m11

so i've been messing around with it for about an hour and i can get about 5 or 6 solid bounces. In this thread, haha i was kinda hoping for advice other than just practice...but i suppose after that hour...there really isn't much to it. "just practice" really seems to be the only thing to it. So yea, good luck to all those trying to Tiger it up.

yea i remember seeing an interview about that. I suppose we can say that Tiger is pretty skilled with a golf club

What club did you use? 60degree? And where did you grip the club to start off? Did you start holding it down closer to the hosel? or did you hold the grip like normal?

haha yea. something like that.

any advice on learning how to juggle the ball off a wedge face like tiger does?

For the majority of the time, my swing plane with my driver is far too vertical. It is basically the same stroke i would take with a 7iron. There are days when im able to hit solid drives...but far too often im going in too steep. The swing thought that ive been using that has been working more or less is thinking about tucking in my right elbow (im right handed) on my back swing. Anyone have any other tips on flatting out a driver swing plane?

I'll start out with im a relatively high handicapper mainly because of lack of distance of the tee. I've focused very heavily on iron/wedge/short game play over my wood play. Basically, i've been hitting 3 iron off the tee (i have hybrids but im pretty comfortable with the low irons) and when you are going 220 off the tee...there isnt much room for error when you are hitting another mid/long iron to get a GIR on a par 4. This grooved a steep swing path that is far too steep for the driver, and causing a lot of my driver to be mishits. However, on some days something clicks and i randomly carry it 270....but whatever...i take those as they come. I've been using a 360cc 9* stiff shafted knockoff driver that was fit to me, but i've been looking to upgrade to something that may be easier to hit and more forgiving on mishits. I was at my local golf store getting fitted for a new driver, and after hitting several clubs, he recommended the TaylorMade Burner (this recommendation is consistent with what other stores said to me when they put me on the monitor, so i'm happy with going with that club). They also dropped it down to $199 including the fitting due to the release of the Tour Burner...so thats nice. By the end, he came down with two variations of the burner for me to demo, one being a 9.5 Stiff and the other a 10.5 regular. My swing speed at the beginning of that session was about 95mph. For some reason i just wasnt swinging right...it seemed like just silly things like my clothes were a little restrictive and i was wearing loafers instead of golf shoes or sneakers....so basically i was just not getting behind the ball as much as i would like. By the end of the session, my swing speed had fallen to about 88mph by the time i got to the last few clubs. Generally, my swing speed has been somewhere between 99 and 102 based on monitors at other places....and basically all the guys at the various places agreed that getting to 113-115 was a feasible goal for me...a few times i'd get it up to about 108mph and carry about 275 when i was getting a good turn on the ball. So, the guy at the place i went to today gave me both the 9.5stiff and the 10.5 regular to try out....he recommended the 9.5stiff at first, but upon seeing my swing speed fall...brought out the 10.5 regular. The fastest he saw my swing speed was at 95mph for about 15-20 swings. My caveat for the whole situation is basically i feel that 95mph is less than i normally swing...and i feel that i've been improving pretty well with my driver on the range (again, i dont really use it on the course much due to inconsistency)..and with improvements in tempo and swing plane and what not...i feel that i would need to be at a stiff shaft anyways. So for now..im feeling that 9.5 stiff. My launch angle has been kinda high...so im thinking that going with a 10.5 stiff wouldnt be a good idea. What do you all think?

The issue seems to be high backspin being imparted on the ball. Ideal backspin is about 1000rpm's, and under or about 2000 is really good as well. What is likely happening is that you are at over 3000rpm's. Get on a launch monitor somewhere (places like Edwin Watts Golf do it for free if you tell them you are looking for clubs) and check out those numbers. I notice that you are 10.5degrees. That is great. Most people go down to 9 or 9.5 because they have a high swing speed. Without seeing your swing speed...being that you classify yourself as having a "high swing speed".. it's likely that you are at about 100mph....however with your 6'2 frame..you can easily be 10-20mph about that. That swing speed can get you at 300yards. However, the backspin that you are likely imparting can easily rob you 75 yards. To solve this...talk to the people fitting you for clubs at the stores. Look around, and you can usually find someone who knows what they are talking about. I notice you are hitting the Sasquatch. That club has a shallow face which is intended to get you the super high trajectory. This can be playing into your issue. I suggest you get to the store and have them test you for multiple club heads. A good place will have you go through everything. Taylormades, Cobras, Callaways...they should test everything on you. The club face can significantly alter your ball trajectory on miss hits (of course if you hit everything on the screws, itts gonna fly true...but even with pros..that doesnt always happen...and if you are an amateur..this likely happens more often then you'd like it to). But yea, from what i've seen....most often the case for people who have a sound swing (im making a big assumption here that you have a pretty sound swing) is that they are ill-fitted for their club. It may actually be your club that is creating high spin on your miss hits oh yea. this is an edit..i notice you have a Regular Flex. If you are at 100mph like im guessing...you need at least a stiff shaft. Your shaft is extraordinarily important in your club if you are hitting it well (it wont fix your swing, but if your swing is sound...it'll give you the flight you are likely looking for)

