lollavid

I think a quarter turn (~20%) is just about exactly where it's at. I'm looking forward to more comments. So far however it doesn't seem this is entirely unorthodox... Since you mention your MCL, I sprained my left ankle pretty badly about 2 months ago and it's bothered me since. In fact, by the 18th hole I've still got a nice hobble. Maybe that has been also limiting my rotation and is eased by this new open stance. One more thing- I had always thought that your "line" was determined by your feet and following the line of your toes. With my left foot open, there must be some other way of determining the line. Is it then determined by my hips at address (i.e. assuming they are square to the target)?

I've been playing a lot this summer to finally try and solidify a golf game. I've brought myself to a consistent high- 80s almost every single round. However, I have tried desperately to break 85 to no avail. Yesterday evening, I brought my gap wedge to the park near me and found myself opening my left foot and really felt it allowing my hips to open during the follow through. I should also mention my hips really aren't all that flexible. Well, today I went to play a round only to find out my course had a tournament in 3 hours. So I got in a good 15 holes. I tried to translate my open stance to all of my clubs, including the driver. It was my best, most consistent golf ever. I felt my swing so much more, had such a better view of my line. I hit 2 birdies (one a 30-yard chip in!), 7 pars, and 6 bogies. Also, my drives in fairways and GIRs were much higher than normal. If I had finished out the round, I would have easily been somewhere around an 8 over which is phenomenal for me. I want to ask what the general take is on this sort of stance. I am sure it's not the magical discovery I am always looking for. It also helped me immensely to know that my round wouldn't count. I was so relaxed, had so much fun and really enjoyed myself. One more thing, I did find a mistake that I made two times. With the open stance, I am obviously aiming too far left. A couple times my swing path didn't compensate for this and I pulled the ball. But generally I kept the ball along my desired line. Any advice/ input is appreciated.

In the past month I've played both Spanish Bay (amazing!) and a course in Aptos just S. of Santa Cruz called Seascape. I was impressed with the condition of the latter... As for Poppy Hills... maybe next month?

Great thread with some really good advice. I shot an 86 today (41 front 9, 45 back 9) so I'm not quite there yet, but hope by next season to be around 80 (at least at my home course).

I guess I'll chime in here. I think concentration and stamina are important as well. I have done the exact same thing in my last three rounds (at different courses). I've shot in the low 40s (bet. 42-43) on the front nine, and in the high 40s on the back 9. I am sure stamina and concentration are also functions of other things like physical conditioning, stretching, hydration, etc. I am also simply inconsistent. I hit some wonderful shots from all over the course, but I'll also duff chips, miss 50% or more of putts around 6-8ft, my driver can be god awful some days and spot on during others, and although my long irons have been working lately they have also been a source of unpredictability. I am only glad this season that I've shaved off about 8 strokes from my handicap (I also score EVERYTHING now and take no shortcuts), but I have a long way to go still.

Thanks guys. I'll check Furyk's swing if that's what he does (with the steeper downswing). I was out again today and it works great for my irons. I don't remember what I paid for the Daly's, but they were VERY cheap. I'm still wondering which balls to get and where the best place to find them may be. I've now officially abandoned trying to move my right hand grip into my fingers and have settled towards the base. It feels more comfortable and easier to control.

I was hitting my 9-iron about 130 today, my 5 is around 170 or so, and driving in the range of 210-230. My grip is interlocked. I'm just asking about how far towards the tips of the fingers on my right hand I should grip the club. The guy giving the advice was just a regular guy- not a pro or anything. As for what I want in a ball, I've never really thought about it to be honest. I guess I'd say I'm happy with my distance and would tend towards wanting something to sit.

