More Lessons or Club Adjustment?

[DoinShots]

Hi All,

Noob here (to the forum, as well as the game - only been playing 2+ years), please forgive my ignorance. Not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, and I did search with no results.

Anywho... I've taken lessons intermittently over the past couple of years, and my swing is fairly consistent (at least I think it is), however my shots are not. While they run the gamut direction-wise, they have a tendency to go right maybe 40% of the time. When I first started playing, I did have a rather large slice, which I have worked out for the most part. Now, when they do go right it's either a small slice or just a bee-line right of my target.

So, after that long-winded description, my question is - would I benefit from a lie adjustment, or do I need more lessons? I'm 5'7", so shorter than the "average" male golfer (I think?). I'm currently playing with Nike Slingshot OSS irons which I'd rather not give up, partly because I love them, and more importantly I can't afford new irons right now. As far as lessons go, I don't know how practical it would be for me due to time and financial constraints. I play maybe once a week, and don't know where I'd fit lessons/practice in. My fear is taking more lessons, having my current swing deconstructed, and not enough time to practice any new techniques.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[GDIB_net]

Love your thoughts and where you are in golf.Everyone should have the lie angles of their irons checked. This is relatively easy and inexpensive to do. Next, work on hitting the ball SOLID. You don't need anyone to tell you how to do that ; you can figure it out. Forget swing--it's a trap, a rather large one at that. Good luck, the ball will tell you everything you need to know. GDIB

[DoinShots]

Thanks GDIB, I appreciate the advice. One question - what do you mean by "forget swing- it's a trap?"

Forget swing--it's a trap, a rather large one at that.

[Tomboys]

Both. Have your equipment checked to make sure they're within tolerances. As long as they're not grossly off, leave them alone for now. From there, talk to a few different instructors and explain to them what's going on with your game and what your current financial and time constaints are. Most instructors should be willing to work with you. Pick one that you connect with. Realize that you don't have to take a full hour lesson, or sign up for a series of 5 lessons. My current instructor does an hour lesson for $60 down to a 15 minute lessons for $15.00. In some instances, going an hour can be too long.

Since you've been playing for two years already, you already have somewhat of a grooved swing. So, have an instructor look at it. If he (or she) is a good instructor, they should be able to tell what the biggest problem of your swing is by the time you finish hitting the 10th ball on the range. From there, they'll give you a drill that should get you hitting the ball better within that 15 minute lesson. Understand that your swing won't be fixed because there may be more than one thing wrong with your swing.

Practice the drill at the range when you have time to ingrain that change into your swing. Again, don't beat yourself up if you can't spend hours at the range hitting hundreds of golf balls 7 days a week for a month straight trying to ingrain it. As long as you allow some time to practice and play with the swing change on a regular basis, you should be okay. In fact, you may be better off just going to the range twice a week for 30 minutes as opposed to going to the range twice a month for 2 hours at a time. Just understand, the more you can practice/play with a change, the sooner it will be incorporated into your "natural" swing.

[WUTiger]

Get checked out on a fitting board at a golf shop, or maybe where you get lessons. The fitter will put fitting tape on the bottom of the sole of your 5i and 7i, and have you hit some a few shots with each. Then, the fitter checks where the "scuff" marks are on the sole.

* It the scuff pattern is out toward the toe, it means your club lie is too flat, and needs to be more upright so you get square contact.
* If the scuff pattern is back toward the heel, it means your club lie is too upright, and you need to flatten it.
* If the scuff pattern in in the middle, lie is good as is.

Adjustments take the form of the + or (-) degree loft adjustments. The Ping color-coded fitting system takes into account whether you need upright, flat, or standard lie.

Sometimes, trimming or lengthening the shaft may help one out.

