jesup

Thanks! My 3 - iron is 22 degrees. I've had them for about 12 years now. They've been refurbished 3 times and went from 1 inch shorter to standard length (I was 10 when I got them). I'm 6' 1" now, and based on how they feel, I bet it'd help a ton of they were bent 1 degree stronger and extended by half an inch or so... that's probably why I'm getting so steep - I have to stand pretty close to the ball. I'm going to Edwin Watts Thursday, so hopefully they can put me on a launch monitor and assess what's going on!

Lostgolfballs is interesting. I purchased 1 dozen Pro V1x 332's about a month ago. Three weeks later, I sent them an e-mail complaining about their slow service. Just yesterday I received not my first.... or my second... but my THIRD dozen. How this happened, I have no idea. I got charged for 1 dozen, and now I have 36 Pro V's for the price of 1 used dozen. The balls are in great shape. They obviously refurbish them because the paint will rub off a bit on the club face when you hit a solid wedge shot... and they smell funny. Nevertheless, they're still fantastic for the price. They seem to fly just as far and true as brand new ones. If I had to SEARCH for any type of criticism, I'd say they weren't as "crisp" as brand new balls. I'll be going back when I need a refill!

Yeah I meant the Rescue 11. I feel like if you're not a professional, you're at a disadvantage if you don't have a hybrid... they're just so easy to hit and control! I'm looking at new drivers too. I have an R7 from 2005 right now, and after I hit the R11 last week, I think it'd be a smooth transition. I felt like I could get a higher club head speed with the same exact swing (when compared to the R7). I'd need the 8 degree though because I ballooned the 9 degree despite it having an X shaft. I've only been back in the game for 3 weeks now, but my swing is strangely better than it ever was - I'm just hitting it into the stratosphere : /

Hey forum! I thought I'd post a few of my swings up here to see what you all thought. I've been playing golf since I was 3 years old, competed from ages 10-17, and currently I'm now starting back after taking a 5 year break. I went to college and didn't have the time (or $$$ !!!) to get to play much. I'll tell you what though... I'm having a lot more fun now than I ever did! I took 4 years of lessons from Sea Island down in St. Simons Island, GA under Mike Cook. They called me Sergio down there because of my crazy hand action. The lag has since decreased quite a bit, but it's definitely still there. What gets me in trouble the most is my left elbow near impact. We were able to fix it by slowing my swing down and doing a LOT of towel drills (making swings with towels under your arms). When I got back into golf 3 weeks ago, I got my timing back quickly. However, my left elbow is back to giving me fits. Any suggestions to fix this as well as any other mechanical issues you see would be greatly appreciated!

Has anyone hit the R11 Hybrid? I'm looking to get it, or something similar to fill a gap in my bag. I've hit other TaylorMade hybrids and absolutely loved them. Currently, I have a 15 degree Titleist 905 3-wood that goes 280-290. My next longest club would be my 3-iron which flies 240-250 and stops. So what can I get to fill this 250-270 yard black hole in my bag? Something around 19 degrees maybe? Ball striking is the best part of my game. However, I have a lot of lag and hit down on the ball at a really steep angle which gives me a higher launch angle than I'd like despite X shafts and using the Pro V1x. I thought this might have a factor in my decision making when choosing what club would be best.

MrElculver, I think what iacas is trying to point out is that you should try to get a video of yourself actually out there hitting a golf ball. He's right, though. There aren't a lot of people out there who make the EXACT same swing from their practice swing to actual swing. Even if you think you're replicating the exact swing, chances are you're not. It's just the science of our golf swings. What we feel isn't necessarily what is . Because of this, it's tough to provide truly useful feedback to help you with your 'true' swing since we're not really seeing it. For starters, do you usually put the ball that close to the middle of your stance? Depending on the timing if your hips and upper body, this can cause your point of impact to occur before your hands begin to clear, thus leaving your face open. Take your camera out on the range and record a few swings!

Phil has an amazing alligator skin belt. Jealous.

