I love golf, but should i give up?

[JonnyFive]

Wow this game is great. I just started playing golf a couple years ago, and this game is very addicting. Basketball & football used to be my sports but tearing my ACL and MCL has inclined me to switch sports. Im a big guy 6'2 230 so i have the physical capabilities to hit it well, except for 1 thing. Im knocked kneed!

Should i just give up now? Or are there good knock kneed golfers out there? I feel that my arms are doing the right things, but my body and mainly my legs and feet are all kinds of messed up lol. I have a hard time turning my body which makes me swing with mostly my arms leading to slices and lack of distance.

I drive about 220-230 with 50 yard slice every time. which is actually pretty playable(from the whites), but i know the potential is there for more distance and accuracy.

i only hit my pw about 110

I can practice whenever i want for free too which is great. i hit a bucket of balls a day and do 18 about 5 times a week(Ottercreek, On. Canada if anyone has been there) and the pro there has helped me get more consistent, but i cant get the distance due to mostly arm swinging.

sorry for the novel it truly is too long to read, so ill put everything into 1 question.

Does anyone have any tips for knock kneed golfers getting more distance? =p

Thanks a lot!

[slabm7]

Have you tried turning your lead foot 45 degrees towards the target? This should help you get your body around and get behind the ball a little better, maybe even help with your slice.

[MEfree]

I wouldn't give up if you are enjoying it, but know that it is a frustrating game.

I am not sure how the knock knee issue affects the swing, but for skiing, one of the things some people do is to get foot beds that can help with alignment...not sure if anyone does this with golf, but it might be worth a try if it is important enough for you.

Originally Posted by JonnyFive

Wow this game is great.

Should i just give up now?

[The Tin Man]

I'm guessing that "knock kneed" means your pigeon toed too?   (Lower body stuck in internal rotation.)  Study the basics of weight distribution during the swing and figure out what you have to do with your body.

"""220-230 with 50 yard slice every time."""

Once again I'm guessing that the condition that makes you knock kneed also affects your upper body.  If so, you may have to grip your club in a manner that goes against the book. An neutral  grip in internal rotation looks to others as a weak grip. Conform to what the book says is "neutral" and your too strong. (Reverse that for being stuck in external rotation. Ignore all this if your normal.)

To sum that all up. Study how the ball reacts to the club face and find a grip that works for you.

[JonnyFive]

Thanks a lot for the replies guys.

Slabm7, by 45 degrees do you mean open my stance?

Mefree, i do enjoy it, but if im never going to be able to take that next step then i might start to not enjoy it as much and just get frustrated =p

What exactly are footbeds? Alignment is defiently an issue!

Tin man, What exactly is pigeon toed? like my feet are sorta pointed outwards and not straight? Then yes i am pigeon toed LOL. It sucks and it's hard to align my shots, and on putting it's even worse lol.

i did go golfing today and shot a 91 so i feel like im improving.  my short game i feel is the best part of my game, but if i can start to get some range my score should go down a lot.

Thanks alot for all of the tips, i think im gonna try to upload a video of my swing and see what you guys think.

Thanks again !

[The Tin Man]

"Tin man, What exactly is pigeon toed? like my feet are sorta pointed outwards and not straight? Then yes i am pigeon toed LOL. It sucks and it's hard to align my shots, and on putting it's even worse lol."

No, Your not pigeon toed (toes pointing inwards). Your Duck Footed (so am I) which is not a big deal playing golf. Bring you feet straight - even if its uncomfortable - align you shot - with out moving your heels - rotate your feet out to where its' comfortable.  (Easier done then explained)

I'm at a loss how you can be knocked kneed (Knees pressing in) and duck footed at the same time.)

Duck feet is bad for running. Pigeon Toed is bad period!

[MEfree]

Footbeds are custom sole inserts for your shoes/boots/etc...My familiarity with them is from skiing, not golf.  Basically, you take out the original footbed (where the bottom of your foot sits on) and replace with a custom one...when I googled "footbeds for golf" this was the first result http://www.yoursole.com/why-sole/research/golf/ I don't know anything about these guys, but it would be a place to start your research.

Agree that most sports are more enjoyable as you are improving...good luck

Originally Posted by JonnyFive

Mefree, i do enjoy it, but if im never going to be able to take that next step then i might start to not enjoy it as much and just get frustrated =p

What exactly are footbeds? Alignment is defiently an issue!

[bunkerputt]

Can you stretch your hip flexors and improve your positions?  Your issues might be flexibility related...

[JonnyFive]

Mefree, thank you that it something ill look into. looks interesting. and could help me

bunkerputt, not sure exactly but im guessing you mean the rotating of my hips? and yah that could be the issue. im not exactly sure how far i should be rotating though. im gonna go look for videos on rotating the hips. thank you.

As an update i played some today and i had some success closing my stance a bit, and that really helped me swing inside to square and i even hit a draw! :p that also reiterates what bunker said about rotating which seems to be my issue