Help (Golf Related)

[silverbear]

Oops. I don't think this is happening. At all. I don't think I even do this with my shorter irons.

I just went through the motions (with people staring at me).... I am def. not doing this with my lower irons, driver, or 3 wood. I think I start to do this around my 8 iron. Without actually having the clubs with me, I cannot check...but that's my guess.

Well then, at this point I'm starting to get the picture I would have gotten by watching you swing it a few times... so now I know you're not taking a full turn away from the ball, that you're artificially shortening your backswing...

This explains your distance problem, and also why you're a bit straighter than most people... it's my philosophy that to play golf well, you need some distance, so even if it winds up sacrificing some of your accuracy short term, please start working on getting your shoulder turned fully under your chin... this will ensure that you take a fuller backswing, which will also help you have a little more time to get your legs moving on the downswing...

Yeah, I am def. getting more power from my arms than anything....

I'm kind of that way myself, I never had the violent hip action that Tiger has on a swing... I got my distance from powerful wrists, hands and forearms, combined with good timing (which comes from many reps)...

It is possible to get some distance if you're strong in the upper body, but it's easier to move the ball longer distances if you get your legs involved...

So, what I'd like you to try working on is to set up with your head behind the ball at address, your weight slightly over on your right side... take the clubhead away low and slightly (I repeat, slightly) inside, and try to get that left shoulder under your chin... you might try working with a kind of lazy swing rhythm, if it doesn't mess up your timing...

And when you get to the top of your downswing, you start with your legs, before you ever move your hands... I like to show students on the tee how it works, I swing the club to the top and stop, then I make my first move and my hands automatically drop into the right plane to start the downswing... that's when I tell them that my hands didn't move at all, that it was shifting my weight over to my left side that dropped them into position...

That's right, you actually start your downswing with your LEGS... that puts your hands in the proper position, and you can "turn loose the dog" (release your hands through the shot)...

No divot, most of the time. And when I do take a divot, its pretty minimal.

It's really a lot easier to play consistently if you start striking down on the ball and digging up a bit of turf... the neat thing is, practicing starting your downswing with your legs will make it easier to strike down and through the ball...

Here's a REALLY tough drill for you, to promote striking down on the ball-- set a ball on the ground on the practice tee (IOW, not teed up), and make a swing at it with just your left hand on the club... just use your wedge, it makes the drill a bit easier...

I guarantee you, no matter your skill level, you'll cold whiff the ball the first time, maybe the first few times... to make it easier, I'm not looking for a big swing, even a little half swing will do fine, so long as the ball gets up and gets flying... be warned that it won't fly much more than 50 yards (since the right hand provides the distance in a swing), but the point is to get the ball up in the air...

Do this until you start getting every shot up and flying, then put your other hand on the club, and watch how you start striking down on the ball... you won't ever be able to get the ball airborne swinging onehanded if you don't strike down on it...

(BTW: thanks a bunch for this: it really helps me out)

You're quite welcome... I miss my teaching pro days... wish I could get you on the tee and see for myself what's going on, it's tough to diagnose by just talking about it...

 

[Vintage]

Well then, at this point I'm starting to get the picture I would have gotten by watching you swing it a few times... so now I know you're not taking a full turn away from the ball, that you're artificially shortening your backswing...

This explains your distance problem, and also why you're a bit straighter than most people... it's my philosophy that to play golf well, you need some distance, so even if it winds up sacrificing some of your accuracy short term, please start working on getting your shoulder turned fully under your chin... this will ensure that you take a fuller backswing, which will also help you have a little more time to get your legs moving on the downswing...

OK...... I went to the range again last night. I decided to warm up by hitting the ball how I normally do, so that way I could take note of what I naturally was doing and what I naturally wasn't doing...

7-SW, I was tucking my left shoulder under my chin. I think I was doing this more naturally bec. they were shorter clubs and I am 6'2".... I wasn't with my longer irons (and I have no clue on my driver and 3 wood.... I only wanted to work on my irons yesterday.... but I suspect I am not doing the shoulder tuck with the driver and 3 wood anyway).

I'm kind of that way myself, I never had the violent hip action that Tiger has on a swing... I got my distance from powerful wrists, hands and forearms, combined with good timing (which comes from many reps)...

It is possible to get some distance if you're strong in the upper body, but it's easier to move the ball longer distances if you get your legs involved...

So, what I'd like you to try working on is to set up with your head behind the ball at address, your weight slightly over on your right side... take the clubhead away low and slightly (I repeat, slightly) inside, and try to get that left shoulder under your chin... you might try working with a kind of lazy swing rhythm, if it doesn't mess up your timing...

