First post--any help is appreciated!

[Effington]

Hi all,

I've been a silent lurker on this board for awhile but finally am giving in and posting.  I have been able to empathize with a lot of posts here so I'm thinking someone has a remedy for the situation I'm in.  Anyway, here's a brief summary of my skill, I'll make it a list just to make it easier to read:

• 30 years old, just picked up the sport this summer
• Been going to driving range 3-5 times per week since mid-June.
• Played a par 63 easy course and shot 85 (my best day of striking by far)
• Looking for consistency with my irons; don't care too much about distance.  I'd rather be 150 yards and straight than 200 yards and in the rough
• Been practicing exclusively with PW-->7i, with my 7i carrying roughly 125.  The only wood I own is a 5 and I'm terribly inconsistent with it; if straight, it usually goes around 150-170 yards.
• Taken a couple lessons with a local golf pro, but haven't felt much improvement from that.  Read Ben Hogan's 5 lessons about 10 times and viewed countless tutorials online
• Extremely inconsistent: some days I hit 80% of them exactly where I want, and some days I top or slice everything off to the side.
• Still working on a swing with about 60% energy; I don't care about distance, I just want to learn the fundamentals.

Anyway, my frustration that I'd like to get feedback on today is regarding whiffle balls.  I have been practicing hitting whiffle balls into a mattress at home (from the surface of a small putting game) so I can practice whenever I want.  After several hours of practice over the last few days where the ball was moving just as I wanted on a regular basis, I went to the range to see it for real.  However, it was another episode of topping and slicing...either the whiffle ball didn't move as a golf ball does, or somehow my swing changed compared to how I was hitting the whiffle ball.

So my question is, do whiffle balls really move like a real golf ball?  I feel as if I am swinging poorly and it is still moving well, and somehow I'm trying to repeat a bad swing and learn poor mechanics.

On any given day, I can go to the driving range and either hit 80% of them just how I want them (130 yards high and straight) or shank 80% of them, and I can not figure out why either one happens.

Any advice is appreciated!

[Stephen Newcomb]

Don't have an answer to your question but want to add another one similar to this. For the people that practice a lot at home which one is better to practice with a wiffle ball or one of the dense foam golf balls?

[WUTiger]

Online tutorials create problems because they come from here and there, based on different basic approaches to the golf swing. You end up trying to perfect a half-dozen different types of golf swings at the same time.

With your dedication, the best thing you can do is find a good pro and take some lessons. Maybe 10% of golfers can self-teach - the rest of us need lessons. You're clearly part of the rest.

It's like an amateur chef getting upset because he tears up his omelette trying to turn it over with a  barbecue fork - you're mixing conflicting methods and getting a mess.

A good golf pro can...

• take a look at your ballstriking, and tease out the swing you have inside.
• take you farther in a half hour than you can take yourself in two years
• help you practice properly - right now, you're putting in a lot of effort but not improving; all you're doing is ingraining bad habits that will be difficult to break.

Whiffle balls can be a useful tool in shaping your swing, once you know how to shape. But forget about whiffle balls and those *#! online blips until you get some lessons.

[SloverUT]

Originally Posted by Effington

Hi all,

I've been a silent lurker on this board for awhile but finally am giving in and posting.  I have been able to empathize with a lot of posts here so I'm thinking someone has a remedy for the situation I'm in.  Anyway, here's a brief summary of my skill, I'll make it a list just to make it easier to read:

30 years old, just picked up the sport this summer

Been going to driving range 3-5 times per week since mid-June.

Played a par 63 easy course and shot 85 (my best day of striking by far)

Looking for consistency with my irons; don't care too much about distance.  I'd rather be 150 yards and straight than 200 yards and in the rough

Been practicing exclusively with PW-->7i, with my 7i carrying roughly 125.  The only wood I own is a 5 and I'm terribly inconsistent with it; if straight, it usually goes around 150-170 yards.

Taken a couple lessons with a local golf pro, but haven't felt much improvement from that.  Read Ben Hogan's 5 lessons about 10 times and viewed countless tutorials online

Extremely inconsistent: some days I hit 80% of them exactly where I want, and some days I top or slice everything off to the side.

Still working on a swing with about 60% energy; I don't care about distance, I just want to learn the fundamentals.

Anyway, my frustration that I'd like to get feedback on today is regarding whiffle balls.  I have been practicing hitting whiffle balls into a mattress at home (from the surface of a small putting game) so I can practice whenever I want.  After several hours of practice over the last few days where the ball was moving just as I wanted on a regular basis, I went to the range to see it for real.  However, it was another episode of topping and slicing...either the whiffle ball didn't move as a golf ball does, or somehow my swing changed compared to how I was hitting the whiffle ball.

So my question is, do whiffle balls really move like a real golf ball?  I feel as if I am swinging poorly and it is still moving well, and somehow I'm trying to repeat a bad swing and learn poor mechanics.

On any given day, I can go to the driving range and either hit 80% of them just how I want them (130 yards high and straight) or shank 80% of them, and I can not figure out why either one happens.

Any advice is appreciated!

I would wager a guess that one of the reasons your range experience differed from the whiffle ball experience is the scenery.  When you are hitting the wiffle balls you are concentrating on your swing more intensely since you aren't worried about the ball going anywhere.  This is why quite a few people think the best way to practice your swing is to hit into a net.  The reason?  It is very common for people to struggle when they get to the range, as opposed to hitting into a net,  for one main reason: Ball flight.  When you are at the range you can see your ball flight and people focus to much on where the ball is going (distance) instead of what they are doing with their swing.

