Picking up golf

[Yakuza Rich]

Thank you very much for the time you put into your post..tons of good information in there for a brand new golfer like myself...I do have one question though..you say not to take lessons every week...the only question I have is, NY instructor hasn't gone over any swing mechanics w me...so what am I supposed to do?

My last lesson was yesterday and my coach told my to hit the ground w every swing so that the tee comes out of the ground...I practiced that yesterday and got good at it..I'll practice that again today...but as far as hitting the range and practicing..do I just use whatever swing I have right now?

I would use whatever swing you have right now.

You essentially need to build your own swing to degree and get the ball consistently airborne.

You will most likely start off slicing the ball once you get it consistently airborne.

Once you get better and perhaps take some lessons, your problem shot will likely be a hook.

From there, you'll have to figure out how to take some of the mechanics that produce a slice and some that produce a hook and use them together to produce a straight ball flight.

You will find that with the driver, you don't have to hit down on the ball. You *can* hit down, but you can also hit up or flat as well. But with the irons, you hit the ball FIRST, then take a divot in order to compress the golf ball.





YR

 

[YosemiteSam]

Here's some tips for you.
2. No matter what anybody says, when you miss the ball, hit it fat, hit it thin, shank it, etc....it has NOTHING to do with 'taking your eye off the ball.' Your eyes are looking at the ball even when you *think* they are not. If you hit a horrendous shot, it can be due to a multitude of things, but 'looking up' is NOT one of them. In fact, purposely trying to 'keep your head down' is more of a detriment than a positive.

Wow, you really shouldn't offer awful advice like that. (this is the Internet so I suppose it's par for the course! Pun intended! )

The main reason they tell you to keep your head down is to keep your mechanics correct. Without lots of practice, moving your head can cause you to move the rest of your body. When you turn your head, it's very easy to disrupt your form. Disrupting your form disrupts your mechanics. Disrupted mechanics will disrupt your swing which will cause you to hit it fat/shank/miss the ball.

Keep your head down until you can perfect your swing. Then you can do what you want.

Like they say. Amateurs practice so they get it right, Professionals practice so they don't get it wrong. This guy is a novice. He needs to keep his head down.

 

[JBS]

Went back to the range today...

Still need to continue practicing hitting the ground w the club...I topped a ton of balls...I did hit a few flush shots which felt great..

I do have a question...how much loft should I be getting? I know it's different for the clubs...but let's say w a 9 iron...I feel like I'm not getting enough loft...I feel like distance wise, I'm probably doing better than loft wise...but just my guess

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Wow, you really shouldn't offer awful advice like that. (this is the Internet so I suppose it's par for the course! Pun intended! )

The main reason they tell you to keep your head down is to keep your mechanics correct. Without lots of practice, moving your head can cause you to move the rest of your body. When you turn your head, it's very easy to disrupt your form. Disrupting your form disrupts your mechanics. Disrupted mechanics will disrupt your swing which will cause you to hit it fat/shank/miss the ball.

Keep your head down until you can perfect your swing. Then you can do what you want.

Like they say. Amateurs practice so they get it right, Professionals practice so they don't get it wrong. This guy is a novice. He needs to keep his head down.

Keeping your head down will only reinforce bad swing mechanics.

The eyes have a built in *reflex*. It's called vestibular ocular reflex. Meaning, that when you are looking at something and the head moves left, the eyes will automatically move to the right (it's a reflex, so you have no choice). Conversely, if the head moves right, the eyes will move left.

By keeping your head down you are likely to move the low point of the swing further back and restrict the rotation of the pelvis, torso and shoulders...all of which are needed to power the swing.

The other problem is that 'keeping your head down' is that it doesn't focus on the real issues of terrible shots like hand path, shaft plane, forearm supination, attack angle, etc.

It's not like I'm some rogue saying this either as George Knudson, one of the greatest ballstrikers of all time once wrote:

"The No. 1 misconception of the golf swing is to keep your head down and your eye on the ball. How many times have you heard that? The ball isn’t moving like baseball or tennis, in fact, this is the only sport where the ball is stationary. Many visually impaired people play golf and some quite well. Yet they can’t see the ball. A golfer only needs to find a location where the ball gets in the way of a moving club head, and the focus needs to be at the target not the ball.” - George Knudson




YR

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Went back to the range today...

Still need to continue practicing hitting the ground w the club...I topped a ton of balls...I did hit a few flush shots which felt great..

I do have a question...how much loft should I be getting? I know it's different for the clubs...but let's say w a 9 iron...I feel like I'm not getting enough loft...I feel like distance wise, I'm probably doing better than loft wise...but just my guess

Depends on your swing. Tour pros hit the ball about 90 feet high, but you don't have the speed for that.

For now you need to be able to make good contact and compress the golf ball and then you can work on trajectory.

I would practice little pitch shots first. You can still hit the ground with the swing and can get a better idea of how to compress the ball. From there, you just start lengthening the swing.





