Beginner golfer with too many problems!

[brogatzki]

Hello!

This is my first forum post pertaining to golf and I hope this website can help my golf game In some way or another whether its from tips or pure entertainment.

Currently this is my second "Summer" of golfing.  I am 20 years old and began when I was nearly 19.

I recently decided to get some lessons from my local pro, but after the first 30 minute lesson I am very skeptical.  His main focus for me was that I should work on closing the club face when I follow through and to make sure I follow through all the way.  So yeah we will have to see how things go with the next 4 lessons.

One of my biggest issues is my full swing, I just cannot seem to get any distance out it.

My ball striking is not bad at all especially with half shots - come to think of it my half shot (bring club back half way) is only about 10 yards shorter than my full swing for nearly every iron.

I can normally hit a

PW- 90 - 100 yards

9 - 100 - 110 yds

8 - 110 yards

7 125- 140 yards

6 - 155 max (farthest shot)

After that it begins to slowly reach

3 - 175 yards.

Now I'm aware these are some short distances, but the funny thing is all these distances are nearly the same if I do a "half-swing".  I just don't get it.

If anyone has input on this it'd be much appreciated because I'm at the point in my game where I don't know where to go next.. my short game has gotten very good - especially within 75 yards, but I just cannot get the distance.

Even when I golf with my buddies I usually end up winning, but seeing them hit a 8 iron uphill 160 yards is makes me jealous.

Also I know swings shouldn't really relate to power, but I do do some heavy lifting and can currently bench 275 lbs ( just another reason why seeing my 150lb scrawny friends hit so far gets me frusterated)

Sorry for the rambling I typed this in a rush.  Also I apologize for no swing video, I will have one soon

[SloverUT]

Originally Posted by brogatzki

Hello!

This is my first forum post pertaining to golf and I hope this website can help my golf game In some way or another whether its from tips or pure entertainment.

Currently this is my second "Summer" of golfing.  I am 20 years old and began when I was nearly 19.

I recently decided to get some lessons from my local pro, but after the first 30 minute lesson I am very skeptical.  His main focus for me was that I should work on closing the club face when I follow through and to make sure I follow through all the way.  So yeah we will have to see how things go with the next 4 lessons.

One of my biggest issues is my full swing, I just cannot seem to get any distance out it.

My ball striking is not bad at all especially with half shots - come to think of it my half shot (bring club back half way) is only about 10 yards shorter than my full swing for nearly every iron.

I can normally hit a

PW- 90 - 100 yards

9 - 100 - 110 yds

8 - 110 yards

7 125- 140 yards

6 - 155 max (farthest shot)

After that it begins to slowly reach

3 - 175 yards.

Now I'm aware these are some short distances, but the funny thing is all these distances are nearly the same if I do a "half-swing".  I just don't get it.

If anyone has input on this it'd be much appreciated because I'm at the point in my game where I don't know where to go next.. my short game has gotten very good - especially within 75 yards, but I just cannot get the distance.

Even when I golf with my buddies I usually end up winning, but seeing them hit a 8 iron uphill 160 yards is makes me jealous.

Also I know swings shouldn't really relate to power, but I do do some heavy lifting and can currently bench 275 lbs ( just another reason why seeing my 150lb scrawny friends hit so far gets me frusterated)

Sorry for the rambling I typed this in a rush.  Also I apologize for no swing video, I will have one soon

I am curious as to why you are skeptical towards your pro, when he is telling you to follow through all the way.  Obviously we can't tell you what you are doing wrong without seeing a swing but based on your information it could be a plausible suggestion.  If you are hitting the ball the same distance with your half swing as opposed to your full swing it could indicate that you aren't following through and shifting your weight into the shot.

[Ajlepisto]

Is there a way you could upload a video? It could be any number of issues. I have a thread just below that showed I wasn't ideal at impact and was losing distance.

[Stretch]

Originally Posted by brogatzki

My ball striking is not bad at all especially with half shots ... my short game has gotten very good - especially within 75 yards.

99 problems, but a pitch ain't one.

Video will help. Sounds like either your full swing just isn't much longer than your half swing, or you've got a sequencing issue that's keeping you from turning that extra travel into more club head speed.

[mvmac]

Yeah, take some video and post in the Member Swings forum http://thesandtrap.com/t/38240/my-swing-video-threads-rules-please-read

[BioGolfNebraska]

Quote:

I can normally hit a

PW- 90 - 100 yards

9 - 100 - 110 yds

8 - 110 yards

7 125- 140 yards

6 - 155 max (farthest shot)

After that it begins to slowly reach

3 - 175 yards.

I am in my second summer of golf, as well, and I have similar distances.  The key is to get them +/- 5-10 yards for a cleanly hit shot.

