b_lcky

Short answer: As mvmac mentioned early on, you have very poor rotational mechanics on the back swing that puts you in a tough body position to hit the ball effectively. You need to practice rotating around your spine angle (or as others have mentioned rotating up rather than flat). Longer answer: You definitely have some issues with grip/posture/wrist hinge that others have mentioned, and the good news is that you've shown some ability to change these things across the different swings and I would continue to work on those issues. But the bad news is that fixing those issues will still leave you with a very inefficient swing if you can't rotate properly. In your swing, the shoulder "rotation" is achieved by leaning to the left (at the hips), and arching backwards, which is one of the reasons your swing looks so flat. If you look at your last swing vid, you haven't really "rotated" that much, but it looks like you can barely see the ball at the top of your backswing. This is probably why the concept of bending your right arm seems impossible, because doing so would pull your head so much you wouldn't be able to see what you're hitting. Mirror drills are great for learning what it feels like to be in proper body position

My first thought was "Holy $#*%...I would never play that hole"...then i realized I was reading the hole backwards. 5w is enough for me to carry the water but not enough to reach the fairway bunker, which is by far my worst shot. Hopefully put a little fade on the ball for a little extra roll.

I've always admired the female golf swing. It looks painful when you see PGA guys like Geoff Ogilvy or Camilo Villegas bending like stretch armstrong. But women have so much more natural flexibility, so it looks beautiful to me. (interpret that last sentence however you want)

I think buying a 3 iron now will eventually lead to you buying a 3 hybrid in 3 months when you get frustrated with it. Golf is complicated enough without you having to worry about situational equipment. It's a very weird transition going from 5 iron to 4 hybrid to 3 iron to 5 wood, and I think this could lead to you over thinking things. My advice...work on your swing and learn to love all your clubs.

No Glove. In a game that's already both (a) very expensive and (b) very mental, a glove just seems to complicate things. Its cheaper in the long run and I don't have to worry about removing the glove for "feel" shots, or putting it on for "full" shots or any of that other antiquated mumbo jumbo. I have to admit, though, that if I played the standard grips that come with new clubs, I'd probably wear a glove on both hands because they are so rough on the hands. I switched to Winn DriTac grips two years ago and haven't looked back since.

I had the same despair at the beginning of this season, where I simply could not hit a good iron shot. Sometimes we get all wrapped up in the mechanics of the golf swing and psychoanalyzing our swing thoughts that we forget the simple things. For me it was a matter of ball position. I'm not going to tell you to move the ball forward or backwards like some others but rather to find the true bottom of your swing arc. You can do this drill whenever you practice or even when you play, just make sure you are in an area where you aren't afraid to take a divot (if I'm on the course, I'll usually pick a spot of dirt). First, get into your setup position behind an imaginary ball. Second...Just start swinging. Make sure you are hitting the ground. Don't concentrate on hitting any particular piece of grass or dirt, just concentrate on making your normal swing. After about 5 swings, you should notice that you are hitting the same spot every time. Now, without moving your feet, address that spot and you'll likely find a better ball position for your swing. The best thing is that you can audit your ball position as your swing improves. For me, the result of this drill was to stand 2 inches closer to the ball and move the ball forward in my stance an inch. Still feels awkward, but "feel isn't ..." well... you know the rest. ;-) Hope this helps someone.

OK...I'm in. I've been a lurker and seldom poster for a few years. For me its a combination of a few things. 1. I read this forum 99% of the time from a mobile device, and I just hate to type anything more than 3 sentences long from my phone. 2. Most of the threads I get into are already so replete with information, that by the time I get to the end my opinion is redundant. 3. I only play golf for 6 months a year...just dont enjoy it when the grass is brown, or, worse yet, spray painted green. Therefore, golf is less interesting to me in the winter and I have to ween myself off of my addiction, which means quitting TST cold turkey. Despite that, I think I may have a mild TST addiction. Although the "Kyle Anthony Soap opera" and "I just played golf with Graeme McDowell" threads may have bumped me from a caffeine level addiction to a full blown meth-head. But mostly reason 1.