After my warm up, I started concentrating on lining my head up behind the ball at address, which naturally shifted the weight to the right side as well as dipping my right shoulder.... Doing this also made it more natural to coil (IMO). A couple of shots with my 6 iron, and it felt very natural... I started to put it close to 180.... I can't really tell. From the angle I was using (since I was hitting off the grass....the grass tee boxes have their own distance markers), I was flying it well past the 150 marker....but the next marker was 275...so I couldn't accurately guage it. It had to be pretty close to the 175-180 range. Good news also is; they keep their grass the length of a shorter rough...so I might even get some extra couple of yards with a fairway roll. And if not, eh, I'm still hitting it a reasonable distance.

And when you get to the top of your downswing, you start with your legs, before you ever move your hands... I like to show students on the tee how it works, I swing the club to the top and stop, then I make my first move and my hands automatically drop into the right plane to start the downswing... that's when I tell them that my hands didn't move at all, that it was shifting my weight over to my left side that dropped them into position...

OK, this I wasn't doing. When I got to the top of my downswing, it was a simulataneous shift weight/starting the downswing....I just did a practice swing and my hands naturally dropped a bit when I shifted the weight at the top of my backswing without moving forward on the downswing... so the good news is, this feels natural...so it shouldn't be too bad to try and replicate. Just need to work on the timing, if I had to guess....

That's right, you actually start your downswing with your LEGS... that puts your hands in the proper position, and you can "turn loose the dog" (release your hands through the shot)...

Ok.

It's really a lot easier to play consistently if you start striking down on the ball and digging up a bit of turf... the neat thing is, practicing starting your downswing with your legs will make it easier to strike down and through the ball...

Before I was picking the ball clean.... last night, when I started to do the left shoulder tuck and the "aiming high"....and remembering to strike down and through the ball (which I picked up in Golf magazine a week or so ago), I started to take divots. They weren't huge, but I was neatly slicing off little chunks.

Here's a REALLY tough drill for you, to promote striking down on the ball-- set a ball on the ground on the practice tee (IOW, not teed up), and make a swing at it with just your left hand on the club... just use your wedge, it makes the drill a bit easier...

LOL.... I do something like this after every shot at the driving range since I've been concentrating on striking down and through the ball (which, like I said, I've been doing probably for a week). I just take a little half swing with the left hand and strike down on a broken tee I can find.... I found it useful especially if I top a ball or something...

I guarantee you, no matter your skill level, you'll cold whiff the ball the first time, maybe the first few times... to make it easier, I'm not looking for a big swing, even a little half swing will do fine, so long as the ball gets up and gets flying... be warned that it won't fly much more than 50 yards (since the right hand provides the distance in a swing), but the point is to get the ball up in the air...

LOL.... awesome. I feel like I am sort of on the same page with you... I haven't tried it with a ball, but I usually use a broken tee I find at the driving range and do it with that... (obviously, it doesn't fly more than a few feet)

Do this until you start getting every shot up and flying, then put your other hand on the club, and watch how you start striking down on the ball... you won't ever be able to get the ball airborne swinging onehanded if you don't strike down on it...

Before I started concentrating on the swing down and through, I'd play 9 holes.... top 3-4 shots, and shoot high 40s-50. I started concentrating on this, and last round went out and shot a 46 through 9 and topped the ball once.... This alone saved me several strokes.

I am trying to get the 3 iron up and going bec. this will save me another couple of strokes as well....(like I said earlier, with par 4s mostly...but I can also shorten par 5s too).

You're quite welcome... I miss my teaching pro days... wish I could get you on the tee and see for myself what's going on, it's tough to diagnose by just talking about it...

I've been doing some of this stuff naturally (which makes me feel better since I don't have a background in this)...and the stuff I haven't been doing, when I do it (like the shoulder under chin; "aiming high" which then places slightly more weight on the right side....starting the shifting of weight before the downswing) - all that stuff feels really natural when I do it...

I just need to keep practicing it. I picked it up pretty easily with my higher irons.

It wasn't coming quite as natural with my 3 iron.... but when I did, at the end, get it to start working.... it looked nice. I was in excess of 200 (though I don't know how much...my dad says it was probably in the 220-230 range. Not sure if thats right or not though, obviously)

 

[Vintage]

Also, when you tell me to start it slightly inside, how slightly is slightly?

And what does this do?

 

[Danny White]

Great thread guys. I'm just lurking, but I'm getting a lot from this as well.

Wanted to let you know this socratic dialogue was appreciated, just in case you mistakenly thought no one else was paying attention.