YR

 

[Seven]

I've only taken two lessons so far...one with a friend and one by myself...

First lesson the coach went over proper grip...how to hold the club...

I strangle the life out of the club Lolol ...I really need to improve on that

Second lesson coach has me hitting tees out of the ground to practice hitting the ground w my swing...

That's all I've got so far

That's funny. My drives improved significantly by strangling the club.

The only thing I can offer is take the basics from the instructor. You'll find your own groove.........you'll get that 170-200 yd drive, nice and straight........you'll be hooked. Enjoy it, my man!!

 

[Future]

Went back to the range today...

Still need to continue practicing hitting the ground w the club...I topped a ton of balls...I did hit a few flush shots which felt great..

I do have a question...how much loft should I be getting? I know it's different for the clubs...but let's say w a 9 iron...I feel like I'm not getting enough loft...I feel like distance wise, I'm probably doing better than loft wise...but just my guess

My guess would be that, since you're topping the ball a lot, you probably aren't hitting it as flush as you think, which would effect loft.

It's really impossible to say how high it should be, but eventually you'll start to just feel it.

 

[JBS]

My guess would be that, since you're topping the ball a lot, you probably aren't hitting it as flush as you think, which would effect loft.

It's really impossible to say how high it should be, but eventually you'll start to just feel it.

Yeah, absolutely could be the case...it was flush for me lol...

 

[Future]

Yeah, absolutely could be the case...it was flush for me lol...

lol, I only know b/c I've dealt with that the entire time I've been golfing. I mean, a lower loft shot is certainly useful, not getting the ball high up in the air isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Actually, many great golfers apply a lot of grip strength to the club. I remember they asked Tiger Woods once on a scale of 1 to 10 how hard does he grip the club and he said 'definitely an 8, maybe a 9.'

The entire 'grip it like you're holding a bird...not hard enough to crush it, but not light enough to let it fly away' came from Sam Snead. The thing is that what most people don't know is that Snead had enormous hands so him gripping it lightly could be like gripping the club to death for the average person.

The thing you'll find out about golf is there just simply isn't 1 way to do things. You hope to try and implement pieces to your swing that will specifically cause changes to either your power, accuracy or consistency. But there are so many ways to hit a ball long, straight and do it consistently.




RH

 

[YosemiteSam]

The Perl way of doing things.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

Swing hard in case you hit it.

Spend more time on the putting and chipping green than the driving range. Positioning is done off the tee box, but scoring is done around the greens.

Develop a routine and work on tempo. Approach every tee shot, approach shot, and putt with the same routine each time. Keep that routine, your swing, and your follow through in a steady relaxed tempo. Use the same routine on the practice tee and putting green.

Walk instead of riding a cart. Use that time walking the fairway/rough to look at the grain of the grass, the wind, the yardage markers, the pin placement, and where you can safely miss. Visualize your shot while walking to you ball then execute it.

At this early stage of learning, concentrate on just hitting a greens and don't worry too much about pin placement, take hazards out of play at any cost, and learn to bump & run the ball around the greens. Bump and run will keep you from blading or chili dipping a shot around the green. Nothing is more frustrating for beginning golfers than hitting a nice approach shot near the green only to blade it completely off the other side.

 

[Doc50]

You can find good name brand used clubs at a pawn shop. You don't need a full set, just driver, 3-W, 5-W, & 3, 5, 7, 9, and SW irons.

And buy Titleist refurbished balls -- excellent price, with the proper feel and action of a good ball.
(some balls are so firm and spinless that you don't get any feedback from your shots)

 

[Longboysfan]

Buy a lot of used golf balls.
Carry a ball retreiver in your bag.

 

[JBS]

Just got back from the range...discovered a couple of things

Short game area is separate from the range...I just paid for the range and took my balls to the short game area and they didn't like that

Thanks for telling me to practice my short game as opposed to just hitting off the mat...absolutely a different experience...

I'm glad that you guys gave me this advice, if I just kept hitting off the mat, I would have been in trouble...

Still learning how to compress the ball...did a decent job a few times today...but definitely not consistent..

 

[JBS]

I need to improve w my hands when trying to compress the ball...I do a really good job of compressing the ball when I have my hands far in front of the ball when I set up...it forces my hands to go up immediately and not back..

Now I need to learn to do the same movement w my hands when I set up normally w my hands just a tad in front of the ball..

 

[KJJ]

Just started playing a week and a half ago...never played before this...I'm diving in head first...I'm getting lessons and my coach is basically teaching me how to crawl lol...

Any golfers in here? Any advice?