1. Setup perfectly to the ball every time (i.e. good ball position, hands lower to promote good posture, proper grip and weight balance) 2. No mental mistakes (choose the right club and the right shot). 3. Actually hit the ball (been losing about 6-12 shots per round due to chunks and mishits). 4. Commit to every shot because every shot counts. I shot 103, 106, then 89 in the first 3 rounds of the year by prioritizing 3 & 4 (and the 89 included someone threatening to pull a gun on the golf course.)

Was anyone else inspired to crack open a beer while reading this thread? I find that a few 1-2 beers per 9 holes have no adverse effects on my game, mostly because I've stopped keeping score by that point.

Here's my 2 cents. Tiger wins. In tennis you have a much shorter window to compete against at your highest level, while a golfer can remain elite for 20+ years. While Federer has compiled the same number of majors in a shorter time, he is at the tail end of his career. If Tiger's career were 85% over, and he had only 14 majors, then Federer would win. But Tiger is right in the middle of his career with many years left to play. Counterpoint #1: Tiger has no Nadal... - When Nadal first came to prominence, Federer owned him because he was still in his prime. Tennis is a young man's game though. While Nadal is a better player now, Federer would continue to wipe the floor with him if they were both 23. Tiger is still at his peak, and we don't know if some of the younger players (i.e. Mcilroy, Kim, Casey) on tour will turn out to be the next big thing because Tiger is still kickin ass. Counterpoint #2: Agassi played until he was 35. - Agassi continued to be competitive into his thirties but was never again the player he was. No one doubts that Federer or Tiger could be competitive after their peaks, but winning majors is another story.

From an equipment standpoint, the "6,8,10 rule" is a good standard to live by for green side chipping. The key to good chipping is to get the ball rolling on your target line as soon as possible. A lot of mistakes can happen when you try to fly the ball to the hole including chunking, blading, and wind. I read about the 6,8,10 rule on golf.about.com. You can read about it here . From a technique standpoint, locking the wrists is fine advice if you have a good lie, but will get you into trouble from the rough, sand, or longer chips/pitches. I would suggest the following 1. Open your stance slightly 2. Quiet your lower body (opening your stance and quieting your lower body go hand in hand. with such a short swing, it is difficult to have the same swing mechanics, so you dont need as much hip rotation) 3. Shorten your backswing. 4. Hit down on the ball. 5. Accelerate through the ball. 6. Don't roll your wrists over after impact (the club face should point toward the sky for much longer than on a regular shot) Bonus tip: Start high, finish low. Phil Mickelson calls it the "hitch and hold" on his dvd. Set your wrist angle early on the backswing and hold the follow through.

As stated before, you may be coming over the top with an out to in swing path. However, judging by your feet positions after swinging, I think you may be clearing your hips too early and relying a lot on your hands to catch up to the ball. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if you can handle it (i.e. Geoff Ogilvy), but most will find that they leave the club face open at impact. When you open your hips too early, you are swinging like a baseball player and keeping too much weight on the back leg, hence the awkward feet positions after the swing. At the top of the backswing, try to concentrate on your first motion being a subtle weight shift from your right to your left leg, rather than pointing your belt at the target. Weight shift --> hip slide --> shoulder turn --> releasing arms through impact.

I have a feeling you might be setting up to hit your iron shots the same way that you hit your driver, but without specific details, it's hard to say. Try the two following things and see if you have improvement. 1) Move the ball back in your stance. With your long to mid irons, the ball should be in the middle of your stance. With your shorter irons, the ball can move back a few inches. With the ball moved back in your stance, concentrate on where you want the divot to start. Try to hit the front of the ball (of course, this is impossible, but it's a mental trick that helps). 2) If your set up is indeed the same as the driver, then your weight distribution is probably a little off. Make sure that (at worst) your weight is distributed 50% percent on each leg. With the shorter irons, you can put as much as 60% on your left leg. Hope this helps

I don't want to overwhelm you with tips like bunkershot. While I agree with what he said, it's hard to focus on so many things at once. So, with regard to your swing plane question...You have flying elbows in the backswing and follow through. At the top of your backswing, your right elbow should be pointing at your right hip and should continue to point there as you initiate your downswing. If you want to maintain the swing path throughout, try to mimic your right elbow position with your left elbow in the follow through (i.e. left elbow pointing at left hip). Hopefully this helps. Scroll halfway down the page and pay attention to tiger's right elbow.