 

[silverbear]

Also, when you tell me to start it slightly inside, how slightly is slightly?

And what does this do?

Draw an imaginary line from the target through the ball about 2 or 3 feet behind the ball... set a tee on that line... then set a second tee about 2-3 inches "inside" of that imaginary line, and try to hit that tee on your takeaway...

This does two things, the first being to help you take a bigger turn, by emphasizing a low, sweeping takeaway... but most important, it encourages to return the club back to the ball on a slightly inside path, which promotes a draw action... this will give you some more distance too...

You see, unless you sway laterally in the downswing (IOW, unless your head moves either right or left), your body's natural inclination will be to return to the ball on pretty much the same path it was taken away... so if you draw it away a little inside, then you're more likely to return to impact slightly inside... this is a good thing, the secret to consistency is developing a consistent swing plane, and this is the best way to get that process started...

I kind of worry that I'm giving you too much to think about, all at once... I try to have my students focus on no more than 3 keys at any one time-- a preswing key (like having you "aim high", with your left shoulder a bit lower than your right), a takeaway key (like sweeping the club away low to the ground, and a little inside), and a downswing key (like making sure to keep your head behind the shot, or like initiating the downswing with your legs)... the swing happens too fast to think about too much more, and as we club pros say "analysis breeds paralysis"; if you think too much, it's hard to take a good pass at the ball...

So when you practice, try not to focus on all of this stuff at once... pick out what you want to work on, 2 or 3 techniques, then when you feel like you've got them grooved, integrate another technique or two... of course, feel free to ask me for more things to work on as we go along...

 

[silverbear]

OK...... I went to the range again last night. I decided to warm up by hitting the ball how I normally do, so that way I could take note of what I naturally was doing and what I naturally wasn't doing...

7-SW, I was tucking my left shoulder under my chin. I think I was doing this more naturally bec. they were shorter clubs and I am 6'2".... I wasn't with my longer irons (and I have no clue on my driver and 3 wood.... I only wanted to work on my irons yesterday.... but I suspect I am not doing the shoulder tuck with the driver and 3 wood anyway).

If you're not, try to work hard on getting there... the low, sweeping takeway I talked about will help you take a fuller turn...

I'm not talking about your swing getting all loose or anything, you ought to be able to still control the club just fine if you get your left shoulder under your chin... that should get your club shaft just about parallel to the ground at the top of your backswing (but a LITTLE short of parallel will be acceptable, right now I doubt you're getting much more than a 3/4 turn)...

I'm sorry, but the only advice I can give you to help this is to focus very hard on taking a bigger turn... perhaps trying to swing harder would help, but I'm loathe to jack around with your basic rhythm...

After my warm up, I started concentrating on lining my head up behind the ball at address, which naturally shifted the weight to the right side as well as dipping my right shoulder.... Doing this also made it more natural to coil (IMO). A couple of shots with my 6 iron, and it felt very natural... I started to put it close to 180.... I can't really tell. From the angle I was using (since I was hitting off the grass....the grass tee boxes have their own distance markers), I was flying it well past the 150 marker....but the next marker was 275...so I couldn't accurately guage it. It had to be pretty close to the 175-180 range. Good news also is; they keep their grass the length of a shorter rough...so I might even get some extra couple of yards with a fairway roll. And if not, eh, I'm still hitting it a reasonable distance.

The important thing is you were striking the ball solidly using this approach... that's what I care about, right now...

OK, this I wasn't doing. When I got to the top of my downswing, it was a simulataneous shift weight/starting the downswing....I just did a practice swing and my hands naturally dropped a bit when I shifted the weight at the top of my backswing without moving forward on the downswing... so the good news is, this feels natural...so it shouldn't be too bad to try and replicate. Just need to work on the timing, if I had to guess....

Yup... and that's harder than it sounds... but man, you have no idea how long you can get if you get your legs working right...

Before I was picking the ball clean.... last night, when I started to do the left shoulder tuck and the "aiming high"....and remembering to strike down and through the ball (which I picked up in Golf magazine a week or so ago), I started to take divots. They weren't huge, but I was neatly slicing off little chunks.

You don't need a huge divot, but the way I like to explain it to beginners, the ball's sitting on the ground, you want to get the ball up in the air, that means you have to get the clubhead under the ball... and if the ball's sitting on the ground, that means you've got to chew up a little turf...

That's a little simplistic, we both know you CAN pick the ball and still get it up, but down and through is SOOOO much easier...