yea im between that and the sumo

No problem. Also, because it may be a different thought process/swing style..thats likely the reason you may be losing some yards. However, as you can see, you are likely making more solid contact with the ball which will lead to you likely surpassing the distance that you were hitting before. On top of that, you'll still have the same control. Its good stuff. Myself personally, and especially with the driver, i was all over the place. If there was a squirrel 20 yards down the fairway, my ball would probably go right through it because every shot was a burner. After watching Ron's video...not taking his lessons or anything..just the video...i was hitting drives 275-280 and at least within the first cut of the rough. That was about 9 months ago. I reviewed Ron's videos the other night and went to the range this afternoon. I then went to golf store to hit some drives using the launch monitor (i had left my clubs a few hundred miles away at another house ). I was up to 290carry with like 10 yards of roll. So...fun stuff..watch his videos

Im really liking the 5900 SuMo Squared. I currently have a 360cc Callaway Big Bertha clone...actually my entire set is big bertha clones. I wouldnt say that i'm not satisfied with them, they are doing me well...but i am looking to replace them. Anyway, i havent played in about a year. And when i did play, for about 95 percent of my golfing..my driver has been pretty useless. I suppose i'd consider myself a high handicapper, however, when i really bear down and get to practicing i can generally play much better than the 100's rounds that i was accustomed to shooting. For about a two-week stretch..i shot a few rounds of 84 and 86. Basically the major contributor to those scores was getting my shot off the tee down the fairway about 270-280 in the air. I'm not entirely sure what i did to fix my drive. Before i couldnt get my drive to stay on the same hole as the tee box i was hitting from, but after a few grip changes and weight shifts, i was hitting the ball like its supposed to be hit. But after that period i had to lay off of golf for awhile. Im now back into it again. I've been playing on a local par 3 course and have been getting my iron swing back together. I then borrowed a buddy's driver and applied some concepts that i saw from Ron del Barrio's website ( www.rdbgolftips.com ) and started hitting the ball 280 again. I then went to the local golf store and starting hitting some the drivers they had into the simulator. I hit some of the new Callaway's and Taylormade drivers. On the simulator, my 'average' drive was coming out to about 280-290 in the air and about another 8-10 yards of roll. They were almost closed and had locked away most of their clubs..so i wasnt able to try out the SuMo...so i went to the sports authority and checked it out. I really liked it. I liked the sound and it felt better than the ones i hit. I've also been reading reviews and people have really taken a liking to it. I still havent hit my old driver since that while ago...but i dont really expect to get similar results to the newer clubs. At my best, i wouldnt go past 280 including roll. Although before buying, i'd like to get the old one and compare it on the simulator with the newer clubs. Anyways, i really liked the SuMo. What do you guys think of it? Any driver that you like over the 5900 SuMo?

If you do get that mental feeling that you must lunge at the ball...i'd actually recommend moving it back a few ball lengths in your stance (this applies to all clubs that you would hit off the grass...including 3 woods and hybrids. Unless you hit it off the fairway, the driver is excluded because you don't compress the ball into the ground when it is teed up) . Essentially, you are going to be hitting 'knock-down' shots because you are imparting more spin on the ball...as moving it back in your stance increases the angle at which you make contact. What this does for you mentally is that as soon as you start hitting solid shot after solid shot...you'll hopefully feel more comfortable returning it to your normal ball position and getting back your normal trajectory. Personally, I had the same issue and by lunging i'd simply make terrible contact. My clubface would either open or close and the ball what just sputter out in front of me. By putting the ball a little back in your stance, i was almost guaranteed good contact as long as my club face was squared because the clubface would always contact the ball on its way down.

You can actually obtain a solid golf base from watching these videos. They do a good job not over complicating the golf swing. A large portion of the time, when you go out to the range or course at this point in your golf development and you are thinking armstraightkneesbenttakemyfootoutmyasstakeadivotheaddown.. usually it ends in a mess. In addition to Shawn Clement's videos, i'd recommend Ron del Barrio's as well. http://www.rdbgolftips.com/ He does a great job getting you on the right track of understanding how to make a nice golf swing.

You do not need to be a big guy to put power on the ball. It is important that you obtain an understanding of the proper technique to generate maximum clubhead speed while making solid contact. If you watch the Tour you will see some golfers that look like they are going to fall asleep before they get to their downswing..but the ball still carries 275 yards. Thats a result of great contact. i suggest you watch the videos on this site http://www.rdbgolftips.com/ That instructor, Ron del Barrio, is very helpful and even by watching those dozen videos you will very likely see improvement.