Matt66

On the same path as you brother. Have been playing since July & have gotten my best score down to 98 (when I last played before xmas). Had a bit of practice and whole lot of range sessions since, but nothing can compare to playing, did so yesterday and went back up to 112 That's what happens when you don't get much chance to practice your short game! Still, onwards and upwards, hopefully by the summer I can finally gain that consistency.

Can I just say again another thanks to @mvmac since checking out what should be world famous threads on how to stop slicing & how to draw not only have I been able to it the woods again I actually have found the confidence again & for once seeing the draw! Along with other things I have consciously been trying to get on top of (such as the moving club inside, shallow backswing, shoulder/.hip alignment...) the flaring of the feet & axis tilt have really been a massive help. Went out last 2 nights after seeing these comments & the link and again can honestly say my left hand grip was something I had never thought was an issue but upon discovery it was, worked on this and although strange at first (expected) it was definitely more solid, cant believe I hadn't foreseen this earlier! I attempted to get some recordings last night, however my camera died literally the minute I took my address. Hopefully if the weather holds out this weekend over in blighty, I plan on getting a round in on sunday, I will endeavour to post an update of my swing at some point over the weekend. Thanks again, Matt

I do have a my swing post located: http://thesandtrap.com/t/79556/my-swing-matt66#post_1099220 Unfortunately it has videos that are a week old & bout 3 weeks old, but it will show you hopefully what was happening, I will try and get some more up this week that hopefully show some slight improvements, I never realised the exaggeration required with the foot flare.

Out of interest, I seem to have a slight problem with my left leg buckling (where I mean its not only bending/flexing but also 'buckling' toward the right leg a lot)... I've worked on this recently & it might not be as exaggerated as it was but it does still go a bit, It might not specifically be a slice issue but more contact/consistency, I wondered your thoughts on this, is it a massive issue? Is there drills & fixes again that can help with this? Sorry to be so overly inquisitive, I mean well though!

Feels strange to hear positives about my swing! But does fill me with a bit of confidence that I'm working on the right things! Its interesting that you mention the flatness of the swing, that is something I think crept in subconsciously over the last month or so by trying hard to avoid that banana slice. It was also something noted by one of the more helpful coaches down my local range, they mentioned trying to get that swing to the half way and work on uplifting more instead of sideways, its proved a bit of a task thus far but I will be more then happy to find myself somewhere in between the two that is firstly working, comfortable & most importantly not going sideways & right! Hopefully at some point this week I can get back down there to continue working on those elements discussed & also give the thoughts you've mentioned a go. Hopefully add a few more videos to my swing thread too!

You beat me to it, this is a 'move' or set up that I have started doing since joining & reading that post. Head further over the ball in the C type shape instead of the bum out S shape I used to have. It has definitely helped with seeing the ball through the whole swing & not just using the peripherals as you swing back.

Mike has made a great 'checklist' for use of a better word for us slicers. After going through the thread there were a few points, Presetting hips, shoulder as well as hip alignment that I hadn't really considered so I made an attempt to work on this as well as other parts of my game, but for the first time in at least a month I was getting that solid contact with the ball! A start that can be built on. Didn't quite hit a Million last night but it was approaching 200! As mentioned above I looked through some of the tips in the thread posted above & started getting that contact back. I did however consider the point you made about where the club travels flat. Again this could have been coincidental but I aligned the ball with the left heel, but then place the club back from the ball say 4/5 inches & start my take way & swing from this point. I did also a few times, follow my club path in the takeaway, only for a split second to no more then about a 1/3 of the way up before refocusing back on the ball, probably not best practice but I fell as if it helped with getting the club on the right path. Again I wonder if this has ever worked for others before me? I must admit although I mentioned about how you should swing, it really doesn't cross my mind I am just trying to hit the ball with a solid contact, its this that has been lacking more recently. I have only been able to practice where they have there standard set tee's so only on the course can I change tee size, I have however had success with Teeing slightly lower, something I'm not adverse to if I could see the results come off in decent distance & hitting fairways. Taking divots accidently, yes this has cropped up now and then, I think head position is something to work on & something I had only started to appreciate since joining this forum. I do have a my swing post located: http://thesandtrap.com/t/79556/my-swing-matt66#post_1099220 Unfortunately it has videos that are a week old & bout 3 weeks old, but it will show you hopefully what was happening, I will try and get some more up this week that hopefully show some slight improvements! Thanks for the responses chaps, its much appreciated!