LOL.... I do something like this after every shot at the driving range since I've been concentrating on striking down and through the ball (which, like I said, I've been doing probably for a week). I just take a little half swing with the left hand and strike down on a broken tee I can find.... I found it useful especially if I top a ball or something...

Work that one handed drill for a while, and I promise you your days of topping the ball will be over...

When I get a total beginner (or rather, when I GOT a total beginner, haven't done any teaching in a while), I tell them that my first goal for them is to get to where they get every shot up in the air... I don't care how far, I don't care how straight, job one is to learn how to get the ball off the ground...

Before I started concentrating on the swing down and through, I'd play 9 holes.... top 3-4 shots, and shoot high 40s-50. I started concentrating on this, and last round went out and shot a 46 through 9 and topped the ball once.... This alone saved me several strokes.

I am trying to get the 3 iron up and going bec. this will save me another couple of strokes as well....(like I said earlier, with par 4s mostly...but I can also shorten par 5s too).

If shaving shots is your goal, spend as much time chipping and putting as you do on the range... in a normal round, half or even a little more of your shots will come from around the green... I've never been a particularly good putter (I don't 3 putt often, but I don't make much outside of about five feet either), but I am an extraordinary scrambler...

And you'll have to admit, I'm unusually MODEST... LOL...

I've been doing some of this stuff naturally (which makes me feel better since I don't have a background in this)...and the stuff I haven't been doing, when I do it (like the shoulder under chin; "aiming high" which then places slightly more weight on the right side....starting the shifting of weight before the downswing) - all that stuff feels really natural when I do it...

I'm glad to hear it...

I just need to keep practicing it.

That's the ticket, all right... hit balls until the owners of the driving range start talking about adopting you...

 

[silverbear]

Great thread guys. I'm just lurking, but I'm getting a lot from this as well.

Wanted to let you know this socratic dialogue was appreciated, just in case you mistakenly thought no one else was paying attention.

Chuckle... if you have any questions you'd like answered, feel free to ask (in a PM, if you'd prefer, or in here's fine)...

When I'm teaching, I try to explain to the student WHY we're doing what we're doing, give him a basic philosophy of the golf swing... I do that because making changes often results in hitting the ball somewhat worse at first, getting used to the changes, and a student might give up and revert back to what he used to do if he doesn't clearly understand why I'm asking him to struggle with the things I'm teaching him...

I hope that I can teach Vintage a little something about the dynamics of the golf swing, so that eventually he can diagnose himself when things get out of whack...

 

[Vintage]

Draw an imaginary line from the target through the ball about 2 or 3 feet behind the ball... set a tee on that line... then set a second tee about 2-3 inches "inside" of that imaginary line, and try to hit that tee on your takeaway...

This does two things, the first being to help you take a bigger turn, by emphasizing a low, sweeping takeaway... but most important, it encourages to return the club back to the ball on a slightly inside path, which promotes a draw action... this will give you some more distance too...

You see, unless you sway laterally in the downswing (IOW, unless your head moves either right or left), your body's natural inclination will be to return to the ball on pretty much the same path it was taken away... so if you draw it away a little inside, then you're more likely to return to impact slightly inside... this is a good thing, the secret to consistency is developing a consistent swing plane, and this is the best way to get that process started...

I kind of worry that I'm giving you too much to think about, all at once... I try to have my students focus on no more than 3 keys at any one time-- a preswing key (like having you "aim high", with your left shoulder a bit lower than your right), a takeaway key (like sweeping the club away low to the ground, and a little inside), and a downswing key (like making sure to keep your head behind the shot, or like initiating the downswing with your legs)... the swing happens too fast to think about too much more, and as we club pros say "analysis breeds paralysis"; if you think too much, it's hard to take a good pass at the ball...

So when you practice, try not to focus on all of this stuff at once... pick out what you want to work on, 2 or 3 techniques, then when you feel like you've got them grooved, integrate another technique or two... of course, feel free to ask me for more things to work on as we go along...

I think I got everything down (sans the slightly inside takeway stuff). Went golfing today, and I did the 'aim high' 'swing down and through' 'rotating through the ball' stuff with no problem...

More importantly, for the first time ever, I was hitting good 3 iron shots on the course today.

On the first hole, which is a short par 5 (510 yards), I went 3 Wood off the tee... it just trickled off the fairway. Second shot was a 3 iron....left it 30 yards short of the green. So those two shots took about 480 yards out of the equation.

Which brings me to another question, lol....

My third shot was on a really thin lie.... do I want the ball forward or back in my stance for the pitch? I put it back in my stance, and hit it a bit thin (and it bounced and went over the green)

Everything you've taught me thus far I have picked up pretty easily.

