fersman4

Happens to me sometimes too. I believe it's part of the mental game. For me a draw is easier to hit fat because the clubhead bottoms out right around where the ball is, instead of after the ball like on a steep cut shot. And when I'm on the range I'm working on this or that, and it's okay if I hit a few of them fat. But on the course, hitting a fat shot is effectively a lost stroke, so I change my swing subconsciously to a steeper angle trying to make sure I don't hit it fat. It comes down to either forcing myself to watch out if I start to get steep (need yet another swing thought?), or coming to trust that I'm going to hit the draw cleanly. I have no actual advice for you.

For the past few years the longest iron in my bag is a 6-iron. Below that I use hybrids, which don't give me the same kind of trouble as the longer irons, for some reason. I don't worry about looking like a wuss with my 5-hybrid. I let the score do the talking.

43 in two months, congrats! I've been playing 14 years and I'm happy to get a 43 for 9-holes. And you know what, my short game is usually my problem too. I've been keeping detailed stats of my game and I found that I'm hitting an average of 50 out of 89 strokes within 50 yards (including putts) per round. I want to go see an instructor soon, but I want to focus on improving my short game, cause that has to be my best opportunity for improvement.

Oh that's a great visual and mental image to explain it, thanks!

In my case course conditions are also a major factor. I mishit a lot, yeah, but with a good stroke in current Colorado conditions most people need to land the ball short of the green and have it roll up. And how is one supposed to do that when there is a hazard in front of the green or sizeable greenside hills? So it does in fact come down to the short game. I'm going to blame mostly my shots within 100 yards for the fact that I'm a 16 handicap and not lower. Taking an average of my last several rounds, I shot an average 88 strokes (par 72), and 54 of them were 100 yards and in. About 50 of those are 50 yards and in. See I'm taking just below an average 3 shots to get it in from around the green. If I got that much closer to 2 shots on average, I would be shooting par!

Well if his questions are answered, I'll add one to the list. A flat wrist can have a very specific definition: no angle between the top of the forearm and the top of the hand. My question is, must this flat wrist point directly at the target at impact? I think mine tends to be a little open. It's hard to tell from the Manassero clip above, but I think his may be a little bit open as well. Is it?

Well you all have given me something to think about. It used to be the case that if you wanted to get a qualified instructor, you needed to find a PGA Professional. Now it seems that's not good enough anymore? I'm still not sure what to do about question nine. That is to say, I don't know who around here would use video. As far as I can tell all the instructors around here instruct on golf course driving ranges, and I've never seen any recording equipment. And what about the launch monitors and all those new gadgets that measure spin and angle of attack and stuff? That seems like indoor tools. I'm starting to wonder in Denver is a "golf instruction desert".

Sorry to say there are no 5sk instructors near me, at least according to Google. As for online instruction, I learn best, and faster, with immediate feedback. No use going to the range thinking I'm doing what the "online instructors" are telling me I need to do, only to find several hours later that I wasn't even close.

I live in the southeast of the Denver metro area. Been playing 14 years pretty much self-taught. Current index is 16.5. It's been down to 12.5 18 months ago but I didn't play much last year. The courses around here have outdoor ranges, and I don't think any of them use video analysis. And I'm sorry, I don't feel comfortable asking any these questions: http://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/the_instructor_quiz_nine_questions_youve_gotta_ask . Besides, golf instructor has been a profession for, well decades before I was born, and the "old" answers to the linked questions hasn't stopped those instructors from helping people get better at golf. There is a nearby course (Murphy Creek) that has terrific practice facilities. And they have a few instructors. At the moment I'm leaning toward calling up the pro shop and just making an appointment. Well, what are my other options?

I've been working on it for years. For me a few swing thoughts work to some degree: Swing to 1st base Low right shoulder at impact Start the downswing from the lower body and let the rest of the body follow naturally Not that I think about all of them at the same time...just things I have worked on over the years. I found that if I over exaggertate the above thoughts in my practice swings, I tend to get something closer to a reasonable swing path when I hit the ball.

I thought I'd give this "hitting up" thing a try. I'm a 17 handicap after 14 years playing. I haven't had any instruction in the past 6 years, so for now all my improvement efforts are based upon "self-teaching". Well I've only hit 22 drives in 2 rounds with this "hitting up" idea, and no range practice. Anyway, I noticed significant increase in distance on my average drive, perhaps 30 yards. But in my case I cannot give credit to better ball dynamics. See when I say "average drive", I'm talking about a shot that leaks left or right into the trees, or if I'm lucky, just the rough. So for such a shot, with the ball flying through the air more and rolling less, trees and rough have less impact on my total distance. Oh, I didn't hit any more or fewer fairways, by the way. The first round I was hitting a mix of slices and hooks (notice I didn't say fades and draws). The second round most of my misses were slices. My swing is as close to an inline path as I can get without professional instruction, so I have to blame either poor release, or a too weak grip. Toward the end of the round I gripped fairly strongly and started hitting straight slight fades. Not push-fades or pull-fades, but straight fades. Is that even possible with the swing you described?

Yep, that's me. 5'9", 33 years old, and 255. My index usually hangs around 16, but I did have it down to around 12 in the last two years. I'm embarrassed to say that my extra weight has put so much strain on my lower back that I cannot practice for more than 15 minute stretches, and walking a round is unthinkable. Don't worry, this isn't a sob story. I'm highly motivated to lose the extra 100 or so pounds and am following a pretty good plan. I'm kinda curious what my weight loss is going to do for my golf game. Am I going to have better balance? Am I going to have better consistency since I won't have this huge gut to try to swing around? What will the increased range of motion mean? Maybe these questions are rhetorical. I'm just jazzed about the prospects of not feeling like a gelatanous blob again.

Excellent thanks! I knew the answer wasn't in the 8 to 10 range, but 1 is a statement in itself. I know how to get that whippy, momentum, weight of the club feeling in a practice swing. Now I just need to figure out how to get that feeling with a ball in the way. Cheers!

Hi all, first post. I'm working on lag because I tend to lose some power by casting slightly. It's not to the point where my shaft leans back at impact or my left wrist is cupped at impact. Video confirms all of this. What I'm concerned about is getting the face to square if I delay release more than I normally do. So I have one question, and the simple answer would give me enough info for now. During the downswing, from when the wrists start to unhinge through to when the club is fully released past impact, on a scale of 1 to 10, how active are the hands/lower arms, 10 being maximum physical effort rotating the face, 1 being completely passive?