Thanks for the reply Mike, its kind of crazy sometimes how simple changes can make a world of difference! Went to the range last night to work again on my driving, this time however with a checklist to think about. So after a bit of playing around I did indeed start to find the driver & the middle of the driver again & not the toppy into orbit shots that had become norm. The pre-setting of the hips definitely helped with as you say the axis tilt, the swing felt much smoother & on path (maybe its all in my head who knows). And as I also mentioned yesterday, I underrated the effect shoulder & hip alignment had. I managed to hit a few nice fades, some slices are still their and once I started moving that right leg to the right heck I even found a draw or at least a straight push, but the first issue I wanted to tackle was contact, looks like I'm getting there. Wish I had taken a few videos to upload into my swing thread, will just have to go back down the range again some point this week . One thing I did start doing every so often, and is more a point out of interest, is that in my takeaway I started watching the club path, only ever so slightly to no more then about a third of the swing then refocusing on the ball, I found again this helping with keeping that club path correct.

Having gone through this thread after being pointed this way It would occur to me that I at least feel like I have the majority of the set up routines that @mvmac discussed in the OP in check, but as always something you never really considered that will be checked & worked on come next practice! I will If I can try and explain what I do when I set up, & what having read through the posts may have been lacking or should have been doing... Typically with the driver; - Ball Tee'd up roughly half a ball higher then the club - Line up with the heel of my left foot - Slight preset of my chest/body tilt to the right to help getting 'under' (this could possibly be what you refer to as the axis tilt, I'm not the best with jargon!) - Head down, typically trying to keep chin just off my chest - Swing typically a slicer/fader of the ball, I work on keeping my club path staying 'inside the line' and not in to out After reading through the thread I feel like possibly some of the things I may be lacking is a slight preset of the hips forward to coincide with that slight lean/tilt of my body. Secondly, I have always felt that I struggle with alignment or 'aim', again I would be one of those who haven't considered lining up both hips with shoulders, something I will try and gauge come my next practice. Am I on the right track? I've included a few screenshots (sorry for the topgolf screens blocking off the driver)

Quote: My apologies, I forget who posts the amount I read!

I have a similarly funny experience, however not quite as skilful as hitting the ball backwards. Rewind to last June & I was playing with my Dad & my Uncle at which point you would certainly call us all extremely part time golfers (we'd play literally a few times a year). Anyway, we were half way round on to a long par 4, I was first to the tee picked out a 3 wood tee'd the ball up high (thinking this would help with my worm burner tee shots). Played my shot and somehow managed to completely miss the ball literally not even clip it, but whack the tee about 20 yards in front of me with the ball just dropping straight down from where the tee once stood. If you are struggling to picture it, think a waiter pulling the cloth from a table and leaving the plates etc. on the table. Yep, that's right I did that with a golf ball and a tee. Of course dad & uncle couldn't believe what they saw and rolled up, thinking I had somehow managed to defy the laws of gravity or been practicing one of the greatest trick shots they had ever seen. Suffice to say I was fortunately given a free mulligan for the entertainment I had provided.

A stupid question, that will no doubt require a stupid answer but is genuinely bugging me. If you see the threads that I have posted in recently, including my member swing thread, you'll come to the realisation that; 1. I'm an eager newbie 2. Pretty Useless with any club bigger then a 5 wood 3. Confused beyond my wildest dreams with how on earth I go about getting solid decent contact with the daddy club So when I first started playing I was pretty fearless and would go for the driver when called upon, yeah I hit a fair few shanks & slice it a long way but at least it felt good to hit the bad boy. So as I have continued playing more and more one would hope an improvement would occur, it did and I managed to tame the slice into a fade and even see a slight draw every now and then. However more recently I have really struggled for any consistency, with sky shots destroying my driver head being the most common of all shots. I feel like when I hold a driver I genuinely don't know what to do with it, how to stand, swing etc. So I wanna try and go back to basics, I've read and watched countless videos on hitting the ball on the up, hitting down ( as @mvmac ms to be growing in popularity) stance, set up & even down to how high you tee it up. I wondered what are the general set up methods everyone goes through & then what works for you guys when making the transition from irons to driver. I have an idea about the very basics such as set up, square up that club face (or at least attempt!) but is there anything that you do or don't do that works & perhaps maybe I may have a eureka moment next time I practice! Cheers guys Matt

