kc8kir

Had this thought yesterday at the driving range after noticing my knees were really hurting (never happened before). I've had one good day in the past 3 months at the driving range where my swing felt balanced and consistent. Every other day has been a total crapshoot and I haven't been able to hit long clubs consistently at all. I always seem to be falling over at the end of the swing, one way or another, and as such my ball striking suffers. This got me thinking. That one day where I was hitting really good, I was wearing my old golf shoes, which are more a traditional golf shoe (shaped like a dress shoe / dance shoe with a well defined sole pattern). It fits pretty snug and the sidewalls are firm enough that your foot stays in place even if you shift your weight to the outside of the foot (example, left foot on the followthrough). The shoes I have been wearing are a pair of GreenJoys athletics. Sneaker style shoe with a much wider sole and less side support. They aren't quite as snug, and you really can't roll your feet in them without slipping because the edges are more rounded rather than defined. They also have much more arch in the foot than the traditional shoe. My theory right now is that these shoes are horrible for my golf swing and they are killing my balance. I'm going to test it out, but I think the sneaker style doesn't have enough support in the right places to give good traction through the swing. Anyone have any similar experiences? I hate blaming equipment, but I can't figure out for the life of me (and neither can my instructor) why my balance and tempo have been so bad lately. Can shoes and footwork really affect it that much?

Agreed. However can you imagine if Daly got his game back together and played a Ryder Cup? Imagine him teeing off Friday from a beer can with his putter. Now that would be entertainment.

123....123.....123.....123 Just keep the rhythm. Golf is a game of tempo. When your tempo is off, you play poor. When your tempo is on, your balance, contact, accuracy, distance, all improve. On the course, that is my thought in the swing. 123....123.... like a waltz. Of course, I'm a feel player, so it works for me. If your method however is more of... "waggle once, waggle twice, left shoulder low to chin, cock the wrists, initiate with the hips, hold the release, rotate the forearm, finish like Tiger, smile at my buddies" ... and it works for you... by all means hit away!

Sounds like either you are not maintaining your lag in the swing properly, or you have a tempo problem. Sam Snead (look him up if you don't know who he is) said that when he started playing he hit the 5 iron 125 yards one time, then 180 the next. All he ever worked on from there was tempo. If you want to see consistent distances with each of your clubs, you need to work on tempo. All the great players have great tempo. It breeds good contact, good form, and good consistency. Just try this. Go hit the 7,8,9 and use the same 123, 123 count. Count 123 on the backswing, 123 on the downswing. Try to make backswing and downswing at the same tempo. Try it for a while and see if anything improves.

Swinging that wedge is the best way to start yourself on the right track. Learn to hit the ball first, then the turf. Use the wedge to work on your tempo. Wedge shots should never be forced. It's a finesse shot. Length of the swing affects the distance, and ball position affects trajectory. Take that same tempo to every club in the bag. Get those things down, and when you start hitting PW, 9, 7, 5 irons I bet you will see some really good ball striking.

This has been a very interesting read. The commercial boom in golf has focused a lot on quick fixes, super tips, fast correction training aids, and above all ... club forgiveness. It has taken advantage of the fact that we are in essence a materialistic society. Many golfers fall prey to the idea that a golf club will correct their swing. You can buy forgiveness in a club, but that's not going to fix the fact you hit a foot behind the ball. There is an appropriate balance, based on how much the golfer wants to dedicate themselves to really learning the game. The situations and conditions that determine this balance are as varied as the personalities of the golfers themselves. In short, enjoy the advances in equipment, but realize that if you really want to improve, you need to learn to play the game itself. One last thing. Basic working the ball, once you have the basics of the swing down, is NOT as hard as people make it out to be. Jack Nicklaus, in Golf My Way, was one of the first pro's to really describe a method for working the ball. Want to hit a draw or fade? line up the direction you want to start the ball, and aim the face at the target. Take your normal swing. Want to hit high or low? Move the ball forward or back in your stance. Just committing yourself to visualizing the shot and practicing the techniques, you will quickly learn how to shape shots (at least in their basic form). Some of my best shots, especially in trouble situations, have been when I shaped the shot. Dead straight is dead hard. Example: Playing a par 4 at Z Boaz course in Fort Worth last summer, I found myself in the trees off the left side of the fairway. My drive had hooked and left me under and behind the trees. I had no direct shot to the pin, and I had to keep the ball low. I played the ball back in the stance, aimed right, and rotated the clubface to aim at the flag. Visualized the shot, and pulled the trigger. It came off just as I planned. The ball took off on a low draw that caught the front of the green and (since the green sloped severly to the front) stuck 5 feet from the pin. It is a shot that, along with many other shaped shots, is burned into my memory. It wasn't a one off thing either. I shaped a high draw onto the following par 3 with a 3 hybrid (big moi, but oh you can shape them) and made the center of the green as planned. Let me tell you, shaping shots is exhilirating. It's what the game of golf is meant to be: a game of imagination realized as that little white ball sails across the sky.

