Am I hitting the golf balls incorrectly?

[djhyeon]

Hi,

I'm 13 and I have started to get into golf and practicing regularly a few times a week. However, when i was hitting with my 5 iron just a day ago, the ball only went about 90 yards (And my 5 hybrid hit an average of 120-140 yards). The ball goes straight and high, but I am not sure where the club is hitting. Is there any way I can improve?

(I am self-learning)

[TitleistLefty]

Hybrids are meant to go higher and further than irons, they're designed to be easier to hit. If you want a cheap easy way to see where you're hitting it on the face, put masking tape on the face of your club then use a marker or felt tipped pen and color the back of the ball you will hit. You the ball will leave a distinct mark on the tape for you to see.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by djhyeon

Hi,

I'm 13 and I have started to get into golf and practicing regularly a few times a week. However, when i was hitting with my 5 iron just a day ago, the ball only went about 90 yards (And my 5 hybrid hit an average of 120-140 yards). The ball goes straight and high, but I am not sure where the club is hitting. Is there any way I can improve?

(I am self-learning)

Good luck. Don't worry about distances right now. Just work on making solid contact.

[Shindig]

Distance comes with time.  Part of that is good contact, part of that is muscles and flexibility.

The fact that you already care how far they go, and are willing to make an accurate assessment, says you're using your brain.  Some guys your age will assume that someone their age "should" hit the 8-iron at 120 yards, and will try to hammer it.  Meanwhile, you can make a nice swing with your 5-iron and hit the green for a chance at birdie, while they're scrambling for par.

Another thing:  what's the source of your clubs?  Are you playing proper clubs for your age range (in terms of weight and length), or a cut-down former club?  I've seen some folks have dad's old cut-down clubs, and they end up being too heavy and too stiff to do much with.

[RayG]

Hybrids are meant to go higher and further than irons, they're designed to be easier to hit. If you want a cheap easy way to see where you're hitting it on the face, put masking tape on the face of your club then use a marker or felt tipped pen and color the back of the ball you will hit. You the ball will leave a distinct mark on the tape for you to see.

You can save marking the ball by just using matte scotch tape. it will leave a distinct mark as well.

[djhyeon]

I use Tight Lies Set 1012 from Adams Golf.

Thanks for the reply!

[MiniBlueDragon]

The faster and harder you swing, the more likely it is that your swing will go wrong, resulting in an errant shot. Also the further the ball is hit, the more pronounced a mis-hit will be (that's why a lot of golfers leave the boomstick in the bag!)

If you're hitting it straight and high you're on the right track so keep doing what you're doing. Over time your brain will automatically start squeezing a little more distance out of your swing without you trying to do so yourself. Getting less difference than a friend isn't necessarily a bad thing. Picture this:

A 380 yard Par 4 hole.

- You tee off and hit it 120 straight.

- Your friend tees off and hits it 140 yards into the rough on the right.

- You follow up with another 120 yard straight shot, leaving you 140 to the pin off the fairway.

- Your friend hits his ball from the rough 80 yards onto the fairway.

- You follow up with a third 120 yard shot straight to the green.

- Your friend hits another 140 yard shot which slices off to the right of the green.

- You putt to within 3 ft of the cup.

- Your friend chips on.

- Your friend putts to within 3 ft of the cup.

- You putt down.

- Your friend putts down.

Final scores:

You = 5

Friend = 6

Yes he drove the ball further but he didn't play as well.

Slow and steady wins the race!

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

The faster and harder you swing, the more likely it is that your swing will go wrong, resulting in an errant shot. Also the further the ball is hit, the more pronounced a mis-hit will be (that's why a lot of golfers leave the boomstick in the bag!)

If you're hitting it straight and high you're on the right track so keep doing what you're doing. Over time your brain will automatically start squeezing a little more distance out of your swing without you trying to do so yourself. Getting less difference than a friend isn't necessarily a bad thing. Picture this:

A 380 yard Par 4 hole.

- You tee off and hit it 120 straight.

- Your friend tees off and hits it 140 yards into the rough on the right.

- You follow up with another 120 yard straight shot, leaving you 140 to the pin off the fairway.

- Your friend hits his ball from the rough 80 yards onto the fairway.

- You follow up with a third 120 yard shot straight to the green.

- Your friend hits another 140 yard shot which slices off to the right of the green.

- You putt to within 3 ft of the cup.

- Your friend chips on.

- Your friend putts to within 3 ft of the cup.

- You putt down.

- Your friend putts down.

Final scores:

You = 5

Friend = 6

Yes he drove the ball further but he didn't play as well.

Slow and steady wins the race!

A 120 yard driver versus a 140 yard driver?

[MiniBlueDragon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MiniBlueDragon

The faster and harder you swing, the more likely it is that your swing will go wrong, resulting in an errant shot. Also the further the ball is hit, the more pronounced a mis-hit will be (that's why a lot of golfers leave the boomstick in the bag!)

If you're hitting it straight and high you're on the right track so keep doing what you're doing. Over time your brain will automatically start squeezing a little more distance out of your swing without you trying to do so yourself. Getting less difference than a friend isn't necessarily a bad thing. Picture this:

A 380 yard Par 4 hole.

- You tee off and hit it 120 straight.

- Your friend tees off and hits it 140 yards into the rough on the right.

- You follow up with another 120 yard straight shot, leaving you 140 to the pin off the fairway.

- Your friend hits his ball from the rough 80 yards onto the fairway.

- You follow up with a third 120 yard shot straight to the green.

- Your friend hits another 140 yard shot which slices off to the right of the green.

- You putt to within 3 ft of the cup.

- Your friend chips on.

- Your friend putts to within 3 ft of the cup.

- You putt down.

- Your friend putts down.

Final scores:

You = 5

Friend = 6

Yes he drove the ball further but he didn't play as well.

Slow and steady wins the race!

A 120 yard driver versus a 140 yard driver?

Lol Sean. The OP said he drives it 120 at the moment with his 5H. I presumed his friends would be of a similar standard but perhaps hitting a little further. :P Either way the point remains, accuracy is better than distance as a starting point in golf.