I hope LoyalP4wn doesn't mind me stealing some thunder, but we occur to be singing off the same hymn sheet. It's funny that Tat14 mentions specs I actually ran a check of my 3 woods (driver,3,5) on taylormade website earlier, it surprised me that the shaft length between 5&3 was exactly the same 43'' (when the 3 definitely felt longer) and driver then went up to 46''. Stiffness is regular TM, the difference was in weight again though driver & 5 wood shaft weight was near enough the same only my 3 wood was heavier (a possible reason why I'm struggling with it, but that's a story for another day...) I guess what I'm alluding to was that espscially between 5 and driver there wasn't much difference in spec, other then length. Could it really be that the fix for people like myself & loyal Could be as simple as a look at shaft length and grip positioning.

This is literally the same as me, had never considered a 5 wood until a friend gifted me his old one and oh my it goes like a dream as you say I can hit it easily 260+ with solid strikes hitting fairways regularly, I genuinely feel like I hardly ever hit a bad shot! However give me a driver & its a whole nutha story, I wouldn't say I fear it as I like getting the big club out and giving it a hit but when you know that by trying to play the driver round the course you could be costing yourself anywhere between 4-8 shots a round (and a fair few balls!) its sometimes not worth it. I attempted to bridge the gap with a 3 wood and build up from there, my thought process being it isn't that much different to a 5 right? Well I have had some mixed results with it thus far. I guess its just down to practice practice practice!

As promised some videos shot of my hit down the range last night, Initially I worked on keeping that left leg straighter but as I worked through my session I became more fatigued an these were shot toward the end where my left leg movement comes back in! After about 3 weeks away I had a terrible time with the driver & 3 wood, you can see from the first video my typical ball flight issue with the driver, a massive skyer! From there some of the shots improve but consistency is basically non existent. There is a couple ok shots in there, but I'd want to make that the norm. There are also videos of me hitting my 5 wood from the deck a club I was creaming at that back fence last night, note the drill I have started doing to try and avoid myself slicing the ball and swinging from the outside by lining up another ball about half a club head away (although I do hit it twice ). The second thing I do is use my putter to try and help me align the ball up better in the correct position. Again bear in mind these were taken before I had really considered what was written yesterday, hopefully I can work on these at some point this week. Also, just a heads up you may want to turn your computer down, I was at a Top Golf literally right underneath the speaker so I apologise for the pumping electro pop! Thanks again, Matt

Hi guys, thanks for the response its been an interesting read & watch! The knee bend is something that has been in my game from the start, its something I am conscious about & I attempt to address when practicing, I'm not sure if this is me being a mixture of lazy & fatigued (these videos were recorded toward the end of my practice), but the knee definitely creeps in as I go around the course that's for sure. As I said I was practicing last night & tried working on this, with irons I was pretty solid all night but when I moved onto the daddy clubs things changed! (this could also be more then likely down to a lack of practice in about 2 weeks however.). Having watched the video of Lexi Thomson (wouldn't mind being half as good as she is) & subsequently a few more about knees and set up, I have seemed to be over compensating possibly subconsciously something I do as I feel to tall, I would say that I am more set on my heels with a tall chest then on the balls of my feet. I had previously posted about head position & also read on this forum about set up and head over the ball (I believe it was Adam Scott related) which I've been working on but I have no doubt my crazy left leg affects my head position thus leading to an array of contact issues. The second point that you noted about flipping the hands had never occurred to me, again after reading & watching what was posted I've been away to look at this & it would occur to be the biggest challenge for me. I'm not sure if this has crept in where I am trying hard to square my club face up through impact, especially with the driver & woods for fear of slicing the ball, and this I would guess is why more recently I have been popping & skying the ball as my biggest impact issue with these clubs. I must ask that, although I kind of understand how this needs to be rectified, I'm fearful that by 'holding the lag' or practicing on keeping the wrist flatter may lead to the dreaded slice again? I guess I want to make sure that my swing itself isn't the single biggest cause in slicing? I'm not looking for a magical quick fix and I can often hit a nice fade 260+ which is where either luck or everything works correctly, jeez I'd take that right now but, consistency is the biggest issue for me. I had a quick Google of the issue & come across this article, now of the 2 although I could put myself in both brackets is it fair to assume I would be more of a 'Late Flipper'? http://www.golfwrx.com/101874/the-causes-of-flipping-revealed-spoiler-adding-lag-is-not-the-fix/ I have some videos from last night that I will try and get up in the next few hours (there's only so much skiving from work I can do!) these will hopefully show the best & worst of my swing & some of the drills I have been doing to work on my game. Lastly, thanks again for the feedback & if I appear a bit vague in my reply Its more down to a lack of knowledge, but my curiosity & will to improve is very much not lacking!

