soloredd

What a coincidence this question is. So, for the past year my good friend started using one of those brush-T tees. It's the yellow one, which is very high. He hits bombs with his driver and even uses his 3 wood with it. Me, I'm stubborn. I would use a regular ol' white tee and not get any kind of drive. I went to my 3 wood full time and kept giving him crap about him teeing it too high! Well, about a month ago, I decided to try and get my driver going again (one of my '09 goals). I took a long tee out and tee'd the ball about 3/4 higher than the top of my driver. I played it off the middle of my left foot and just let my club lie in the middle of my stance. Pretty good gap between the club and ball. But I saw a youtube video of this setup (Shawn Clement) and said what the hell, I'll try it. Freaking smoked the drive! On my round today - on a course I've never played and required staying in the fairway, I hit 11/18 fairways. For me that is fantastic, especially with the driver. There are times when I pull one way left (from losing the spine angle and coming up) and I will fade one on accident as well (usually from me not fully extending through the shot). But damn, what a difference!

I'm having a problem with my middle irons (5-6-7). Right now I can hit off the tee pretty good. I tee it up probably higher than most, 1/2", but this allows me to get a great compressing feel on the ball. My 7i goes about 150 - my SS is slow so 150 works for me. However, on the fairway, I have trouble getting that same compressed feeling. I hit it about 130 with my 7i. I make sure to make a complete swing through the ball, everything else feels the same. My divots aren't crazy, occasionally they might be at or slightly behind the ball. But even when my divot is in front it's still the same result. Any help out there? Am I trying to sweep the ball instead of come down on it? It's driving me nuts

Same here. But, I don't know any other way - I was taught this way when I was young. Now that I am taking the game seriously, I find my 7i invaluable around the green. Easy to control and spin is minimal if any.

I was taught as a kid by my grandpa to use the 7i and 9i with a putting stroke. I use my 7i A LOT for this type of shot and I try to make it in the hole. Not get on the green or get within putting distance - I mean, I treat it like a putt. Not only does this give me (a high handicapper) a chance at lower scores but it also drops my putts per round. If I have to go over an obstacle (bunker, thick rough), I use my pitching wedge and open the face a bit. But, after reading some advice on here, I'm trying to get away from lob shots ;)

The video from your backside shows very little hip rotation on the backswing. It looks almost all arms and shoulders. Now, I'm definitely not someone who knows the golf swing inside and out but hip rotation is one of the things I try to really focus on. Try to get your left buttock pointed almost at the target then use the hips to fire your upper body through.

I've enjoyed the show so far but I feel like after the first episode everything has been rushed. Maybe it's because of the 30 minute block time they have but I was hoping to see more of Haney actually working with Charles instead of showing them doing the same drill - I know there was more going on than hitting thousands of balls off tees. The episode where Charles went out for that practice round was also pretty lame - they showed the same approach shot 3 times. Felt like I was watching porn.

I'm probably wrong but I view my backswing as simply a move I make to put the club and body into a good position to swing through the ball. It should have no effect on my downswing. If I reinforce myself to thinking like this it makes my backswing smooth and thoughtless. That is why I have a stoppage at the top of my backswing. Now, we all have found that the backswing CAN and WILL screw you big time. So take that for what it's worth. But yes, if you try to match your backswing speed to your down and through swing, you are asking for trouble. And my guess is there is no way to maintain an efficient downswing that has power and accuracy by backswinging at a high speed.

This is great advice and something I've been incorporating into my game. Last year (my first full year of playing) I would have taken a 3 wood out on 230 to the green. I usually hit my 3 wood about 215 so I wouldn't make it with a typical shot let a lone a great shot. I'd end up putting myself in trouble. This year, I've been using my 22 hybrid and putting it about 50 yards from the green and leave a nice pitch shot. Even if I mis-hit the pitch, it's usually because its short - and I'd rather have that than a wayward 3 wood to recover from. I'm now bagging the 3 wood unless it's a tee shot or on a long par 5 from the fairway.