I suspect this "inside takeaway" stuff will take a bit more work though...have to try it at the range. But everything else, I have already seen the results. And the best part is, it feels very natural.


As we've gone through this process; I can see why you were a golf instructor. Clearly, its a passion of yours first and foremost. But you do an excellent job of explaining it as well. I am picking this up via the internet, with no images, without you seeing my swing or showing me in a visual way....says a lot about your ability to communicate your knowledge with those who need it.

I very much appreciate all the help.

 

[Vintage]

Chuckle... if you have any questions you'd like answered, feel free to ask (in a PM, if you'd prefer, or in here's fine)...

When I'm teaching, I try to explain to the student WHY we're doing what we're doing, give him a basic philosophy of the golf swing... I do that because making changes often results in hitting the ball somewhat worse at first, getting used to the changes, and a student might give up and revert back to what he used to do if he doesn't clearly understand why I'm asking him to struggle with the things I'm teaching him...

I hope that I can teach Vintage a little something about the dynamics of the golf swing, so that eventually he can diagnose himself when things get out of whack...

Dude, you've been an awesome help.

Before, when things got out of whack, I experimented at the driving range, pretty much just randomly tweaking stuff to see what worked.

Now, I can point to a number of things (a mental checklist) and make sure I am doing it...because when I've put it together, the results have been pretty good. I imagine with additional practice, I can take the next step (finally!).

 

[Vintage]

I'm sorry, but the only advice I can give you to help this is to focus very hard on taking a bigger turn... perhaps trying to swing harder would help, but I'm loathe to jack around with your basic rhythm...

I think I can tinker (I hate to use the word tinker here...) and get this without jacking with my swing too much. I'll know pretty quickly, at least, if I am doing too much. And if I am, I'll just go back to the basics. But I think I can build upon this slowly....

Work that one handed drill for a while, and I promise you your days of topping the ball will be over...

Got in about 5 holes today before a storm cut loose; zero topped balls. Progress!

If shaving shots is your goal, spend as much time chipping and putting as you do on the range... in a normal round, half or even a little more of your shots will come from around the green... I've never been a particularly good putter (I don't 3 putt often, but I don't make much outside of about five feet either), but I am an extraordinary scrambler...

My goal is twofold: become better at golf and lower my scores. Becoming better at golf will lower my scores... and while the quickest way to lower my scores is around the green, I want to become a better golf first. Which means, I needed some swing adjustments because I wasn't striking the ball as good as I wanted too.

I can do the stuff around the green pretty well on my own since that's mostly just practice and feel. Swing adjustments are much harder to make (for me) by myself....

And you'll have to admit, I'm unusually MODEST... LOL...

True

 

[Nors]

You want to lower score - fast

short game and putting..... Average joe golfer waqnts to hit 300 yard drives and smoke irons. End of day short game far more critical. I lived around the practice green chipping and putting. Drive for show put for dough.

Great putting drill - I like to do thios up and downhill. Toss a ball as your cup, and put to it from afar through finishing. Repeat this drill over and over.

Next day on course the actual hole looks huge versus trying to drain on a hole the size of golfball.

You want to get motivated on putting? Who's the greatest putter of all time? Horton Smith! 1920' 1930 had Master success and a GREAT book - the secret of holing putts. I somewhat modified his overspin theory to what I call square, square and square.

You should NOT putt like you hold an iron or driver! That get all wristy! Try a reverse overlap with right pinkie under left forefinger. Now your hands are locked in unison. Only pressure points are those two fingers. Try it - normal club grip is fraught with wrist action. This grip makes both hands work together. Then its straight back and straight through. Amazing with some work.


Next lesson - use that putting grip with an 8 or 6 iron around the greens. Bump and run and your game will get under 10 handicap will follow. Sandwedge around the green is ONLY used if you have to carry or its burried.....















Got in about 5 holes today before a storm cut loose; zero topped balls. Progress!




My goal is twofold: become better at golf and lower my scores. Becoming better at golf will lower my scores... and while the quickest way to lower my scores is around the green, I want to become a better golf first. Which means, I needed some swing adjustments because I wasn't striking the ball as good as I wanted too.

I can do the stuff around the green pretty well on my own since that's mostly just practice and feel. Swing adjustments are much harder to make (for me) by myself....



True

[/QUOTE]

 

[silverbear]

My third shot was on a really thin lie.... do I want the ball forward or back in my stance for the pitch? I put it back in my stance, and hit it a bit thin (and it bounced and went over the green)

On a thin lie, you want to move the ball back in your stance... but here's the question, did you really need to "pitch" the ball??