Little bit extra.... I was gifted an RBZ Stage 2 5 wood and it goes like an absolute dream, I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I first used it the only headed club I have true confidence with & decided to invest in a 3 wood as a go between driver and the 5, its a bit more consistent but still not as much as I'd like!

I've been Playing Golf for: 6 Months* My current handicap index or average score is: 98 - 108 My typical ball flight is: Irons - Typically solid straight or slight draw but with fatigue this can become a steep swung slice....Drivers & Woods - Almost always a fade/slice, but occasionally when the planets align a straight to slight draw can occur The shot I hate or the "miss" I'm trying to reduce/eliminate is: With the driver/headed clubs - The infamous wild slice, seriously I fell like I can hit the ball backwards sometimes! With the Irons - Lack of consistency, I can start solidly but all of a sudden I may hit thin, fat, hooked, sliced shots.... A little extra about me: So I have been plucking the courage up to post in here over the last month or so, I have contributed elsewhere with queries etc. that are relative to my game. Since last June I have avidly attempted to play golf, had my last summer off before full time work and went mental playing at least twice a week, to begin it was just with the very basic technique acquired from my dad, friends & a summer course my granddad sent me on when I was about 10! From September onwards I've attempted to learn more about technique and have been hooked on various YouTube channels to coincide going to the range/playing at least once a week. I play regularly with a friend who shots between 80-85 so there is a stark contrast in our play, last time I was out on the course before xmas I hit my best round of 98 & finally felt like I had started to get there, unfortunately the British weather hasn't been too forgiving recently so haven't hit the course this year yet, I have however recorded myself from about 2 weeks ago down the range hitting my new 3 wood & a wedge (which just happened to be the best I've ever felt like I hit the ball!) I have a solid grounding in majority of sports but have played cricket for a number of years, it was obvious when I first started playing how different golf really was to the red ball game a lesson that took me a while to learn that I actually needed to rotate my body! This issue creeps into my game more so with high irons but especially the driver, which I lack any consistency whatsoever when hitting, I tend to be on a bad day a wild slicer. I had thought I had fixed this but then started topping or skying my driver (it has taken some damage in 6 months believe me!). My driving can cost me anywhere between 4-8 shots a round and a bucket load in lost balls! Technically, part of the problem I can tell is an outside of plane takeaway (something I've worked on) but particularly a pretty steep downswing (attributed to cricket where a lovely straight drive would normally take place) and partly a lack of rotation & face closing. With irons these seem to be my greatest improvement I can regularly hit an aesthetically pleasing draw with most irons & more and more solid contact, however this can sometimes go out of the window on the course, something I put down to fatigue but also an issue in repeating the correct set up ( I could also moan about my ebay special SGI Wilson irons that don't exactly fit perfect to my 6'3 frame but I wanna attempt to hit regularly in the 90's before I go for a club fitting & new set). I apologise for rambling on but thought I'd try and give everyone the best insight into my game and issues over the last 6 months, I definitely have the bug and just want to improve week on week, & where else will I get such great information for nothing then here! I will try and attempt some videos tonight when I'm down the range but it can prove a challenge getting side on/caddy view videos when your alone and its busy! Apologies for the not so HD quality of the videos, thats what happens when you trust pals & your brother to do the filming! Videos: This last video was back in December but I actually managed to hit the driver reasonably well, as I said this is extremely hot & cold!

