amoline

Hey everyone. We're talking a family/semi-golf vacation to Phoenix, AZ and the surrounding area on the first week of August. We'd love to get any suggestions on things to do or can't miss areas or really just general suggestions for our trip. We're pretty experienced travelers but we enjoy hearing from locals and those familiar with the area. We'll be there for about a week, and we have some fun things planned. On the schedule thus far is visiting the PING factory and going on the tour (already scheduled), and experiencing a club fitting while they're not yet charging. We also are planning on playing 18 holes at the Wildfire Golf Club (we're staying at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort so it's the course attached to the resort), and there will also be 18 holes played at TPC Scottsdale Champion course (excited about this!) So we have a few things planned as is, but it would be great hearing from anyone around this area and seeing if there's anything else. Thanks for everyone's suggestions! Andrew

This is sure a darn frustrating game at time, but it seems to have given me "the bug." Thanks, both of you, for the encouragement!

Because I'm on a club team for my university, we get Srixon balls for really cheap, which is what I use because of that. So, if I am at a new course or not feeling well or there's a ball where I don't feel like using a Z-Star, I always have some Q-stars on hand. I really do love this ball. It has the same "skin" as the Z stars so it has a really nice feel to it. Perhaps consider picking up a sleeve of Q stars when you do your testing, and do let me know what you think of them if you do! It's about $20-$25 for the whole dozen, though, especially if you shop online at a place like budget golf. My general thoughts on it is reasonably long without sacrificing accuracy to greens. It is among the straightest balls I've ever played. Tends to be a hop and stop ball or a hop and foot of roll out for me. Usually it stops, and I don't ever spin one back which is how I like it. Best of luck in your search!

Welcome to thesandtrap. :) As newtogolf said, it really depends on what type of team your school has. My brother is playing for his team too (same age that you are) and scores for the team vary. There are a couple on it shooting in the low 100s, and a couple shooting low 80s. Some of the bigger schools nearby in Denver and even bigger ones in our city have kids shooting regularly at around par, so it really just depends. Best of luck for making your team! I'd say go for trying out even if you don't think you'll "make it." It'd be a great experience and if you don't make it you'll know what you need to work on for the future. And you may make the practice squad portion of the team, even if you don't travel to tournaments. Again, though, depends on what kind of team your school has. Good luck!

For what it's worth I battle an overswing just like this. I'll keep an eye on your swing thread and see how it goes -- maybe you can share a successful feel or two that you use as well! Awesome looking swing though. :)

Well, cannot believe I'm about to do this and humiliate myself like this, but here goes nothing. Today actually marks one year to the day that I got my first real golf lesson and actually picked up golf seriously. So I thought it would be, ahem, interesting to see where I've come from and where I'm at. These are both full pitching wedge swings. To everyone else needing encouragement in golf, if nothing else I am proof that miracles CAN happen with a golf swing! lol. On a more serious note and for some encouragement in life (and also relating to golf!) in the year span between videos something noticeable that's changed is I'm also down about 40 pounds and counting as well and it has done wonders for feeling better in general both on and off the course. So whether your goal is golf or otherwise life related, trust me, if I can do it, anyone can do it. Lastly, I couldn't have done it without all of the help and encouragement on this forum, so a sincere thank you to everyone here, for everything. Here's to year #2! Before

Who says they have to be separate things? In all seriousness, I don't think you'll have too big of an issue. I carry a 58 degree and a 64 degree (I know, I'm nuts) on the upper end of my wedges, and I would never dare hit the 64 on a full swing so you're brave! However, I don't think you'll run into any issues. Since you're used to swinging wedges with non full swings -- something I think people struggle with -- I think you'll find that your other wedges do just fine in covering. If nothing else, my two cents is play two or three rounds and see how you get on. If you find yourself definitively saying "Dang, if I only had the 60..." then you'll know. My suspicion is that given your handicap you will be a good enough player without it that you don't find yourself missing it too much if you like the other wedges. Let us know what happens!

Not a professional instructor, but I'll throw in a couple of things. There are not many things universally true about swinging a golf club, but one of them is that you want some spine tilt away from the target and you want to maintain that tilt and not let it get forward. If you look at your swing, you begin tilting toward the target. The more your spine tilts toward the target, the more your path will be pushed across the ball. And secondly, you look an awful lot like you are squatting instead of a more relaxed posture. So I'd take a look at sorting out your setup first. It's the easiest thing to do!

Most expensive single club is my Scotty Cameron square back putter. Least expensive... Hmm. When I first started, I was using but a Tommy Armour driver with some uniflex shaft -- did darn OK for what I needed, but eventually I found that I wanted something better and more suited to me and what I liked, so I picked up an R15 on the cheap when it had been out for quite some time. It's not necessary to have the newest and most expensive -- I will say that you should go for whatever the oldest/cheapest model you can that you can still get professionally fit for.

Just wanted to say quickly that I apologize if I caused any confusion and Iacas and the other pro instructors (which I am of course not) are more than welcome to correct if my post was misinformed. Good discussion and a reminder for everyone. Again sorry for any trouble caused!

That's great to hear! Keep us updated with writing and some videos to show us how you improve. The less effort you feel like you're producing is a good indicator to show you're making actual progress. Takes a lot of time to make actual change so keep at it. Glad to help! Like I say keep us all updated.

mchepp is right -- that particular picture is leaps and bounds better. It does take time to get consistent with a new move, even if the new move is more fundamentally sound than your old ingrained one. I don't have any particular advice to give, except for a small word of encouragement: Improvement in golf, much like weight loss, is by no means a steady line in one direction. It's ups and downs overtime to be in a better place than you were XYZ many months ago. Don't lose heart!

