Late4ttime

For my money and game- I really like the Bridgestone B330 RXS. I've heard some good things about the TaylorMade Penta, so I might give them a go as well. My swing speed is only 100mph so I couldn't get a proper smash with a 95 COR ProV1. But the B330's are a 65 COR- which helps me maximize ball performance off the tee- they spin well around the greens, and I like they way they feel off my putter so I dont see myself making a permanent switch anytime soon. Late-

Take your normal back swing and stop at the top- notice and feel the weight dispersion most will be on/over right leg- bump your left hip towards a target, and now feel the weight dispersion- you've probably moved 60% or more to your left side without uncoiling anything or even starting your downswing- as you uncoil and swing down- the rest should continue to shift to the left side. The way I "bump" my hip also slightly lowers my right shoulder and as I uncoil my hips it brings my arms and hands thru inside to out-- it would feel unnatural to swing over the top from this position for me. JackLee mentioned above "master key instruction"- I've started reading about it- it seems centered around the left shoulder being the driving force behind the golf swing- About the arms- passive arms will help create a whip effect that will help generate club head speed- if you power your swing with your arms- you are using smaller muscle groups and essentially isolating your lower body completely from the swing. Remember- there are LOTS of swing theories out there- learn as much as you can, and use what is right for you. Good luck! Late-

Here is my .02 I think if you have lagged within 3ft in the past- you already know how to do it- just reinforce it, here is a couple of ideas I read that might help- Putt 4-5 balls towards the fringe- but after striking the ball, try to determine if the putt is short, long or just right before you look up at it, helps to ingrain feel. And don't putt to a 3ft circle- putt to the hole- missing the cup by 3ft still accomplishes your goal, but if you putt to 3ft, and miss by 3ft, you've just compounded your situation, let alone hurting your confidence, which I think is most important. Late-

Sorry to hear about your knee- I like watching hockey but never played. The hand-eye coordination necessary in hockey will help you in golf, as evident in your swing. You are starting from a good place, here is what I saw, that might help you improve. Grip- Rotate your right hand clockwise a little bit, so its more on top of the club. On the back swing- you should build tension on the inside of your right leg- if it gets to the outside of your right leg, you are losing coil. To give you an idea of the feeling- address a ball with both feet together- as you start your back swing- step towards the target with your left foot- you'll feel the stored energy in your inner right leg. Here comes the real work! Watch the driver swing slow-mo from the top of your back-swing transitioning to the downswing- your first move is a little over the top- I'd work on taking it to the top- deliberately pausing at the top- bump your left hip towards your target- then feel your swing come from the inside. As a hockey player you probably have strong legs- use them- start the downswing from the bottom up. It is normal for people to come over the top when they want to hit it hard- like dragging something behind us with a rope- you put the rope over shoulder and we pull out and down- we don't drop the rope by our waist and pull up with our biceps- same principle- but in golf- its more efficient if you swing from the inside out. Contact- stand in front of a left door jam or pole so it simulates a contact point- simulate your down swing with your right hand and slap the pole- if you hit it with the palm- it replicates straight, if you hit it with your pinkie first- that replicates an open club face, if you hit the pole with your index finger- that replicates closing the club face- it looked to me that your right hand would be coming through open ( pinkie first ) (Heard this nugget from Johnny Miller on some Champions Tour segment, but it clicked with me) In the scheme of things- 2 years isn't a long time to be playing golf- if you are playing to a 12.5 after 2 yrs, you are way ahead of the learning curve! There are plenty of people that know more about the swing than I do, but I hope what I talked about will help. Late-

My downswing starts by bumping my left hip towards my target which begins the unwinding of my hips- but I'm not thinking about it. Once I've picked out a specific target, landing area, etc..I commit to it and trust that I'll hit it there. I read this example in a book called Zen Golf. If asked if you could hit the same target 10,000 times in row, most people would say no. Yet when was the last time you missed your mouth with a fork or spoon? No one thinks about wrist angle, arm speed, grip pressure etc. when eating- we just do it. The golf swing is no different- work on proper mechanics on the range and trust that you'll be able to repeat it on the course. Late-

For me- I play my 7i dead middle of my stance, as loft increases ball position moves toward the rear, as loft decreases the ball moves up all the way to my driver which is off my left instep. (Obviously depending on shot shape this has to change- but these are where I play stock shots) This might not work for everyone, but it works for me. I think its important to find the right ball placement that matches your move to the ball, that gives you your desired flight path and is consistently repeatable. Maybe that's copying Hogan, maybe that's moving the ball forward or back with different clubs, maybe its playing the ball in the same spot- find what works for you, and then TRUST IT. Late-

Welcome! In my opinion its more about etiquette. You'll know you are ready if you'd be willing to golf behind yourself. Knowing when to let another group play thru, fixing your divots, repairing ball marks, not spending 15 minutes looking for a lost ball or fishing for them out of a pond. Those are the things that drive me crazy- golf is about respect for the course, fellow players, and yourself. If you are comfortable with those things, I say go for it. Late-

