Hidalgo

All of the above posts aren't taking into consideration the flight that you are describing. Without seeing your swing, I would have to deduct that you are swinging on a very dramatic outside-in path. This is NOT a "shank" because that's almost impossible to do with a club that has the hosel on the top. The club comes into the ball hooded over (causing the low trajectory) and the outside approach causes the slice. If I were to try to give you tips without seeing your swing it would have to be: Relax and grip the club as lightly as possibly...and maintain that light pressure throughout the swing. Concentrate on hitting the INSIDE corner of the golf ball. This will open up the face (that's right...it's probably actually closed) and stop the low ball flight. And by trying to hit the inside corner of the ball, you'll probably get your swing path back to some resemblance of straight. If you can find a video of Fred Couples, watch it for a few minutes before you go to practice. Granted, none of us will ever have Fred's swing, but we CAN have his tempo. Slow down your pace...especially the backswing and through the transition. Remember...you can NOT hit the driver unless you have the clubhead under total control. Slow and steady is the way to find that control HTH.

The absolute WORST thing that you can do is tighten up and try to get extra distance off the tee or with your approach shots. Just remember...your handicap index will be a couple of shots more to offset the distance change (at least it should be). The remaining shots that you think you're giving up can be regained by managing your misses. If the shot is marginal or longer than you're comfortable with, then plan to "miss smart" and leave yourself a manageable up-and-down. My first home course was a "drive & pitch" course. The par 4's were somewhere in the neighborhood of 290-300......and it RUINED me when I had to play a longer course. Heck...I had a 4 iron that had never been hit! Sometimes when you're just playing for fun, hit a 2 iron off all the tees. Or, if the course is pretty slow, drop a ball at the 180 yard distance and hit a long iron to the green on every par 4 "just for fun". But the BEST advice is to always hit 20-30 balls with a long iron every time you practice. Otherwise...you'll be lost when the shot requires it. Whether the course has been lengthened or not, it's going to happen.

How much "practicing" are you doing? Is all of your practice immediately before a round? Here's what we teach..... PRACTICE is just that. It's practice. When practice is over, we STRONGLY recommend that our folks get in the car instead of the cart. Swing thoughts and techniques must be ingrained by repetition and going from the range to the course is a death sentence. Set aside 2 or 3 days in a row that you can only practice without playing. Do this weekly. You'll see the results. PLAYING time is NOT practice time. Range time spent before the round is for two reasons: (1) To see what your dominant ball flight is for the day, and (2) To get your muscles warmed up to avoid injury. If you arrive at the range before a round and suddenly your usual fade has become a straight ball, then go to the first tee with the straight ball in your pocket. Don't go there and wonder what you're going to have to do to get your fade working again. Odds are...it will return after a couple of holes and then you'll be ready to complete the round with confidence, and you didn't wreck the first few holes by fighting something that you had NO CHANCE of fixing on the course.

Record your scores accurately and use ESC.....it's the only FAIR way to do it. Just a tip that might help....find a GOOD practice facility. When I was learning to control the ball, I was hitting 1500-1600 balls a week. (believe it or not) And while it sometimes got boring, the results were worth the effort. For some people, practice is a waste of time, and most think it's not nearly as much fun as playing the game. Personally, I love to practice because I can see the results of my efforts before I take the game to the course. The aspiring player should practice 5 times as much as they play on the course. So if your average score is 90-100, in reality you should be hitting 450-500 balls weekly (with a PURPOSE) in order to see your efforts pay off. After only a few weeks. you'll be able to finish out all of those holes.

I'm new here, but I have a lot of experience in club fitting and adjustments. I'll offer this..... To start with, I wouldn't recommend that ANY player carry a 60* wedge. A 58* will do fine, and it can be laid off to adjust for shorter shots and flops if necessary. I've been doing this for a long time. Be VERY careful adjusting lofts, especially if you're going stronger. Bounce is a huge factor to consider and it can cause dramatic changes to your iron's playability. Bounce is your friend if you're an amateur and lack of bounce will cause digging and poor shotmaking. Also, there are very, very few shops that are capable of making a PROPER loft adjustment. Lie angles come into play and most cast clubs will "spring" back to some degree. What you leave the shop with might not be what you have after 2-3 rounds. Also, a 10-yard range for your clubs is not appropriate. Granted, you might not hit them solidly each and every swing, but you nevertheless need to know EXACTLY how far they move the ball when properly swung. I don't care what your playing level, you can make enough good swings to get a clear picture of the club's yardage to within 2-4 yards given enough time and effort. (If my caddie gave me a 10-yard range I'd fire him on the spot) Most amateurs would benefit more from learning to hit the ball solidly every time, and control their accuracy. More shots are missed side-to-side at the amateur level and yardage doesn't factor in as much when that is the case. Learn to make solid. consistent contact 95% of the time and learn to make the ball "go where you're looking" and your game will improve dramatically. Then you can worry more about your distance control. Getting to a 5'er is not very important, IMO. It's a great tool to use if you can hit a long shot ACCURATELY, but most players will miss the green and then end up in an awkward position. Much more scoreability to lay up to a good yardage for your favorite wedge, hit it close and make the birdie that way. I've seen more big numbers made going after a par 5 than I care to talk about. Just my opinion...and it's probably worth what you just paid for it.

Retired from Fed Govt service that I can't telk about except to say I went armed daily and was always in a tense situation. No bull....just the facts. Wish I could say more to verify these statements, but that's as far as it goes.

Mine is www.eaglebluffgolf.com

Jack had more class than Tiger ever will. Tiger's after the $$$ and the notoriety........Jack just loved the game.