JimmyAyo

If a shaft creates too much lag, you won't be able to control it so if you swing as hard as you do, you are border line stiff but I would recommend x-stiff. Also depends on your swing. I have a swing speed on average of 117mph and I still use a stiff Grafalloy ProLaunch Red. The weight of the shaft plays a part here also because this will affect the lag in the shaft. Have a Pro look at your swing which I did at Dicks

A "Power Fade" is nothing more than a desired trajectory shot, similar to a sweet line drive in baseball, that goes from left to right as a righty and right to left for a lefty. You will line up as if you are going to hit a fade. An open stance is an exaggeration but more or less, slightly aimed towards the fade direction. The swing is more outside inside than your typical draw swing of inside outside. I hit both of these frequently depending on the hole. Also, the ball needs to be further up in your stance as to that of a draw. An open club face will make you slice the ball into another zip code so ensure that club face is aimed where the ball is desired to land and the swing and alignment will create the power fade.

285 is a good drive and if you have the ability to hit 310, you aren't hitting the ball bad at all. I hit a power draw which is a lower trajectory that most players want and max spin from the draw that creates an extra 25 yard roll. I drive in the 320 area consistently and I'm 5'6 180lb. Obviously, it takes ability but you need to get the right loft driver and shaft. I used to hit balls into orbit with 10.5, over the clouds with a 9.5 and finally was able to get a stock 8.5 head for my Str8-fit. I also had a 7.5 designed which is costly. (Not recommended because I have not had it approved for USGA play) Grafalloy makes greattttt shafts for all types of players. The ProLaunch Red and Avis shafts are designed for low trajectory to create that maximized spin for you. I hope my experience with hitting moon shots helps you get to where you want to be.

I think the key here is position of ball in stance and tee height. There is not going to be a person here to tell you how to not spin the ball backwards on a driver. It will come with a trial and error. Move the ball up and down in stance and adjust tee height, use a marker and make a line to see how high you tee'd up and stay consistent with that.

Have you had your lofts and lies checked on your clubs? Go to a custom fitting facility like Dicks and have them checked for your swing. I use an 8.5 driver and I still get plenty of lift. If I used a 9.5, It would go into orbit. On the contrary, my long to mid irons are like eye level bullets that just go. 4-iron at 225, 5-iron at 210 and 6-iron 190; they come off the club like an airplane off a runway. I went to Dicks and had everything from the loft/lies to the shafts on my woods and drivers customized for my swing. I lost like 5 strokes on my handicap in a month based off of comfort and the club finally working for me instead of the other way around.

Matt - Your iron swing looks very similar to Sergio Garcia. It almost appears you break your wrist to create lag on your swing which if done correctly, will act as a 120 mph swing. Your drive looks like you have an alignment problem. It looks like you are slouched over more than you have to be or your posture is slightly leaning. It also appears that your follow through (looks good) but you are leaning backwards which means you are generating the energy needed to bring you forward. Widen your stance and just check for mechanical issues like hand alignment on the club, where the ball is in your stance. From this angle, it looks like it is playing on the inside of your left which would be good. Make sure your head stays on the ball all the way through. Our distances look similar, I hit my 6-iron about 190 and my drive over 300 and I play a low trajectory draw. I had an issue that I see in your stance. Pretend you are playing short stop and create an athletic stance..Shoulders up, neck up face the ball and stay loose with a grip at a 5 on a scale of 1-10.

To everyones point, you need to find what ball will work for you. Don't listen to the guy that says "a ball is a ball." If you do not play golf at all, that could very well be true. For a guy that is shooting in 10-15 over, a ball will make a difference. When I first started out last year, I had a serious slice problem. I moved to a Nike Power Distance "Long" and worked on keep the ball in the fairway. It is a harder ball/higher compression and will not spin as much because it is designed to be hit far. After I was able to work on my errors and put together a constant draw that I was setting up for, I moved to a softer/lower compression ball that I could use for workability. My short game suffered because of the harder "distance" balls because they will not dance for you. I use a set of Vokey wedges and making a distance ball spin backwards for you is like making North Korea act right. It won't happen. I switched to the Pro-V1 which is an all around good ball for whatever you want to do. I can set up for fades and draws or hit it right down the pipe. I get great back spin with my 7-LW on the green. Ultimately, you need to find a ball that will work for your ability. If you want to lower your score, you need to be able to stop trying to kill a $3 ball and putting it in the woods and focus on swinging easy and putting it in the cup.

Exactly my thought...If you have a 60, why a 58? Or vice versa depending on your ability. A Gap Wedge (52) is definitely a stick you want to consider in this situation since you have such a yardage difference between your Pitching Wedge and Sand Wedge. You either have the softest hands in the world or the touch of an angel on your approach. My bag includes a PW (47), GW (52), SW (56) and LW (60) with minimal bounce on all of them. I am a very long hitter and it is crucial I have a complete set of wedges that are appropriate for all situations.

I like your "Not Yours" identification. If they pick my ball up, I can assure you that I am not saying "Four" when I purposely shank one their way on my drop. This has happened several times to me and quite honestly, don't lose your cool but let the jerk off know what he just did.

I played a high volume of online poker for the last 6 years. Pokerstars and Full Tilt are mainly the only legit sites that are still open for American players. You need a debit card or Western Union transaction to deposit money. I deposited $50 when I graduated in 2003 and never had to deposit anything ever again.

Try to use a smaller tee and move the ball 3 inches towards the middle of your stance. Experiment with that and by trial and error, you should cure that. Apparently, everything else is aligned correctly. Also, try to draw the ball more on your drive on straight fairways with an inside to out swing.