Driver and Long Irons

[ChrisV]

Hello and I would like to thank anyone in advance who replies to this thread. I'm about a 20 handicap and I don't think you guys can really give tips for my short game as skills in that area will develop with practice. I will however ask of everyone willing to help a few questions regarding driving and long irons.

I'm finding that when I'm hitting longer irons (3,4,5,6) I tend to both pull and hook my shots to the right (I'm a lefty) and end up about 10 to 15 yards to the right of where I'm aiming. Any tips to fix this would be great.

I'm also finding that when I'm driving I will either (about 50/50) pull the shot to the right (straight) or slice the ball (curves left).

Thanks again for any help with either situation described above.

Chris.

[cdriver]

I'm also finding that when I'm driving I will either (about 50/50) pull the shot to the right (straight) or slice the ball (curves left).

Does your slice start straight and then tail left, or does it start right and banana to the left?

[ChrisV]

Does your slice start straight and then tail left, or does it start right and banana to the left?

My slice ussually starts straight and then tails off left. Sometimes it will even start as a push left and then slice even more left(don't like those ones).

[ChrisV]

bump

[iacas]

bump

The only thing that can cause a slice is for the clubface to be open relative to the swing path at impact. If it's square, the ball goes straight (a pull).

Where the face and swing path line up in relation to the target line are another thing altogether, but it goes like this for all three possibilities (clubface open to swing path in each case):

Clubface aimed towards "pull" side of target: a straight pull.
Clubface square to target line: a ball that cuts away from the target line.
Clubface open to target line: a ball that starts pushed and slices from there.

Sounds to me that you simply need to work on your swing path a bit. With the longer irons and driver, a cut is more likely to show up, but my guess is that it happens with all of your irons. You just can't see it with your pitching wedge.

[cdriver]

The only thing that can cause a slice is for the clubface to be open relative to the swing path at impact. If it's square, the ball goes straight (a pull).

Where the face and swing path line up in relation to the target line are another thing altogether, but it goes like this for all three possibilities (clubface open to swing path in each case):

Clubface aimed towards "pull" side of target: a straight pull.
Clubface square to target line: a ball that cuts away from the target line.
Clubface open to target line: a ball that starts pushed and slices from there.

Sounds to me that you simply need to work on your swing path a bit. With the longer irons and driver, a cut is more likely to show up, but my guess is that it happens with all of your irons. You just can't see it with your pitching wedge.

Erik is right. There are several causes for an open club face.

One is a too weak grip. Have someone check your grip (or consult any golf magazine).

The second is ball position (too far forward usually) I normally lay down a couple of clubs in a practice station to check my ball position. This is also a good way to check your stance to see if you are too open as that will also cause a slice.

The third is swing path. If you "cast" the club so that it is coming into the ball from outside the line, the tendency is to use your hands to try and hold the clubface square to the target line. I would suggest putting a couple of tees in the ground in front and behind the ball about 3 inches along the correct swing path and trying to insure the club crosses them both when you swing.

That's the best I've got to offer.