dr_faustus

One thing that helped me - moving my hands to the top of the grip. That keeps the elbows bent which seems to help. My last look is where I'm aiming - either in the hole or wherever - then rock the shoulders and try to hit the ball on the sweet spot. Usually if I putt with my hands I'm way off but if I can relax and just putt with my shoulders I'm good.

Clark will be back, Too much talent to let that stop him.

Man, how good is Stricker? Best player not to have won a major?

I had that. Started setting up with two keys: - right knee kicked in a tad - weight more on the inside of my right foot This way the right knee stays stable and I can swing back against my right side in balance. This helped me not hit the ball fat with irons anymore, which was a joy, and also not to wipe it right.

Forgive me that looked like a plug, it wasn't. My questions is this: if you want a flat left wrist and a folded back right wrist at impact, why wouldn't you set it that way at address and keep it the whole swing?

I haven't been playing well this season, lucky to hit the ball solidly with irons, and I have no idea where the ball is going with the driver. I have a weakness for instruction books though, and just read "Hogan's Magical Device". One of the ideas is to set your right wrist arched (arched back, away from the palm) at address, and keep that angle all the way through with no conscious "flip" at impact. I've never head of this but it worked like a charm today. Striped the driver right where was aiming, and hit some solid irons. Pitched and chipped fairly well too. Any thoughts on this setup?

Don't sweat it. Most players will be worse than you so don't worry about looking foolish. The one thing about golf is the only thing players really care about is their own game, really. Most important thing is to keep up. If that means picking up on disaster holes then do it, but all you want to do is not slow your partners down, don't talk when they're swinging or in preshot, or stand in their peripheral vision or line. And have fun, that's what it's all about.

All thanks to Bobby Clampett, my new favorite commentator.

Yes! Forgot that. It worked great for pitching and chipping, and also great for half and 3/4 wedge shots. Feel better I'm not the only one, thanks longfornothing and Tuttle. I'm going to keep at it.

OTM. New player should learn how to hit the ball with their irons first, then worry about scoring. The pleasure of the game is to be able to propel the ball from one spot to another. A duffed shot is no fun at all. I'd rather hit a decently struck shot into trouble or OB than duff it. Chipping and putting is about scoring anyway, and new players shouldn't worry about score, only about impact.

Hmm, very interesting. Thanks a lot.

I've never been able to hit down on the ball, and my only divots were before the ball. So I've been picking the ball, with very uneven results. I read Bobby Clampett's "The Impact Zone," and while he doesn't explain the technique real well, he seems to be advocating not looking at the ball during your swing but a spot 3-4 inches ahead. (I may have misunderstood it though.) The theory seems to be it that you want your swing to bottom out in front of the ball, so if you aim a few inches ahead on your target line, this will make the bottom of your in front of the ball, so the clubhead is moving down at impact. Also it prevents you from releasing the club too early, so you retain lag late in the swing. Been playing pretty scrappy later so I tried it this weekend. Really hard to do at first, and I hit a few bad shots. But a few great ones also, and as the first round went on I did better and better. The divot was usually in front of the ball, and the ball tended to fly a lot straighter with the irons. And the feel of the shots was totally different than picking - felt great when I caught one. And distance control was spot on, as the ball tended to fly really high with tons of backspin and check up a few feet behind its pitch mark. I was hitting driver so bad I started doing it off the tee also, which was really unnerving at first. By Sunday I was hitting it though. Played my best 9 ever - 37 - and hit driver consistently longer and straighter than ever before. And impact just felt great, really felt like I was driving through it, not hitting at it. The whole idea still seems a little crazy though, but of all the golf tips I ever heard, none have made such an impact on my game. Anybody else do this? I'd feel a lot better if I wasn't alone.

Hmm, am I the only one with a gap between my PW and 9I? 52 SW - 85 PW- 100 9 - 120 8 - 130 7 - 140 6 - 150 5 - 160 4 - theoretically 170 but just put it back in the bag to replace a 7w. Only used so far to punch out.

Par 4. Indifferent tee shot, then actually make the decision to be smart and lay up. Then get and down for par. So much fun.

Slice could be a lot of things but best to start with grip. Make sure it's in your fingers, not your palms.