Longer The Club, The Worse It Gets

[Azandford]

First off, let me say that i am new to golf. I started about 2 months back and started playing with my grandfather who has been playing for 35+ years. I never picked up a club until recently. I have been trying to play at least once a week and i have seen an improvement until recently.

I mostly played at a par 3, mostly because its free during the fall/winter. Most holes are btween 100-150 yards. So i never get past the six iron.

It seems as though i have gotten a feel for these shorter clubs, but i played a few rounds on a regulation course and anything above the 6 iron is so unpredictable. I dont dare touch the driver anymore, id rather just throw the balls away then use it. Unforutnately as a broke 22 y/o, i dont have the access to a club prop or lessons so youtube, this site, and ben hogans book are as close to instruction as i am going to get.

Any tips on how to adjust to these longer clubs? Anyone shorten there shafts? Is the different lengths really necessary?

Also, the shaft on my driver seems super flexible. The clubs were owned by my 65y/o grandfather so im sure these were changed out to a "senior" shaft. Im guessing a regular steel shaft is something i should look into?

Thanks Guys! All insight is greatly appreciated

[loopy]

Sometimes with the longer clubs people tend to try to swing harder (faster) which can throw you off balance, tempo, plane, a whole myriad of things. I'm guilty of this myself from time to time. Your swing with the longer clubs really shouldn't be any harder or faster than a good seven iron swing, the length of the shaft creates a longer arc thereby creating more club head speed not trying to swing the club faster.

[kurisu]

I'm a beginner too (my 2nd year is starting), and for me the longer clubs (longer than 3 iron) remain a mystery. I've posted that in another thread, but after I got the handle on my mid and shorter irons, to get better with my 5 iron, I bought a 4 iron. Once the 5 iron got usable, to improve my 4 iron, I bought a 3 iron. Turns out the 3 iron and the 4 iron got better at the same time.

As loopy said, the longer the club, the more likely you'll swing harder (consciously or not). I worked a lot on keeping my backswing compact (i.e. shorter than parallel at the top) and I now have assimilated the feel of a compact backswing with the shorter clubs;
but because of centrifugal force, the longer clubs are more difficult to "feel" in the backswing, and I tend to overswing with my 4 wood and driver even though I _think_ I'm keeping it short. I really have to concentrate to do that. There is no secret, really, it just takes time and effort to practice.

If you want to use your longer clubs, I suggest you use them for punch shots. You'd be amazed at how far a punched driver shot goes if you get consistent contact/impact on the sweet spot. A side benefit of doing that is that it teaches you to gauge your strength and you'll hit straighter shots.

Good luck!

[The Road Dog]

So Azandford, you have a 35yr experienced close relative you play with and you're asking folks here for advice? What did your GF have to say when asked? if you didn't ask then do it. As a grandfather who loves to get his grandson a club or two from time to time, I would be insulted if I found out complete strangers were advising my grandson without him talking with me. He probably knows where to find a bargain or two also.

Anyway welcome to the game, and the site.

[wrx_junki]

Christmas is right around the corner. Hopefully either your parents or grandfather will get you a used set that may fit you better.

[Easy]

I had this problem. As someone already said you're simply swinging too hard with the lower irons. It feels right to swing harder because you have more distance to cover but you just got to remember to let the club do the work.
It's either that or you haven't grooved a reliable swing yet.

[GolfsMrMiyagi]

Its hard to say without seeing your swing, but yes swinging smoother may help you. Also you soon find out, if you already have'nt, that golf is also about how you approach each swing mentally. You may want to imagine that you are swinging a sand wedge or something, even though you have a 3 iron in your hand. Plat around with things like that. I know that specific tip helps me from time to time.

[uscfan]

my swing with a longer iron is similar speed to say my 6iron why is that? i just use my 19degree hybrid to cover anywhere from 190 -215 yds.

[Frito]

You could try doing this , its what I do. Get a bucket of balls and start with your 7 iron and get warmed up with it untill your hitting it consistently then work your way up to a 6 5 4 ect.. when you get to the trouble clubs and hit a few bad shots go back to the 7 and feel that good swing and contact then work your way back up again. remember to keep that same tempo and feel and bring it with you up to the clubs your having trouble with.

[Mr Eagle]

Some swing thoughts that go through my mind when hitting 3 iron.

Address ball,forward in stance,grip,aim left,open stance a little (this will get the ball up in the air).Take club back low and smooth, brain shuts down at this point and you are in the hands of your god.(or the lessons you have had)

[CassinoNorth]

Believe me, honing in your short game isn't the worst thing for you.

When you start getting those longer clubs straighter and further, you'll be miles ahead of where you'd normally be. I used to work on a par 3 course and when there was nothing to do and no golfers were there I'd play the 3 holes right around the clubhouse. Before I got sick last summer I was absolutely money from within 100 yards. I was shaky like you from the tee and with any longer irons.

My advice, look for some cheap drivers on the 'bay that will hopefully fit you (guesstimate your swing speed by the 8 iron) then hit the range.

[tristanhilton85]

You could try doing this , its what I do. Get a bucket of balls and start with your 7 iron and get warmed up with it untill your hitting it consistently then work your way up to a 6 5 4 ect.. when you get to the trouble clubs and hit a few bad shots go back to the 7 and feel that good swing and contact then work your way back up again. remember to keep that same tempo and feel and bring it with you up to the clubs your having trouble with.

Good advice here... really helps to build confidence.

On your comment about being a broke 22 yr old, trust me I understand as I'm a broke 25 yr old... Even though I really don't have a lot of money to spend on golf, there are deals out there and you can get good quality used clubs at a decent price. I really haven't taken lesson either as they are expensive, what I have done however is get a copy of the Stack and Tilt Book, which is invaluable. It really helps you understand how to swing the club properly and it gives great examples and drills. It also provides a good way to diagnose the flaws in your swing so you can work on those. On top of this, the guys at The Golf Evolution have some good instructional videos up on YouTube that I have found helpful as well. Hope this helps.

[Billy33]

I am also new to golf and have found that I have more difficuly working the ball with a longer club. If I dont think of it as a longer club and not swing as hard I make better contact;however, I have a more left to right ball flight which I dont want. I know through getting lessions that I have to remember that the longer the club the earlier I have to start squaring the club. I also tend to hit my longer irons more thin.