Can hit fine off the mat but not off the grass...

[cmarkmyers]

The title basically says it all. I get a fair amount of practice off of the mats at the driving range and while I am still by no means even remotely consistent I still am happy with my progress. However, when I meander over to the grass tee line things get pretty bad. Top after top after top, and when I do make contact the damn ball goes 30 degrees to the right.

Now I know the obvious - practice more especially on the grass and take more lessons - but does anyone have any other advice on what to do? What could I be doing wrong or different?

Part of me thinks it is a combination of confidence, the unevenness of the grass, and the chopped up tee lines, but I know there is more to it than that. Or maybe its just that the mats really are that much forgiving…

[jeffgladchun]

Well if you're topping it that means that you aren't returning to the same position you were at during address. You may be standing more erect, or losing bend in your knees, or lifting your head. Try not to jump at the ball but swing in a relaxed manner and see if that helps. Don't be afraid to hit down on the ball, grass will be more forgiving on your wrists than any damned mat.

[ragontona]

All I can think of is concentrate on staying down through the shot. From the sound of it, it's 100% mental, as you were able to give a laundry list of everything that might be bothering you. If you're thinking about it, it'll affect your shot. Just picture the clubhead going down and through the ball...

I'm no pro though, so take my advice with a grain of salt (or bunker sand). Just my two cents worth.

[kklick]

I'm not a big fan of mats at all. I'll usually avoid them at all costs. Problem with a mat is if you hit behind the ball the club will still skip through and make ok contact. Hit behind it in the dirt and I think you know the problem.

Practice in the grass. If you keep having problems tee the ball up just a bit. Knowing its off the ground you'll more than likely take away some of that fear of sticking the club behind it. Once you are consistently hitting it ok off the tee just drop it on the ground and go at it.

[lefty53]

It's the mats. Tee it low on the grass for a few swings and gain some confidence. Good luck.

[LarryK]

Part of me thinks it is a combination of confidence, the unevenness of the grass, and the chopped up tee lines, but I know there is more to it than that.

Not really. Like ragontona said, if your shy about hitting down on the ball for any of the above reasons, you'll probably top it -- just like you're doing.

[xd3vilx]

i would believe this is due to pressure...in range...if u flop one shot...ok...take another ball and whack again...come to course...one try only...flop it ur score will flop too...try to keep calm and tell ur else even professional flop their shot which include tiger...

[Guest]

if your hitting off a tee on the mats and in the grass, then i'd guess it's 99% mental. i can't hit the ball worth beans, but i do a lot better not trying to remember ten different swing tips, just hold on to two or three things, grip, tempo, a good folow through. this is suspposed to be fun, just relax and swing.

[cmarkmyers]

I ran into my pro today who advised me that it could be my weight transfer. Anyone know any good tips for this?

[jeffgladchun]

This summer I played a round with a friend of mine who is quite an athlete and could be a great golfer if he kept at it. Anyways, he had a little reverse pivot going on and kept toppin everything, which sounds like what you are doing.

A reverse pivot is when during the backswing your upper body pivots towards the target (onto your left foot if you play right-handed) instead of loading up on the right side. Then, during your downswing, your upper body (and weight) shifts back away from the target line (right foot) and can result in topping shots. Try to feel your weight load up on your right foot (specifically down the inside of your entire leg) and make sure you finish with the majority of your weight on your left foot (specifically the heel).

Look at my avatar to see one of the finest finishes to ever grace this game.

Good luck!

[cmarkmyers]

Played 9 today on only topped a few. HUGE improvement for me. I think it was a few things that were different from my last couple times out that were causing tops...

1. Reverse pivot... Now I am trying to swing a bit smoother. I take a practice swing before every shot and make sure I am not leaning the wrong way.

2. Balance and weight shift... On some practice swings I stop on the backswing to see where my weight is. On others I hold my finish and do the same. Every time that I checked everything felt correct.

3. A combonation of being confident and relaxed. Playing by myself I had no one to impress or worry about. Also I didn't get rattled at all by bad shots. It didn't hurt that I didn't have that many really bad shots.

[aceadair]

I perform very well on mats. Mats allow you to skip into the ball and still make better than decent contact, grass just lets your club dig in and the ball goes about three feet. By the sound of it that isnt your problem though. The only advice that i can think of ( i am sure someone has said it but i dident take the time to read the others ) keep your head down. If you head is down then your body is down and in effect the clubhead with stay down.

I am by no means a pro. I hope this advice helps. Like i said, this advice and 3 dollars will buy you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

[ken72]

I had a similar problem a while back. Part of my problem was hitting the ground and stopping the club or hitting it thin. One thing I did was just stand in my back hard and swing across the ground. I also started taking two tees and sticking them about 1 inch from the toe and one inch from the heel. I would set up the club face in between the two tees and set my stance with an iron. I would then practice swings through the tees and try to create a straight line divot behind the tees. If I hit the tees I knew I was coming too far either outside or inside the ball. Then I would look at the divot to see if it was straight or cutting to the left or right. This sounds long but it helped with my confidence which I realized was my real problem.