Golf advice/help needed!

[dbalcerak1]

Hello, Im new to this forum and I have a giant problem.

A little backround : I live on a golf course and I always messed around with golf but I never really took it to seriously up untill about 5 months ago. I started playing a lot more and I went from shooting in the high 90s and even 100s all the way into the low 80s within this time.

fastfoward: I had a full cavity nike set and I always seemed to clean pick the ball, with no divot or very small divot. I then upgraded to the nike victory red split cavitys, and while I was waiting for my clubs to arrive (over a few weeks time) I was watching youtube videos on how to strike the ball, how to better release the club, how to create lag and all that and I would mess around with my wedge practicing these ideas...

And now sadly these days I feel that my natural swing is gone and that im replacing it with something new, but what that new swing is I dont really know. It seems like every swing is different and im not playing as consistant as I used too. So my question is, should I change my swing, what would be your advice or what book/dvd/ect should I look into?


Sorry for the long post but I hope I can get this figured out and start playing better then ever because I am trying to make a Universitys golf team next year.

(ps) I just purchased david leadbetters "the modern swing" and Im hoping that will help. Any suggestions or stories that you went through will be appreciated, this whole situation is really frustrating!

-Thanks Dan B.

[kennay92]

i recommend going to youtube and just watching like all of jeff riters videos. he is a really good teacher and teaches in a way that is much easier to understand and process.. that is if you wanna go the cheap/free way.. otherwise get lessons.

[TN94z]

Well, only being 5 months into serious golf, I wouldn't worry much about my natural swing being gone because more than likely it wasn't as good as it seemed to be. It really depends on what you want. Do you want to improve enough to pay a teacher (which is what I would suggest). The reason I say this is because you have only been playing a short amount of time, now is the best time to get the correct fundamentals going and not develop many bad habits into muscle memory.

[kennay92]

i recommend going to youtube and just watching like all of jeff riters videos. he is a really good teacher and teaches in a way that is much easier to understand and process.. that is if you wanna go the cheap/free way.. otherwise get lessons.

p.s. ive only been playing for 4 months and shoot consistant low 80's.. a lot of it from reading every artcle/tip i could get my hands on, and watchin tons aand tons of videos online.. i also have had 1 lesson which was last week(which is the only lesson of my whole life)

[dbalcerak1]

ah alright guys, thanks for the advice.

It just sucks progressing so much and then getting new equipment and feeling like you are back tracking. I geuss I need a lot more practice and some help :].

[TN94z]

ah alright guys, thanks for the advice.

What is even worse is getting below a 5 handicap and deciding to fix an issue to make your swing better and in the process you shoot up to about a 7 or 8 handicap while making the changes! Talk about frustrating...I know from experience.

[GamerJG]

in my experience, getting the latest most expensive gear won't make that big a change in your game. i'd recommend using a top of the line ball, that will help most. now that you have new gear, just keep practicing and playing with it to get comfortable. your progress so far is way ahead of the curve so just keep at it. pick a swing that works for you and stick with it. usually it's your "natural" swing that will work best for you and work around that. if you want to take the next step, then focus on mastering the game inside 100 yards. if your looking for swing advice without paying for expensive lessons, i recommend "the golf swing master key" ebook by noel thomas. i read this and dropped about 10 strokes/round so far and i just started using it. good luck and let us know how you progress.

[dbalcerak1]

thanks, yeah I think part of the problem is that I dont feel confident with these new clubs yet, the iron heads are so small and skinny compared to my last ones. Im going to the range all day today and probably sneaking out to atleast play 9.

I will check out that ebook for sure. Two days into david leadbetters "the modern swing" and I aleady feel a little improvement. And im finally changing my grip for good, I have used a 10 finger grip all of my life since I was a kid; And I think its time to break that habbit.

[TN94z]

thanks, yeah I think part of the problem is that I dont feel confident with these new clubs yet, the iron heads are so small and skinny compared to my last ones. Im going to the range all day today and probably sneaking out to atleast play 9.

Good idea on the grip. There are VERY VERY few good golfers that use the 10 finger grip. I would for sure change that and never look back

[WUTiger]

dbalcerak1,

If you're interested in making the college golf team as a person new to the sport, I would find a good teaching pro. Talk to local HS or college golf coaches for advice on who might be good.

Also, finding your "natural swing" with help of good teacher will pay off in a long-term solid swing. I started playing as a 14-year-old caddie back in the 1960s, and was first person in my immediate family to play golf. I taught myself to play, and did fairly well in my 20s, but the swing slumped when I no longer had time to hit 500 practice balls a week. Problems with basics. Right now I'm in year two of a complete swing rebuild.

Another thing: If you go with a teaching pro, be careful selective about what swing tips you take from this site. When you're starting, focus on one method until you get it. Here you'll get a mix of Nicklaus, Ledbetter, Don Trahan and whoever; sometimes the advice from another "system" conflicts with the methods of your selected system.

[Where's the Cart Girl?]

In my opinion, if you don't start with lessons right from the onset, like from week 1, then you have to approach swing changes much differently than someone who has always been lesson taught. Consider that you've now found and engrained "your swing" and trying to steer away from that is going to be hard.

The way to go now IMO is, if you honestly feel that you need a change, identify what it is right about your current swing just as well as what's wrong and don't lose sight of these things. See your natural swing as a picture you've already started to paint. You can add color, draw more shapes, even paint over things you don't like, but the point is - you're not a blank canvas anymore so don't pretend you can be.

