pacheco52

I'm pretty sure this is the case. I previously got very handsy in the takeaway and would even snatch the club away very quickly. The previous positive change that I made (and then forgot) was to have a feeling of leaving my hands behind - or being a lot quieter in the takeaway. This may have created the very same width you talk about above. Hope I can keep going with the progress. It is coming together at a time when I am realising the importance of the lower half initiating the downswing (I got used to throwing my right shoulder over the top) and remaining centred. If I can keep this going then I'm not completely out of the woods (literally) - need to get rid of a slice and lack of power with the driver - Would love to break 90 soon.

Hi everyone Wanted to check something out with you all. I am not a regular poster, although I do read the forums quite a lot. I am a high handicapper and, like many high handicappers, have an inconsistent strike caused, usually, by my downswing being on too steep of a plane. I have always been a victim of the dreaded fat shot and have been known to create some impressive sparks down at the range with my driver. Recently, I was playing about with my the start of my takeaway (after having previously addressed how I initiate the downswing - which I am now happy with) and noticed that if I put downward pressure on my left arm when commencing my backswing rotation, and while I make my way up to the top, it vastly improved the quality of my strike - and this helped me across the board on all clubs. I nearly broke 90 for the first time a few nights ago, and hit some really nice shots. Any thoughts on this? Does it seem like something to move forward with?

I ask that question as a complete newbie to the sport. Golf is a sport I love and have watched from afar for many-a-year while always promising myself I would give it a bash. Well now the bashing has started and I have felt overwhelmed by the absolute deluge of information available online, and through other channels, from 'experts'. A lesson with a tour pro has led to me getting my stance and posture sorted and now I have the mere problem of battling against inconsistency throughout my whole game - as you might expect from a 28 handicapper. I have stepped up to the ball in the past with literally 10 things spinning through my head - maintain posture; stay 'over' the ball; straight take-away; hinge earlier/later; slow down my swing; turn the hands over; follow through; hold the pose etc etc. Having all these thoughts going through one's head is bound to lead to something breaking down somewhere and is likely that this will be the cause of a fat/thin shot (or in my case, missing the ball altogether). A few nights ago I felt something that worked for me. I was having major trouble with Driver/3W/5W to a point where I just wouldn't take them out of my bag. I decided to give it a go. I thought about the swing and what was the most important thing that I needed to do to get that ball off the tee. I have the posture down (I believe) so I decided that I needed to have my hands a bit higher and start my takeaway correctly, while staying over the ball. Nothing else - get rid of all the other noise. Now I am a golfer who is massively inconsistent with the Driver (a range session is embarrassing) and I hit every single ball away from the tee. Sure there was the odd ball that went too low and out wide into the trees but by the end of my round I was nailing the ball straight about 260 yards. I'm trying not to speak too soon but I think I may have stumbled across something. I have now tried to incorporate the same simplicity into my iron play, while remembering to try and turn my hands over (as advised by the tutor) and, though I can still get it all wrong, consistency no longer seems a pipe dream. I am new to the sport but I believe (in my year or so playing) that we can create our own problems by trying to make things too technical. Keeping it simple may be the best way forward. Good luck everyone.