Disappointed

[opie]

Been working for 3 weeks on coming from the inside so I stop this pull crap that I had in my swing. Really thought I had it nailed down on the range especially with the short irons. Took it to the course today and wouldn't you know it.. pull city. It was like all the stuff I'd been working on went by the way side. Guess it's back to the range for more work

[ItsAllRelative]

I feel your pain. When I take my driver to the range, I can rip off perfect drive after perfect drive, on command. On the course, the fade creeps back in, sometimes borderline slice. It wouldn't bother me if I just truly sucked with the driver, but knowing I can hit it flawlessly on the range is the frustrating part. Definitely the most frustrating part of golf for me.

[McGolf-Doggie]

The driver used to be my nemesis.
Recently it's been very reliable. Immediately prior to that, pulls had been a problem, after I fixed the slice by working for a long time on coming from the inside.
What seemed to help for me, I think, has been making sure I slide the hips toward the flag, and my weight in the same direction, toward my left, for want of a better description). What that does, I think, is it prevents me from rotating my arms and club around my body too soon, it also gets the weight shift going.

The guys who I see pull it a lot, seem to forget that hip slide, and their weight remains back on their right leg.

[jorruss]

Been working for 3 weeks on coming from the inside so I stop this pull crap that I had in my swing. Really thought I had it nailed down on the range especially with the short irons. Took it to the course today and wouldn't you know it.. pull city. It was like all the stuff I'd been working on went by the way side. Guess it's back to the range for more work

What do your pulls look like? Are they straight pulls? Pull fades? Pull hooks? Is it the same with all your clubs or just some?

[Lefty22]

The guys who I see pull it a lot, seem to forget that hip slide, and their weight remains back on their right leg.

In my opinion you should be using the word "turn" here instead of slide - it may help you personally to think about a slide, but if I was to think about sliding towards the flag I think I could put myself in a bad spot pretty quick...

[opie]

What do your pulls look like? Are they straight pulls? Pull fades? Pull hooks? Is it the same with all your clubs or just some?

Pull hooks

I get that way when I try and swing too hard. Instead of just my smooth tempo'd range swing I think i have to cowboy up when I get to the course. I start the swing with my upper body instead of lower then my shoulders outrun my hips and I come over the top. Mainly short irons though are the culprit. I pulled an 8 iron OB, I was livid. I'm going to video what I've been working on again this week if the weather holds off and I can get to the range

[wannabe]

yeah, tempo.

in addition, maybe you could laser focus your eyes on the ball & ensure you're not trying to peek out at the shot, especially at/after contact? This will keep you behind the ball & maybe not allow your shoulders to come across so quickly.

[Leftygolfer]

Pull hooks

I have this same problem. I have a lesson tonight and will update the post with what he thinks and how to resolve the issue.

[jorruss]

I'm also an over the top misser. usually when I'm over the top it's because my transition from backswing to downswing is too fast. Bobby Jones' instructor used to tell him "You can't hit it with your backswing son." to slow him down.

The best drill for me to fix the over the top move is to use my alignment sticks. I get them at Home depot in the mailbox section. They are fiberglass rods. I place two on the ground about 4 or 5 inches apart, so the club can fit in between with a bit of wiggle room on either side. Now I simply hit balls without hitting the sticks. It really forces me to swing on the right path, and if you come over the top the club will hit the top stick on the way down. Start with the sticks further apart, until you get better. You can move them in real tight once you get pretty good. I have them barely far enough apart to set the club in there, really makes me concentrate.

[Zeph]

I'm in the same place. Over the top swing which, on a bad day is either a pull or a push. Effectively keeping the ball away from the hole.

How do you set up those sticks jorruss? I've used different obstacles around the ball, but nothing that sticks to the club or shaft. A picture or drawing might help visualizing it.

I too work on slowing it down from the top. I've developed a tendency to speed up at the top and start down at the same time, which will throw my arms out. I've shortened my backswing, but still have to work on not rushing down. I also picked up a note that from the top to where the hands are by your pockets, the arms should just fall and follow naturally, not being forced. It's not before they are by the pocket you speed up and swing through. This explained why Tiger can stop in the middle of his swing. Before he reach the pockets, the swing hasn't picked up speed.

