Beginner Tips? (A Month Later)

[Travtex]

It's been a fun month of trying to learn how to hit a little ball with a stick.

At times, I've been rather uncertain why I got it into my head to try this. Some sort of early onset of dementia, perhaps. I'm particularly frustrated... yet at the same time encouraged... when I skull one five feet while the 90-something year old guy across from me smooths one 150 yards down the fairway with what seems to be a 35mph swing.

Aside: I've noticed one problem with being a lefty. 99% of the time at the range, you're face-to-face with someone. So, if you're like me and look like a dilwad every couple of hacks or so, you get to see them smirk right at you rather than at your back. Luckily, I've had the kind of life that forces one to develop a rather vivid sense of humor about oneself.

So, although it took the first two weeks of said first month until I could actually make contact with the stupid ball, I did finally start to do so. I've had a primer lesson and a follow-up clinic along with the encouraging mockery of my newfound golf buddy to work with.

I'm slowly creeping my way up the bag, and starting to develop some sort of consistency. It's to the point where I can actually hit the par 3 course and have some idea of what club I can hit how far and what I'm likely to do with it when I pull one of my spastic ferret moves and "Mishit".

Just making this post in hopes that the consistency of my screw-ups might shed a bit of light on my problems. I found a Pro I like, and I'm working to schedule a couple lessons... but it will be a few weeks before our schedules coincide. Hoping to grasp a tip or two to work with in the meantime.

* Hitting my full PW a pretty consistent 100 yards. Some problems with delofting it and overshooting.

* 9 iron, 115 yards. 8 iron, 130 yards. Seems to be 'So far so good'. I don't care that I don't have "long hitter" distance, I just want to know where the pellet is going. When I err, I tend to pull or hook it.

* 7 iron, things break down. I skull or fat the 7, 6, and 5 irons.

* 4 hybrid is fast becoming my best friend. I can carry 170 relatively consistently with it. 3 hybrid is not as helpful.

* 3 wood. I am not a friend of my 3 wood. Both it and the Driver I either slice wickedly or smack 180-yard worm burners. However, I make solid contact with the long woods more consistently than the middle irons. Pretty good blast, just about 50 yards of distance is going into the slice. Estimate about 230 on the drive if it went straight.

* I can punch-shot from the wilderness with so much consistent accuracy I'm half-tempted to punch ALL of my damn shots. Buried in the tree roots 60 yards out while I'm hopping on one foot to keep the fire ants from carrying me away? No problem, it's on the green. Can't understand why I'm so solid with a shot I don't ever want to have to use.

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So. Pulling my short irons and slicing my woods while whiffing my middle irons altogether. I've been settling into a sort of modified one-plane swing (Actually, I've hit surprisingly well when I tried a bit of a Mike Weir stack-and-tilt swing, but I can't seem to get my hips through with it and it just feels odd. Like watching Weir because he's a good body type match and fellow lefty.)

Any obvious problem areas leap out from these tendencies?

[uttexas]

you are doing fine. This is typical of someone playing golf for a month. You are actually going about it better than most (already getting lessons)

[squaddie]

...

Could be you are moving your head or spine around too much in the backswing and downswing. If your head or spine moves up in the swing and stays there then your club will come down above the ball (skulling it). If your head or spine drops down too much at the ball then you will hit behind it (fat) or worse. Make a video of your 7-iron swing and see if you are raising up or dropping down too much. That's been my big re-occuring problem the last few months (now working on the issue).

[grizfan]

Hi fellow lefty/beginner. As others have mentioned, lessons are really worth the effort and price. I duffed around for years, then decided to take things a bit more seriously and got lessons. That made a huge difference. Since taking lessons last month, I went from giving up on keeping score to almost breaking 100 on a real golf course yesterday. That never would have happened without having a pro watch me swing and help me fix what was broken. I've discovered that there really isn't anything mysterious or magical about hitting a golf ball, it just comes down to learning the proper technique and practice.

Also, if lessons aren't an option yet (I hope they would be, but just in case...) have someone videotape your swing (actually several) from a couple of angles. you can post here, but you can also watch yourself to see what you *think* you're doing is what you are actually doing.

Good luck, and stick with it. It can be frustrating for those of us at this stage, but when you make progress and start to see real improvement, it is certainly worth it ;)

[Travtex]

Quick HOLY CRAP update, heh.

I spent about three hours at the range this morning. Surprisingly solid day. I spent an hour between short chips (Within 10 yards of the green) and doing 3-foot putt drills. Exciting stuff, I know.

Anyway, once I hit the range, I encountered quite a few firsts. Dialed in the distance on a couple more clubs, moving up with my 7 and 6 iron, and starting to let the 3h join in with the 4h at the job of being my best friend club.

I skipped the 3-wood, because we haven't been talking to one another.

Drives were semi so-so, still slicing the crap out of it... Though I was starting to want to blame the driver at times. It's a cheapo uniflex Slazenger Wrath, and it's starting to feel like it's just whipping around too much. A natural swing, it whips and slices. I try to correct, it whips back and pull-hooks. I can FEEL the head twisting around during the swing.

Anyway, I thought 'What the hell', and dialed down to try some 3-wood tee shots. At that point, I had another one of those Angels Singing 'Wow' experiences. My 3-wood tees were -cruising-, and carrying about 200-220 surprisingly straight. Nothing brag-worthy, of course, but so far my consistent distances are right smack in the middle of that 'Average Carry Distance'.

I would have been happy with consistent short carry distance, it's just icing. I was hoping to work UP to 180 or so with the 3.

Loving this stage of learning the game, simply because the baby steps are so dramatically visible. Three weeks ago, I was happy to squeak out 90 yards with ANY club.