turbosdad

Dak, great advice. I experimented with many of the techniques that were mentioned by the original poster, and they all "work" and produce something slightly different. You have to practice around the green to really know what happens. I will go to my local course when it's not busy and play 9 holes alone. I will tee off, just for practice then go to 100 yards and drop 4 balls and play them in. Way better than any range practice if you can do it. One of my key success thoughts was the weight HAS to be on the left side so as not to edge the ball. Lots and Lots of practice around the yard spot chipping and pitching balls. I can flop pretty good, distance control with flop is coming. Then saw a special on Sevie Ballesteros. He got pretty far from ball, legs really wide, blade really opened and then seemed to speed swing under the ball for almost a straight up and down shot. Im able to pull that off once in a while. Chipping and pitching can be great fun to practice and it's not hard on the back, for me like full swings.

crickets...........crickets anyone??

A course with Cart Girls, not kidding. During this economy many courses in this area have cut back on them. Rarely there and limited hours. Other than that, a well marked course, in that we have a couple of courses in the area that you really dont know what flag or direction you are aiming at. Greens that are realistic and dont feel that they should have a windmill on them.

Has anyone been to the Haney School in Lewisvile, Texas? Or any location for that matter? I am considering going for one on one with an instructor for 2 or 3 days. What I have never understood is why the prices are one for a "Senior Instructor" and double that for a "Director Instructor"?? Will you learn half as much because the senior instructor is only a Half wit?? Thoughts and experience??

I have a lower disc issue and it is very irritated after playing golf. The disc is herniated, they said PT, or shots, or surgery. Has anyone had fusion type surgery and continued to play. Was there limiting factors after that. Lastly what was your recovery time before getting back out. I can play about once per week then "recover" for about 5 days. Thanks in advance.

Yeah every now and then I will feel like a did a little Elvis shift without trying or thinking about it hit the ball much further than normal. Just can seem to repeat it. Just pops up once in a while.

Jspangler, you could be on to something. My instructor says that I am open slightly at address and he is trying to keep my left shoulder from opening before hands pass. HHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM thanks

I get about the same or more distance with my feet about 4 inches apart, than with them at regular distance. Shoulder width or slightly wider?? I still start with weight slightly back and shift my front leg, but the feet are only about 4 inches apart. Any thoughts?

speed as in baseball is disputed as not the silver bullet, of course not........all other things being equal, I would rather swing at 110 than 90. You have the potential to hit the ball further at 110 than at 90, and distance equals accuracy........

Atlantis, sorry but for this HIGH handicapper, hot chicks and golf . hmmmmmmmmmmmm Big Break Lingerie sponsored by Victoria's Secret Seriously there are hours and hours and hours of men playing absolutely great golf on the golf channel. One hour a week of the girls was a good thing!!

My fitting consisted of walking into a Golfsmith, a lady said may I help you and I said I was looking for clubs, relative beginner. She went and got about 4 different brands of 7 irons and I hit them each about 10 times. She said I hit the Cobra Max 3's best so I left the store with a set of those. No idea about club length or lie or shafts or anything. We went to same routine with drivers and surprise surprise, I hit the matching Cobra driver "the best" according to her in the little room. So I bought that one. Cant believe the lie angle is correct as the toe points to the sky at address. Always hit the heel or hosel. Does this make sense to anyone??

I like the advice of Martin Hall, Play more than you practice. Pitch and chip more than you putt, Putt more than you hit your clubs. Pretty good advice. The range is fine for dialing things in but other than the tee box, very few shots in a round will be on level ,both direction, fluffy grass. For me right now I take my driver and my 56 wedge. Both cause the most trouble and could use the most dialing in. Will add 7 iron if I want to practice full iron swings. I have played for 18 months now. Used to practice 4 time per week and play one to two times per month. Now I play 2 to 3 times per week while practicing maybe once per week. Not sure it has helped but it is way more fun.

Hit my driver 240-250 and in the fairway 90% of the time. When I can do this I will reward myself with a new set of irons :-) Golf consistently between 88 and 92.

Serious about it is finishing 18 holes with as much dedication as the first one. I would be foolish to think I will ever be a pro or play in the low seventies. But I am serious as he!! about being consistently below 100, and someday becoming a bogey golfer. I enjoy the game more than a beer and a cigar with friends............dont need a club or a cart for that. The more I think about this question, another comes to mind. Though most High School football players will never be pro players, they are pretty serious about football. That's my story and Im sticking to it. I shot a darn serious 100 today, and it was good.

Im the last one to give "advice" but i was shown a wall drill that helps is "release". Combine this with steeper angle of attack, or more simply put hands and hips leading club head at impact and BINGO, there was distance for me. ( with irons) Hasnt worked for me with Driver, its' a different animal. Stand next to wall feet together w right arm extended so that finger tip just touches wall. maintain that distance with center of body. Dont need a ball. grip club in your normal stance, raise club to 90 degree from level in front of you, with arms straight out. Rotate this position to the your right with shoulders to get in your backswing position without hitting the wall. Now complete a normal downswing without hitting the wall.. It takes a hip slide and a held release to NOT hit the wall. Do this a bunch then do it hitting balls and they will go further. Worked for me.