[Ajlepisto]

Originally Posted by WUTiger

Online tutorials create problems because they come from here and there, based on different basic approaches to the golf swing. You end up trying to perfect a half-dozen different types of golf swings at the same time.

With your dedication, the best thing you can do is find a good pro and take some lessons. Maybe 10% of golfers can self-teach - the rest of us need lessons. You're clearly part of the rest.

It's like an amateur chef getting upset because he tears up his omelette trying to turn it over with a  barbecue fork - you're mixing conflicting methods and getting a mess.

A good golf pro can...

take a look at your ballstriking, and tease out the swing you have inside.

take you farther in a half hour than you can take yourself in two years

help you practice properly - right now, you're putting in a lot of effort but not improving; all you're doing is ingraining bad habits that will be difficult to break.

Whiffle balls can be a useful tool in shaping your swing, once you know how to shape. But forget about whiffle balls and those *#! online blips until you get some lessons.

100% true. I took up golf around the same time that the OP did, and I was hitting okay. Then I got this great idea to look at some video and try to start fixing my problems. Sure I look better now, but I have a whole new set of trouble.

The thing I realized is that the more you focus on the golf, and the less on the ball, the better I play. The only tip that's actually helped me consistently has been to just get up to the ball and take a loose swing.

[Odogesq]

For me, part of the fun of golfing has been learning and experimenting with my swing as I go along and progress. I took one lesson, which was helpful to learn the grip, stance, and alignment. After that, it was all me. I, too, reviewed countless online tutorials, read countless books, and video taped my swing. In terms of improvement without the benefit of lessons, the hardest part for me has been diagnosing swing problems and fixes. However, this has also been a great source of joy for me in terms of progressing on my own and makes the game much more enjoyable as I begin to par more holes and even start logging the occasional birdie. It's also fun to discover your own swing over time, it feels like I am unlocking pieces of a a puzzle. In retrospect, I do agree, however, that lessons from a reputable pro are a wise investment if you are interested in shortening the learning curve provided you find a pro that is dedicated to helping you find your natural swing as opposed to forcing you into what they believe a golf swing should look like. In terms of cost, I am not sure whether there is a financial benefit to taking lessons over range time. Golf is such a difficult sport that those of us taking it up later in life simply need a ton of practice just to hit the ball consistently, let alone focusing on making it go straight or where we want it to go. In other words, even with lessons I suspect you will need lots of range time. As an example, I have only recently (past few months) stopped hitting fat shots or topping the ball (though the occasional duff will find its way into my golf round). My focus now has shifted to getting the ball to go where I want it to on a consistent basis. Btw, I picked up a golf club for the first time in my life in November of 2011 and turned 30 in June, so I can relate a bit to what you are going through.

[Reg5000]

Originally Posted by Effington

Hi all,

I've been a silent lurker on this board for awhile but finally am giving in and posting.  I have been able to empathize with a lot of posts here so I'm thinking someone has a remedy for the situation I'm in.  Anyway, here's a brief summary of my skill, I'll make it a list just to make it easier to read:

30 years old, just picked up the sport this summer

Been going to driving range 3-5 times per week since mid-June.

Played a par 63 easy course and shot 85 (my best day of striking by far)

Looking for consistency with my irons; don't care too much about distance.  I'd rather be 150 yards and straight than 200 yards and in the rough

Been practicing exclusively with PW-->7i, with my 7i carrying roughly 125.  The only wood I own is a 5 and I'm terribly inconsistent with it; if straight, it usually goes around 150-170 yards.

Taken a couple lessons with a local golf pro, but haven't felt much improvement from that.  Read Ben Hogan's 5 lessons about 10 times and viewed countless tutorials online

Extremely inconsistent: some days I hit 80% of them exactly where I want, and some days I top or slice everything off to the side.

Still working on a swing with about 60% energy; I don't care about distance, I just want to learn the fundamentals.

Anyway, my frustration that I'd like to get feedback on today is regarding whiffle balls.  I have been practicing hitting whiffle balls into a mattress at home (from the surface of a small putting game) so I can practice whenever I want.  After several hours of practice over the last few days where the ball was moving just as I wanted on a regular basis, I went to the range to see it for real.  However, it was another episode of topping and slicing...either the whiffle ball didn't move as a golf ball does, or somehow my swing changed compared to how I was hitting the whiffle ball.

So my question is, do whiffle balls really move like a real golf ball?  I feel as if I am swinging poorly and it is still moving well, and somehow I'm trying to repeat a bad swing and learn poor mechanics.

On any given day, I can go to the driving range and either hit 80% of them just how I want them (130 yards high and straight) or shank 80% of them, and I can not figure out why either one happens.

Any advice is appreciated!

I'll give you some simple advice seeing as your local pro couldn't help you as much as you liked.  BUT Without even looking at your swing I know for a fact you are not doing it right just based on what you provided.  Perfect practice will yield good results but lots of practice the wrong way can alot of times make the problem worse.  Before you try and dive into alot of things on your own maybe video tape your swing if you can and post it here and ALSO there are professional websites where you can post it aswell and they will give you feedback on what you need to do.  Seeing as the golf pro where you are didn't help you with that try this option and/or look for another golf pro.  Get your swing adjusted properly first then everything else falls into play.

[Effington]

Hi guys,

I appreciate the great feedback!  Although I slightly regret ranting on the internet after a rough episode at the driving range, it is helpful to hear many of your approaches.  I am still planning to go back to get more lessons, but I was hoping I could improve more on my own, especially considering the commitment I've been giving it.  On an interesting note, I went back to the range tonight and I hit 50 balls, with 45 of them hit exactly how I was hoping...such is the game.