Jon Robert

You can't add shaft material (that is required for soft stepping) if it has already been cut off. It is not possible to soft step the same shaft already in a club. You can hard step it but the OP says it is way too stiff already. http://thegolfcoastonline.com/page.asp?id=29

Really the grams are only a issue of weight not flex. You can get a heavy steel shaft that is the same measured flex as a light graphite. I like heavy someone else who is weak or slow swinging and trying to milk and extra mph out of their limitations might try lighter as a way to do that. If it is already in your hands then just try it out. If you are buying it then you need to measure your mph and aggressiveness etc to make an educated guess. In the absence of any firm data and earned opinions from your own experience a uni-flex will probably work just fine. The only real answer is to find the makers chart for 80g uniflex shafts.

The Secret of the `Straight Shot´ I and II (link at end) ------------------------------------------------------------------ A great FIELD GUIDE on the subject: Solid Contact by Jim Hardy He covers all the pluses and minus's that combine to go into a swing and the resulting CONTACT producing ball flight. AND THEN tells you how to try and fix it IN THE FIELD Boiling his book down to your specific question is that any element of the golf swing such as hip turn contributes to the end result. If the hip turn alters the face angle then you have a miss. If you cannot correct the hip issue then you must introduce a counter measure that corrects for the face angle miss. The hips may change day to day and shot to shot while at the range or course. The end result will be a straight shot if done right or a miss if wrong. IN YOUR CASE The amateur has a great many of these pluses and minuses where the pro has much fewer. The amateur has a MUCH more difficult time keeping it all together such as you had at the range. Amateurs find that the abundance of plus elements and minus elements cause confusion and inconsistency. So what is the solution? Read, study, practice to get rid of as many unneeded elements as you can i.e the grooved swing. Also to confuse an amateur even more (Trackman is a radar unit that is the best). It's data says that if you swing wrong - inside out but have the face also wrong - open the ball will go straight, that is end up where you wanted it to. Yes!!!! if your swing is wrong in the correct amount of wrongness the ball will end up where you wanted it to! (about 3 to 1 ie 3 degrees in to out and 1 degree open) What do all the numbers mean you ask. You need to study various experts to learn that. Trackman newsletters are the best place to start See links The Secret of the `Straight Shot´ I and II Trackman Newsletter #4 January http://www.trackman.dk/download/newsletter/newsletter4.pdf and #5 July 2009 http://www.trackman.dk/download/newsletter/newsletter5.pdf

From the Book "How to Learn Golf" by Harry Hurt III The amateur hits a bad tee shot on the first tee and tells himself there I go again it is going to be a miserable day. I probably won't hit a good tee shot all day. Ben Hogan would brush it off and completely out of his mind. He expected to hit 7 bad shots per round and with that one out of the way he only had 6 left to deal with. page 155 cognitive defenses against anxiety Good book Highly recommended.

Must you taunt? How about going out and hit some golf balls instead

The definition of bully and bulling is self explanatory by reading this thread link It is like a pack of dogs on the attack (It was not started by or initially directed at me but I'm sure it will be now) http://thesandtrap.com/t/61012/playing-concepts-versus-swing-mechanics TAUNTING is another descrption that comes to mind

Looks like the bullies are out in full force on the forum. The one liner attacks are at full throttle. That tells me that the bullies are very bored, have nothing productive to do but spew venom instead. WAIT AN IDEA IS APPEARING ON THE HORIZON! IT IS AN AIRPLANE TOWING A MESSAGE IT SAYS GO OUT AND HIT SOME GOLF BALLS INSTEAD OF HITTING OTHER POSTERS. HMMMM Good idea

It is because bullies try to enhance their standing by striking intimidating poses. It reminds me of the 98 pound weakling, passive, shy, push over kid that is bullied day after day by the posers. Then one day the posers up the posing a notch and start a fight with the 98 pound wimp. The wimp not only cleans house on one of the bullies but has all of them are begging for mercy like little babies. Golly gee whizz looks like the 98 pound whimp had the stuff all along while the bullies were full of nothing but fluff This entire thread is a bunch of bullies showing off their fluff. I will give you one guess who will be number one on the bullies posing list after this. You guessed it - Me.