Case Keenum, was in a foursome scramble fundraiser for student athletes. Keenum was the QB for University of Houston. He held the NCAA Div 1 passing yardage record. He can hit the ball a mile, good all around player. Single digit handicapper. Nice guy.

I started playing in June of 11, and find this to be the most frustrating...........and addicting game there is. The harder I try the worser I do !!! Anyway, I think I was actually practicing too much, almost everyday. Took lessons weekly and have found that there really are a lot of poor "teachers" out there, at least for me. I need to know the how and why of everything. Anyway, it took about a year to break 100 and I have only done that maybe twice. Six months into all of the practice and lessons I was hitting in the 1-teens regularly. I now hit in the 103 to 105 almost everytime. My last round I had five bogeys, three pars, but my first 4 holes were +3, +2,+4, and a +5. 14 over for the first 4 holes, finished 19 over on the first nine. Always have 3 or 4 "blowup" holes per round. +4 on a par 4, +5 on a par 5, and +4 on a par 3. Playing Bogey golf seems easy enough on paper, but I would love to shoot in the 90's regularly...............then the 80's ;-)

Not an answer to the OP, but when I went to a popular golf store and said I wanted to get some clubs, a lady took me in the bay and brought out several clubs and let me hit them all and said you hit this one the best, you should get those..................so I left with some bright shiny clubs. I dont know anymore than that in regards to information about my swing.

My fat hitting was "cured" by moving the ball further back in my stance and quit coming over the top as much on the back swing. Oh yeah dont forget the hip slide............ It's not easy, get your lesson, hit some and putt a lot............

I have been playing, taking lessons, and practicing similar to what you say, but for a bout 16 months now. I could have been nicknamed fat shot. Actually nearly broke a finger once, and often require a trip to the chiropractor after a round of golf or a long session at the range. It is slowly going away. Played 14 holes the other day before I hit a real fatty. Do hit some thin but not many of those now either. Couple of things for me....one, I would HURRY to the range to sneek in a session after work but before getting home. This lead to rushed and frustrating sessions. Make sure you are not doing that. I am better off to go to one a week with no time limit than 3 sessions hurried. Secondly, I cannot just walk up and hit the ball. I have to go over my entire swing thought for each ball. If I buy the jumbo bucket, I would get into a rapid fire, no focus mode.............not learning anything. So now I get a small bucket, with about 40 or so balls. This makes me treat each one special and really focus on the mechanics. If I have more time, I can go to the pitching area and use 4-6 of my own balls, then putt for another half hour. End result was a much better session. The individual ball focus is better because that is how you have to play....focused on each ball you hit. The last bit of cheap advice that is REALLY helping me is to play a lot. While playing a course about a month ago, I realized that except for the tee boxes, there were very few, if any shots that I had standing on level ground, both east and west and north and south. Shots are more often in the tall grass, short grass, above the feet, below the feet, tilting uphill or downhill. Not to mention there are a million types of grasses and lies. Oh yeah and the sand..........I have learned a lot about the game and course management and it's a lot more fun.

I'm 5'7" with about a 29 inch inseam. I have been golfing for about 1 year and 3 months. Went to golfsmith and was "fitted". What I ddi was hit a series of different make clubs and was told that I hit the Cobras S3 Max the best. I bought them, off the rack so to speak. Started off scoring in the 100's, have been to 4 instructors in the last 15 months, practice about 2 times 2 hours per week. 15 months later (now) I still score in the 100's and clubs are more inconsitent than ever. my question is, how do off the wall clubs "fit" me as well as the 6'3" guy that would walk in and buy them. Over this whole time I hit the ball heavy (ground before ball) sometimes so heavy and aggressively that I separted my index finger on my right hand. On my own I have moved the ball further back in my stance, all irons and have worked hard on a hip slide. But honestely with legs as short as mine how freekin far can they slide. I had about 10 balls left today at the range and tried to start with my weight 70 percent on my left side, rotate around that post and then slide to 95 percent left side. Made some good contact on a couple. Clubs are in the Garage while I decide if I'm cut out for this game.

is it possible to "rent" or borrow late model clubs to try out in the field?

Im no one to give advice, but for me I was doing the same and my thought process is these are bigger clubs and the ball should go harder, therefore i should hit it harder which causes me to lean and lift ala albert Pujols...........when I dont it corrects. just my 02

Well, I have taken lessons straight for about a year and half and still do many of the things that you describe. I score about 107 to 102. Cannot put any of the parts of the game together. Ran into a guy today that said, "golf is an easy game if you just learn the technique" Please somebody teach me this technique of which the man speaks of.................

Sean, I feel that you hit the nail on the head. There should be some measurement or agreement on progress. I spent years as a baseball hitting instructor and know full well that not everyone takes the instruction and absorbs it. Sometimes it's a simple change of words or approach that is different for that individual. I need to know why we are doing something and the what the expected result should be when there is success. He should see the frustration and inconsistency and adjust the plan. Really feel this guy is one size fits all. When he asked for 1000 reps between lessons that is what I did. It's not for lack of time spent on the PR. By the way he has never told me how to practice, now that Im thinking about it. I think I will go back to my first instructor. In an hour we probably spent 30 minutes looking at swings, both mine and others and discussing the objectives and differences. The only reason I left was he was absent minded and double booked lesson times. appreciate all the advice.....