JohnLund

Thanks for this tshapiro. I must admit though that at 71 years young I feel really lucky to be able to make a full shoulder turn and hope that my lower body follows rotation. I think what started my 'hit complex' was a sore back from my old rugby and extreme skiing injuries. Now that the back has loosened up, I am really happy to discover that, given a smooth tempo, I can make an almost full turn. When I do it right the ball flies high and straight...probably as much as I can hope for at this stage. I have gone to light shafts and clubs (Callaway V Series woods) and find that really helps my swing speed. But, you are right, this is the year I get back to the gym and work on the core plus some weights and I'll be good to go. Thanks again. J

Thanks guys. I took my game to the course on Saturday and had a great front nine. Hit the ball straight off the tee...not as long as I would like but I had the old confidence back. Just a little more shoulder turn and I will be there. The "full swing; half speed" swing thought slowed my tempo down and the right leg support stopped my swaying over the ball. All good until I lost a little focus on the back nine...had a couple of bad holes hence shot an average score. Never mind, wait til next time! Quite excited to be on the right path. Thanks again.

That's funny Patch. My problem seems to be part mental; part physical. I think I have most of my issue solved. If I can convince myself to loosen up and slow down my backswing long enough to take a full turn, I will be fine. It's in there but I think I'll keep my eyes open thanks. 8--)

Success guys! At least on the range success. I took your thoughts and added one of my own and hit the ball better than I have for a long time. My swing thought for this session was, "Full swing; half speed" and it worked. Because I have been nervous about not swinging well I have been tensing up and got too quick in my back swing. This means I am not getting a full shoulder turn which in turn means a weak right result. I also use Tshapiro's idea of bracing the rear leg to prevent sway and to increase hip leverage. Viola! Long and straight off the driver. My 3-wood still needs works but then, it always did. I will have another practice session tomorrow and take it to the course on the weekend. Will let you know how that goes. I am pumped. Thanks for the thoughts guys.

Rainmaker...glad to hear you got past the "hit impulse." There is hope for me. The nerves took over my 8 and 9 irons about two years ago. My club's 16th hole is an uphill water hole demanding an accurate 135 yard shot over a lake that had my nerves take over. Over time I got past that but now the nerves take over my driver, 3 and 5 woods. Weird...I know. I used to love to hit the ball hard. Over the past two years I have lost 30 yards on my driver and I can no longer get my fairway shots higher than my belt buckle. I can still play in the mid-80s but rarely get on greens in regulation. Frustrating. If I didn't have a decent short game I wouldn't break 90. I want my smooth powerful swing back. You are right, the nerves have changed my swing....I now end up on my back foot and I have trouble getting in a full shoulder turn. My nerves tighten up my muscles and just won't let me take a full smooth swing. Thanks for the encouragement.

Thanks for this tshapiro. Last week I was taking a lesson from our club pro who watched me take a practice swing then my swing with a golfball in front of me. He then said, "John you have a great golf swing. Now we need to figure a way to hit the ball with it." Since then I have read up on this issue and have come to think it is mental as much as physical. In other words I think my head is getting in the way of my ability to make a full swing. I am heading to the range again today. Overnight I had a swing thought from years ago. My early swing coach used to say, "Full swing; half speed," when I was having difficulties. His point being "relax" use a loose grip, relax the arms and take as slow a swing as possible. I am 6'2" so it is important to have a smooth vs hard swing. There is an answer out there...the search goes on.

There's cure for us out there 14ledo81. I am hoping one of our fellow Sandtrappers has been through it and will post a program or suggestion that will lead the way to a cure. I am tempted to book an online session with David McKenzie at: GolfStateofMind.com to see if he has a solution. Check him out he is big in the mental game.

Kinda thought that 14ledo81. What I am trying to do is get my head out of the way of my real swing when the ball is in place. Plus I'd like the 30 yards I have lost on my drive in the past two years back. Hints and thoughts welcome.