Let's hope she can keep up the low scores. It's good to see her making a comeback. I remember reading an article where they quoted Leadbetter. He said she had the most talent of almost any student he has ever taught, and he was saddened by the decisions her family and management had made for her career. He knew that she was capable of far, far more and thought it would be an absolutely shame to see her talent not come to fruition. Give 'em hell Michelle.

Since when does civil mean "without humor"? I certainly think a good natured political joke can be interjected anywhere. Why limit the humor to the grill room board? I apologize for offending you with that post.

I'm offended by your comment alluding to the Republican Vice Presidential Candidate. How dare you sir! Just kidding.

This thread got nasty way too fast. It's one thing to debate opinions and perspectives on the game of golf, but good grief. This dissolved into personal attacks. If you can't keep your post civil, don't post at all. If you wouldn't say it to the person's face, don't post it. Nobody likes the forum poster who thinks their profile is something to lob grenades over. I'll leave the rest of the police work to Iacas.

Wow, I didn't take Tiger's comment that way at all. I thought he was just saying that he was going to keep his nose out of their business, and if they needed him for anything, he would be available. I never considered Tiger as pompous. Talented yeah, driven yeah, egocentric just a little, competitive oh yeah, but he knows his place. It's not like he said "I hope Mr. 'Pie in the sky' Azinger knows I'm on 24/7 standby for consultation when the s$%^ hits the fan" or "the team members can call me anytime in case they want a second opinion after Azinger gets through with his pep talks". Nothing personal here, but we gotta keep a positive mental attitude. Live life expecting the best of people, not the worst. More often than not, they will suprise you.

Did you try any of the Wilson Staff, Macgregor, or Cleveland players irons? I have heard good reviews of those. Recently tried some V-Foil Forged blades from Macgregor. I normally don't play blades, but I honestly couldn't miss with those clubs. Unbelievable feel. Even off center hits were good, and were still smooth. I don't know how they did it with a muscleback, but those are sweet clubs. Edwin Watts had them on sale, $199 a set last month. If they go on sale again, I am buying them.

A hole in one on a par 3 course doesn't count as a real "ace". Period. That's my opinion. As far as the USGA and PGA is concerned, well, par 3's are just practice playgrounds. No-one gives a hoot what you shoot. Stats for pro players are from real courses.

Hmmm... considering the problem I am having is with the grip already being too thin, I don't think gripping down to even thinner is going to be the solution (tried it). In regards to the palm versus fingers, I usually grip my left hand just like Ben Hogan's five lessons shows, with the club supported by the left index and the heel pad. I also have toyed with gripping completely in the fingers, but the problem still exists. In regards to the fat shots, the pro said I am not letting the club drop enough in time with my turn through the shot. He is of the opinion it is more of a tempo issue. I would agree with him, although the fact that my grip is so insecure right now means I am gripping and regripping with varying pressure throughout the swing (a sure way to loose control of the club and either throw it or drop it too fast - really messes up your timing). I'll get some pic's up tonight. Last night played nine holes. Tee shots with long irons were fantastic, but I couldn't hit anything off the fairways to save my life.

So... I have been having a lot of trouble with my swing. Taking lessons right now, and I just can't get my tempo nailed down. Backswing keeps getting too quick, and my body seems to jerk at the ball. I think a major problem is the size of the grips on my clubs. They are all slim standards. I think it might be causing me to grip the club too tightly. I have been having wrist and shoulder pain recently, and my hands are very sore. I also keep hitting fat shots and having the club feel really loose in my hands at the end of the swing. Anyways. How can I tell what grip size and number of wraps are right for me? I tried the "judge by your glove size" method, and that says standard. My problem is that my left hand middle two fingers (I have rather long fingers) dig into my thumb pad. The club is not supported under the heel pad no matter what I do. I have wear marks on all my gloves on the thumb and heel pad areas. I have slowly gone to a really strong grip just to keep control of the club. I really hate this grip position because it makes my right hand way too active. I'll post a picture tonight with my current grips and hand position. I recently had my driver grip upgraded to midsize, so I am trying that out. I think I should take the 6 iron and try a midsize grip on it as well. I don't want to blame all my problems on grip size, but this hand pain is rediculous and can't be helping my swing at all. Hitting so many fat shots down here in Texas is downright painful and unforgiving. Swing looks great in slow motion, but the results at impact on a full swing say otherwise. The club keeps bottoming out behind the ball despite my best efforts (and the instruction of my pro) to stop it. My instructor commented the grips looked small, but didn't dwell on it. Ideas? Anyone experience anything similar? Brand new clubs, and I am going to rip the grips off. Yay...

