MiniMoe

My feeling is that I start the downswing with my lower body before I actually finish the back swing with my arms. The action starts with the left knee and that little move sets the wrists and sets in motion the downswing. I don't feel like it's a "transfer of weight", but more like a change in momentum. Just like a baseball player starts the forward motion of throwing a ball by stepping into the throw, I set the motion of the swing by getting momentum going toward the target.

the left shoulder turns but also has to come up to allow room for the left are to straighten.. in the traditional swing. Moe set up in the impact position. He looked very far from the ball, but it allowed him room to start where he finished... and he was very balanced because his stance was wider than normal. He started with a good shoulder tilt as well. It started and ended in almost the same positions.

Thanks for the love RIDUFFER I agree 100 % . A good swing lube is never a bad idea, and a preshot routine is always a good idea. I have always believed "aim small, miss small". I find that if I am focusing on a very small specific target, I can't be thinking about my swing, or the dreaded "what ifs", or anything but my target. When I am under a little extra pressure because of a big bet, or in a big-ish tournament with a difficult shot, I always try to remember to hum before my shot if I find my mind wondering. I know that I can't think of two things at the same time, so if I'm humming a song, I know I can't thing negative thoughts. Not only that, but my swing becomes very fluid and smooth. The key, however, is to have a good preshot routine and stick to it no matter what. When the pressure is on, you fall back on the routine and you don't think about anything but the execution of a golf shot... results are irrelevant..... one shot at a time...

If I'm understanding you correctly, if a club fitter handed you a club that is bent 4 degrees flat (off of standard), and you hit it on a lie board, the results would show that the club is still too upright?

From my experience each shaft acts differently for the different heads... so, it's important to find the right head/shaft combination.

when you get fitted, you hit balls off a lie board. The fitter will know if the clubs need to be bent or not depending on how the club strikes the ground. Set up position does not really tell you much.

The pictures you posted don't tell the whole story. The first two are shots well after impact, and the latter two look like they are at address. In reality, all the great players of the game, (all good players too) have the same impact position. Looking at the players face on, the left arm and club form a straight line from the shoulder to the ball at impact. On the down the line view, that left arm and club also form a straight line at impact (there is no bend in the elbow or wrist. It really does not matter how they start, but at impact they are all the same. Now, the difference in set up varies from player to player. Moe Norman was different because he set up to the ball in the "impact" position. It made more sense to him to start in the same place he was going to finish. If you set up in the standard position, something has to move to allow your arm and the club to form a straight line at impact. Moe started at the impact position, so he had the least moving parts in his golf swing. His was the most efficient at delivering the club square to the ball at impact. All other swing have adjustments to deliver the club square and "on plane" at impact.

When it's cold and you have to wear several layers of clothing, your swing will be restricted to some degree. Add to that the colder temps and the fact the ball will not go as far, the day can be challenge. I do a few things that help overcome some of these difficulties. One, I swing slower to allow my back swing to "fight" through the clothing. Also, I take a lot more club than I normally would need. For instance, If I'm 170 and I normally would hit a 7 or 6 iron, I will hit a 5 or even a 4. I also widen my stance a little to help with stability. Good luck and enjoy the cold. You will never learn to play in the cold unless you practice in the cold.

A good drill to promote the correct positions at parallel to the ground going back is the "PVC" drill. It is where you take a broom handle or a piece of PVC pips and grip it and have the handle extend so that it touches the left side of your torso, just under the rib cage. Now, put two balls down on the target line, one for the ball position, and one 6 feet back. The point of the drill is to take the club back and point it at the ball 6 feet back and still have the PVC touching your torso just under your ribs. If done correctly, you have started the backswing and have not rotated the hands. The club is on it's way back and has not changed in relation to the swing plane. From there you just continue with the arms and the hands will set naturally, without rotating..... It is my only swing thought when things are not quite right.

"I don't hit tees, I hit a golf ball." - Moe Norman. His answer when asked why his tee never moved when he hit a golf ball. I think he once hit several hundred golf balls off one tee without ever having to adjust it. I might be wrong on the several hundred part, but I think it was at least over 100 balls without having to adjust the tee even once. Another time, he invited someone to hit a ball and the tee broke. Without missing a beat, he stated he had been playing that tee for years.

Why does swing speed even matter when it comes to a LW? I want control, not overall distance. In reality, what is more important than swing speed is the timing of the swing. The swing should take the same time with a LW as with a driver. The LW is swung slower and shorter, the driver is longer and faster, but the time from beginning to end should be just about the same.

that's not a bad swing thought. I always believe the more simple the swing thought, the better you can do. My left knee starts toward the target before the back swing is even finished (actually, the moving of the left knee is what sets the angle for my wrists at the top). After that, all I do is swing down the line. I like simple.