Depends on the Maker Tom Wishon "The Search for the Perfect Golf Club" page 97 '...what a circus that is! Because there are no standards for shaft flex in the golf industry, an R flex equals and R flex except if it is made by another maker of R's in which case it might not equal R at all." ------------------------------------------------------- Tom Wishon is a golf club designer and researcher. Tom Wishon is a former member of the PGA of America who chose to pursue a career in golf equipment design and clubfitting research. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Wishon http://wishongolf.com/twgt-books/

"I don't really want to buy new shafts, I just need the flex changed" You can't loosen the flex unless you add head weight (a lot) That leaves replacing the shafts YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF it is not that hard. You need a heat gun, ordinary hardware store epoxy and some basic tools. I get shafts a lot cheaper by buying the entire club from a used sporting goods store. For example I can get UST shafts on old Callaway Big Bertha heads around here for less than 10 dollars. I just recycle the shaft. --------------------------------------------------- People often like to change the shaft in their golf club , whether it's because the current one broke or because they want to try out the newest one on the market without purchasing a new club. To help save money, this is a task anyone can do with the right tools. Step 1 Secure the shaft in the vise. Tape the head of the golf club to prevent it from being scratched. Step 2 Use the utility knife to cut off the ferrule, which is the small plastic piece by the hosel. A little heat may be necessary if the ferrule is difficult to take off. If so, put the butane torch near it. Items you will need Vise or clamp Propane or butane micro torch Hosel brush Heat-proof gloves Masking tape Small drill bit Epoxy Acetone Step 3 Apply heat to the hosel area with the propane or butane torch. Step 4 Apply some pressure to the head while heating and continue doing so until the epoxy bond is softened. The head of the club should then come off easily. Once the head comes off, clean out the hosel area with the small drill bit, then pour a little acetone in the area to thoroughly clean it. Step 5 See if the shaft tip needs to be trimmed, according to the manufacturer. If so, follow the instructions for this. Apply epoxy all around the inside of the hosel. Then, apply epoxy all around the bottom of the shaft, as well. Gently, push the shaft into the hosel and twist it a bit to make sure the shaft is all the way down in the hosel. Use acetone to clean off any excess epoxy on the shaft or hosel. Wait roughly 12 hours. Step 6 Once the epoxy is dry, cut the shaft to the desired length and apply the grip . Wait another 12 to 16 hours, and the club should be ready for use. Warnings It may take some time to complete this project, especially if it's the first time. Do not rush. http://golftips.golfsmith.com/change-golf-shaft-1507.html

Old post but who cares, somone might want to know: According to the book that teaches how to make heads or tails out of golf teaching and boils it down to the main several methods (How to Learn Golf by Harry Hurt III) page 137 "The relative complexity and new skill learning required by the Pelz's system may make it more suitable for pros and top amateurs than average golfers"

Here is my take on it The longer the club the more time it takes to get to the ball. Therefore if you hit the wedge excellent with the ball at mid stance for example then you can expect that the driver ball position will be forward of that. As it takes the driver more time to get to the ball. But there is a huge problem The problem. I have abandoned ball position as it relates to feet. A narrow stance and a wide stance compared is easily shown to have a radical change that take place as it relates to the body center. Try it where ever you are standing. Spread the feet a little and note the ball just off left heel in relation to the belly button. Then spread feet wide with ball off left heel. Instead I now align the ball in relation to arm pits. They never move on my torso. At least not when I'm looking LOL Wedge is right ear, Driver is left arm pit/shoulder

