Need your advice and comments on breaking 80

[atanum]

Folks ,

I seriously took up the game last November with an initial goal of breaking into single digit handicap in a reasonable time-frame. Prior to that I was basically hacker with sporadic play and more interested in the 19th hole than the 18 holes.

Started off at USGA index of 20  and in about 9 months gotten to 11.8, with  an average score now of about 85 ( my club has a high slope rating of 137 )  Put in a  a fair amount of practice , of about 14 hours/week on the range ( 50% chipping green, 50% woods and irons) along with my caddy-coach, who is a 2 handicap + two rounds every weekend.

Not a big hitter, but fairly consistent . Driver - 250 yds with about 80% FIR, 3W - 200,  5 iron 155-160, PW- 105. Short game is OK.

What I have been struggling with are two things

1.  Approach shots with irons .Especially 5,6 and then 7. Tried changing to K-15 hybrids 5and 6 , and has helped a little but still ways to go . I really don't know what to do here and it is really frustrating.

2. Tend to cast at times and/or OTT , though it has gotten better after conscious practice - nonetheless it happens mostly with the 5 and 6s still quite often. Strangely, it rarely happpens with my woods or driver or the shorter irons ( I try to monitor this with my CASIO FC-100 video replays).

Any help, advise deeply appreciated in helping me get over this hump and getting to break 80.

[tomvk77]

what is the problem on these shots?

How is your ballflight on a 5iron of the deck?

Do you mis hit?

Can't get them up in the air?

Second to know:

what is your swingspeed?

Do you have the proper gear? As in what are the shafts you use!

[bkoguy07]

It sounds like a ball striking issue.. How do you hit your driver 250 but 5 iron 155?

I hit my driver slightly longer than you avg in the 260's or so and my 5i is about my 200 yard club

[atanum]

Usually 40-50% mishits, either fat or hook or push off the fairways for the 5-6s

Ballflight off the deck is no problem with both the 5-6 hybrid irons , ballflight usually high

Flight is usually high to mid-high off the faiways with the 5-6 if hit right.

Driver swing speed between 90-95

Gear -

Driver Titleist 907 D2, Fujikura Regular, 10.5

3W,5W - Ping i-15 TFC 149 graphite Regular

5,6 Ping K-15 hybrid irons, TFC 149 graphite Regular

7,8,9,PW Taylormade RAC HT graphite Regular

GW,SW -Titleist Vockey 52 and 56, bounce 11

[The Gill]

Be careful when people offer you advice based on iron distance. bkoguy07 's 5 iron is 25 degrees while most 5 irons are 27 degrees or so...

What kind of irons with what kind of shafts are you playing? I just started breaking 80 this year. I'm willing to bet your issue is the same as mine: lag. Lots and lots of impact bags and flying wedges. A tour striker may help as well.

[blackxpress]

Originally Posted by The Gill

Be careful when people offer you advice based on iron distance. bkoguy07's 5 iron is 25 degrees while most 5 irons are 27 degrees or so...

What kind of irons with what kind of shafts are you playing? I just started breaking 80 this year. I'm willing to bet your issue is the same as mine: lag. Lots and lots of impact bags and flying wedges. A tour striker may help as well.

+1. I'm struggling with the same thing but am making significant progress toward getting it fixed. My biggest problem is between my ears. I'm really fighting the hitting impulse from the top of the swing which causes me to come OTT and throw away my lag. I can solve that by taking the club back low and slow and then turning my hips toward the target and letting everything else follow. Problem is I can't do that with any consistency because time my tendency to want to start my downswing with my hands and arms and not with my hip turn. Like I said, I am making progress and I know for a fact that when I can overcome the hitting impulse and swing with good tempo I hit some really great iron shots. When I swing my 5i with good tempo it goes 180, nice and straight. Otherwise it goes about 150-160 and tends to go left.

[atanum]

ping k-15 5 (27 deg)  and 6 (31 deg)  hybrids , TFC -149 graphite shaft regular. I got sick of trying with the normal taylormade RAC HT 5-6 irons of mine.

I also think it's maybe a lag issue and a cast and/or OTT issue. funny it happens with the irons only - and again not so much on the range, but more so on the course.

I have been trying the pump drill - looks fine on the video replays , but back to square-one  while striking on the course.

[atanum]

blackxpress , I am also consciously trying to turn the hips and let the arm pull through and resist the temptation of hitting from the top. But it is not consistent. Sometimes the hip turns too quick, blocking the swing and sometimes the tempo goes for a toss. So , I started with the half swing lag drill with a 9 iron and the swing looks fine. But again, when I go for a full swing later with the longer irons, trying the same stuff it's not consistent. I tried using a metronome and tried to set it to my swing tempo and it does help, but again when the metronome is off , the swing becomes inconsistent - so goes the struggle :(

[The Recreational Golfer]

1. Get the money off your back. Go to the red tees and break 80 a few times. The part of your mind that wants to break 80 is not subtle. All it knows is that you did it. "Yeah, but . . ." doesn't register. To be a sub-80 golfer you have to have that image of yourself. This is a good way to start.

2. Then go to your normal tees and learn to not throw away strokes by making a bad decisions or not believing in the shot you're about to hit. That will get you in the 70s faster than pursuing technical fixes. You don't have to hit the ball that great to break 80. You do have to play great, though.

[CuppedTin]

Based on what you have said I would take the entire breaking 80 out of your head and focus on working out the swing flaws that you have. And if you are truly hitting your driver 250 and your 5 iron 155 then there are swing flaws, and you either cast/OTT or you don't, it's that simple... You want to shoot for breaking 80 consistently, not just breaking it one time...

Best of Luck...

[atanum]

Thanks gents. Let me work on figuring out the swing flaws. Cast/OTT is for sure one of the problems. Let me try to post a set of videos and see what you fellas think.

[Tomboys]

As other's have stated, without benefit of video, we're all kind of grabbing at straws.  Nonetheless, here's my $0.02 cents worth; you may be trying to steer your ball on the approach shots.  I know that when I do that (try to steer the ball), I have a tendency to lock my lower body (read; don't get enough of my weight to my front foot) and hit the shot with just my upper body.  At that point, contact is vague, shots are usually pulled low and to the left and I'm about a club short on whatever distance I'm trying to hit.

Just as a suggestion, review these two threads:

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/thread/29616/the-biggest-secret-slide-your-hips

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/thread/36669/maintaining-the-flying-wedge

This thread may be redundant to maintaininng-the-flying-wedge, but you may find some useful info in there:

http://thesandtrap.com/forum/thread/38588/flipping-at-impact-master-thread

[tomvk77]

Do you have the feeling your swinging ok with your clubs, do you feel the clubhead in your swing.

it just might be you need stiff shafts. if you swing at 90 mph your ok with these ones but if your up to 95 stiff shaft would do better.

It was a good choice to go for graphite shafts tho.

It could be just a mind thing, go to the range and hit a bucket full of 5 irons ( hybrids ) of the deck you should get the feeling and the

contact your looking for. It just be that in your mind you tell yourself to help the ball up in the air, that way you can hit the ball to fat easy or hook them.

so hit a bucket full on the range and get some confidence. keeping positive mind at all times, make sure you pick targets on the range

Mind that your ballposition should move more left of center by every club longer than 8 iron, ending with the driver

that should be played of the left heel.

Good luck