squaddie

For $100 the evaluation is not bad, as they hook up sensors to you and compare your swing to tour pro averages, which is interesting if you like numbers and that type of analysis. Probably best you get the swing evaluation from their most senior instructor - you can check the local website to see who their top pro is at a particular location. For my session I had to pay $10 more for their top pro (which isn't a bad deal). I think the GolfTec programs are good for players who have _terrible_ swing mechanics (like me), or who have an ongoing issue or competency threshold they have not been able to pass on their own or with training from other instructors. From my few lessons so far I learned I didn't have enough separation between my hips and shoulder turn, which contributes to having a tough time keeping my downswing on plane. There is no way I would have determined I had flexibility issues on my own (or from the other people I took lessons from).

I picked Other, since I put the putter headcover in my pocket (mallet cover). Otherwise I might forget about it.

Make sure you aren't bringing your head down towards the ball during your backswing or downswing. Doing so always causes me to hit the hosel. Ideally the head should stay level.

Congratulations!!! I'm a 41 year-old who is lucky to hit it 200 yds straight. Your success gives me hope I can continue to increase my driver's distance and accuracy.

If I swing well I can hit my 7 iron about 135. But historically the 7-iron has been a tough club for me to swing. One afternoon I probably shanked 90 balls at the range with it (you can imagine the looks I got). However, that experience was a sign I still had to work on my swing mechanics. Now I use the 7 iron any chance I can. The better I can hit with the 7 iron, then I know my swing is on the right track.

Make sure you aren't dropping your head down to the ball during the downswing. Whenever I start shanking or hitting fat my tendency to head-drop is usually the culprit.

That's a creative and workable idea. Another thing to consider is how much higher the hitting surface will be off the ground. You may need to place down a mat or board to stand on so the surface will be level with your feet. I was using a hitting mat indoors to work on brushing the surface (simulating a divot) and found I had to stand on a board used for a shelf to allow myself to be positioned level with the mat.

I was at a driving range on a nice muni course, early in the evening. The range was closed and I was finishing out my remaining balls, with only one other guy left a few stalls in front of me. I'm out of balls but there is still some daylight, so I check to ensure the other guy isn't swinging, and walk out on the left side of the range to pick up a few nearby balls to continue hitting with. Suddenly hear a thocking sound a bit behind me, and the other guy turns around surprised, too. I come back from collecting the balls and the guy explains a ball landed right in my stall, which had to come from over the driving range fence. I picked up the ball, saw it wasn't a range ball, and noticed a few golfers walking up the adjacent fairway of the 9th hole. The 9th hole of the course, an uphill , 350yd par 4, runs alongside the left side of the range, the tee box starting on the opposite side of the range (out of site). I returned the ball to them, and I think the young hitter apologized. I don't think he thought anyone was left on the range, and probably didn't know it cleared the fence. He hit one heck of a high-flying hook. I learned after that to be careful on the left side of the range if golfers were out.

Yeah, hitting balls at the range all the time won't help improve your swing, much. You may develop muscles and flexibility somewhat to hit the ball further, but not consistency. The problem is there can be some basic swing flaws you don't realize unless someone else more experienced points them out to you. With my weekly range sessions I was hitting 1 good shot and the other four being shanks, pushes or fat hits, which was going on for a few months. I found out from a video lesson recently that my address was too upright and I was dropping my head down too far in the downswing, which was causing me to move the club forward at impact (causing the shank or fat shots). I had no clue my head was dropping that much without another person (PGA pro) reviewing the video. I also had no idea my posture was too upright. I think I started out with a good bend at the hips, but due to my head moving down I tried to stand more upright to compensate for the problem. If you can't afford a lesson you should at least save up for a decent camera that can record 30fps and submit it here or to an instructor that can analyze the video. I believe Shawn Clement (see his youtube videos) offers to analyze one's swing video for $29.95.

I bought a 6-month package this month for $1600 (15 lessons, indoor practice, club fitting, etc.). I've had two lessons and think it's helped so far. The PGA instructor I'm working with is pretty sharp with the swing analysis and lesson planning. He's good at pointing out my swing issues and uses readings from sensors they strap onto you to back up his claims. Plus their indoor practice facility is great, being able to immediately see your swing on video after every attempt. It's over 100*F most days here in Houston, so I don't mind paying a premium to practice in an air-conditioned area. Back on topic, I probably try to swing at 75% to 85% effort, since I feel if I try any harder then my swing will fall apart somewhere (me being a high-handicapper). I know if I swing too hard if I wind up off-balance in the follow-through, leaning to the left (as a righty).