For wedges, the fitter can also look at how far back or forward the scuff is from the face. This gives info on the ideal "bounce" angle needed for wedges. (Ask fitter about wedge bounce)

Also, the fitter can put you on the launch monitor , which measures ball speed and trajectory (height) of shots. Sometimes players don't have the best shaft on their clubs for their swing. Or, maybe a different ball type would be better. Again, fitter can give you details.
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As far as practicing goes: You can do some swing drills for 15 minutes a day in your back yard, or your living room if you have ceilings that aren't too low. Or, practice putting for 20 minutes on the way home from work if you have time. Key to "practice" for most of us is picking up the club meaningfully a few times a week, rather than hoping for three 2-hour range sessions a week.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Note: Consider putting a What's In My Bag segments in your signature line. That way we can tell what mix of clubs you carry, and how you approach the game.

[Tomboys]

Aside from making sure the shafts aren't too stiff for your swing, I would caution against getting your clubs fitted for now. The main reason is because if you have a technically bad swing, all you end up doing is reinforcing a bad swing. For instance, when I first started golf, I had a severe OTT move which lead me to need a 4* upright lie. With the "corrected" specs for my swing, some of my shots flew a little better, but my shots were still all over the place. So, rather than get a set, I chose to take some more lessons, and worked on my swing for another @ 6 months. When my game improved, I went back for another fitting. Based on my impoved swing, I now needed a standard lie.

[DoinShots]

Aside from making sure the shafts aren't too stiff for your swing, I would caution against getting your clubs fitted for now. The main reason is because if you have a technically bad swing, all you end up doing is reinforcing a bad swing. For instance, when I first started golf, I had a severe OTT move which lead me to need a 4* upright lie. With the "corrected" specs for my swing, some of my shots flew a little better, but my shots were still all over the place. So, rather than get a set, I chose to take some more lessons, and worked on my swing for another @ 6 months. When my game improved, I went back for another fitting. Based on my impoved swing, I now needed a standard lie.

Thank you all for the great advice, it is defintely appreciated! I like the idea of just stopping by the range for 15 minutes on the way home - definitely seems manageable. I don't have a backyard, as I live in an apartment building so that's out of the question

I guess the crux of my question lies in the quote above - I do plan on going for at least a couple more lessons, but with my limited amount of practice time, how likely is my swing to change that dramatically? I don't see myself being able to get to the range for any more than those "quick hits" here and there any time in the near future. I guess I should have prefaced the thread with the notion that I'm not looking to join a league or enter any competitions. Right now I'm a weekend hacker for the most part (once in a while I can get out during the week) that just wants to have a consistent game (and not lose so many balls!) I would like to one day work on my game and bring it to the next level, but I don't see it happening right now. Thoughts? Thanks again!

[GDIB_net]

your playing a game with a ball. Learn yourself how to hit it and then how to control it. You've done this with other endeavors in your life.Trying to learn some one else's idea of how to make a perfect swing in order to make a perfect shot is not the prudent way to go.Be an athlete, find the ball with the clubface. It's a lot of fun. Good luck. GDIB

[Tomboys]

Thank you all for the great advice, it is defintely appreciated! I like the idea of just stopping by the range for 15 minutes on the way home - definitely seems manageable. I don't have a backyard, as I live in an apartment building so that's out of the question

It depends on the ability and the expectation of the golfer. Some are fast learners, some aren't. Some have great hand-eye coordination, some don't. Some want to be scratch golfers, some just want to be good enough to beat their buds. So, how long it will take to change your swing and/or how much your swing needs to be changed are questions that only you and your instructor can answer.

[DoinShots]

How does that saying go? "Don't blame the tool, blame the craftsman?"

I went yesterday to chat with a clubfitter, and he told me that my irons don't bend well and are highly susceptible to breakage if he were to try. He let me hit a few with the tape and the fitting board just to see where I stood....

Straight into the net. Square on the face. Middle of the sole. Every time...

Why the %$#* can't I do this on the course! Guess I just gotta make time for the range. Luckily the one by me has an early-bird special.

Thanks again for the advice!