If you had no bunkers our mounds to get over, from 30 yards out a little chip and run might have been easier... on the short game, a good rule of thumb is to keep the ball down whenever you can (IOW, don't pitch if you can run it)...

I suspect this "inside takeaway" stuff will take a bit more work though...have to try it at the range. But everything else, I have already seen the results. And the best part is, it feels very natural.

I'm surprised, and pleased...

When you start working on the inside takeaway (I'd wait until you feel you have these other moves down pat), I have a tip that might help-- as well as setting up with your right shoulder a bit lower than your left, kind of tuck your right elbow in closer to your body... if you have friend who can lend a hand, set up to the shot, and have him or her place a club between your two arms, aiming at the target... if you have your right elbow tucked, the club will fit in there easily...

This makes it natural to swing the club away on a bit of an inside path... now, I'm not saying this should be a permanent change to your swing, just something to use to help you get used to the inside swing path...

As we've gone through this process; I can see why you were a golf instructor. Clearly, its a passion of yours first and foremost. But you do an excellent job of explaining it as well. I am picking this up via the internet, with no images, without you seeing my swing or showing me in a visual way....says a lot about your ability to communicate your knowledge with those who need it.

I very much appreciate all the help.

Well, that's a nice thing to say... it would be SOOO much easier if I could see your swing, though... LOL...

 

[silverbear]

Dude, you've been an awesome help.

Before, when things got out of whack, I experimented at the driving range, pretty much just randomly tweaking stuff to see what worked.

Now, I can point to a number of things (a mental checklist) and make sure I am doing it...because when I've put it together, the results have been pretty good. I imagine with additional practice, I can take the next step (finally!).

I'm having fun, Vintage...

The mental checklist thing is a good observation, that's how I approach my shots too... do things the same way every time...

But there's a catch-- from time to time, your mental checklist, your routine, will need to be changed... teaching pros say "you can't hang your hat on the same peg all the time"... the problem with golf is that any swing change you make to improve your game can (and probably will eventually) be overdone, until it becomes a swing flaw...

So if things are going good for a while, then suddenly you start to struggle, we'll talk...

 

[silverbear]

I think I can tinker (I hate to use the word tinker here...) and get this without jacking with my swing too much. I'll know pretty quickly, at least, if I am doing too much. And if I am, I'll just go back to the basics. But I think I can build upon this slowly....

All of these things are designed to get you more clubhead speed, in a two-pronged attack-- get you taking a fuller turn, and get you using your legs more effectively...

Swinging the club away low to the ground, "sweeping" it, is a good way to encourage a fuller turn, and swing harder (faster) can help encourage that too... but every person has their own swing rhythm he needs to find (Gawd, I'm startin' to sound like Bagger Vance now), and fast might not be yours... it's certainly not mine, my swing could even be described as "lazy"...

So try hitting it hard for a bucket or two, but then get back to your normal rhythm...

Got in about 5 holes today before a storm cut loose; zero topped balls. Progress!

Soon, the topped shot will be gone forever from your repertoire...

 

[Vintage]

Went to the driving range again, today...

I was striking the ball really well. Better than ever with my 3 iron. Its improved a lot in such a short period of time. I can barely believe it.

I haven't incorporated the slightly inside takeaway yet... mostly because, while I am getting a good coil, aiming high, striking down and through... I am still starting the downswing at the same time as the weight shift.

I intend to work on it next time at the range; but I wanted to work on ball striking with the 3 iron (and continue to work on the aim high, coiling, striking down and through, weight on right, head behind ball). I have that all down pretty well.

My next step is to make the weight shift happen before I start the downswing (thus, as you said, naturally dropping my hands and then starting the downswing).

Then, the inside takewaway.

Lastly, speeding up my swing. Right now, I am hitting it pretty lazily.

 

[silverbear]

Went to the driving range again, today...

I was striking the ball really well. Better than ever with my 3 iron. Its improved a lot in such a short period of time. I can barely believe it.

I haven't incorporated the slightly inside takeaway yet... mostly because, while I am getting a good coil, aiming high, striking down and through... I am still starting the downswing at the same time as the weight shift.

I intend to work on it next time at the range; but I wanted to work on ball striking with the 3 iron (and continue to work on the aim high, coiling, striking down and through, weight on right, head behind ball). I have that all down pretty well.

My next step is to make the weight shift happen before I start the downswing (thus, as you said, naturally dropping my hands and then starting the downswing).

Then, the inside takewaway.