I don't think you can go wrong with a Cobra baffler, as it's my favorite club (I have three of them). But you may want to consider instead seeing your Pro to figure out what the swing problem is when using the 3 wood. Like golf_junkie27 said, 16* hybrid will be a little shorter in length than a 3-wood, so you may lose some distance. And the same problem affecting the 3 wood swing may also appear with the slightly longer 16* hybrid. I have a Cobra 15* 3 wood and hit it pretty well, leaving the gap between the 3W and my 3-hybrid (20*) at 5*. If my long-game was a little better I would consider a 18* Cobra baffler (2/R) and drop my GW, but would not go any lower than that.

I'm not a low-handicapper like you, but I was also having problems with my driver, and tried switching it out to correct the problem. I bought three other drivers of different loft and shaft-stiffness, but the new clubs had no effect on fixing the issue. Even the Nike SQ Sumo2 "Lucky 13", which is supposed to be more forgiving and reduce side-spin, didn't minimize my slice issue. Probably best if you go see a pro and have them analyze your swing on video, see where the inconsistency problems are coming from in your driver swing. I found and corrected my swing problems (multiple), and now I'm back to my first driver (the Cobra 10.5). I'm keeping the other three drivers just to hit them for fun.

Those MP-52's seem like awesome clubs. I don't think lighter clubs or shafts will help if you are having inconsistency problems with the heavier clubs. I would pick one of the clubs, perhaps a 6 or 7 iron, and just focus on working through the swing issues with it, trying to find out what aspects of your swing are contributing to the problem. With the one club take slower, easier swings and focus on hitting a particular target at a short to medium-range, while maintaining your balance on the follow-through. Make sure not to rush the transition from the backswing to the downswing. If you manage to get close to the target consistently then aim for a more distant target, working your way up to the optimal range where you can be consistent. If you find a point between targets where the inconsistency problem arises, perhaps you can demonstrate that to your pro and the source of the problem will surface (so the pro can identify the issue).

I read that same Hank Haney article and I didn't like it. When you start tinkering with moving your hands, wrists or forearms during the downswing you risk getting your swing disconnected, with the hands and arms tensing up a bit while trying to control the swing. I like to let my lower body drive the swing, with the shoulders, arms and hands going along for the ride, allowing the club to flow through the swing. Perhaps players with more experience have the skill to time their wrist and arm movements to shape shots, like Ben posted about earlier. But for a beginner (like me) I don't think it's a good technique to focus on.

I had an address issue that was causing my driver and woods shots off the tee to be bad (slice-city). Though I had my left heel lined up with the ball, I was placing my hands too far forward of center. As a result I was coming down at the ball and over-the-top, leading to the big slices. Now at address I position my hands in the center of my stance with the club head slightly forward of center when addressing the ball, and my shots off the tee have been more consistent.

The Nike Victory Red full-cavity clubs are considered game improvement irons, so chances are they will work well for you. It's best to check out independent reviews rather than the product description from Nike's website, in order to avoid bias. Run a google-search with the following terms to find independent reviews: nike victory irons "full cavity" review

I'm a high-handicapper and can only practice more often at the range than the course. But to make my practice rounds productive at the range I do the following: * Take a few practice swings on the mat - helps me get my groove if I'm hitting fat or thin (or on the hosel) * Consider the results of every shot - if something went wrong or I didn't like the shot I try to consider the problem's source and what to change on the next swing * Play a practice hole with the targets, and switch out a club for each swing and pick a new target each time (like one does on the real course) Switching out the club at the range has helped me a lot, as now when I pull out different club I typically hit it pretty well without having to take a lot of practice swings. I realize a few problems using the range for practice include being unable to hit from uneven lies or the rough. If the range doesn't have a bunker then you can't get any practice in with the sand. Hopefully I can squeeze in more actual golf rounds this year so I can practice under real course conditions.

That's the right attitude. Just keep practicing and stay focused and your swing will gradually improve. I've only been playing a year and I still have quite a few swing problems, including hitting it fat every few swings. But 1 out of 5 of my swings are really good, and those are the shots I look forward to and keep me going in my practice and studies. I was at the range today trying to teach a buddy of mine to swing, who never hit a ball before. After 50 balls each he told me I was too modest about my swing and I thought I hit really well, as I was really being critical of myself after every one of my mis-hits. Though I had a number of mis-hits and two bad shanks, but over half of my shots were straight and perhaps 20% straight and long. Be sure to set some specific goals and milestones to work on (perhaps set them with your instructor) and you will see continued progress (see my sig for an example).