If your natural swing is upright but you can hit the same fade everytime, don't run away from that because it's stigmatized as "better" to draw the golf ball. If 10-fingers is comfortable, don't be afraid to be in the minority.

And realize that to change takes a 100% committment. Getting into a limbo of - maybe I'll try this for a few weeks and see what happens - is the worst thing to do. I've been in exactly your spot, and kind of still am, and I realized after about 2 weeks of range/course time that I'm never gonna have Adam Scott's swing. But if I identify how to make mine more like his as opposed to trying to make mine be his then I can get to where I was trying to go.

[jambalaya]

Welcome to a lifetime of tinkering with your swing and the ups and downs of your golf game. Tiger is the best in the world and he constantly works on his swing. Get some lessons, watch some videos from qaulity instructors, visit some forums, practice. It all helps and will all leave you frustrated at times.

[dbalcerak1]

Thanks for the support and advice everyone. After the last few days of practicing with my new grip and a few new drills Im actually feeling pretty good about the direction im going in. Im hitting the ball a lot more consistent and not spraying a random shot off to the right, although I feel that most shots arent going as far but Im still getting used to all this.

I actually have two coaches already, my uncle is a golf instructor but he mostly deals with people on a more basic level, and a golf coach I have at my college.

By the way if anyone reads this, my golf coach at my college (its just a class im taking for credits, I have no clue if hes even certified to teach) he wants me to stop holding my lag and snap my wrist at the top of my swing before I even turn my body....Isnt this wrong? I was always taught to begin the back swing with your body and try to hold your lag and release into the ball. Anyones opinion on this?

[jambalaya]

....he wants me to stop holding my lag and snap my wrist at the top of my swing before I even turn my body....

Uh, I don't quite understand that one. But I hear so many apparently conflicting instructions in golf I am not surprised. Are people just messing with us?

[dbalcerak1]

yeah I have no clue, Its kind of making me mad because he keeps pulling me aside and telling me to start snapping my wrist... I hit 150+ balls today and possibly mishit only 5 or less (And I just changed grips so I think thats a miracle) but yet he tells me he thinks I can get a lot more distance if I snap my wrist..I was just seeing if anyone else has ever been told that, cause I sure havnt until now!

[TN94z]

yeah I have no clue, Its kind of making me mad because he keeps pulling me aside and telling me to start snapping my wrist... I hit 150+ balls today and possibly mishit only 5 or less (And I just changed grips so I think thats a miracle) but yet he tells me he thinks I can get a lot more distance if I snap my wrist..I was just seeing if anyone else has ever been told that, cause I sure havnt until now!

He may be meaning to have the wrist bowed at impact. "Snapping" the wrists could mean different things. Having a bowed wrist at impact will add distance because it is essentially delofting the club

[dbalcerak1]

eh, nope he wants my wrist to be in a straight position (like they are when you adress a ball) he wants me to snap them to that position to start my down swing.. haha I dont know I find it funny.

[jambalaya]

In instant prior to completing his backswing, Ben Hogan initiated his downswing with his body and arms, creating a lagging action or “snap.” This move resulted in a type of torque similar to that of casting a fishing pole.

The most significant result of this move was the creation of additional wrist hinging on the downswing, just as there’s additional bend in a fishing pole when you start the forward motion with your hands and wrists an instant before the top of the pole has completed its backward motion. When you compare the angle formed by Hogan’s left forearm and the shaft on his backswing to the same angle as he starts his downswing, it’s more acute (thus there’s more of a wrist hinge) on his downswing. A change of direction in this manner leads to additional power by combining the body drive with the wrist snap.

The major challenge in this type of swing, however, is timing the rotation of the clubface so that it’s square at impact. This perhaps explains the tremendous amount of time that Hogan practiced while perfecting his method.

To create snap in your swing, start your downswing with your body and arms an instant before your club reaches the top of your backswing. This, in turn, will increase your wrist hinge on your downswing and snap the clubhead powerfully into the golf ball.

Jay Golden is a member of the PGA of America’s teaching committee and a two-time quarterfinalist in the National Long Drive Championship.

The wrists act as hinges, forming angles between the arms and the club in the move we call "L to L." As a drill, make half swings with your driver, creating an "L" with your left forearm and the clubshaft as your arms reach parallel. Now swing down, retaining that angle for as long as possible before whipping the clubhead through impact. After impact, re-form the "L," this time between the right forearm and the clubshaft. This not only helps ensure you've transmitted maximum energy--clubhead speed--through impact, but also promotes the proper rotation of the foreams. A common power drain occurs when the left elbow leads the clubhead, preventing this second "L" from forming. Incorporate "L to L" into your full swing, and you'll soon be leveraging your power like never before.

Align Your Clubface - It might seem obvious but the alignment of your clubface directly dictates the trajectory of your ball. You can maximize control over of your clubface angles by ensuring that your leading wrist is flat with respect to your forearm through your downswing to impact. Don't be tempted to snap your wrists at the bottom of your swing. It's a common misconception amongst amateur gofers that the "wrist snap" gives more power. It doesn't. According to Theodore Jorensen, expert on the physics of golf, this action reduces club head speed. What's more it screws up your club head alignment. So keep those wrists flat and you'll enjoy a great foundation for whacking the ball at the proper angle every time.

Here are just a few things I found on the internet. The prevailing thinking seems to be that you set your wrists at the top and at no time do you snap your wrist at the top. You just maintain the angle between the back of your right hand and your forearm (right hander). Snapping at the top to me is what is what I thought people called casting and something to avoid. Maybe he is just trying to tell your to have a flat left wrist at the top. It just doesn't jive to me.