Your shoulder turn is way too flat on your backswing. This is why you are taking the club back so far inside and lifting late in your backswing. If you get your lead (left) shoulder pointing down at the ball and feel your right shoulder "up" on your backswing, this will assist you in making a better turn as well as help prevent you from whipping the club dead inside. Both of these things will help the other -- turning properly will help the club, and fixing the clubhead's path will help your turn. Tom Watson is a big proponent of your shoulders working 90 degrees to your spine and this is a great way to start along that path. You can see from mchepp's photo of Rock that his shoulders are working on a much steeper angle of turn. Hope this helps. Andrew.

Posting a video will definitely be the fastest and most efficient way for you to spend your practice time. It may be scientifically easy to say what causes a slice in terms of path, etc. However, what you are doing in your swing to cause that can really only be solved with a video.

Your left arm needs to lift and rotate in conjunction with your shoulder turn. Take a look at this video from Monte Scheinblum, who is an instructor I really like. Specifically around the 2:30 mark, but I think the video itself may help you to get a feel.

I float it. It always keeps me keeping constant grip pressure for the driver and for whatever reason or another just has always been what I do. My miss on a driver will be a heel strike. And I ground the driver, centered align, and lift it like it would be hitting it off the tee, at address the ball turns to the heel portion of the driver. So if I line it up centered while floating it seems to do better for my own swing. All other clubs are grounded. I almost never ground in the rough, regardless of the type of rough. Just too afraid that I'll end up moving the ball. That's a different discussion, though!

Glad it's working for you! I really enjoy that drill. Let me know how it goes!

Srixon Z Stars, sometimes the XV, even tho I don't swing very fast, it seems to be what I like. The only reason is that I get them for cheap.

It's really a better decision to go and get fit -- and you can certainly go into a fitter with the notion "I am going to buy XYZ club, let's find the right loft settings/shaft for me." For what it's worth, my younger brother recently got fit into a Callaway XR 16 (of all major brands) for his Drive, Chip, and Putt competition. The XR 16 is set at 12.5 degrees and was the only thing he could actually launch, after fitting it with a very lightweight and high launch shaft (according to the fitter)

I admit I know very little to nothing about S&T, but I don't even understand what that move would look like in a backswing, and it actually hurts my back just to look at it. In fact, it looks like purposeful early extension. Full admittance I know little about the efficacy of S&T though once again.

Help! I would really appreciate some help/advice anyone has on help with a steepening shaft/hand path! Usually 1 day bad at the range=whatever, 2 -- boo, but doesn't matter, but 3 -- OK, something may be wrong The last 3 for me have been increasingly shank central, which is too bad because my shoulder turn doesn't look insane (I think), head movement is better than what it used to be. However, I have noticed that along with me trying to get my shoulder turn less vertical (fat DJ impersonation), it seems I don't really have the same saving move to shallow the shaft out either. So I've been raking across it and had a really depressing week of shanks and horrible shots that I don't even want to play any golf let alone even try and work on it on the range. However, I thought I would post a video so everyone here can see what's going on, much as it pains me to let everyone see a flat out shank, and maybe someone could provide me with a feel or drill to do, or maybe even similar/same experience that would help me out. I can't go back to the insane dropping right shoulder to come from the inside because of physical pain it causes me, so I'm left with learning how to better shallow the shaft out. Thanks all.

For me, the unequivocally best thing to do is hit shots to range targets where your arm goes no further than parallel to the ground on your backswing. Most likely, if you tape yourself doing it you'll almost guarantee swing past that point. Learning to accelerate properly from this position especially with wedges is really important, as someone who was once a chronic extreme overswinger, now just a chronic slight overswinger. :) What I do for my wedges is use this left arm parallel swing, hands gripped about an inch to an inch and a half, as my "stock shot" for that club. If I need more or less with that club, I simply grip down or let up further and make the same swing for +/- 5-ish yards on the lob wedge, and +/- 10-12 on the pitching wedges. Your mileage may vary of course ;) My two cents.

A slice -- that is, a ball that starts right and curves further right -- means that your path is out-to-in (or "across" the ball) and your clubface angle is open to that path. If your ball starts straight and curves right your clubface is square to your path, but your path is still out-to-in. So ultimately it is a path issue. What that path issue is, however, is tough to say without a swing video -- do you have a "my swing" thread?

Full disclaimer -- I am not a professional instructor, merely a fellow golfer with an enjoyment of studying golf swings. You are set up very vertically and even toward the target to the ball by the time your backswing finishes. There should always be some spine tilt away from the target so your hands can get ahead and there is room for all the moving parts. If you take a look at the top of your backswing you are definitely leaning toward the target. The more your spine goes vertical and toward the target the more your path will be pushed to the left and thus you'd be going out to in causing the slice. You are intuitive enough and a good enough golfer that your body by impact tries to throw you back into proper spine tilt, despite it being a very difficult move to time, but it would be much easier if you just set up that way to start. :)

Is your head moving? Obviously just conjecture but your "swing missing" round sounds like the exact results I'm getting from fighting lateral head movement towards the target on my downswing. Not a fun problem to have. Anyway, kudos to you because half the problem is sticking in the round when the wheels fall off, and it sounds like results aside you did just that.