It's an interesting watch especially the point where they mention the 'peripheral vision' as I have felt like it's been hard to see the ball sometimes, no doubt this is a result of moving away from the ball... I agree that some movement is bound to happen, however the problem I had was that mine was clearly pretty exaggerated to the point where sometimes keeping eye contact was becoming a struggle. I don't think I'm over the hill just yet but it's good to have a bit of clarity in terms of something to work on

The last few weeks I have had a bit of a nightmare with connection, just when I thought I had finally cracked it (in terms of consistency) & shot a best score it all went out the window with fat, thin iron play (normally my strongest and most consistent part of game) & popped up driving (something I had never had a problem with before, I was the other end of the scale to begin with...) This had been playing with me until I went to a local Top Golf last night who just happened to have a coach walking round doing some recording of swings, luckily enough they know me there and had noted my swing improvements, so when I explained the trouble I've been having she said to hit a few balls and she'd record it on the all seeing all knowing app...hit a few ok shots got the driver out and bang it went up into the stratosphere. She mentioned to me something I had never really thought about or considered, but made complete sense the minute I saw it. I had been dropping my head/body down on my backswing so by the time it came to hitting the ball I had basically been collapsing (from the knees/legs) then trying to make up for it and essentially leaning back through the shot, hence the popping up or skying & lack of consistency being even more exaggerated with the driver. Worked on this last night and I was astounded at the difference it had made in next to no time with barely any difference other keeping my head 'up', I even felt that my swing had benefitted from it too. I wondered if you guys therefore had any views or points on this, as I say it was something I never really considered & I put my bad play down to a swing fault instead of a more physical fault until I came to the realisation that it really was all in the 'head'

Hi, it sounds like we were/are in the same boat I was regularly hitting around 110-120 in the summer and have recently gotten that down to between 100-110 (still yet to break that damn 100 mark though!). The clubs seem like my best bet, I may hold off for a while work on my game a little and perhaps look at getting a set of irons with a proper fitting in the spring, this will also give me a chance to go to a few of the mizuno open days locally to me, get a feel for their different clubs.

I agree, I came to the realisation not too long ago that although I may have some great natural levers, normal sized clubs don't do that much for it! I was wise enough to get some 1/2 inch longer wedges that do fit just right, I guess it's the old chestnut... '1/2 inch really does make the difference' ;) Hopefully will be going down to the shop tomorrow, if they can fit me up then I'll be purchasing and let you guys know how I get on.

Guys, thanks for the feed back it's much appreciated! I think before I act on impulse I do want to check that I can have the clubs fitted, being a tall guy (6ft 3) and as I've said using my basic wilsons, I am having to make amends for the lack of height by bending and arching, so a fitting will be a must before I make the buy. As many of you said it is mainly about feel so I'll definitely try and get up there and have a hit with them. I think I was partially drawn to them by the aesthetics & the sale price! I had a few air shots that felt lovely but until I try hit a ball it's just a guessing game. In terms of my play I would say generally I'm pretty solid with irons there might be the odd thin or fat shot but that's mainly from fatigue, I did some research last night and found that the longer irons occur to have more forgiveness then arguably the shorter irons in the set & elsewhere on the market, something that sounds favourable to a high handicapper like myself.

Ok, go easy first time post & looking for some honest and genuine advice! I've been playing a lot this last summer to the point where I've invested time and effort in playing & getting some equipment together. Went to our local shop today & they have a set of Jpx 825 pros on sale that look like a real good set of irons as well as feeling nice (although I haven't actually hit them yet, I of course will!) Are these the right clubs to be getting if I'm looking at improving or am I a bit far off these yet being a higher handicapper? At the minute I'm playing with some basic wilson cavity backs from eBay (that are a bit on the heavy side) with only wedges and woods bought specifically. Hope you can help!