I love playing flop shots. I've become pretty confident with it and use it pretty often because the greens where I play are pretty damn hard. Especially with the weather still being frosty in the mornings here. Plus, I just like getting the ball really high. It's a fun shot, why the hell not.

Why change your swing? If you play for fun, what does it matter how your angles are or how your wrist is cocked? Your scores, from your post, suggest you were doing fine and could have just focused on the short game aspects (maybe try different strategies?). One of my best friends who I play with once a week has been decreasing his scores into the high 80s over the past 4 months. About 3 weeks ago he wanted to change his swing to incorporate a longer backswing because someone told him it was too short. He ended up slicing everything...bad. Shot a 104. He asked after the round what was wrong and I cordially said "Nothing is wrong. Your old swing is fine." Next day we played and he used his old, self-taught swing and shot an 84. I think we fall into the media's grasp by not staying true to ourselves. My grandfather used the same swing for years, tweaking little bits here and there as his body aged but nothing drastic. He was an 8 handicap. He never bothered with the "swing of the month" articles or whatever else - he was out to enjoy the game. I will say, if you play for a fair amount of time and simply have been unable to at least enjoy your rounds or simply cannot get a consistent swing, lessons are good.

This is going to be a big year for my wife and I, we are expecting our first baby in a matter of weeks now. Long gone will be the days of hacking around for hours on end, both at the range and the course. So, I have made a committment to myself to actually practice and become a golfer. I was able to break 100 several times last year, however, the beginning of this year has been very rocky. I lost my swing due to overanalyzing and also lack of confidence. My three previous outings have been a mess - as soon as I begin my backswing my mind just freezes. It's not only frustrating but very embarassing! So, my #1 goal for this year is to gain back my confidence. I want to be able to use the time that I will have and be productive. Without the confidence, the whole ball game is lost. #2 would be to establish a firm handicap by year end. Something to improve on for 2010. #3 is to think about the next shot and only the next shot. By this, I also want to play the shot that best fits me. If that means laying up, even on a par 4, then so be it. Bogey golf will do me just fine but I need to be consistant with it. #4 I would like to learn to hit my driver. As of now, my off-the-tee clubs, when not a par 3, are my 3 wood or 3 hybrid. This works majority of the time but on those long par 5s, forget it. #5 is to take my putting seriously. I find myself early in rounds lining up my putts and reading greens but later in the round when I'm floundering I rush my putting. This just exacerbates my problems and turns a 100 round into a 110. Hopefully, I can revisit this thread in December and check off these 5 items :)

I haven't been able to hit my driver at all this year. I played Torrey Pines in December and had some decent drives with it but ever since then I have either had a bunch of tops off the tee or had a mental block. I started to use the 3 wood and got much more distance and straight hits. This past week I played 3 rounds and used my 3 hybrid off the tee for all of the par 4s and used the 3 wood for the par 5s. The driver just sits in the car. I really need to spend some extra time at the range with it. I believe I know my problem but haven't had time to really find out. One of my playing partners said my feet at address when using driver was aiming to the right of the fairway. This allowed me good hits but of course, I wanted to correct what I thought was a flaw. Looking back, it wasn't a flaw at all and I simply changed to change. Dumb.

I agree with this. You are so limited in your range of motion by just using your arms. Imagine sitting in a swivel chair. Try first not swiveling the seat but keeping your left arm straight during a swing. It's tough and you get very little backswing. Now swivel the seat and see how much farther back your straight left arm can go. Hips and shoulders need to turn. With that said, I've now been using my left arm to gauge the backswing. If I feel like my elbow wants to bend, my backswing is too long and I need to shorten it a bit. I do this on a practice swing before approaching the ball.

Funny enough, I started taking golf seriously within the last year and Shawn Clement has been my only "instructor" thus far. I've listened and watched a few local pros and none of them make things as easy to understand as Mr. Clement. I would love to take some in-person lessons with him but will have to rely on his DVD and youtube videos for help. I think the one video that has helped me the most? His "one leg, no weight shift" swing. I literally go to the driving range and hit my first 5-6 shots with it to get my balance right and my swing in a good tempo. I am now changing my swing a bit for more consistent shots and have also found his "feet together" video great as well. Really makes you understand the hip turn and how the core should work together.