I need some mental coaching...OK, OK...my friends would say "So what's new?" Here's my issue. My practice swing is full, smooth, and gives a powerful swoosh. Put a ball in front of me and my full swing turns into a short, quick, jerky movement. Over the past two years I have lost about 30 yards on my drives. My greens in regulation on par 4's are about zip. If it wasn't for the fact that I have a solid short game, I couldn't break 90 whereas before I was knocking on 80 regularly. It only effects my driver and fairway woods swing. My research says that I have a 'hit impulse' not 'full swing yips' as in Charles Barkley yips. I still shoot mid-80s but it is frustrating to give up so much distance off the tee. I have tried dropping my practice swing to reduce thinking too much (too many mechanical swing thoughts) and just taking aim and swinging. I have tried humming while swinging through the ball. Now I realize I need some mental coaching to get past this. Just hitting balls on the range doesn't work well but my swing on the range is better than on the course. Yes, I know, added pressure and that is the next part. Put a hazard, lake, trap or long carry in the mix and I am hooped. I might as well just throw the ball in the hazard and move to the drop zone. If you have any tips or know of some mental exercises that might work...I am willing to try. I have looked at the work of Dr. Patrick Cohn and David McKenzie but haven't taken that step yet as their programs are expensive. Maybe later.

At D2 the GBB fairway woods are not that much heavier but they are noticeably weightier. Most of that added weight comes from the fact of the Optifit adjustability of the GBB series. The GBBs are really nice clubs and I would have been happy with them if I wasn't already gaming the V Series. Now that we're talking about adjustability, that might just be the answer for dropping the V Series right there as they are not adjustable except for the driver. Anyway I'm happy with the V Series I was just curious why they were dropped. I wish the V Series had a 4-wood though. That's where the GBB series comes in to play...you can add two degrees to its 15 and make it into a 4-wood at 17 degrees. Yes, I'm always tinkering. 8--)

Does anybody have the inside dope on why Callaway would cancel the successful V Series driver and fairway woods line up? The V Series was made light, fast and came fitted with very good Bassara shafts. At D0 swing weight, they were likely aimed at senior golfers with slower swing speeds but then there are a lot of us out there. I love my set of driver, 3, 5 and 7 woods and was just wondering. Thoughts?

You don't need an expensive $30+/dozen golfball. Find a ball in the $20 range you like and stick with it awhile so you can learn how it performs. A good average ball at that price is the Bridgestone E-6. Another one is the Callaway Supersoft low compression ball...really good value at about $20.

Well said dbrock504. As a course marshal, I agree that there is a marked decline in etiquette particularly in regards to treatment of the course. There seems to be an ethic developing that says, "I paid my green fee and I will treat the course as I see fit." That means no fixing divots, no raking of bunkers, and no fixing ball marks for the following players. To me, this is totally against the traditions and etiquette of the game, and frankly, I find it to be totally inconsiderate. As to behaviour on the course…I am now of an age (grumpy enough) to tell any player I am partnered with who throws a club that "That is the last club you will throw today…are we clear!?" If people are not told what is and what isn't acceptable behaviour then how are they to learn? I am not going to have my day spoiled because of other people's bad behaviour. The game is hard enough without that crap. Thanks for the comment.

If this was designed as a one-off course for beginning kids to age 10…then maybe…otherwise the idea is freaking ridiculous! No thanks.

I marshal at a premium golf course in Indio, CA during the winter. Promise me…please…do not take a total beginner on an 18-hole championship golf course with no lessons, no understanding of etiquette or pace of play. That is a recipe for disaster for them and for the golfers behind and around them, and yes, us marshals. While six lessons before hitting the course is a bit much, I would definitely encourage them to join a clinic for beginners where they learn the basics, how to behave on the course and get an understanding of the different aspects of the game. If there isn't an executive or muni in the neighbourhood, I would suggest a 'pitch and putt' would introduce shotmaking, the short game and how to behave on a course. At the age of 10 I was a beginner and junior member of a nice golf club that actually assigned me to a 'senior' member who was my mentor. My senior took me on the course for my first round and showed me how to move, behave and play a full golf course. While doing so he introduced me to the unwritten part of the game like etiquette, where to walk, where to leave my clubs, pace of play, and how to relate to other golfers. I wish there was more of that today. It would help grow the game via young people, give them confidence on the course and off, and teach them how to relate to older folks and us marshals. Good thread. Thanks for bringing this up.