I like the idea of buying a new driver if the face of the existing driver gets a little worn, or loses it's spring. However, one has to be careful of an aspect of the newer driver technology, which is the loud sound the drivers make while striking a ball could contribute to hearing loss in some people. Per the following article from Jan. 2009: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...ern-clubs.html One patient referenced in the article was using a similar Cobra driver model to the one I have, so I have been a little concerned. I wouldn't wear an earplug on the course, but if I'm doing a practice session on the range with my driver then I'll place an earplug in my right ear, just be safe.

shigara, I'm glad your slice-fix was easy, with the right tip. My slice-fix took months to discover, since there were multiple issues with my swing contributing to the over-the-top motion (the slice was just one symptom). My problems were mostly in the downswing that was occurring with my longer clubs: * rushing the downswing * racing the turn of my hips too far ahead of my shoulder turn * swaying left in the downswing * thrusting my right-hip forward Man my swing was a mess. It was difficult for my instructors to locate the problem since everything was getting out of wack so quickly in the downswing.

I carry four wedges if you include the PW as a wedge. As my short-game skill improves I want to see if I can reduce the count to three wedges in the future, removing the GW. I may also switch out the 54* SW for a 56* since my bunker shot still needs work, though I do like hitting the 54* off the turf. Freeing up a club would allow me another long iron, hybrid or wood.

I bought that same Top Flite 12-piece starter set last year, and just today gave it to the local Goodwill for a tax writeoff with no regrets. The irons were decent and I liked the putter (kept it, in fact). But the longer woods and hybrids are not that great, and no matching head-cover is provided for the putter, which causes the putter to get dinged up real quick by the irons. Just to show how bad the driver is I put a dent in the head after mis-hitting the ball as wasn't swinging that hard. Perhaps instead of buying a new set of clubs for lessons, just purchase a few individual used clubs from different manufacturers, such as a driver (not too used), hybrid or wood, 7-iron, and pitching wedge. Perhaps buy one iron with a graphite shaft and the other with a steel shaft so you can feel which shaft type works better for you. You only need a few clubs to learn how to swing, and getting a mix from the longest to shortest clubs should give you enough variability and be cheaper than a full low-end set. I would not spend too much on a driver for now, since it's typically the hardest club to hit well with for a beginner (at least for me). A better trade off is a used hybrid as they should be a little easier to hit with for a beginner than a longer wood. The local Golf-Smith may have individual demo-irons for sale, like 6-irons for a few dollars each, and they sell used wedges, hybrids and drivers. Or you can take a chance on ebay with a few individual clubs. After you had a few lessons and range time with the different brands and decided to continue learning the game, then look into buying a decent mid-range set from Ping, Callaway, Titleist, etc. Renting a set (as you mentioned) is also a good idea if the range offers top-of-the-line equipment to try out.

Don't buy any new drivers. I did that, buying a Nike Sumo SQ2 square-headed driver, which is supposed to greatly minimize side-spin, and still managed to slice with it. After more lessons and research I found out why I was coming out over the top, as I was rushing my downswing and also thrusting my right hip forward instead of turning back into my left side. Now I hit my Cobra driver just fine with no slice. You may want to try swinging a little slower and easier with the driver, concentrating on applying force at the bottom of the swing, rather from the top, and ensure you keep your balance at the same time. Once you start knocking it straight at an easy speed then crank up the juice, but ensure you maximize force at the bottom of the swing, rather than from the top.

Thanks. Cape Royale seems like a nice club, but a little too far away for me unless I move the North side of town. But, I'll add that course to my list of ones to play, as it seems like a pretty good course. The Wildcat sounds like the best option so far. I'll contact them this week with more questions. The Champions Club also sounds like the best place, but I think I need to work on my game (and dedication) a lot more before I can attempt to join.

It can't hurt buying a premium putter, as it's a club you will use on a majority of holes. However, if you buy a premium putter and plan to drop over $100 then make sure you are properly fitted for it, as in, having the right shaft length and the correct lie angle for your height and arm length. Having a quality club will help with putting, but it's just as important to have a reliable putting stroke, consistent setup routine, and a good eye for reading the greens. Reading greens may be the most important factor. From the televised PGA tournaments over the past few weeks I've seen over 2-dozen cases where tour pros with Cameron putters missed putts within a few feet, because they didn't read the green properly at that short of a distance. It's also possible a few of them yipped their stroke due to being careless.