When I took another look at the front view of your swing, I saw that your upper body may be a bit behind at the moment of impact. Your weight shift/hip slide looks great until about halfway down, then your upper body kind of "stands up" and is left behind with your lower body driving through the shot. This could definitely be a cause for your inconsistencies between clubs - not a bad thing! It sounds like you have success in repeating your swing - a good thing! If your upper body were pushed through a bit more, it would narrow the margin for error - when your upper body is behind, fades and draws can easily turn into slices and hooks. I intentionally produce fades by throwing my lower body through the swing a little more aggressively. Try executing a few shots with a quieter lower body and see what happens. Also, try sending iacas a message to see what he thinks. That guy knows his stuff!

Nice swing, man! Name a few things you struggle with in your swing. That may help people analyze your swing in a certain light and suggest things that will potentially help you out in areas you need the most help with. One thing that jumped out to me is the beginning of your downswing - it looks like you start the downward motion with your hands (maybe an early pronation of the wrists). The top looks fantastic, though. You have a ton of potential energy at the top of your swing! If you let your body settle at the top and allow your shoulders to sort of 'collapse' onto the ball, you could really unleash some power. It's all about fluidity. Think of the swing as a liquid process. Dang... I'm thirsty! You do come down a bit outside of your backswing plane, but if you control it (which it looks like you do), it's not necessarily a bad thing. Sliding your hips and weight correctly allows you to come through the ball and makes you less likely to cast and slice.

I can't believe there have only been 2 posts on the Titleist Player's glove. It's a fantastic glove that gives you a true feel of the club. It's relatively thin, but strangely durable for the thickness in my experience. Proper care (storing it dried in a ziplock bag) will make it last a long time unless you improperly swing out of your shoes.... but that's for another forum :)

I've been putting with a 2-ball DFX for 6 years. I tried a few other putters, but just...... can't. I don't know how to explain it. Lining up the 2-ball is so natural, it's almost mindless. The DFX face is slightly harder than the original model so I can focus on my stroke more.

I'll go with the Stells Artois lager. Crisp with flavor, but not overwhelming!

Since we are talking about driving, hitting the ball on the upswing with the driver is correct. The driver (particularly the newer ones) was actually designed to make contact with the ball on the upswing. This is a general rule taught by most all professional swing instructors. Keeping your weight back is more of thought during the second half of the backswing and the first half of the downswing. You should always start at address with your weight evenly distributed. A lot of players tend to begin their swing by shifting their weight ever so slightly towards the backswing before taking the club back. I posted my thoughts about this a few days ago, check it out for more details. While it is fundamentally flawed to literally keep your weight back throughout your swing, it is a good mental note to help prevent the upper body from getting ahead of the lower body. Another benefit from this mindset is that it also prevents casting (coming down on a plane outside of your swing's natural plane that usually causes a slice, or a dead pull-hook if your hands turn over). "Keeping your weight back" also goes hand-in-hand with hitting the driver on the upswing. It just makes sense. But be careful - your swing should always have a back to forward weight shift, no matter the club selection. The reason why the descending blow is more prominent as the clubs get shorter is because of [fundamentally correct] ball placement coupled with the design of the club. Most of the power comes from the weight shift and pivot in the forward knee (the knee closest to your target). Make a complete, smooth, clockwork-like weight shift. Drive through the ball with the lower body, the upper body acting as an instrument or extension of the lower body. This holds true with every golf swing and with every club, but it is emphasized even more with the driver. To answer your 3 later questions: 1. Can you clear up on this? What do you mean 'fix the open shoulder?' You say you fix this by compensating somewhere else in your swing. Sometimes it's best to not "fix" a problem by mechanically changing your default setup or swing mechanics. For example, the classic mistake of aiming further right to prevent a hook (for a right-hander). Minor adjustments that fix timing tend to yield better results. 2. Answered earlier in this post 3. The address depends on the golfer, not what any particular person does. Do we address our clubhead 1/8" behind the ball or 1/2" behind the ball? You see the discrepancy. Do what is most comfortable for you, and what ultimately compliments your swing. Since you are redeveloping your swing, try different club placements. To start, I wouldn't recommend placing the clubhead more than one inch behind the ball. At setup, our muscle memory is triggered, and we ingrain a short term feeling of where the ball is at. This greatly helps ball striking.

