Help...lots of it.

[neo2056]

Hello all---first time posting here so hoping for some advice. I know a lot of this has been covered through various posts but I was hoping to get some personal advice. I've been playing avidly for about 12 years and I'm absolutely terrible for how long I've played, how much I practice, the countless hours I've spent researching swing fundamentals, the hundreds of videos I've watched, and the instructional books/magazines I've devoured over the years. Clearly I'm not a natural at the game...but I love it with a passion and am dedicated to getting better. So---for the majority of my playing days I've sliced the ball and finally fixed that last year by simply going to a stronger grip. Now I'll occasionally hook/snap hook but I'm getting a lot more distance on my irons and will get a nice draw...but more often than the ball will overdraw and end up 10 yards or so to the left of my desired target line with a TON of left english on the ball. However---I'm still not making the correct contact with the ball and I cannot figure out how to properly accomplish that. Even with hitting 6-8 inches behind the ball I'm still able to hit my 9 about 145 yds, 7 iron 160-165, and so forth. Regardless--it's completely inconsistent and I'll hit a ton of shots fat. This is obviously the result of something but I cannot point to the culprit. The below will be addressing my iron game...

1. Where are your eyes supposed to be? I was told to keep my eyes rolled down when looking at the ball so therefore my left shoulder can slide under my chin in my back swing. Otherwise---if you look straight down at the ball then your shoulder will cause your head to lift up in the back swing resulting in bladed shots (which I also hit a bunch of...especially bladed snap hooks).

2. How about your left knee? I've been told that you want your left knee to point at the ball at the top of the back swing...however when I do this my left knee dips and therefore when I swing I'll hit a hot EXTREMELY fat (like bottom out a foot behind the ball). However when I try to keep my left knee more parallel to the ground in the back swing it feels wrong since I don't feel like I'm torquing  my core at all and not utilizing my hips/lower body on the down swing.

3. How close are you supposed to stand to the ball? I've noticed that when I get really close to the ball and almost bend over it so much that it's directly below my nose (not quite..but close) then I'll hit shots much more cleanly. I also keep my arms handing down and close to my body at address...almost to the point that my elbows are touching my hips. However when I watch pros/good golfers they are not hanging over the ball at all and have it more in front of them...is that just preference? Also--I notice that sole of the club isn't flush with the ground...and actually lifts off a bit just because of the angle of my arms. When i move my elbows away form my body so that the sole is completely flush I cannot hit the ball at all.

4. I cannot hit down on the ball whatsoever-----consistently and with my lower irons more specifically. I have trying playing a ball back in my stance, arms in front of the ball, and I can make GREAT contact with my sand wedge only however. I'll hit down on it and blast it with a ton of back spin. However when I try this my say my 7 Iron, I just end up hitting it thin or topping it. I cannot understand for the life of me how you can hit the ball first without topping it. Is it ultimately that I am just not good enough to get my leading edge to that physical window (maybe half a centimeter)? And therefore I either hit it fat/thin because I just can't find that sweet spot? Also---as I stated earlier I have hit countless irons where I'll create a 6-8 inch divot BEHIND the ball and still hit a respectable distance WITH backspin. Furthermore---when I actually do hit ball first (like with my sand wedge) I won't make any divot whatsoever---I just hit the ball clean and brush the ground in my follow through.

I know this is a lot---but I'm all over the place and when I change one minor thing my whole swing goes to hell. I wish I can bring it all together but don't want to take lessons since I've gone this long without them. Sorry for the extremely long post---thank you all.

[Ernest Jones]

http://thesandtrap.com/t/56069/good-golf-posture

http://thesandtrap.com/t/54540/a-centered-pivot

http://thesandtrap.com/t/55080/myth-of-maintaining-address-flexion-in-the-rear-knee

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

That'll get you started and lead you to a ton of other golden nuggets.

[BostonBrew]

First, I would suggest recording your swing and posting it in the My Swing part of the forum. It's much easier to offer advice with a visual of the swing.

Second, I would highly recommend you setting an appointment with your local PGA Teaching Professional.

[SoundandFury]

Agree with the lessons. If you're gonna work on your own first, watch the centered pivot video. Swaying in the backswing is the cause of a ton of problems, including hitting fat/topping. The other big screwup that leads to topping/fat shots (same miss, split second difference in timing) is flipping, i.e., letting the club head pass your hand before impact.