Swing Speed Question

[TheGolfingDetective]

How much of a difference should you have between your driver and woods, and down to your shorter irons. Lately my short irons have been so poor that I notice I slow down considerably in an effort to make solid contact with the face reasonably closed. I realize shorter club, shorter swing, but I am confidant and get good results wailing away with my driver and longer clubs. The shorter clubs I seem to barely have any follow through and tend to leave it short. Wedges especially.

Ideas, thoughts, comments, concerns?

[Avid Golfer]

How much of a difference should you have between your driver and woods, and down to your shorter irons. I realize shorter club, shorter swing, but I am confidant and get good results wailing away with my driver and longer clubs.

Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Nick Price, and Retief Goosen are all players that have said they want the same swing with every club in the bag. They don't try to shorten their swings for shorter clubs. I play with that same belief. I recommend you adopt that same outlook. The game is complicated enough as it is, so why make it more difficult by having a dozen different swings?

[ctmurrray]

How much of a difference should you have between your driver and woods, and down to your shorter irons. Lately my short irons have been so poor that I notice I slow down considerably in an effort to make solid contact with the face reasonably closed. I realize shorter club, shorter swing, but I am confidant and get good results wailing away with my driver and longer clubs. The shorter clubs I seem to barely have any follow through and tend to leave it short. Wedges especially.

I guess I would suggest a reduced back stroke with a complete swing and follow through on short irons. I suspect you will make better contact more often and gain some confidence. Not following through on the swing indicates you are decelerating your swing which is not good. I disagree with the other post that all swings are the same. The driver swing is quite different than a short iron for most players (non-pros) due to the length of the club, the position of the ball, and most people's tendency to really swing hard on the drive.

Have you considered a lesson or two? A video tape of your swing with some swing tips from a pro would be worth the cost.

[golf_junkie27]

Like Avid said, your swing should be consistent. The main reason why your driver swing speed is faster than your irons is because of swingweight. Generally, your driver and woods are much lighter than your irons.

It sounds like you're decelerating. A good practice is to use the club that is perfect for that particular distance. (Or reasonably close) Take your normal swing and chart your results. This will help you as you progress.

[iacas]

Like Avid said, your swing should be consistent. The main reason why your driver swing speed is faster than your irons is because of swingweight. Generally, your driver and woods are much lighter than your irons.

Also, because they've got longer shafts.

[TheGolfingDetective]

Hmm. You just made something pop in my head. As my contact got less consistent, I started taking more club and consciously saying to myself, "I'll hit an easy 7 instead of a full 8," and that led to the shorter backswings, which led to lack of distance, and it just snowballed.

Maybe I just have to hit that full 8 and get it there, damnit!

[golf_junkie27]

Hmm. You just made something pop in my head. As my contact got less consistent, I started taking more club and consciously saying to myself, "I'll hit an easy 7 instead of a full 8," and that led to the shorter backswings, which led to lack of distance, and it just snowballed.

Your mental approach is good as you should always use enough club. A question, though. When you shortened your swing did you also stop taking a full shoulder turn? If so, then that may be the reason why you lost some distance even though you had enough club.

[TheGolfingDetective]

Shoulder turn has always been my enemy. I used to be big into weightlifting, and that is NOT good for a full shoulder turn. As I've gotten smaller I've worked on more flexibility and turning... all... the... way... But its a struggle.

Where in Westchester do you play?

[golf_junkie27]

Shoulder turn has always been my enemy. I used to be big into weightlifting, and that is NOT good for a full shoulder turn. As I've gotten smaller I've worked on more flexibility and turning... all... the... way... But its a struggle.

I work out, too. What really helped my shoulder turn was Hogan's book and getting tips from this forum. Let your hands lead the back swing and then rotate your hips and shoulders. You will find your front shoulder behind the ball. (Which is the goal). You'll also be in a position where you're storing energy and creating power. In Westchester: Saxon Woods, Hudson Hills, Mohansic and Sprain Lake. I sometimes go up to Garrison. I love that course, just a great place to play.

[WannaBeBogeyFree]

I agree with the other posts. Keep your swing consistent with all your clubs. (shorten it just a hair for the putter though )

The one problem I had with my swing was anytime I would try to hit a 1/2, 3/4, shot I would slow down my swing. To correct this I had to feel as though I was aggressively accelerating into the ball on the downswing.