Okay, fun aside, I have just gotten into the game again after a few years. I am now consistently in the high 80s so my game is really improving. However, i have a couple questions that I've been saving up. This past month I updated my clubs. I bought a bunch of balls a year back, right as I started getting back into it. I have a huge bag of "John Daly" balls, and I also have an assorted bag of used balls. My first question: How important are balls? Does it make a big difference? Finally, since i am very price conscious, what would you recommend as the best bang for the buck? Next (and unrelated question): A guy told me about a month ago that I should try and hold the club as much as possible in the tips of my right hand (I'm a righty). It worked for a while, but now I find myself more accurate with the club deeper towards the bottom of my fingers. Is there a recommendation here? Final question (for now): I have found a much more consistent swing by mimicking something I see a lot of players do. At the top of my backswing, I visualize a small movement moving the club head a 1/2 inch further from my body and coming down at a steeper angle. It seems to be working well. Is this a bad habit to get into? Or is it a popular move because it is effective. -On a side note with that, that same move doesn't seem as desirable in my drives as I think perhaps the less-steep angle may be better for that club.

So I am finally ready to abandon my Titleist 983K. I hit it pretty well, but I'm just looking for a bit more distance and accuracy. Here is some info: I'm about an 18 handicap, give or take. My swing speed is just about 100. And some stats from the swing analyzer: Ball speed around 138mph Trajectory varies GREATLY on my hits from 13 (good) to 19 (bad) I got a bit more distance from the 9 loft over the 10.5, but the added ball spin definitely showed a greater lack of control. I tried a few clubs while doing the swing analyzer (Sumo2, G10, Cleveland Launcher, Nickent 4DX, G5). My best results were with the Cleveland Launcher (with the G10 in a somewhat distant 2nd). Are there any other clubs you would recommend before I make my purchase? Are the older Launchers similar to the new ones?

Is there another club with the same feel as the MX-200s in a lower price range? Maybe the Nickent 3DX (RC or Pro?) or Wilson Ci7?

So i was thinking about getting some new irons since my Hogans are wearing down and I lack consistency with them sometimes. I went to a local golf shop and was quite enamored with the MX-200s. However, the salesman suggested that I look at the Hibore XLis with my handicap. I was immediately turned off by the entire line being hybrids. However, I must admit that I hit them quite well. My game has gone from a 25 handicap 2 years ago to around a 17 handicap or so now, so I'm still improving and I'm 34 years old. Before going, I had been looking at the ci7s, Nickent 3DXs (they didn't have either of those), and the MX-200s. I also hit some Adams Idea Pro Forged while I was there and they were sweet, but I know those wouldn't help with my inconsistencies. Any advice? Thanks.

I just got this game last night with the MP+ from Target. I was hoping there would be a thread about it on sandtrap. I played 09 a LOT and it has helped but also slowed the learning curve on a couple things. From what I've noticed after a round is that it is hard to get 100% drives (which is good), putting is awesome, and draws and fades are much easier to play. This is a really fun game and I'm sure I'll be playing tons. Has anyone heard about the Leadbetter game releasing later this year? It looks PERFECT: http://wii.ign.com/articles/994/994052p1.html

Yeah, not the pros. I guess that wasn't really clear in my post. I'll keep The Nickents in the back of my head, but I'm gonna stay with the Hogans for now.

That was exactly the realization I had late last night- ha! So I will be picking up another Mizuno MP to use as my PW.

What's the best way to replace a lost club? I lost my PW about a month ago. I thought I remembered reading about a good source for single clubs somewhere here...

Well, I went out to the same course today to make up my mind about the irons. I actually hit them quite well. I shot a 42 on the front 9 and a 45 on the back. I was 3 over on the back 9 after 15, 10 over after 17, and birdied 18 for a total of 9 over. But I could easily have shot an 82 instead of an 87 today. So anyways, I've decided to resist the temptation of "change" and "new" and instead build on what I've got. On another note: anyone know where I can pick up a random club? I lost the PW in my set and would like to replace it.