Cal- I think you hit the nail on the head, I too think we are all talking about the same thing. My ball position for putts is just ahead of my low point as mentioned by Eric, and my club head, does not increase in speed after contact. I attempted to use the word "accelerate" as the opposite of "de-accelerate" in an effort to help the OP to not take such a large back swing so he has to slow down the club head before impact for fear of blowing the ball 20ft past- I should have said "accelerate TO the ball" not "through" the ball. It would be really nice to just worry about how far back to take the putter and then let "gravity" handle everything else- since it would be the only constant in the putting stroke! Late-

"Accelerate" or "just after maximum speed"- the point is if you are working towards a smooth putting stroke whether it's short or a longer pendulum stroke- your back swing shouldn't be so long that you feel the need to "de-accelerate" the club on the down swing. Late-

I just wanted to add that sometimes it not your swing, or practice routine at all- its in between your ears. There is no consequence on the range- therefore no pressure. You hit a bad shot- big deal- there are 60 more balls in the bucket. Find a way to put game pressure on your range sessions- have an accuracy contest with a buddy for drinks- if you are alone- and you hit a bad shot- take a ball you haven't hit out of the tray and put it back in the bucket- when you hit a good shot, put back in the tray- if you finish and there are "bad shot" balls left in the bucket DON'T HIT THEM- give them to some kid on the range- that way there is a penalty for hitting a bad shot- just like on the course. Also check out Zen Golf, I loved it- there is some good info about not letting our mind get in the way of our swings. Late-

An over-the-top move is very common. Imagine there is a rope hanging on your right shoulder tied to something behind you that you need to drag- its easier to grab the rope and pull it down over our chests using our pecs and then start walking- same theory with golf swing- when golfers try to mash- they swing harder by coming over the top, engaging their pecs- instead of starting the down swing with their hips and waist. Work on starting your downswing by bumping your left hip towards your target, this will start the weight transfer forward and clear your right hip allowing your downswing to unwind from the inside. Also- on the take-away- check the position at 9'0clock (ball is 6)- the shaft should be parallel to your target line and the toe pointing up- if you are too far inside of your target line- you practically have to come over the top to get the club head back to the ball- if you visualize swinging out on the take away, it will promote the downswing to come from the inside. Hope that helps. Late-

+1 putting to a tee. In Zen Golf (highly recommended) there is a drill mentioned that has helped me and the HS team that I coach. Practice putting to a tee or the fringe- BUT after you hit your putt, try to determine whether the putt is short, long or just right in relation to the target BEFORE you look up- This helps to ingrain feel, eventually you won't have to "think" about how hard to putt it once you do this drill for 15 minutes on the practice green. As far as the pendulum stroke- I coach and putt that stroke, but I found for me that if I have a shorter, crisper back swing- the less likely my face can get offline and it helps me maintain acceleration though the ball- for me its about 40% back 60% follow thru vs. a pendulum of 50/50. Late-

This drill might help you ingrain the "feeling" of what you want your hands to do as your making contact in relation to draws and fades. If right handed, stand in front an open door with the left door jam, ( a pole works great also) in the middle of your stance, put your right hand at it's normal spot at address, and then simulate a backswing with your right hand only- on your downswing slap the pole or jam with your open hand- that represents neutral or straight, if you roll your forearm over and strike the jam with your pointer finger- that's closing- promoting a draw/hook and if you strike the jam with your pinky first, that's open promoting a fade or slice. Credit Johnny Miller It hard to hook a ball when you go through impact pinky first, or to slice a ball if you lead index finger first. Also- check that your clubface isn't inadvertently closed at address, I sometimes do this if I regrip a club- just a thought. Late-

We play first on, closest to, first in and skins- each hole is worth $1 that way if you are playing well you dont get penalized. We developed this because some of my higher handi friends started playing for the beans instead of their score- it got really tiring paying someone you beat by 30 strokes. Late-

My golf course broke down our club championship into flights- then we play match play from there, crowning a champion in each flight. I shot an 83 during qualifying which put me in the 3rd flight. I had a semi final match on Friday. I was even after 3 holes and was up 2. As I was walking to the 4th tee- I was thinking "I'm 3 strokes ahead of my acceptable score- this has the potential to be a great round of golf" Well- I then doubled the next 2 holes- was now 4 over after 5 and the match was tied. I ended up losing the match 2 in 1. I shot an 81 which is essentially my handicap- he shot an 85 which is essentially his. I can't help but think that I would have won this match, if I hadn't started thinking about my score. I expect to shoot my handicap and played down to achieve it. Any thoughts on allowing yourself to exceed your expectations or keeping out the destructive self fulfilling prophecies? Late-