Golf psychologists would tell you that is a moment where your real potential shines through. You get out of your own way, maybe without realizing it, and great things happen. Store the memory and the feel of that shot. Use it every time you go to hit a ball. You'll start seeing more of them.

It depends if your swing is more upright or flatter, but if your swing is upright (like mine), then this may help you. I find I need to make sure the shaft leans AWAY from the ball (target) with the driver. Otherwise I invariably slice the ball or pull hook it. Use that, and swing the club out to 2nd base (as though you were aiming over the short-stop), turn your hands over and see if you can get that ball hooking back towards you. Don't forget to strengthen your grip if the face isn't getting square. Our first issue for you though is to get the path straight, then fix the face.

How is your wrist when chipping? If you aren't getting the flat position when chipping, you probably aren't getting it in the full swing. Chipping translates to pitching, which translates to the full swing. You don't consciously flatten the left wrist through impact in the full swing though... it is the result of hands leading the clubhead and removing the "flip the wrist" tendency through chipping practice.

If you can't find any sand, practice your flop shots from fluffy lies and get used to the feeling of the clubhead bouncing through the shot and maintaining the loft on the face. A sand shot is nothing more than a flop shot, with the ball a bit more forward .

Don't worry about it. A lot of people don't use a forward press. I myself have been trying to get away from it because, yep, I got the shanks as a result of over-doing it. I think it tends to make me take the club back too steep and get over-active with the right hand. Place the club straight and simply swing the handle. The club angle will take care of itself. I love the old adage "swing the club like you are swinging a bucket of water". It implies the feeling of a forward press, but you don't need all that motion (which to me, is very inconsistent).

TAKE DEAD AIM. -Harvey Penick I make sure I took the time to align myself and the club face. Then just focus on the target.

I really hate to start this argument up again, but having a perfectly flat left wrist at the top of the backswing is not a "must have" when it comes to solid ballstriking (impact however should be pronated). Anatomically the wrist is most stable in a slight cupped position. From there it supports the club and brings the handle close around the body though impact. As Gary Player said "You have to get the wrist unda!" There is a neat video on youtube with Gary Player analyzing Tiger versus Ben Hogan. The cupped wrist does not entirely by itself cause a fade. Ben Hogan found that keep his right leg stable, cupping the wrist, and weakening his grip gave him a powerful fade. You can however hook the ball with a cupped wrist at the top of the swing. Ask yourself where and why are you trying to flatten that wrist? Don't do it just because you see stop motion pictures of a few pros. There are plenty of pro's who don't completely flatten the left wrist. Even Tiger, in his own book, shows the proper topswing position with a slight cup.

"A wood's a wood, an iron's an iron, a hybrid is neither." Actually... a hybrid is either. It depends on the a shaft and head design. some are designed more like long irons, with iron shafts. Others are have longer fairway wood shafts, and have flatter more wood-like heads. Either can be with a sweeping strike, or descending blow. Like any long club though, you need to let its length and loft do the work. Don't try to smash the ball. Maintain your lag and let the club launch the ball.

The mysteries of golf show themselves again. Is there even a name for that? Making hole in one on a par 4? Three under par? Besides a hole in one on a par 5, that kid just hit the rarest shot in all golf. Amazing. I hope he got all of you to sign something attesting to the shot. And he kept that golf ball. Although.... imagine the bar tab on that shot. Ouch!

One basic swing. (The game is hard enough mastering one swing, than 14 different swings - Jack Nicklaus). Chipping and pitching are just extensions of the same swing. I'm not going to say this mentality is "essential for everyone" if they want to play decent golf, but it is the basis of consistency for many of the worlds greatest players. I am slowly learning this myself. My pro is working with me on feeling the very small changes required to shape shots (fade versus draw, cut versus hook). The basic swing is the same, with only a few changes in feels and ball position. Once internalized, you see the shot in your mind, your brain says draw, you set up the shot and your body responds. It's very effective, and practicing this way allows your basic swing to translate to every club in the bag (putter excluded!). It also keeps things simple, both in practicing and playing. Practice the basic swing, then play shots using your imagination and the feels you associated with the shape desired. Once the basic swing is forged, those feels are very easy to replicate. As you might of guessed, I am more of a feel player, so it works for me. Maybe it will work for you as well.