PW 95

9i: 105

8i: 115

7i: 125

6i: 135-140

5H: 150-155

4H: 160

3hybrid (18*): 175- 210 (if I crank it)

3 wood: 200-240 is a solid hit

Driver:  230-260 is a solid hit

For me, my distances are pretty consistent and the reason for my high handicap is not due to lack of distance, but bad choices and mishits.  If I am using a 6-pw I am about 60-80% sure I will catch it clean and put it at that distance, the percentages drop down a decent amount for the 5H/4H, but my taylormade 3h is pretty easy to get a decent hit out of.  Anyways, I definitely have birdie/par opportunities with my distances all the time that I blow because of a shanked hit, a bad putt, a bad short game shot etc.  In my humble opinion I would recommend getting the distances you have finely tuned so you are confident in them (a par 3 course would do wonders for this.. see if you get hit greater than 5 or 6 greens because you pick the right club), and later you can work on increasing the distance all around.  This has been working pretty well for me this summer.

[stoverny]

First of all to the OP I think there is nothing all that strange about a half-swing going almost as far as a full swing... many new players tend to equate distance with a bigger backswing and it's not always so.  You are probably making more solid contact with the half-swing which is why it is going almost as far.  Also, at some point a longer backswing can actually cost distance because your swing loses connection with the body, balance gets out of whack, etc.

I would continue to work at the range using half-swings until you feel like you have confidence in it.  Then very gradually increase from say 8-4 to 9-3 to 10-2 (imagining a clock face with 9 being halfway back and 3 being halfway forward).

Distance comes from solid contact/compression and using your body core to power the shot.  Work on the half-swings and you will realize you don't need a big swing to hit the ball far.

[inthehole]

Golf is all about smooth tempo - watch the ladies play some time - you'll see 125 pound people get it out there over 250 yards.     Just slow it down & try to make perfect contact every time.      I take a nice slow backswing and easy downswing & my hcp has dropped considerably & I still hit as long as anybody I play with if not longer.      Length will come when you're making solid contact.

Most important thing i've found is to watch the ball ... by watch, I'm talking stare it down - do not lift your head until the ball is halfway down range - but I warn you, not many can do it - everybody wants to see their ball come off the club ... don't worry about that, it's more fun to pick up your ball flight down the course & see your ball land in the fairway than see it yank right into the woods when you're more concerned with watching it fly than the point of impact.    try this & you'll thank me...

[CrossGolfPro]

If I was you, just focus on making solid ball contact first, here's a video on finding your swing plane: http://youtu.be/euAdy8CHWg4

[nevrino]

Originally Posted by brogatzki

Hello!

This is my first forum post pertaining to golf and I hope this website can help my golf game In some way or another whether its from tips or pure entertainment.

Currently this is my second "Summer" of golfing.  I am 20 years old and began when I was nearly 19.

I recently decided to get some lessons from my local pro, but after the first 30 minute lesson I am very skeptical.  His main focus for me was that I should work on closing the club face when I follow through and to make sure I follow through all the way.  So yeah we will have to see how things go with the next 4 lessons.

One of my biggest issues is my full swing, I just cannot seem to get any distance out it.

My ball striking is not bad at all especially with half shots - come to think of it my half shot (bring club back half way) is only about 10 yards shorter than my full swing for nearly every iron.

I can normally hit a

PW- 90 - 100 yards

9 - 100 - 110 yds

8 - 110 yards

7 125- 140 yards

6 - 155 max (farthest shot)

After that it begins to slowly reach

3 - 175 yards.

Now I'm aware these are some short distances, but the funny thing is all these distances are nearly the same if I do a "half-swing".  I just don't get it.

If anyone has input on this it'd be much appreciated because I'm at the point in my game where I don't know where to go next.. my short game has gotten very good - especially within 75 yards, but I just cannot get the distance.

Even when I golf with my buddies I usually end up winning, but seeing them hit a 8 iron uphill 160 yards is makes me jealous.

Also I know swings shouldn't really relate to power, but I do do some heavy lifting and can currently bench 275 lbs ( just another reason why seeing my 150lb scrawny friends hit so far gets me frusterated)

Sorry for the rambling I typed this in a rush.  Also I apologize for no swing video, I will have one soon

There's not one key that will make you hit incredible golf shots like the pro's. But fixing the most critical flaws step by step will eventually get you to a good distance with a nice consistency. I increased my distances from 8i with an average of 120 yards to about 150-160 yards average this year, it didn't happen all at once but step by step.

These were the most important flaws I fixed or atleast improved in random order:

Steeper shoulder turn

More centered over the ball (head not moving forward or backward or in or out)

Fixed the flipping at impact

Better lateral hip movement and legs in general

Better swing plane and understanding of swing plane (many details in here like wrists, left arm, right elbow etc. etc. this is still not very good)

Better stance (flared feets, ball position on both axis, weight distribution etc.)

Better grip (started with a very weak grip that went very strong and now hopefully is how it should be)

Better alignment (feets and shoulders square)

+Probably some more things that I have forgotten

Ofcourse I still got things to improve on but these changes made a drastic change in ball contact and consistency.

[rustyredcab]

What feels like a half swing to most of us is much more than a half swing.

I wish i had focused on proper technique and form rather than distance when I was beginning. You can play good golf with the distances you have now and they will increase as you make better contact with better technique.

As others have said, get some video. Even if you don't share it here, you will see what you are actually doing instead of what you are feeling. I'll bet you a dime that your "half swing" is more like a 3/4 swing or maybe what some of us consider a full enough backswing.

