NCSU_MSE

Bogus distances aside, you only need look at his swing video to see. He's nearly flat-footed at impact, his hips are closed, and his double-chicken-winged. I'm guessing that he hits his irons dead-right (same as my typical miss) with an occasional flip that causes a hook, and his driver is probably a massive slice (same as my typical miss).

I absolutely have...when I mindlessly hit balls at the range. When I hit a small bucket of balls while focusing on the proper keys (keys that were given to me by my instructor) - get your weight on your left side and feel a flatter shoulder turn - I hit 'em much better. So far that is translating to better drives. Now, I agree 100% that you should hit the practice green before teeing off...I hit a small bucket and pitch/putt for about 10 minutes before teeing off. My point was just that when looking at my game personally, I have a much harder time putting a ball in play from the tee than I do of pitching/chipping to 6 feet. Everyone should look at his or her game and make that same decision on how to divy up practice time.

I agree that there isn't a one-size-fits-all formula for how much time to spend on your short & long game. What you really need to do is be honest with yourself and analyze your typical rounds critically. For instance, when I look at my scores I find that I hit more drives OB (3-4 per 9 holes) than duffed chips (~1 per 9) or 3-putts (1-2 per 9). So for me, the biggest way to drop scores is to get more drives in play. As a result, I probably spend 90% of my time on full swing and 10% on pitching, chipping, & putting. Once I get the drives under control, I'll move on to the next biggest "uh-oh" in my game and focus my time there.

Haven't read through all of the replies, but here's a few suggestions: If you have a Belk in your area, the ProTour stuff is pretty good and usually reasonably priced. You should never pay full price for it...they are constantly marking it down. Kohl's will typically sell Chaps Golf shorts & pants for ~$20-$30 if you time it right. You usually get the best deal in the off-season (shorts are cheaper in winter and pants in summer). Kohl's also sells Golden Bear golf shirts for pretty cheap ($15-$20). BJ's Warehouse & Sam's Club usually sell Nike and/or Adidas golf shirts for $25-$30. I haven't seen golf-specific shorts there, though.

Could be a variety of things. I know the hooks creep into my drives when I get too quick or when I get too handsy on the downswing.

Well, this engineer is going to have to agree to disagree with Ralph. I don't see how moving the clubface back is going to change the incident angle of the clubface to the ball. Offset will certainly promote a hands-ahead-of-ball impact, but the physics and geometry of squaring the clubface are unchanged, offset or no. As one other poster stated, the primary purpose of offset is to move the club's COG back, thus promoting a higher ball flight. Any nonsense about more time to square the clubface is like arguing the speed of light to the 12th decimal point.

I had 210 yards out of light rough to reach a par 5 in 2. I can't hit my 3h or 4h to save my life, so I took my 5 iron and just tried to rip it (knowing that even if I was short I'd be safe). Ended up on the green but about 40 ft below the hole for eagle. 3-putted for par, but man did that approach feel great!

Carded a 38 in yesterday's 9-hole league. That's a personal best for me!

Thanks for the responses. sean_miller: 1) I'm planning on asking for a video camera for my birthday...I'll post a video if get one. My hooks all start left of my target and then go further left. "Good" shots tend to end up on target with where my shoulders are aligned at address. 2) I have been begging my wife to let me shell out the money to get properly fit. I bought this set of clubs off the rack when I was in college and on a tight budget. I've had my eye on a set of Pings, but the mrs. is having none of it. 3) I had 'em really bad as a kid - to the point that I quit for a long while. 4) I'm hitting off of grass, but I'm wondering if I'm lifting up in an effort to try and find where the hell my ball is going to go and hence the thin shots? I'm also wondering if poor weight transfer has anything to do with my pulls...like maybe I'm over-turning, getting too much weight on my left foot in the backswing, and as a result shifting my weight all wrong.

First off let me say that I'm sorry I can't provide a video of my swing at this time because I don't own a video camera. Little bit of background: I ended last season pretty poorly - either snap hooking everything or hitting a big high block out to the right. The worst clubs in my bag...the ones I feared the most, were my hybrids. I couldn't get them in the air, and when I did they were pull hooks. Yesterday I went to the range for the first time this season and decided to just swing naturally and have a look at ball contact using impact tape. I hit PW, 8 iron, 6 iron, 5 iron, 4 hybrid, and driver. The results are below. 8 iron: 6 iron: 5 iron: 4 hybrid: driver: Results of yesterday's range session: I hit my PW and 8 iron fairly straight with the occasional draw. I hit my 6 reasonably well and with about a 10 yard draw. The problem came with my hybrid. I tried addressing the ball like I would an iron and swinging the club like an iron, but every shot was low and darted hard left. Even my half swings with the hybrid produced bad shots. So I decided to back off and hit my 5 iron. It was as bad as the 4h! Couldn't get one airborne, couldn't keep 'em from going hard left. I backed down to my 6 iron, and all of a sudden my shot went back to that 10 yard draw. I hit my driver ok. I couldn't work one left to right, but given last year's bout with snap hooks, I was satisfied with a slight draw. Can anyone comment on my impact results? Obviously I am hitting out towards the toe, but I am confused as to why my bad shots are all pulls and why my shots get so bad when I try to hit a hybrid.

I'd just like to echo the sentiment that a 250 carry is not just respectable...it's darn good. I get 240 yds (GPS-measured) total on my good days in the summer, and I'm one of the longer hitters in my league. I've bombed one 300 yards (GPS-measured) exactly once in my life, and that was because 1) my swing was really "on" that day, 2) the hole was 600+ yards and wide open, 3) I was hitting to a downhill-sloped fairway, and 4) the fairway was thin and hard, so I got a lot of roll. And just to prove I'm no internet golf whiz, I'll go on to add that I flubbed a 3-wood, flubbed a hybrid twice, flubbed a 7, hit a PW to within 10 feet, and 2-putted for my triple.

I overlap with both thumbs on top of the grip and the right index finger pointing down the right side of the shaft. I also choke way down on my putter to get better control.

BLESS YOU!!! You have just described 90% of my drives towards the end of last season - I'd either hit a 20-yd push OB to the right (and I mean dead straight but right) or a nasty low snap hook that went about 150 yds. I'll work on keeping the club more in front of me. Question - I also seem to push my irons, but I think that is due to cupping my left wrist (as opposed to cocking it). Is that possible? My normal shot (when I'm not hitting a push) is about a 5-7 yard draw, which makes right-sided pin locations scary to go after.

If you haven't already made your purchase, the Sun Mountain C-130 is available at GPPGolf.com for ~$145. I just ordered one in all black.

Considering my handicap, it's definitely my driving. I average about 70% driving accuracy with my driver, and the ones that I miss are typically playable.

I had about 80 yards left into a par 5. I overhit and slightly pulled my SW, but it spun back off an embankment to about 10 feet. I lipped out the birdie putt. I also chipped in for par on another par 5. If the ball hadn't hit the flag, it probably would've run 20 feet past the hole.

Shot a pitiful 93. 50 on the front and 43 on the back, 35 putts total. I did chip in for par on the #1 handicap hole, so that took the sting out of the round a little bit.

I'm a metallurgist at an R&D; company.