Help Please...

[braaaaaaaadley]

Hello all... this is my first post. I intend not to make it my last! I would like to thank you all in advance for any help you can provide.

Anyways on to my problem. I have been playing golf for a little over 2 years. Last year I joined my D3 college golf team. At the time, the team was really loose and the coach did not care at all. This year things changed. We got a new coach who knows about coaching, but little about the golf swing. I worked my way from 10th on the team to 7th. Last week two members ranked lower than me got kicked off the team and I went to my first tournament ever last weekend spare of the moment. Things did not go well at all (not to mention we played all D1 teams and the guy I played with shot a 69). I got off the tee very well... with a friend's nike driver I had never hit before (I cracked the head of my Taylor Made 510 a couple days ago and am trying to get the waranty honored.) Unfortunately, my irons were the culprit. I have been hitting them long and straight recently, but while playing in the tournament, my usual problems came out in full. My problems include a tendency to hit the ball fat, (which I fixed by focusing on my weight transition), but what I have not been able to fix for good is the tendency for my ball to go right and short especially with longer irons. Recently I have been trying to keep my left arm straight and making sure that my club is square at impact, but it does not work all the time. If you all could provide any tips on how to keep this problem from arrising in the future, I would be most appreciative. All I want is to swing "right" and have a consistant, dependable swing that I can trust so I don't embarass myself in tournaments. Any advice/drills to help me with my problems would be vastly appreciated. I just bought new irons (mizuno mp-32's w/stiff shafts) and love them to death. (I feel really confident with them if that helps with all) Thanks again!

[iacas]

So which problem are you looking to fix? Fat shots, short/right shots...? Both?

In the meantime, check out the fundamentals. Particularly (in your case) ball position and weight shift (which you said you worked on before). How's the ball position with your irons?

[braaaaaaaadley]

First I would like to say that I would like help with all of my problems if thats okay.
With my long Irons I tee them up 1-2 inches foreward of center (the longer iron the farther foreward), I tee my 6-Pw at center and my gap, sw and Lw slightly behind center (maybe a half inch). I don't take divots with any of my clubs b/c it always results in my shot being fat (this has always has been the case). With longer clubs the ball rests further from me since the shafts are longer and a less steep swing is required for a 3i than a Sw. Also something I didnt mention before is that with my new irons, I have a tendency to hit them off the toe (the shafts are stiff and 1/4in longer than my old ones). I componsate by placing the hozzle closer to the ball so I end up contacting the ball in the middle of the clubface. Thanks again

[iacas]

I think you're gonna need to move the ball forward. Your weight shift is gonna be the culprit with the ball that far back. You can't move to your left side because you'd thin the hell out of the ball, but hanging back causes weak fades to the right, pulls, and fat fat fat shots.

[braaaaaaaadley]

I think you're gonna need to move the ball forward. Your weight shift is gonna be the culprit with the ball that far back. You can't move to your left side because you'd thin the hell out of the ball, but hanging back causes weak fades to the right, pulls, and fat fat fat shots.

Thanks alot, I will give that a try tomorrow morning when I play my daily round.

[iacas]

Thanks alot, I will give that a try tomorrow morning when I play my daily round.

Give this a try in your warmups, too:

Step Drill .

[TexasTitleistGuy]

Sounds like you were pressing due to the situation of the tourney and your playing partner going low. But who knows.

[braaaaaaaadley]

Yea, I think that was part of it b/c the guys I played with were LONG + one guy shot a 69. I think I have somewhat fixed the problem, but lately my swing has been killing my back on the left side of my spine about midway down. I still have a small fade on every shot, but I can just count on it i guess.