Golfers are experts at making all kinds of moves to compensate for a bad swing. The problem is that the compensating move for a short iron does not work for a long club. The endless application of compensating moves changes every day all day. So yes there are fundamental keys that you should go over again. There is not just one fundamental but many so I will leave it at that. 2 excellent resources are Jim Hardy1 and 2 swing planes approach to the golf swing http://www.amazon.com/The-Plane-Truth-Golfers-One-plane/dp/0071432450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid;=1344627633&sr;=8-1&keywords;=plane+truth+jim+hardy and the LAW's of golf system of understanding the golf swing. https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/pasdirtz/web/golf/GOLF_LAWs_Chart.html There are others such as the small muscle, large muscle, mixed muscle and the multi swing systems but the two I list are the most enlightening and CLARIFYING.

Some pros are going to 2 different drivers. I am experimenting with the same. I am using an old Callaway Warbird 12 degree driver as a replacement for my 3 wood. and or a driver off the Tee. The experiment has just begun so the jury is still out. I mainly went on this journey because I was looking for a bigger face size in a three wood. There really are no differences in face size (width not height) The Callaway driver has a bigger face and is only 1 degree less than a typical 13 degree 3 wood. ----------------------------------------------- Phil Mickelson made big news a few weeks ago when he won the BellSouth Classic by a whopping 13 strokes. Part of the story was his use of two drivers (he dropped the sand wedge). His drivers' specs were : Driver No.1 - Callaway Fusion FT-3, 9.5 degree loft, 45-inches, fade bias Driver No.2 - Callaway Fusion FT-3, 9.5 degree loft, 46-inches, draw bias Mickelson carried two drivers at the Masters as well. And won again. This long-game combo allowed him to shape shots-draws or fades-as the hole dictated. (The draw driver also travels 25 yards farther than the fade one.) Phil's approach is a clever one-he's struggled at times with the big stick-but it's not a new way to attack the golf course. I wrote a piece in GOLF Magazine 16 years ago that addressed this very subject. Consider this: " The 1990 U.S. Open will be remembered for Curtis Strange's pursuit of the ghost of Willie Anderson and for Hale Irwin's gut-wrenching playoff victory over Mike Donald. Overlooked in the excitement, however, was Donald's method of navigating Medinah's narrow tree-lined fairways. To multiply his options off the tee, Donald carried two drivers, basing his pick on a hole's properties. " This was more than a one-time occurrence. Donald packed two drivers — one for distance, the other for accuracy — the previous eight years. In 1990, his distance driver was a 43 1/2-inch MacGregor persimmon wood, with 9° loft. It got the call on holes with wide fairways. His accuracy club was a 12° TaylorMade Original One metal wood, a quarter-inch shorter; Donald used it on short par fours and tight driving holes. Donald's two-driver approach was not unique in those days. The Darrell Survey , which records equipment usage on the Tours, estimated that at least 15-percent of the field at the 1990 Greater Milwaukee Open in early September carried two drivers and nearly 20-percent of the Champions (formerly Senior) Tour pros used the combination at the GTE North Classic the same week. Two drivers make sense for Tour players but could they benefit weekend golfers? Absolutely. Read more: http://www.golf.com/equipment/why-carry-two-drivers#ixzz23An7mlax Read more: http://www.golf.com/equipment/why-carry-two-drivers#ixzz23Am0LlST

Ugh um - You don't just throw a number at a guy sitting at a table and sign up for a USGA tourney. a Oh yeah there bud I want to sign up for this tourney. b What is your CURRENT certifiable handicap? And proof of it a Oh I didn't keep scores but it is about 2-3 b Yeah right, NEXT contestant! The post sounds like it was written from experiences of a 30 year old pro/am level golfer not a bunch of kids in mid high school. Heck 16 year old kids can't even play well the oldest game in the world much less the hardest game in the world. (oldest is getting the girls to notice) I always get a kick out of the posts where the guy can differentiate 1/10th of a degree difference in ball flight but then asks if he should buy the new regular shaft or the stiff shaft? What do you random, anonymous people on a forum that may know nothing at all about golf say I should do? But keep in mind that my ball flight is 1/10th of a degree higher when I am wearing a hat So should I buy regular or stiff?