That's good you're starting to view golf as a mental game, because it most certainly is! Time is your biggest obstacle for success. I say this because the mental development process for golf takes time! --Trust your swing once you have developed it on the driving range. Videotape your swing. Get a second opinion from a friend or instructor. Critically analyze your swing yourself. Watch/read golf instruction online or in books. Focus on making minor adjustments at a time. Once you've gotten into the habit of doing these things, when you hit the links, don't think about it anymore. Easier said than done. But hear this. Continuously working on your mechanics IS what helps you develop your confidence and ability to trust your swing. It's what strengthens your ability to cognitively believe in your mechanics. It's not an instant fix. It takes time, and it also takes effort. What's more important? - hitting the ball hard and far, or developing a reproducible swing that sends your ball where you want it to go? I know you'd go with B. Every relatively serious golfer would. Shift your thinking into a mindset that makes producing a smooth, reliable swing a priority . This way, you won't think about hitting it long and hard, but rather smooth and graceful. Golf requires you to trick your brain into thinking a certain way via mindsets you discover along the way. Be patient with yourself - this game ain't easy! Give yourself credit, and notice the small improvements you make to boost your confidence.

That was hilarious reading that as if you were Phil hahaha

Carrying two wedges that only vary by bounce seems a bit too nit-picky and a wasted opportunity cost as far as taking up one of those precious 14 slots in your arsenal. With that said, lob wedges are tough to hit off of tight lies. My advice to you would be to practice these shots if you have some time. Loosen your grip and drop the club head on the ball as opposed to making a swing at the ball. This will instantly make your wedge a more forgiving club. The looser grip and smoother downswing will 'let the club do the work' as they say. Confidence is a big factor, and practicing boosts confidence! Most of the time, adapting equipment to your game isn't as good as adapting your game to your equipment, if that makes sense.

Here's what I do: -I place the club behind the ball with no particular aim to check tee-height for my driver, and lie condition for my irons. -I then back away while looking at the target, then immediately focus on getting comfortable with the particular club I have. -I do a few half-swings while trying to focus on making a smooth transition from my back swing to down swing. I then try to graze the grass to get myself familiar with the length of the club. I take one full swing then take a deep breath. -I imagine what kind of shot I want to hit. In most cases, this is just me merely imagining a 5-7 yard yard fade since this is what I generally hit with all of my clubs up until my 8-iron. -I address the ball by first aligning my body, then my club head. I simultaneously look back and forth between the ball and my target. -I think "drop the club on the ball" and just focus on an even tempo, fully trusting my swing. -Fire. -If it goes straight, I yell "CUT!" -In this case, the ball usually doesn't listen and I'm left with a stupidly long putt or chip.

Hey man! Here are a few things that caught my eye. These are a few basic steps I think you should take to start improving your ball striking. I am by no means a professional instructor. I've been playing since I was 3, though :) 1. If I were you, I would put the ball further back in my stance. Try about 2 inches further left The ball position you have for your 7-iron looks more like the position of a 3-iron or fairway metal. Reason: When the ball is further up in your stance with a shorter club, it naturally prevents your swing to come completely through the ball, which results in the club face striking the ball at an angle that will produce the slice spin. 2. Try this to see what it feels like: Take it back a little further inside than what you think, and bring it down on a plane even further inside. This swing plane is usually executed to produce a draw. Reason: Observe your swing plane. Notice you take it back on an outside plane, and either come back on that same outside plane, or even further outside of that plane. Think about it. This will be cause your club head to descend on the ball at such an angle that will cause that slice spin. Furthermore, if your ball position is too far left, this will cause even more slice spin. 3. Work on a more fluid swing execution. Start by being completely still before you begin your swing. Feel all of your energy gather at your feet and move up into your legs. Begin your swing by taking this energy and swaying your body ever so slightly to the right before bringing your forearms back (notice I didn't say your hands). Don't think of your hands swinging the club. I can tell you have a "handsy" swing based on how early your wrists break on your backswing. Let your wrists break naturally . This normally happens when the club is parallel with the ground or even with your belt. With that being said, you seem to have a good tempo. I know you're not swinging for the fences because you maintain a good head position, your left elbow doesn't collapse at impact, and your left heel stays planted on your down swing. This is good! Reason: Ok that was a stupidly long step that probably had 5 things to work on... but back to fluidity: This sounds like it doesn't do much to cure a slice, but it's a definite building block in producing a sound, reproducible swing. Golf is about consistency. That's why it's best to simplify everything you can to eliminate potential variables. If you're stuck with a swing that produces a 7 yard fade every single time, you can join the PGA tour because you know exactly where the ball is going! 4. Now that you have potential energy stored up at the top of your fluid back swing, shift your weight from right to left. You should end up with 80% of your weight on your left arch/heel. I noticed that a lot of your weight after you strike the ball is on your right foot. Did you used to play baseball? Reason: This is yet another reason why your swing is prone to slicing. When you properly shift your weight, the club head fully drives through the ball. Theoretically, if your weight shift is executed absolutely perfect, the ball should have nothing but back spin on it. This brings up another factor that I won't get into, that being how your upper and lower body interact with each other. If one is ahead of the other or vice-versa, all of this changes. MIND BLOWING!! So to recap, start by 1. Putting the ball further back with shorter irons and move to the left as you use longer clubs 2. Changing your swing plane 3. Focusing on making your swing more fluid from start to finish 4. Shifting your weight from right to left. You have a good swing though, man. Work on this stuff and post another video, I'd love to see your swing progress!