Lastly, speeding up my swing. Right now, I am hitting it pretty lazily.

This is wise, pal, you can't do it all at once... you get to thinking about too many things, you're gonna forget SOMETHING every swing...

It pleases me that you're making good progress...

 

[Vintage]

My 3 iron is mediocre. I hit some really nice shots with it; some not so nice shots with it.... I believe its just a matter of practice. Its come along ways since I started this project.

Several things have really improved:
ball striking
taking divots
yardage


I don't hit every shot perfectly, but the "topped ball syndrome" is nearly extinct. At most, I hit one top shot every round. I used to do this 3-4 times a round. And in general, I am making much better contact.

I used to hardly ever take a divot. Now, I am taking a divot on just about every shot. This, I think, has really helped me to avoid topping the ball, as I am striking down and through the ball.

Yardage. My yardage has gone back to my H.S. days..... Went golfing with a buddy of mine yesterday. They had some drivable par 4s (very short course). On one hole (290 Yard Par 4), my 3 Wood was at most, 30 yards from the green. On a 375 yard par 4, I was under 100 yards from the green with my 3 Wood (it was ten paces in front of the 100 yard marker).

I've been really flushing some shots with my 3 Wood off the tee.

I had to use 3 Wood all day yesterday, because my driver broke at the driving range....I shattered the shaft. I am toying with the idea of upgrading the shaft, but I know nothing about shafts.


Anyways, yesterday, like I said....went golfing with my buddy at this short course....shot a 53. Normally, I'd have been pretty pissed. But it needs to be taken in context.

On the first hole, I had a 3' putt that I missed. Of course, me swaying as I was trying to putt didn't help.

It wasn't until about the 6th hole in that I finally sobered up.

It was really hard trying to maintain any sort of balance and get off a good shot when you are still recovering from the night before.

My putting was terrible. Somehow, I was able to get off good 3 Wood shots will still being hungover. But everything else was god awful. But I suspect my 3 Wood contains magical powers.....because it was the only club I was able to hit well with despite my lack of hand/eye/balance coordination that day.

Tonite, I am going golfing again.... I will be able to get a more accurate reading tonite.



I bought an 18* hybrid (Ping G10) to bridge the gap between my 3 Wood and 3 Iron. According to the simulator, my longest shot was 245. I hit a bunch right around 240. My average was probably 230 (I say probably, because the machine said just slightly over 200....but that was because my first 20 or so shots were about 150-160 yard hooks....until I realized I had to hit it like and iron and not a wood)

 

[silverbear]

My 3 iron is mediocre. I hit some really nice shots with it; some not so nice shots with it.... I believe its just a matter of practice. Its come along ways since I started this project.

Bear in mind that even tour pros will tell you that the long irons are the hardest to hit, so don't be too demanding of yourself... it'll come...

Several things have really improved:
ball striking
taking divots
yardage

Hitting it some longer, are you?? I'm glad to hear that you're getting a divot, you're gonna thank me if you're ever in tournament play and have to hit a shot off of a tight lie...

I don't hit every shot perfectly, but the "topped ball syndrome" is nearly extinct. At most, I hit one top shot every round. I used to do this 3-4 times a round. And in general, I am making much better contact.

I used to hardly ever take a divot. Now, I am taking a divot on just about every shot. This, I think, has really helped me to avoid topping the ball, as I am striking down and through the ball.

Now you know the secret...

Yardage. My yardage has gone back to my H.S. days..... Went golfing with a buddy of mine yesterday. They had some drivable par 4s (very short course). On one hole (290 Yard Par 4), my 3 Wood was at most, 30 yards from the green. On a 375 yard par 4, I was under 100 yards from the green with my 3 Wood (it was ten paces in front of the 100 yard marker).

That's enough length to play the game pretty well...

I've been really flushing some shots with my 3 Wood off the tee.

I had to use 3 Wood all day yesterday, because my driver broke at the driving range....I shattered the shaft. I am toying with the idea of upgrading the shaft, but I know nothing about shafts.

You're hitting it well enough to go with a stiff flex, but don't think about the x-stiff... if the budget can afford it, go with graphite rather than steel, but if the bucks are tight, ask your club repairman about the True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shafts, in the S300 flex... that should be about right for you...

If you do go with graphite, ask him about the Grafalloy or Aldila shafts, IMO they're the best out there... when they first came out with graphite shafts, they added noticeable distance, but they had a serious torque problem that caused mis-hit shots to go way off-line... today's graphite shafts are only marginally more torque-y than steel, and the savings in overall weight justify it (the lighter the club, the faster you can swing it)...