Spend a lot of time on the range before you hit the course to try and limit some of the frustration you'll no doubt experience. Too many people who take up golf try taking it to the course too soon before they can even make solid contact with the ball. The range and the course is a lot different so even when you start hitting it good on the range it's going to take awhile before you see the improvement on the course. When you practice try hitting off real grass instead of mats if possible. If you get too use to hitting off mats it's going to make it more difficult to hit from uneven lies on the course and it may result in hitting a lot of fat shots from your club digging into the turf. If you hit too steeply off a driving mat the ball still goes out there because the club bounces off the mat. You're not going to be playing golf on perfectly smooth artificial surfaces so you need to get use to hitting off grass, dirt and uneven lies because that's what you'll be facing on the course.

Mats can also cause tennis elbow and wrist problems because it's a harder impact than hitting off natural grass. Use short irons like your 7 and 8 iron to help groove your swing because those irons are easier to hit than a 4-5 iron. Replace some of your longer irons such as your 3-4 iron with hybrids they're much easier to hit especially from bad lies. Golf takes a lot of patience and practice to become a good player. Look into some training aids like the momentus swing trainer. It's a heavy 5 iron that can really help grove a golf swing. A lot of training aids are crap but not this one I've used it for years and it helped me get rid of my slice and develop a draw. Another important tip is get "fitted" with a good set of clubs. It's important to be fitted so your lie angles are correct on your irons. If the lie angle of your irons are off this can make it more difficult to hit solid consistent shots. You also want to be sure the flex of your shafts are correct because too stiff or too flexible for your swing can create issues. Good luck!

 

[KJJ]

I agree. Don't go out and buy expensive clubs. Learn to play with a semi cheap set. Once you are sure you are going to stick with it and actually get to the point that you can actually play and aren't just hacking at the ball. Then you will talk with your coach and have clubs made. Don't buy expensive clubs that weren't custom made for you. If you are going to spend big bucks on clubs, get them custom made for you.

Before you invest in expensive clubs I agree it is best to use cheaper clubs but you don't want to go too cheap because it can affect your game and your enjoyment. You want to stay away from the Walmart and Target golf clubs they're crap. What I suggest is buying a quality used set of clubs such as Callaway or Taylor Made. People give up the game and sell their clubs and the OP can get a quality set of clubs at a very good price. It makes no difference if clubs have nicks and scratches this doesn't affect their performance. A quality set of clubs can run you over $1500 brand new but you can get the same quality clubs used for less than half the price on Craig's list or your local paper.

 

[JBS]

Spend a lot of time on the range before you hit the course to try and limit some of the frustration you'll no doubt experience. Too many people who take up golf try taking it to the course too soon before they can even make solid contact with the ball. The range and the course is a lot different so even when you start hitting it good on the range it's going to take awhile before you see the improvement on the course. When you practice try hitting off real grass instead of mats if possible. If you get too use to hitting off mats it's going to make it more difficult to hit from uneven lies on the course and it may result in hitting a lot of fat shots from your club digging into the turf. If you hit too steeply off a driving mat the ball still goes out there because the club bounces off the mat. You're not going to be playing golf on perfectly smooth artificial surfaces so you need to get use to hitting off grass, dirt and uneven lies because that's what you'll be facing on the course.

Mats can also cause tennis elbow and wrist problems because it's a harder impact than hitting off natural grass. Use short irons like your 7 and 8 iron to help groove your swing because those irons are easier to hit than a 4-5 iron. Replace some of your longer irons such as your 3-4 iron with hybrids they're much easier to hit especially from bad lies. Golf takes a lot of patience and practice to become a good player. Look into some training aids like the momentus swing trainer. It's a heavy 5 iron that can really help grove a golf swing. A lot of training aids are crap but not this one I've used it for years and it helped me get rid of my slice and develop a draw. Another important tip is get "fitted" with a good set of clubs. It's important to be fitted so your lie angles are correct on your irons. If the lie angle of your irons are off this can make it more difficult to hit solid consistent shots. You also want to be sure the flex of your shafts are correct because too stiff or too flexible for your swing can create issues. Good luck!

Thanks for the good info...I just started two weeks ago..I play just about every day..I've probably put in close to 35-40 hours in total...I started from zero, knowing nothing...

I've already experienced a lot of the things you mentioned..such as the pros and cons of hitting at the range on a mat vs natural grass..

I can hit the ball consistently right now w a nice easy motion...but when I try and get some real torque / velocity in my backswing, I screw it all up..right now I'm working on compressing the ball...I feel like it's all in my hands but I haven't gotten it down consistently yet..

So far I'm really only using short irons...7-8-9..and lately a lot more of a 6 iron..

 

[KJJ]

The range seldom translates to the course. If you want to get better, you've got to actually play the game.

That's true but a lot of people head to the course before they can even hit the ball. I've seen people on the course whiffing at balls. This holds up the group they're with as well as the group behind them and it's embarrassing for them. I recommend spending at least a couple of months on the range learning to make solid contact. Anyone who's just taking up the game and heads to the course too quick is going to get beyond frustrated and will probably give the game up after only a few rounds.