benny

I do exactly what "sonic blue" said, and try not to swing too hard as that adds backspin.

In Bobby Clampett's book he maintains that the deepest point of your divot needs to be 4 inches in front of the ball. He points to a study (sorry, don't have the book with me)which showed how player handicap was related to divots. Went something like: Pro 4 inches in front, scratch 2inches, single digits at the ball, double digits before the ball. Don't hold me to these, but you get the idea. Ben

Vinny, I had left shoulder surgery last year for small tears in the labrum. I also had impingement, a bone spur, and a hematoma. Had to shut it down for the season. The right shoulder may be different, but I could'nt swing without severe pain. Surgery was arthroscopic but post-op had to keep arm immobile with a sling then several weeks worth of physical therapy. I still feel a twinge when I full roll the left arm. I'm 47, and it seems like I can hurt something just getting out of bed! Ben

I tried it for a while also but when addressing the ball it never seemed lined up where it should. I still use the writing on the ball, but usually find I need more break when addressing the ball.

Respectable, In order to trap the ball (hit down) the shaft needs to lean toward the target at impact as it is designed to do. To do this we need a weight shift toward the target, flat left wrist, and bent right wrist at impact. Usually, players who attempt to lift the ball into the air "flip" through impact - bending the left wrist and flattening the right. I read that bench tip somewhere many years ago but it was for chipping. It cured my chili-dips when chipping, and helped me with impact on full swings. You might want to practice hitting low chips with the ball middle/forward to learn how to get the hands/shaft forward. I'm usually not real comfortable giving swing advice as I don't want to send someone down the wrong road. Hopefully, an instructor can confirm my initial impression of your swing and offer better technical assistance.

Not a pro, but here is my impression. It looks like your intent is to lift the ball into the air. Imagine there is a picnic table bench located 5ft. down your target line (across it). Try hitting your irons under the bench - you can't do it, but it should give you better impact position. Make sure your divots are in from of the ball. Place three balls in a straight line, hit the middle one, see if your divot is in front of the remaining two. Hope that helps. Ben