You sure are an arrogant troll. You offer little of value but a lot of arrogant venom. You have identified the troll alright. It is you!

I'm reading the book the Tiger Woods way. page 48 Tigers set up secret Hogan = closed stance shoulders square Nicklaus = open stance open shoulders Tiger = Closed stance open shoulders I took note of that because that is what I do. Each foot is square to the target line but my right toe tip is in line with the 2nd or 3rd lace hole of my left foot and my shoulders just naturally hang in an open position. So it was comforting to learn that I am not doing something "wrong"

Take careful note of your left arm height at the top of your back swings. Then lower that arm in future swings and hit some shots. This MIGHT create a more in to out path and handle the fade. In other words try a little flatter swing.

Some high ranking teachers say yes the driver should be a different swing. Since a lot of people teach hitting up on the ball with a driver it just makes sense that it would be the case. So if you are trying to hit up then yes flatter is better. Now whether a person is actually hitting up, down or flat is another matter left for a launch monitor.

Once again laughing my head off. Hank Haney??????? "Haney has changed Tiger Woods' swing from an upright to a flatter golf swing." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Haney

"2-3 handicap on a 7100Y course I haven't been entering scores but that's about what I play to, 16 yrs old 140 lbs 5'8." I am not going to mock this post. Start entering scores. No gimmes, no leather wedges, no "I would have made that except" etc and then repost the data.

Find something Phil wrote. "Then there's the oddity of Phil Mickelson, who's right-handed but plays golf left-handed." http://golftips.golfsmith.com/golf-tips-left-handers-2338.html

Revisit the grip. Place each and every finger on the grip deliberately. I find that the body tries to control when the hands are not due to sloppy connection. With a deliberate solid connection a person can use a small muscle hands and arms swing. With out ot there is no way.

Here is what I did to correct this when playing around with a 2 plane swing. Look at someone from the rear when they reach the top. They should have the classic arm triangle. Then they MIGHT suddenly pull the left elbow into the body and swing around pushing the right hand around. OR OR OR they can maintain this elbow position and pull the entire triangle unit down and shift it left as the entire triangle unit is being moved left in front of the body. Imagine pulling a tug of war rope toward you favoring the front of you body while facing away from the golf target. You would not drive your left elbow into your ribs while shoving your right hand sideways to your ball side. You would be pulling toward your butt (golf target down range side) Try it right now. Assume the at the top arm triangle. maintain its shape as you bring it down into the slot. shift it without moving anything else shift sideways toward your front and slide it and along in front of you. The triangle is still facing the rear and your left elbow is still quite out in front of the body not brushing the body like the right elbow is. This is the opposite of a premature spinning around of the triangle At some point the triangle must spin around in order to hit the ball. Doing this to prevent premature spinning around should help stopping hitting on the toe so much. Actually what is happening is that the timing is thrown out of sorts only to the opposite problem. The arms are getting ahead of the torso. But sometimes over correction is needed to get things back into sync. To say it all another way I would say there is too much torso spinning going on and the triangle torso orientation is lost. The triangle arms are lost to to much spin. Consequently the club is too close to the body and hitting on the toe.

Three thoughts 1) Longer clubs are too long?? choke up on the longer clubs PLACE THE RIGHT HAND ON THE SHAFT It may feel disastrous at first but conduct fair and thorough testing analysis 2) Stop your active right hand from firing the club closed. Focus on and keep your right forearm equal too or BELOW the left forearm as viewed from behind or in front of you. Do not roll the right forearm over the top through impact. It may feel disastrous at first but conduct fair and thorough testing analysis 3) Make sure your lead arm rises to shoulder high on the back swing. if only arm pit high it may cause severe in to out path severe duck hook spin.