[Lihu]

What feels like a half swing to most of us is much more than a half swing. I wish i had focused on proper technique and form rather than distance when I was beginning. You can play good golf with the distances you have now and they will increase as you make better contact with better technique. As others have said, get some video. Even if you don't share it here, you will see what you are actually doing instead of what you are feeling. I'll bet you a dime that your "half swing" is more like a 3/4 swing or maybe what some of us consider a full enough backswing.

It's true. I just started hitting in the evenings in my home (mat and net), where I can see myself in the reflection in a large window. I hold at the top of my backswing, and find that it is way more than I think. Now that I am using bladed clubs (for training only), I need to try to control the swing speed to swing in more control. I get a second chance to try things without bad habits, because I am now hitting right handed. The highest club I am hitting is a 7i, but focusing on technique, as rustycrab mentions. I went to the range the other day, and was pleasantly surprised by the distances I am getting with this slower controlled swing. It is really hard for me to keep my body and arms in synchronization, but I am sure this is the next level in golf from being a beginner. What really took me surprise is that with an almost sleepy casual swing, I can drive the ball about 240 yards right handed. Then I reverted to left hand and hit my 3 wood the same distance, with the same sleepy casual swing. I did not even re-injure my shoulder doing it (I am recovering from a shoulder injury for left side swinging). The results speak for themselves. I have been doing this for about 3 weeks so far, and am finally getting a feel for what the coaches had been telling me for a couple years now. Luckily, (or because of my shoulder injury) I am able to start all over again. However, it is really hard to coordinate the muscles to do this, so be patient with yourself.

[1player]

I tapped the 'lengends' last night

To have video on my iphone to show my buddies who are now mostly late 50's into mid 60's

Anyone notice how 'short' the greats swing now

So I can show them see even the great ones never full any where near parallel as they age

At 52 I gripe constantly I'm just a little past parallel on a driver when I used to look like Daly 20 years and 40 lbs ago.

LOL

Now I feel like I'm 20 after seeing Jack and Arnie go just a little past waist high for 'full drivers'

LOL

You know, your yardages are what I used to call 2/3 shots at your age and I tried to hit those yardages on purpose to knock down pins all day

So if you are really hitting 3/4 or probably 2/3 knockdowns the yardages are ok

But your 7 iron at 135 range should be 80% of the time within 24 feet

If it is, great you are swinging well within youself

If you hit a 7 iron 135 and it misses the green more than 50%, you have major swing issues

If you are knocking it stiff from 135 with a 7 iron, you are really hitting a 2/3 to 3/4 shot and that's how I always scored, the reason, I could swing very fast on a full driver and had to chase it down, but being constantly within 150 yards, I developed 2/3 and 3/4 iron swings to knock down pins all day

The main thing is, how far is your driver with a 'full swing'?

If you hit it 260 to 300 range, your swing is fine

If it's 200 to 220, you have major flaws

So without a video, the yardages you mentioned are indeed within range of 2/3 to 3/4 yardages for irons

Just read Hogans book, he lists his iron distances there, you'll be shocked to see yours aren't  that far off from his

If you can hit a 5 iron 75% of the time withing 24 feet from 150/160 range swinging 2/3 or 3/4

Why do you want to hit it full 200 and miss the green over 50% of the time

The way you score in golf is

Be as long as you can off the tee and still hit a decent % of fairways

Hit whatever you can from from 150 in as accurate you can hit it, whatever the club is

Have a short game

Don't 3 putt

You do those 4 things, guess what, you are close to scratch or just above it

Playing within yourself is probably the last thing most beginners learn

It also sounds like your 3/4 swing is is 2/3 and your full is closer to 3/4

Take a video of you hitting a full driver

Then a video of a full 7 iron

Driver should be past parallel at 20

3/4 iron should have left shoulder under chin and club pointing to 11 o'clock at top, a parallel 7 iron would point to 9 o'clock with an iron, that's 'full'

Daly's driver points to between 6 and 7 o'clock he goes that far past parallel, almost to the ground he points, I used to go to about 7 or 8 o'clock, now I'm a little below 9 o'oclock or just past parallel and I'm over 50 and my 31 inch waist at 30 is now 36, so I'm no where near 'flexible' now as I was 40 lbs and 20 years ago.

But 20 to 25 you are at the peak of athletic flexibility and hitting a 2/3 7 iron 125 to 135 is fine, as long as it is 2/3 and you are knocking down pins all day

[AmazingWhacker]

Give your pro another lesson or 2 before you make a decision to find another one.  But, if by lesson 2 or 3, you're not feeling like you're moving in a positive direction then find another teacher.  Part of the equation is that you have to "buy in" to what you're being taught since it will take some work to ingrain what the pro is teaching you.  If, for whatever reason, the teacher is not able to inspire your confidence, then you should probably move on.

One of the first lessons of golf is that it's all about speed, not power.  Golf ball doesn't weigh very much so you don't need a lot of "oomph" in your swing.  And striking the sweetspot is even more important than speed.  I would take a 90mph driver struck in the exact center vs a 110mph mis-hit every time.