And as tall as you are, standard length should be good enough... when he installs the shaft, have him check the swingweight (a good club repairman won't need to be told to do that), and keep it in the D0- D2 range... swingweight is a rather different thing from the static (overall) weight of the club... to put this in overly simplistic terms, swingweight is the ratio of clubhead weight to the weight of the shaft and grip... us old-timers used to fiddle around with our clubs' swingweights using lead tape, nowadays a lot of clubs come with removable weights so that you can customize your own, even change it when you get the urge...

Anyways, yesterday, like I said....went golfing with my buddy at this short course....shot a 53. Normally, I'd have been pretty pissed. But it needs to be taken in context.

On the first hole, I had a 3' putt that I missed. Of course, me swaying as I was trying to putt didn't help.

It wasn't until about the 6th hole in that I finally sobered up.

ROTFLMAO... yeah, that WILL tend to have a deleterious effect on your game...

Tonite, I am going golfing again.... I will be able to get a more accurate reading tonite.

When you have a little time, by all means let me know how it went...

I bought an 18* hybrid (Ping G10) to bridge the gap between my 3 Wood and 3 Iron. According to the simulator, my longest shot was 245. I hit a bunch right around 240. My average was probably 230 (I say probably, because the machine said just slightly over 200....but that was because my first 20 or so shots were about 150-160 yard hooks....until I realized I had to hit it like and iron and not a wood)

18 degrees is right around what most 5 woods have these days, and 230 yards is pretty good for a club with that kind of loft...

With the increase in distance you're experiencing, I suspect that you're starting to get a fuller turn... you're probably getting that left shoulder under your chin at the top of your backswing, or closer to it than you used to...

 

[Vintage]

Bear in mind that even tour pros will tell you that the long irons are the hardest to hit, so don't be too demanding of yourself... it'll come...



Hitting it some longer, are you?? I'm glad to hear that you're getting a divot, you're gonna thank me if you're ever in tournament play and have to hit a shot off of a tight lie...

I nutted a 6 iron shot about a week ago.... I had 205 to the pin, but I was a little worried about hitting a 4 iron into a green (didn't think I could stop it). So I decided to lay up, hit a 6 iron. Since I decided to lay up, I further decided to relax a bit more than usual and take an "easy" shot.

The thing took off like a rocket. I watched it climb, climb, and then climb some more. At the point where it normally stops ascending, it just kept climbing. I couldn't believe it. I watched it land (elevated green, so I couldn't see where if it was on the green or not).....and I flipped over my club to make sure I hit the right club. Sure as ****, I did. 6 iron. I walk up to the hole and my ball was over the green. 215 perhaps.

I went to the driving range with my dad later that night; tried about 50 shots, couldn't replicate it.

That ball stayed in the air forever. Sweetest shot I've ever hit.

If you do go with graphite, ask him about the Grafalloy or Aldila shafts, IMO they're the best out there... when they first came out with graphite shafts, they added noticeable distance, but they had a serious torque problem that caused mis-hit shots to go way off-line... today's graphite shafts are only marginally more torque-y than steel, and the savings in overall weight justify it (the lighter the club, the faster you can swing it)...

And as tall as you are, standard length should be good enough... when he installs the shaft, have him check the swingweight (a good club repairman won't need to be told to do that), and keep it in the D0- D2 range... swingweight is a rather different thing from the static (overall) weight of the club... to put this in overly simplistic terms, swingweight is the ratio of clubhead weight to the weight of the shaft and grip... us old-timers used to fiddle around with our clubs' swingweights using lead tape, nowadays a lot of clubs come with removable weights so that you can customize your own, even change it when you get the urge...

I'll look some of this stuff up.... The Ping rep I talked to when I sent my club in said the same thing: avoid steel, go with graphite....

Oddly enough though, my 3 Wood is probably the most consistent club I have in terms of a combination of length, hitting it straight, ball flight, etc....and its a stiff flex steel shaft. Could be the club head itself, I am unsure how good of a club it was back when it came out...

 

[Vintage]

ROTFLMAO... yeah, that WILL tend to have a deleterious effect on your game...

I knew I was in trouble then, when I couldn't stand still trying to hit a 3' putt.

Following hole was a par 3; can't remember, but it was probably 160 yards.... I decided to club up twice because I didn't think I could hit anything more than a 1/2 shot at that point.

I hit it straight.

About 100 yards.

Second shot was a little sand wedge shot that came up short of the green.

I could chip though; took my 7 iron and chipped it to tap in range. Made bogey. Bogeyed the next hole too. Then it went downhill....