I saw that review. I'm just wondering if they suit my particular level. My frustration is that, when I'm hitting well, the Hogans can feel pretty sweet. But I don't think I'm as accurate nor as consistent as I would be with an "improvement" club. For example, I just shot a 96 today. My driving was quite good, I was generally striking the ball, well, I putted alright. I think I could have easily walked away with an 88 or so. But I think I've just hit too many poor shots with these irons to really trust them. So 2 questions: -I've read the Hogan forged irons are more of a "players" club. Would you agree to the possibility that a mid to high handicap might get stuck in hole with clubs like these? - Is a switch to the Nickents a big step back in terms of quality/ feel/ room for improvement? - Do the Nickents offer themselves to my level (as much as you can grasp from these few posts)? thanks!

I'm thinking about replacing: Irons: Hogan Apex Forged 5-PW (#3 shafts) Hybrids: Adams Idea Tech OS 3 and Adams A2OS 4 (Regular Graphite shafts) I'm on a tight budget and found some Nickent 3DX Pros for around $180 (Stiff, Steel) and the RCs for around the same price. Can anyone give me some advice on these? About my game/ swing: I'm about a 20 handicap although I'm confident it should be at least 5 strokes lower. I have the occasional round in the high 80s, but am normally in the low 90s. My swing speed is in the mid- to high 90s. I love the feel of the Hogans I have, but they aren't very forgiving. I appreciate any help.

yeah, i've tried teeing it up at varying heights to no avail. I have also tried moving the ball forward and it does help some, but it hasn't served as a cure-all. I will try the slow and low backswing and spine tilt.

I am about a 15-20 handicap and hit my irons quite well. However, I have become totally inconsistent off the tee. I have ditched my driver for the time being and am using a Taylor Made Draw 3-Wood. However, its always been the same problem with me- popping up my drives off the tee. I know I am not supposed to swing down like an iron, but use more of a sweeping motion, and sometimes this visualization helps. But honestly, of 10 drives I pop up almost half. Any help?

My friend got these: http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ADAMS-GOLF-T...QQcmdZViewItem It's a reputable dealer and a good set for the money.

Well, I went out yesterday for a round of 18 and courageously pulled out the hybrids. I followed the advice I was given and indeed, I was trying to sweep the ball like a wood. They worked very well when I hit them like an iron and helped me score an 83 (par 68), so not shabby considering I was pretty poor off the tee. Thanks all!

Wow- thanks for the responses guys. So does the impact tape not really tell the tale? Because I often found the impact towards the heel on the stiff shafts. Also, I felt like I was swinging a little hard with the stick which is why I thought that maybe 95mph was on the high side for me. ks8829- that is great advice and I will remember it. I agree that my fundamentals are pretty flawed right now. I have a golf course with 150 yard practice area near me. I will go tomorrow with a 9-iron and just get into the groove again. That's how I learned my swing before overly-focusing on the new hybrids. dave and HX- I'll work on ball position. I may have been too far forward for this club (between center and inside of left foot). Oh and I'll try slowing it down. If none of this works, I'll put them up for sale and ask for advice on my next hybrids (particularly the shafts). You guys rule!

I am rather new here. I've been golfing casually for many years, but am recently trying to really develop a consistent game. I have a set of Ben Hogan Apex Forged irons with the #3 (regular flex) shafts and they work great. However my low irons were always inconsistent at best so I decided to get a couple hybrids to cover the 3 and 4 irons. I ended up getting: Adams Idea Tech OS 3 hybrid with the YS+ regular flex graphite shaft Adams A2 OS 4 hybrid also with a regular flex shaft (can't remember the exact kind) I have been to the range 4 times just hitting these and I think I've done some damage to my swing. I find myself either shanking these with a terrible slice right or, when I do hit them, I get a draw/hook 40 yards left. I've tried slowing it down a bit to accomodate the shafts, but this doesn't work either. I went in to have my swing tested beforehand (using impact tape and a speed stick) and, with a 95mph swing, was told to go with the regular shaft (also they showed a better impact spot on the tape). Now I am trying everything with my swing to accomodate the clubs. It is starting to impact my game. I went from a 82 on a par 68 before getting the clubs, to a 99 on a par 72 after this debacle. Any help or advice in troubleshooting? thanks.

Hi all, 3rd grade teacher here. Golf balances the craziness of 30 8yr olds every day!