Traveller

Thanks for the information. I don't want to get involved with videos, I'm happy with my swing, it has served me well for 4 decades and I'm more interesting in just playing golf and talking about courses and experiences rather than getting deeply involved in the mechanics.

wider stance prevents leaning forward and my rear leg stops any hip movement rearwards - I turn a tight pivot on the backswing with no movement forward or back. Ground impact point of any club tends to be closer to the middle of stance so I can get away with the ball being back of centre and still have solid hitting down contact with a divot. I've always played irons this way and find it gives me a lot of control.

I tend to address ball with hands ahead and open the face a bit so I don't draw/hook. It may sound strange but I rarely if ever fade the ball and dread the hook. I can also compensate a closed face by twisting wrists clockwise at the top of the swing - not too much - just enough to keep the head square on impact.

I watched the videos. Good stuff. I play my irons with most weight on lead leg, left shoulder down a bit and ball placement back in the stance. One problem I had was tending to sway whole body into the ball.

that would explain what Justin Thomas meant about using the ground, along with his good swing

Picked up on a recent interview of Justin Thomas who won the PGA Tour title at CIMB Classic last November. When asked about his long driving distance he said "I use the force off the ground to hit upward on the ball - that's a big part of it" Being somewhat of a Moe Norman fan, I went back and had another look at Moe's swing videos, which show a squat or bob on the downswing (iirc he had a sequence which included the "bob"), then using his lead leg to push up into the ball, I wonder if this was what Justin Thomas was referring to. Usually when I straighten my lead leg I end up topping the ball or hitting it thin but if this move was under control I can see a lot of energy being transferred into impact. Don't think this is anything new - I just want to work on it.

Very similar to my setup, 3 & 4 hybrids and irons start at 6, a 4 wood has replaced both 3 and 5 woods. I do like the hybrids and could almost replace all woods except for driver - Not too long ago I picked up a vg Sonartec MD 19* hybrid for $29 which is a cannon off the tee and fairway, almost temped to have it replace my #4 wood but I wanted to keep a second wood. contd. That's a long par 3 !. Can't think of any here that I would need to haul out a long wood. I've always had trouble with long irons and the hybrids have been a godsend. At one time, hybrids were my main clubs - no woods at all.

I have one of those and I'm too scared to sell it because there are times when it slays them off a good lie on the fairway.

Ah psychological warfare. I like to intimidate others with a driver, 4 wood, mean looking hybrid, clanging blades and an old Ping putter, which is a bit of a joke really considering my skill level. I use knitted soft covers on woods only so any opportunistic thieves lurking outside the pro shop can't ID my clubs by the brand covers - they can have my irons.

I know where there's a brand new still in the plastic Cobra Long Tom driver with 48" shaft. I suppose we could remove the head and replace it with a frisbee ?

About a year late on this one but I have both the 3 and 4 Adams hybrids and find them very useful. My way of hitting them on the down is to drop my left shoulder at address and keep my weight over the left foot to punch the ball out of the rough. Leaning back with weight over the back foot spells bad bad bad. Hth

Another two I thought of, to have your ball go right, aim to the left, and I should carry a builders level because uphill putts run well past the hole :(

Isn't that the truth !

GOLF IS A DYING MEMBERSHIP SPORT (a) 8 carts and 24 golfers at the 1st tee, 6 players queued at the 10th (b) no spaces left in the mid-week competition (c) "If you want to complete a round this week, come back after 3pm" (d) after 3pm see (a) HOW TO FIX A SLICE (a) close club face or shift CG to the heel (b) read every golf magazine you can buy (c) doesn't anybody draw or hook the ball these days? (d) keep your slice and only play after dark Feel free to add your own

Three coins in a fountain in the 1950s Ben Hur The Robe Breakfast at Tiffanys The African Queen The Caine Mutiny But the one I saw the most times was Under the Red Sea with Hans and Lotte Hass - that got me into diving.

Counting doesn't usually work. You could try a trigger like lifting your right heel up and down quickly before bringing the club back smoothly and quietly in the backswing. Good luck .

It's only happened to me once. Since then I approach the tee and say to myself "let's get rid of that damn ball!" Works every time. One practice swing beside the ball facing the target, go behind and look at the line down the fairway or green, go back to the ball, line up, relax and smack it away. Practice going loose.

thanks for that. Tape sounds like a good idea ( I didn't think of that one ) and the easiest.

Agreed

Rule 6-5 states: "The responsibility for playing the proper ball rests with the player. Each player should put an identification mark on his ball." note that it says "should" and no mention of a penalty if you don't.

two things mainly, the letter "r" and the number "7" but then I'm more biased than the closed face on my driver! I prefer a smaller head than 460cc, I have one but play a 425cc and I like a higher loft ie 11 or more to get that ball up high. There are plenty of shaft choices on offer - my advice? get fitted. Sheer distance doesn't appeal to me but accuracy down the fairway does. If you can find a club that will give you both then you're on a winner.

Isn't that the way though ! sounds like you "downgraded". Find a club that loves ya and protect it by all means fair or foul.

I've owned a few clubs in my golfing life, loved some hated some, can't remember most of them, wished I hadn't bought a lot of them, but one club stands out, and to get it you would have to pry my cold dead hands from around the grip - my 2005 TaylorMade r7 425 driver standard model 11.5* This club has a slightly closed face which I've overcome with address and a little clockwise twist of the wrists at the top of the backswing, opening the face, a little bit like Hogan used to do (he was almost paranoid about hooking the ball). The 4 weight system means it can be adjusted to fly high or low, and "helps" to correct a slice or hook. Set up properly, it flies long and straight with an impact sound that is pure joy to the ears, and it's damn good looking to boot.

I'm so relaxed these days I fall asleep at the end of the backswing ...........