Another thing is a lack of shoulder/torso turn. My arms are not connected with the torso. If I focus on turning the torso and not the arms, my swing path improves a lot. If the torso doesn't turn enough, you won't be able to come from the inside, the body will turn and push the arms out no matter how bad you try.

[opie]

I'm also an over the top misser. usually when I'm over the top it's because my transition from backswing to downswing is too fast. Bobby Jones' instructor used to tell him "You can't hit it with your backswing son." to slow him down.

i've got the mailbox sticks. Never thought of putting them together to the ball like that. I always use one right outside the ball and the other to align my feet but I'll try that

[jorruss]

How do you set up those sticks jorruss? I've used different obstacles around the ball, but nothing that sticks to the club or shaft. A picture or drawing might help visualizing it.

Like I stated before, I use the so-called "Plow Sticks" from Home Depot. They are orange reflector sticks you put at the end of your driveway in the winter so the snow plow doesn't take out your mailbox. They are in the mailbox section for around $1.50 each.

I simply lay 2 of them down on the ground on parallel lines towards a target, like the flag on the range. I set them just far enough apart to place a ball and ground my 7 iron between the two sticks, leaving some space near the toe and heel. How much space you leave on either side depends on your ability level. Start with an inch on each side of the club and hit some balls, keeping the club from hitting the sticks. As you get better, draw them in together for a bigger challenge. I find it really helps my ball striking. I have a tendency to take the club back too far inside the line and grazing the inside stick, then making a slight over the top move, grazing the outside stick on the way down. When I can hit 10 or 15 balls without hitting the sticks, I bring them a bit closer together and repeat. I'll take a picture if I get time tonight and post it here.

[Zeph]

Ah, now I see. That can be very useful. I've used tees and made gates either way, but never tried this. The advantage is that you can put limits on every side of the ball. You'll definately know if the club is going outside or inside the square swing path, depending on how far apart you put them.

I'll pick up some sticks and try this the next time I'm on the range. Thanks!

Good to see someone at +1.3 also can swing over the top.

[jorruss]

Good to see someone at +1.3 also can swing over the top.

I wish there was a pill I could take sometimes... I might have quite a bit less space in my trophy case right now if not for a few ill-timed pull hooks...

[opie]

I wish there was a pill I could take sometimes... I might have quite a bit less space in my trophy case right now if not for a few ill-timed pull hooks...

How bad is it when it happens to you jorruss?? When you make that mistake and come over the top with say a 7 iron?? How many yards left?

[case31]

If you are hitting the ball well in practice but not out on the course, then you need to figure out why. When I'm at the range, I take my normal "on-course" routine before each shot. This makes it a little easier to figure out what I'm doing right as well as wrong. Another strategy that always works for me is to rotate clubs like you would playing a normal round...which works like this:
Simulate playing a par 4: hit driver, then something like an 8-iron.
Simulate a par 5: driver, 3-wood, wedge
And so on and so forth.

[Zeph]

The range vs course problem could also have to do with aiming. On the range you know where the ball will end, depending on where you stand. I've struggled with aiming problems, combined with coming over the top. This resulted in a swing where I was aiming far right of the flag and swinging to the left. I'm surprised I even get in the hole. On the range I have square mats which are easy to align up with. On the course you'll have to do the job yourself. If you think this could be a problem, there are some useful tips here: http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?p=303787

[jorruss]

How bad is it when it happens to you jorruss?? When you make that mistake and come over the top with say a 7 iron?? How many yards left?

With a 7 iron, I would typically miss the green left, maybe 10-15 yards. With a driver, an over the top swing usually means I'm in or near the woods/water/hazard on the left. All my clubs have very heavy swingweights so that tends to make it tougher for the club to get offline, but it does happen. My irons are all in the D6 to D8 range, and my wedges and driver are E0. The driver is a sledgehammer at that weight.