LI Hacker

Yeah I've thought about that but with where I live basically any open area is some sort of atheltic field and this time of year when I'm not working those fields are in use for all different sports. Maybe dropping multiple balls while playing is a solution but wanted to see if anyone had any drills or anything they could recommend about getting used to playing out of difficult lies. I used to be a very heavy range guy but the more I play the more I realize it's not a great help because so few shots a round are hit from perfectly flat ground.

Hey Guys - After my round this weekend I realized that the thing that really killed me (no surprise here) was my short game, especially the closer I got to the green. I unfortunately shot just over 100 but didn't miss many fairways at all and if I did it was just into the second cut. My full swing seems to be in a good place as I hit consistent draws and don't slice or hit tee shots way OB like a lot of newcomers to the game. However my chipping/pitching, especially from the rough or awkward lies absolutely kills me. Can't even tell you how many times i chunked it 2 feet. From a good lie I am ok but since that is rarely the case and usually the ball is slightly above or ball your feet I seem to lose it all. My problem is in my area I don't know of anywhere public at least that has a short game practice area. Chipping off mats at the range does me no good so I was curious to see if you guys had any outside the box ideas for ways to practice. My backyard is tiny so not really an option and I guess maybe the answer is to keep playing but I figured I'd ask the experts first. Thanks,

just as an update, I was able to get out on the range and the course this past weekend and really worked on getting my weight forward and this helped tremendously not only in reducing the number of fat/thin shots but also my ball striking and distance. Makes sense since on the swings where I had it all working, I was able to get my swing to bottom out after the ball as opposed to my normal 2-3 inches behind the ball as evidenced by my divots. On those shots I was finally having that feeling of the ball just rocketing off the club face and was hitting nice draws which is a first for me, was a big time slicer. Getting my weight onto my front leg and getting the lower half moving toward the target will definitely be my swing thought and my point of focus for my next few practice sessions until its second nature. Was one of those things I knew I should have been doing but just couldn't get it down until this weekend.

Maybe I am naive but having never had a lesson before I am not sure if I know what to look for. I did some research and think I found an instructor with some positive reviews (Bob Posillico at Eisenhower Park) but I guess its still a roll of the dice.

This is what I'm worried about, wasting a couple hundred bucks and getting nothing from it.

Gosly - I actually haven't played a round in awhile. Not a ton of my friends play so it is hard to get a group together and at my current level I'm embarassed to get paired up with random people and have them watch my mess if you will. I know its silly because everyone was probably there at some point but I typically only play when I know I can get out as a single. Less than ideal especially where I live as those times are few and far between and I definitely need to play more because I actually find I am better out on the course than the range for whatever reason. JetFan - Those bad pictures definitely look like me, I've known I tend to flip and come over the top which I see is what was causing the topped shots to the right. Appreciate the videos/photos, definitely something I will try to work. I think its becoming more and more clear I need to just get myself working with a pro and be shown what I need to be doing and have someone there for feedback. Btw I'm a Jet fan myself, absolutely brutal

Thanks Saeval, I'll def try to work on those things as well as check out all of the 5 keys videos. I've seen a couple and there is definitely a lot of great stuff. If you don't mind me asking what are your thoughts on getting lessons because I hear a lot of mixed reviews in terms of you dont always get good advice? I'm asking because I've watched/read a ton of information but I feel like I may need someone to watch what I'm practicing and tell me if i'm even doing it correctly. I've definitely progressed, albeit quite slowly going the "self-taught" method.

Well just to clarify I've only taped my swing a handful times, 99% of the time I'm watching pros swings/analyses of their swings. Maybe it doesn't help but I enjoy watching what they do well and trying to incorporate that. I do agree though that I need to probably break down and spend the money to get the lesson/s. Not sure prices elsewhere but by me its 110 bucks for an hour but hopefully that money will save me a lot in lost balls, etc...

I've been mulling over getting a lesson and know it will probably be more than worth it. I had been working on my takeaway a ton at home in addition to my setup my position both in a mirror and by video taping my swing. I never really worked on the downswing portion though and through video I can see I come over the top and cut right across, I'm in a good position at the top but almost feel stuck and don't know how to get down correctly. I went to the range to be honest to see if my backswing would translate into nice easy downswing resulting in good shots which couldn't have backfired more lol. I checked out the video and I took the club away nicely and got into a good position on plane (not perfect of course) but my downswing is a disaster. I feel like the lesson may be worth the time and money? I've made big strides in my backswing but that process has taken me a long time doing it myself.

anyone?

Hey Guys - As you may or may not know I'm still basically new to the game but I've had a fair share of range sessions and yesterday was by far my worst, ironically the first one after I had spent more time than ever working on my backswing. I literally topped every 9/10 shots and must've topped about 15 or 20 straight at one point and they were all topped and slicing to the right. From that flight I'm guessing I'm coming in too steep and over the top resulting in my swing plane being too flat which I took a look at when I got home on video. The only positive I took from this is that my miss was consistent each and every time so my swing was repeating. Not a great silver lining I know. My question is what are some drills to work on the plane specifically, I have read a lot about getting the club over your right shoulder it just doesn't feel natural and I have to work to get it there. I was having issues getting my left arm even to my shoulders but even after correcting that the club looked too flat. Also maybe I'm completely wrong so any other advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

For my left arm it has really helped keep my takeaway one piece as my arm can't get too far away from my body. However on my right arm I think its put me in this position because I've kept my elbow locked to my ribcage which has lowered my left arm. I think its a good drill if you have issues with a flying right elbow or on your left arm getting too far from the body on the backswing but now my right elbow stays glued to my body on my backswing which i have to correct. But I could be wrong, quite new to all of this.

Bob Possillico at Eisenhower Park? And thanks for the video, appreciate it

Yeah in experimenting around and just thinking how the arms function I quickly realized my right arm/elbow is what was affecting my left arm but to be quite honest wasn't sure how to fix it. I'll definitely try to keep my elbow more in front of me. Do you have any drills/videos to help ingrain this? Semi off topic but I've been considering going to get an hour lesson as up to this point am self taught and am thinking having an actual teacher help me out would be beneficial but I've heard mixed reviews on the value of lessons. Any thoughts on lessons from local pros? I've done some research and found one who comes highly recommended. Thanks

Hey guys Both new to the game and the forum. As my name implies I've only really played a few times with some friends but it has gotten me hooked. Live on Long Island and work in manhattan so unfortunately with the commute hard to get out other than on the weekends which is a zoo here. I look forward to meeting some new people here and hopefully improving my game. Thanks

Hey everyone new to the forum Senior Data Analytics Analyst for a global media agency in manhattan I fall into the new fad of "Big Data"

Hey guys - First time posting here but I'm relatively new to the game, played a few times last year and now I have the bug. I've been trying to work on my backswing a lot at home with the help of a mirror and I've noticed that my left arm (righty) is usually below the plane of my shoulders. I've spent a lot of time watching and analyzing pros swings and most if not all have their left arm at the least even with their shoulders. Unfortunately I have low ceilings so I have to practice with a shorter club (7 iron) so I'm not sure if that's the issue but I figure I have a big flaw in backswing not allowing me to get that arm level with my shoulders. I'd appreciate any tips or advice, I always practice using the towel under both arms to stay connected and with the club parallel to the ground I'm not inside so I'm not sure where I'm losing it. Thanks