Whats up with my shot? Very inconsistent

**ttime** · September 21, 2008

I went to the driving range today to accuratly find out how far I can hit each club I have. Usually I am pretty good with the short irons (7,8,9). I hit quite a few balls, and with all three of those short irons, I hit about 125 each time. Sometimes a little less. But none really hit further than the other. On the other side I am usually terrible with the long irons. I have two hybrids that I hit pretty decent, but still inconsistent. I have a 19 degree hybrid, and on a good shot I hit it about 210. I dont understand. I know you probably need more information so let me know if you have questions, but why is it that I am hitting a hybrid over 200 yards, and all my short irons hit the same length?

**Trogdor** · September 22, 2008

For me, its the quality of the range balls at my local range. I can easily say thats why there is no distance difference between my shorter irons when hitting the horrible range balls they have. I have only been going there when my swing goes horribly wrong, to get it fixed. I cant say thats what your issue is for sure, but it could be.

**ttime** · September 22, 2008

I thought about that, but then I thought if that was the case, how could I still hit my hybrid over 200 yards?

**Trogdor** · September 22, 2008

I thought about that, but then I thought if that was the case, how could I still hit my hybrid over 200 yards?

For me, if the clubs are close in loft, like say 7-8-9, it all goes about the same distance. Obviously though, your hybrid has a lot less loft than a 7-8-9 would, so its going to go further.

**mkrolewski** · September 22, 2008

I would expect that you should see 10-15 yards difference between your 7, 8, and 9. Range balls might loss distance but the relative distance should remain.

I cannot really tell the distance for longer irons or hybrids as my range is flat. So actually seeing the point of carry is difficult.

Another range I attend sometimes is actually sloped, so it is easier to see the point of contact. Here is it easy to see spacing between clubs. And no matter the quality of the balls, you should see spacing. Good swings with decreasing lofts should yield longer shots.

If your 7-9 irons are all the same distance, you are having a problem with your swing. Do I have any idea what it is, sorry no.

**jambalaya** · September 22, 2008

It may be as simple as ball position but hard to say. Do you take a divot with those irons?

**Zeph** · September 22, 2008

I would first look at these two things:

1: How do you position the ball with each club?
2: How is your ball trajectory (vertically)? Is it going in a high arc, the same angle up and down, or low, less angled and straight to fall down at the end?

You can compare the ball trajectory with a friend, using the same club. There will always be minor differences, but you should see a similar trajectory patter, granted that your friend hit it right that is.

The point is to find out if you are hitting up or down on the ball. I have some problems with very little difference in length, especially with the irons. My problem is primarily that I hit the ball at the bottom of my swing or on the way up, losing lots of distance and being very inconsistent. If you've been hitting up all the time it's hard to know when you're doing it wrong and right.

If you have a problem with this, try moving the ball all the way back to your right foot in your setup to really force the club to hit the ball on the way down. You'll notice it instantly if this is a problem.

The longer club you got, the longer rotation it takes to get the full potential of the club, this can be difficult to achieve, especially with the timing and rhytm if the swing becomes longer.

**kc8kir** · September 22, 2008

Sounds like either you are not maintaining your lag in the swing properly, or you have a tempo problem. Sam Snead (look him up if you don't know who he is) said that when he started playing he hit the 5 iron 125 yards one time, then 180 the next. All he ever worked on from there was tempo.

If you want to see consistent distances with each of your clubs, you need to work on tempo. All the great players have great tempo. It breeds good contact, good form, and good consistency.

Just try this. Go hit the 7,8,9 and use the same 123, 123 count. Count 123 on the backswing, 123 on the downswing. Try to make backswing and downswing at the same tempo. Try it for a while and see if anything improves.

**wachesawgolfer** · September 22, 2008

How do you do on the course, if your "usually" good with your irons. Is your range one where its easy to tell the distances, some are not. Otherwise, its sounds like swing instruction and practice is in order.

**CoolBreeze20** · September 22, 2008

You should be able to tell a definite difference in height and trajectory between a 7 and a 9 iron....can you see this? Also (and this may sound dumb, but I have seen it before) make sure you are not choking up on the longer irons.

**ttime** · September 22, 2008

Trogdor: I know that a hybrid will hit longer, but the length Im hitting it seems to be pretty far considering the club I am using. But Im not doing the same with the short irons.

jambalaya: At the range I go to they only have mats. But when I hit on a course I try to take divots out, and on occasion I do. But most times I will just brush the grass.

Zeph: Im not sure what you mean with your first question. But yesterday at the range I noticed that all my shots, except with wedges, just did some what of a "line drive" not too much height. But the day before on the course if I got a good shot it would take a nice high arc, and then just come down.

wachesawgolfer: I usually do ok on the course, with the exception of driving, but thats a different story. Im still a beginner so Im not the best, but like I said I guess I do ok. Yes, the range is very easy to tell the distances.

CoolBreeze20: No I have not really been able to see a difference in trajectory.

Thanks for all the replies. Hopefully I answered each question. Sorry if they are a little vague. Im going golfing sometime this weekend, and will see if I can see a difference.

**Petden** · September 23, 2008

If you are constantly getting this "line dirve" it is because you are coming in too high on the plan and not passing under it enough. At the driving range you should feel that you are making slight contact with the mat.

**CoolBreeze20** · September 23, 2008

Trogdor: I know that a hybrid will hit longer, but the length Im hitting it seems to be pretty far considering the club I am using. But Im not doing the same with the short irons.

Make sure you are staying down on the ball, and shifting your weight properly from your right foot on the back-swing, to the left foot on the down-swing. You may be straightening your left leg at impact, causing you to hit the ball fairly thin and not using the clubs loft, which could affect both the trajectory and distance. Good luck dude, I know it is frustrating.

**jambalaya** · September 23, 2008

Trogdor: I know that a hybrid will hit longer, but the length Im hitting it seems to be pretty far considering the club I am using. But Im not doing the same with the short irons.

For a beginner, picking the ball off the grass is pretty usual. You add loft to your clubs when you pick them off the top of the grass. Not that you have to take a big ol' chunk of grass like the pros but you need to steepen your attack on those irons and take more of a divot to get the distance you should be getting. Take a read of this paragraph from a golf instruction manual I am reading:

Now I must tell you that, for any normal shot, hitting down on the ball is not something that you must consciously do or even think about. If you have the ball positioned anywhere back of your upper left arm, and you make a proper golf swing, the clubhead will be descending through impact. The trouble comes when you have it in your mind to pick the ball clean from the turf. That will cause you to bend your left elbow and/or raise your upper body or otherwise destroy what might have been a good swing. Trying to pick the ball clean can be a hard habit to break. You must get used to the clubhead hitting the turf just after impact with the ball. Look at the divot holes on practice ranges and golf courses. You can assume that most of those were made by the better players. Usually the deepest divot holes are made when a good player is using a wedge with the ball in the center of his stance. When you play the ball forward, as I recommend for your normal shots, you will take only a shallow divot, or maybe none at all if there is enough grass under the ball. In picking the ball off the turf you are basically sliding the club under the ball and lifting a bit adding loft to the club. That robs you of your distance. Hitting down on the ball properly is almost always a problem with beginning players.

thegolfcaptain · September 23, 2008

Check ball positioning. The shorter irons should be played further back in your stance. As you move down to 7,8 and 9 irons, the ball should be lined up further back as you go. This also will allow for more solid contact on the higher lofted clubs. Also, maybe see about getting some impact tape which will show you where you are making contact with the ball on the club face. You want to make sure that you're not hitting too low on the club with the higher lofted clubs.

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Whats up with my shot? Very inconsistent

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