Each of these responses is enough for me to know to not take anything you say seriously.

I remember in the "Playing with the pros" episode on Golf Channel, he was asked about his temper and how he loses control. He openly said he knows he needs to do something about it but doesn't yet know how to control his emotions. He then referred to Tiger as the only person he knows of who can come back on their next shot after a truly crappy play and use those emotions to fuel his game. I don't know. For me, I look at it from both sides. I do not agree with the way he demonstrates his frustration nor do I condone his actions, both verbally or physically. But, then I cannot imagine how much stress and pressure these guys are under and not everyone is capable of maintaining composure all the time. It's similar to football and throwing your helmet or kicking a basketball or throwing the Gatorade cooler in the dugout. I think it's much worse for a hacker who goes out and shoots 90+ to be verbally demonstrative and insulting on a weekday round with buddys than a professional doing it. The other day my group was teeing off on a hole in which the 18th tee was adjacent. All of a sudden I hear this guy dropping F-bombs and slamming his club into the ground. Of course, I had to keep watching and the next guy in their group shanked his tee shot and had a similar reaction. Horrible.

Why would he fake an injured knee? There's no reason to do it. That would be like saying Michael Jordan faked his flu during the Finals in 1997. This also isn't the first injury he has had to that knee. Bottom line: you're an ass.

I am using a Cougar putter that my mom bought years ago but she never used it. I love it. I can't stand the new mallet type putters, I like the blade feel and look of the old putters. It is lighter than most but that is a benefit for my putting stroke.

For me, equipment makes a difference in the sense that if I feel comfortable with it, I play pretty good, which basically comes down to confidence. I started playing with some Wilson blades, hand me downs from my grandfather. This year I bought one of those Wilson all-in-one sets (Deep Red) and have become pretty decent with the irons. I have switched out the driver, woods, and hybrids, however. And by doing so my game has improved even more. Before, I was in the low 100s and now I am in the 90-95 range and am still going lower. I feel like if I can get my game down the 88-90 consistantly with these Wilson's, I will go ahead and try some new, higher quality irons.

Well, the year is half over (wow!) but better late than never I say! My goals for this year were/are pretty lofty. I used to play casually when I was 12-13 years old but gave up on it due to other commitments and interests. Now that I am 28, I am finding more time, money, and deep level of commitment to playing the game. I don't have kids, I work nights, and have a fantastic fiance who supports my addiction! So, here it is (I left out practice from my goals because I think I practice a fair amount): Play The Game - I haven't played for about 15 years so I needed to start from scratch. I bought a new cheap set of Wilson Deep Reds in February and forced myself to the driving range 2-3 times per week. I am now going to the range on my own accord twice a week and playing 2 rounds per week. In a matter of months I have lowered my average score of 110 to 94. I am fortunate to be able to spend that amount of time on a "hobby" but if I am going to do it, I'm going to do it full out. Develop My Irons - Always has been a menace, up until my Deep Reds I was using a hand-me-down set of Wilson blades. Duh! I am not saying the gear is the culprit but it played a big part (that and reinventing my grip). My last round I scored a 91 and it was mostly due to my approach shots. I now pull my 9 iron out and have no doubt I'll put it on the green. I'd like to increase my distance as I am hitting my 9 about 110, but that will come once I cement my new found swing. At this point, I am playing a nice, easy swing that can be opened up once it becomes second nature. Find My Handicap - Because I am playing so much now, I think it is necessary to start keeping track of my handicap. I currently am keeping a database of my scores, putts, fairways. Find Goals for 2009 - Easy to do!

Respiratory Therapist. 12 hour night shifts. Fantastic job for having golf time.

No, he shouldn't. It's not the distance that is killing him, it's the control. Are you guys saying he has more control with the driver? This is Phil we are talking about here! He obviously has a plan and an idea of what he wants to do, he just needs to quit farting around and do it.

I usually hit an easy 3W but lately I've been getting my 3H 195-200 with better contol.