Hey, whatever works, right? Haha! Fact - More reach and swing speed will result in further distances off the tee. Look at those ReMax world champion guys. Huge back swings with 55" shafts. But in general, when people swing harder, they become inefficient somewhere else in their swing that causes them to lose power. In your instance, it sounds like you maintain your fundamentals and sound tempo (to music, which I personally think is awesome) causing you to gain some yards for rearing back.

"Drop the club on the ball" is one of the best swing thoughts I've ever been told. I've used it for 10 years!

Well, you're almost a scratch golfer, so you know it's all about feel and preference. My advice would be to try the EXACT club outfit (head and shaft) you're thinking about buying... there's nothing worse than ordering clubs and not liking how they feel. IMO It's hard to beat the Dynamic Gold's. I've had the same shafts in my 1998 DCI 981's for 10 years and they're still consistent and true (Changed from R to S in 2001)

And the "greens" at a lot of places (*cough* Edwin Watts) basically funnel your ball into the hole so you're thinking "MAN I putt well with this thing!"

You're almost dead on! It took me 10 years to figure out that I can hit the ball further if I swung about 70-80%. You say your head tends to move up and left. I assume this is on your downswing? This is somewhat correct, as you should definitely be shifting your weight from right to left (assuming you're right handed). Over-swinging causes head movement as well as other problems (collapsed left elbow, jammed lower body) My advice to you would be to change your mindset of what it means to "hit" a golf ball. Think of your swing as a process which happens to be intercepted by a ball. The ball "gets in the way," if you will. Start your swing with your feet, and feel your body take the SLIGHTEST tilt to the right before your forearms take your club back smoothly, with no thought into the future depicting yourself swinging 200 mph and mashing a 400 yard drive down the pipe. When you're at the top of your backswing, take on another mindset - "Drop the club on the ball." That has been the greatest mental advice anyone has taught me. Let the club just come down - let your swing unravel naturally, without force. Like I was saying, don't "hit" the ball. The ball just happens to be hit by your swing. Don't think about swing speed. While you improve your mechanics, and as your swing requires less and less effort, you will consequently hit the ball further and further. "Ripping it" comes from sound mechanics. People say the pro's swings look effortless. Don't kid yourself, they're going at it! Their perfect balance and technique just make it look like they're swinging easy. Swinging faster than your normal swing usually results in quick hands. I do this when I'm nervous, intimidated by the wind or another player who hits it further than me, or when I'm trying to clear an obstacle right at my maximum range. I've been playing golf for 17 years, and it's still a part of my game that I have to deal with. Let me know if this helps!

Had to hurry up and get 9 in before the storms hit south Georgia. I just graduated college and some new girl at the pro shop almost didn't let me on the course because she didn't know who I was. I was pretty agitated since I grew up on this course, my mom has been the club champion for 22 years, and I shot the course record when I was 14!! Anyway, I hit ZERO greens and still managed to pull out a 38 with 11 putts. The ProV1 is killing me. I have a lot of lag in my swing and usually come down on it pretty hard which results in a divot comparable to a 6" meatball sub. With provolone. I'm thinking about buying a few dozen V1x's to solve my spin problem. As long as I'm playing on bermuda, I'll definitely need a ball with less spin! I didn't really get to play at all while I was at school, so I'm really looking forward to this summer at home and on the course.... minus that stupid kid who needs to know her role.