Matt-in-Georgia

I have a specific swing that I make for each bump and run shot, and adjust the club accordingly. For shorter shots that are 30 feet or less from the hole I usually use a pitching wedge. For shots that are a little further out, I will use an 8 iron. For very long bump and run shots, I use a 6 iron. Recently I have started using a 5 wood to hit some bump and run shots, and I must say that I am thrilled with the results. However, I still love throwing the ball up in the air with my lob wedge and letting it check up. However, it probabaly gets me in trouble sometimes.

To go along with what others have said, weather does in fact make a big difference. Although you must also consider some other factors that could have contributed to your loss of distance.You may be releasing the club too soon, as some people have stated already. Another reason that you could be losing distance is because you are not turning behind the ball. I know many folks that I work with down at the country club do not pay much attention to shoulder turn and coil, yet it is a fundamental component for distance and accuracy. If you are shooting lower scores however, I would not worry too much about being a club shorter on your irons. Just continue to fix the swing flaws you have, work on your short game, and you will be good to go.

If you are hitting the ball off of the toe when you get tired, then it sounds like you are not maintaining your posture. Often times when golfers get tired, they tend to stand up on the ball. That has been the issue with some people I have worked with. I conducted a junior golf clinic back in January, and one major problem was when the kids got tired, the ball striking became more inconsistent. My advice would be to maintain a conistent posture, and maybe step a little closer to the ball at address.

3 flaws come to mind when I look at your swing, and they are three things that some of the players I teach at my local club do.The first thing that I recognize is that you are lifting the club, and not turning on the ball. You want to make sure that you rotate your hands, arms, and shoulders back together, which is known as the one-piece takeaway. Once you get to about hip high with the club, your lower body should start turning gradually, when you get to the top, your shoulders should be turned 90 degrees, and your left shoulder should be under your chin. Since you are lifting in the backswing and not turning, you are not maintaining a proper spine angle. Having a proper spine angle is crucial, because if you do not keep your body at the same level throughout the golf swing, how you can hit quality golf shots on a consistent basis? Finally, as some of the previous posts have indicated, you are coming over the top. This means that you are starting your downswing with your shoulders and arms, which is not what you want to do. Ideally speaking, you should start your downswing by rotating your left hip toward the target. This will allow the club to come into the ball on the correct swing plane and angle of attack, which will produce longer and straighter golf shots. Your swing is actually pretty good considering you have only been playing for 9 months.

The fact of the matter is that so many other factors come into play, it was far from a guarantee that he would win the slam. I agree that he is "due" at Augusta, but since they have added a lot of trees, and put a greater premium on driving accuracy, Augusta is no longer Tiger's personal playground. However, even with all of this going on, he still may come back, play a tournament or two before Augusta, and win. That is just what he does. As far as the U.S. Open as Pebble Beach, I think it would be asinine to say that he would not be a heavy favorite. I mean, he won by 15 last time! Now, do I think he would lap the field again? Not really, but he is a heavy favorite if he decides to play. St. Andrews is Tiger's favorite golf course. I think that if he plays there, he will win. I think going over to St. Andrews allows Tiger to completely get away from all distractions, and just play golf. However, nothing is a sure thing, so we can't assume that he will automatically win there as well. Tiger loves the PGA championship and has won it 4 times. I would say that if he plays, he has a good chance (As always). If Tiger plays in all four majors this year, I do not think that recent problems will have a profound impact on his success. I was picking him to win 2 out of 4 before the problems, and I still think he will come back and win the U.S. Open and British Open.

I think it is too early to tell. I was not alive when Jack was in his prime, so I cannot speak for exactly the way he played the game, because all I have seen are old tournaments and highlight films. On the other hand, I have followed Tiger Woods career ever since he won his first major in 1997, killing the competition by 12 shots at Augusta. When you look at how dominant Tiger has been, it is hard to say that anyone was ever better than him. The fact of the matter is that Jack has 18 majors, and Tiger has 14. However, Tiger just turned 34, and I would not be at all shocked if he reached 22-23 majors. I guess their really is no right or wrong answer to this question, because they played in different eras with different competition, equipment, etc. I would give the slight nod to Tiger, but I can surely understand why some people say that Nicklaus is still the best. I for one am not too worried who is the best, I just appreciate the greatness of both of them.

I am a credit analyst. All of these new bank regulations! Its a lot of compliance with all that has been going on the last year or so.

I am new to the forum, but certainly not new to golf! Anyways I agree with the previous posts, in that taking more club and swinging smoother with reduce the amount of spin that you put on the ball. In addition to this, you may want to think about switching to a slightly harder ball, I went from the ProV1 to the ProV1X and saw some dramatic changes. To keep a long story short, choke down and swing softly to keep the ball from backing off of the green.