Played my third round of golf ever today, getting better, advice needed.

[Philip9210]

Ok, so today i shot a 128 give or take a few, which is 11 strokes better than last time, so the good news is i'm improving, however i still have a nasty slice on my driver, and can't seem to get under the ball with my irons. i am going to need to hit up the driving range, are there any exercises i can do to get under my irons instead of topping them and hitting worm burners? Thanks guys/gals!

[Andy_Mac]

your topping may come from trying to lift the ball into the air with the iron... at the range focus on driving the ball into the ground with the face of the club. Hitting down on the ball will make it go up. Use half swings (full follow through) untill you get the hang of it and just work on hitting down on the ball with your hands in front of the ball at impact.

[McGolf-Doggie]

Not being facetious but seriously, the best exercise I ever did at that point in my golfing career was visualize myself asking the pro at my driving range, "Would you have a moment to talk about a lesson?" Or something like that. I only wish I'd done it sooner.

Things weren't progressing at the speed I wished. A coupe of lessons later, and a number of range sessions to put things into a groove, and things were moving an awful lot better.

[Philip9210]

Appreciate the advice, probablly going to get lessons soon, and hit the driving range, and lay of the course until i get things squared away.

[Cooker]

+1 on the lessons... It will pay huge dividends...

[JetFan1983]

Another vote for the lessons.

Try to find the nearest PGA Teaching Pro and sign up for a one one-hour lesson and see how you like the experience. If it goes well, get some more! Bring a pad and pencil along with you to jot down some key stuff after the lesson. That will help you remember what to do on the range.

Just some fun drills to help get you started:

Feet Together Drill by Clemshaw, one of the best Youtube teachers there is:


This is the kind of grip I use. It's not for everyone, but give it a try. There are a lot of varying philosophies on the grip out there though for you to check out!


And for my last tip, the correct stance is key.


Those are three tips to help you get on the right track! Aren't golf lessons fun? They're ten times better in person! Good luck!

[Cut Back....]

I used to be in that same scoring range a few months ago, but i took about 3 lessons and praticed a lot at the driving range. I have shaved at least 30 strokes since then. Another vote for lessons

[ComftaBill]

I'm right there in a similar boat, only one thing that has helped cure the iron shots was the fact that I noticed I was "looking" up as I hit the the ball.

Lessons are obviously a great answer but also try and keep your head down and avoid moving to see where the ball is going so suddenly.

[HSip]

Ok, so today i shot a 128 give or take a few, which is 11 strokes better than last time, so the good news is i'm improving, however i still have a nasty slice on my driver, and

Take some lessons, be patient and have fun. As for "getting under the ball with your irons" - only in a bunker. Congrats for finding golf - It can be a lifelong friend and/or foe.

[CarlSpackler]

I made it to where I am with a self taught swing (credit given to golf publications, books, TGC on the tube). I would have progressed much faster with lessons early on, and many bad habits that tend to creep back in during a round, etc. would probly not be such a problem if I started with learning the swing correctly in the first place. Definitely get some professional help.

[muggs]

Yup, take a lesson, practice a lot if you want to improve, and don't worry about what your score is. It is hard to score well at first so just get a fundamental swing worked out, then worry about the finer points. A Lesson (or more) is the key though, you'll learn more in that hour than you can in 2 years of struggling on your own, honestly. You can also spend tons of $$ on rounds of golf while playing poorly or spend it on lessons and reap the benies.

[KimboSlice]

Just a quick note on looking for lessons - although you can usually get a deal by going with group lessons, avoid them! I've done group lessons twice and all I got was the pro come look at my swing, make a comment, and then go to the next person. It was a waste of time.

This past month, I signed up for semi private lessons with my wife, and they have been great. The pro could pick out different parts of my swing, and make the corrections. I'm very pleased.