I hit my irons a shorter than my 5 year old daughter!!! Help!

[o9z1]

Granted, I am a first year golfer and not a very good one at that This golf season has been very frustrating. I started out the year playing much better playing much better than I am now. I went through a phase where I was playing 3 or 4 times a week. I have gotten so frustrated that I am now playing 1 time per week.

I started off driving the ball very straight and very far. That has now changed and I slice everything. not a moderate slice, but an EXTREME slice. 1 fairway over at times. I also do the same thing with my 3-wood from the fairway.

My irons/wedges are not the same problem. I was hitting them very well early on in the year and they got worse as the season progressed. I would still hit a few good shots until the last month, I can't hit ANYTHING. Every iron I swing seems and feels like I swing right under and through the ball, barely hitting it. The ball then goes really high and really short and usually pushed to the right. In my head this tells me I am hitting the ball with an open clubface, though I could be wrong.

Just yesterday I went out and played a best shot tournament....with my driver, I went to a half-backswing and I hit the ball straight as an arrow and still good distance. I think once I take the club back too far I cock my wrists and don't get the club back to my starting position. I will stick with my half swing and continually get further bakc over time to see if that helps.

I tried this same approach with my irons to no avail. The easy answer is to say I need lessons, which I would agree with, but I am not going to do that this late in the season. It will actually be the first thing I do next golf season. I am just wondering what drills I could do, or tips to help any of my faults. Without watching my swing it would be hard to address, I understand. Just at first glance of the details, what would you suggest?

[supercow]

Go back to fundamentals. Get your grip right first. A good guide is available here,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h7KINXHUUY
Then get your posture right. A reasonable guide is available here,
http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/AddressSetup.htm
Get your swing plane correct, make sure that halfway back into your swing the butt of your clubshaft points at the ball (when viewed from behind).
Finally, start the downswing with your lower body.

[Big Don]

Granted, I am a first year golfer and not a very good one at that

It sounds like you might be staying back on your right side (assuming your right handed). This will cause you to hit wedges and irons high and will also contribute to you leaving the club face open in your longer clubs leading to slices. Practice transferring your weight to your left hand side on the forward swing.

[bwinger79]

Just starting out, I would agree that fundamentals are key. Not sure how the winter weather is in Iowa, but I would suggest getting a practice mat and a mirror. You can learn alot about your swing from looking at yourself in a mirror. If you were hitting the ball well early in the season, and have since gotten worse, I would guess that when you started you were making good contact, and in a quest for more distance, your entire swing got fast, out of rhythm, and out of sync. Know that this is a game of opposites. You will hit the ball better, more consistent, and typically longer when you swing a little slower(about 80-85% of you maximum) and contact the center of the clubface. If you could post a video of your swing, I could give you a much more accurate rundown of whats going on.

[sonicblue]

Since your half swing works, that tells me that, when you swing full, you're taking the club up way too high, then coming extremely over the top, leading to a swipe across the ball. For irons, this is absolute death, since the clubface never gets under the ball and you hit super weak dead-fish right. With a driver, you can still make contact b/c it's teed up, but you will get that wild sidespin to the right.

You need two main concentration points:

1) When you complete your backswing, do it with your torso, not your arms/wrists. It will still feel restricted to you, probably, but it will be properly full.

2) Start your downswing with the hips and torso, NOT your arms/hands. In fact, a real good downswing/impact will generally leave you feeling like your arms/hands did nothing.

[ieatfood]

i too am a beginner golfer
i had your EXACT same problem--like exact
and I know how painful it is to swing hard and have your ball go 50 yards

I fixed it with one simple fix
heres how:

right before you impact the ball, rotate your left wrist hard to the left (supinate your left arm)

It feels like you're totally going to shank the ball but you actually end up hitting it clean. That fixed my swing overnight

after you fix your swing with that tip, try to make sure that your right arm reaches full extension after your clubhead has passed the impact point about a foot.

If you combine those two tips, you end up hitting hooks instead of slices. Then its just a matter of easing up on the left arm supination.

oh, and make sure you're gripping the club with pressure on the last three fingers of your left hand and the middle and ring fingers of your right hand with NO pressure from your right index finger and thumb.

now i'm no expert in golf (i'm a beginner)
but i looked to many resources to fix my swing and no one could help me
so i just experimented and found a fix that worked for me

hopefully, it will work for you.

[itzzzberny]

don't try to hit it hard........
on your practice swing, just try for a smooth effortless swing.
take 2 swings staring where the ball would be placed. once it seems like your swing feels right.
step up and w/ the ball the path of the club.
take the same swing. remember not to make any adjustments.
relax and remember smooth effortless swing...
good luck