground to within an inch of your heels).  From this position, you'll be able to keep your right leg flexed in the back swing, your left knee can now move toward the right allowing a weight shift.  This should eliminate the dipping so that the legs can move laterally in the forward swing.

If this doesn't improve your consistency and your ball striking, I would suggest one final adjustment; and that is to stop your swing just short of parallel.  This will eliminate the need to hit from the top and will help put you in a stronger impact position.

You can see and learn more at www.golfnutts.com.

Fairways and Greens,

John