I live in Central Texas and I played Tuesday, and three days last week. Granted, it was about 55 and a little windy, but not bad for this time of year. Some days it's 65 and not a breath of wind. Those are the days I live for. But, it's going to be too cold until next Monday where it will be back up to the upper 50's in the afternoon.

I have no problem asking to play through if the group ahead of me is really slow and they don't notice my or my group behind them waiting on every shot. I usually wont do it right away... I'll give them a few holes to notice and let us go ahead, notice and do nothing, or not notice because they are having too much fun. If I do have to ask, I explain that the course is wide open, we have been waiting a few holes, and we are good players so we will not hold them up at all. Very seldom have I been turned down. But it is very important while playing through, don't dilly dally. Hit your ball and play..... even a little faster than normal just to show your gratitude. So what if you play that one hole bad.

It's sad, but the only class act left is not going to win. I don't understand how guys can be such jerks. They have no idea of etiquette. I know they are competitive, but there is no excuse for throwing clubs and slamming them into the ground. These guys need to learn to win or lose with grace and dignity. They are just so full of themselves it's ridiculous.

the only ones hard up on the rules are want-to-be pros that think they are better than they really are. It's a feak'en scramble. Who the F cares if someone stands behind the line to see the line? It does not matter. Get a life and have a good time playing the game for what it is... a game. In a scramble, you can move the ball one club length, no closer to the hole through the green, and you mark the ball, but don't have to put it down exactly where the coin is on the green.. you get some slack. AND....YOU CAN ALWAYS STAND BEHIND YOUR PARTNER TO SEE THE LINE OF THE PUTT. It's been that way forever. If you are pissed off about it, don't play scrambles. If you are above moving your ball, don't play scrambles. I don't care how far you move your ball, just putt the damn thing out.. no gimmies.... and I guarantee it will be a fair game.

you can also wheel the skins. That is where everyone plays everyone else individual skins, but this gets a little expensive if you have a bad day. What we normally do in our group is play $1 birdie skins, $2 par skins, $3 eagle skins. Two tie, all tie.

The tee is not equipment, it is a movable obstruction. You do not re-drop and the ball is in play, unless of course it rolls closer to the hole. If the ball comes to rest against the tee, the tee may be removed and if the ball moves, it should be replaced without penalty.

I vote money for me too. I would like to play more mini tour events, but can't without sponsorship. My family comes first... golf is way down the list of things that are worth risking food money fore.

Plumb bobbing takes feel and imagination to work correctly, so it does work to some extent. If you are very detail oriented and analytical you can't trust anything unless you can prove it. In golf and life, somethings work without knowing why. I don't use it all the time, but I have on occasion with success. It does not tell how much break, just which way the ball will tend to go.. if done correctly. The key is to do it the same every time. If you change the position of the putter in relation to the ball and hole, it will not be accurate.

It depends on the rules of the competition. If they allowed lift, clean, and place in the fairway, then anywhere in your fairway you can mark the ball, clean and place it within one club length from the original position of the pall, no closer to the hole. However, if you are in casual water anywhere other than a hazard or a bunker (different relief procedure) you are allowed relief. What you do is inform your playing partners that you are in casual water and are going to take relief. You then mark you ball, find the nearest point of relief and then drop within one club length of the point of relief. You are allowed to clean the ball when taking a drop. If you are in a bunker, you are also allowed relief from casual water, but you have to drop in the bunker even is the bunker is 100% under water. You have to find the place that has the least amount of water and drop there. Or, under penalty of 1 stroke, you can drop outside the bunker. Hope this helps.

My legs are straight at address, so it is almost impossible for me to decrease flex in my knee without locking it, and that will never happen. If anything, I increase flex as I swing. I know it sounds backwards, but works for me.

Yesterday, I played with a 70 yr old man that looked 55. On the second hole, I noticed he chipped a ball cross handed and thought to my self.." that's different". On the next tee I realized he played everything cross handed..... and he hit it goooood. He was only about 15-20 yards behind me in driving distance and his irons were about the same as mine. And he hit the ball very straight. I think he shot even or -1. I have never seen that before. I was impressed.

I worked on the maintenance crew at a golf course in Florida for three years. In that time I witnessed and was a victim of errant golf balls. One day we were working left of a tee box about 120 yards out. We were watching these old ladies hit and one of them came right toward us with a low hook. One guy watched it all the way and at the last second realized it was going to hit him and turned so it would hit his arse. The smack I heard and him running around like hurt dog makes me laugh to this day. I asked him why he did not move and he said he did not think it would hurt. The most scary was the day I watched a guy get hit in the head with a shank. We were playing and he was standing just in front and about 20 right of a friend while he hit a wedge. The ball shot straight right and he did what he could to get out of the way. The ball grazed him on the forehead. It knocked him silly and he had big knot on his head. I swear if he had not have ducked it might have killed him. After that day I never, never stand in front of someone hitting... I don't care how good they are.

I think my brother did something like 50, 31, or 32.