Floger

I think this way often, to leave the driver home, hit 3W or long iron, sacrifice a little distance but gain a good look for my second shot. For me, yes it's ego. I do not want to let the club defeat me, I want to learn to hit it and I guess I feel pay my dues by hitting bad shots, learning (hopefully) from them and eventually one day gain confidence to hit it. Plus I spent $400 bucks!!! I can at least use it as a towel rack.

I have desperately tried to find a weeknight or early morning golf league in Cincinnati. NONE, well, that are open to new players. It seems someone has to die and leave their spot in their will in order to get in. If anyone in the Cincy area knows of one with an opening for Fall or even now, please let me know. I greatly appreciate it.

Concentrating on keeping the lead arm connected (use a tee in the arm pit or shirt sleeve) and making sure you rotate, making sure your belt buckle is pointing at the target at finish. The flying elbow I have found is from hitting at the ball, not SWINGING the club. We tend to tense up at impact and try and muscle it thru and refusing to let the club do the work. Trust me, I have it resurface almost monthly and when I go back to tactics described above, it goes away.

There are TONS of great videos on YouTube, especially from Rickard Strongert on VideoJug. Put that in the search box and you'll have hours of instruction... FREE!

Have you tried taking half swings - making a full turn but ending with club pointing at the target? Your left hand turns naturally with the toe of the club pointing toward the sky. Then there is the "L" to "L" drill. You backswing forms the letter L with arms and hinged wrists and finishes the same way just opposite side. Are you getting a "chicken wing" or flying elbow? When I get that I tuck my leading arm shirt sleeve under arm pit to remind me to stay connected and turn fully and not let the sleeve fall out until that arm folds at the finish. To remind me to follow thru, I find a leaf or piece of dirt about 5 yds in front of my target line and extend the club to that point, the folding finish just happens because it has no where else to go. Hopes this makes sense.

I began the first set of drills last night, incorporating the weight forward, hands in, straightened right leg, etc. Although hitting foam practice balls in the backyard, the ball was straight, contact seemed good and farther than hitting the same ball with my original swing and my driver was straight! My irons have always been decent, I just can rarely get off the tee. I was just about to soil myself because I was seeing the ball come off my driver straight. But that voice crept up and said "hey moron, its a foam ball, little or no spin". But I had hit the foam balls before with the driver and still got the banana so I am still excited. I think its the inside path on my takeaway now that is eliminating the out to in that caused the side spin on the ball. At least it felt that way. Yes, it was only 50 hits with practice balls, but compared to the same results with the same balls using my original swing, the difference is very noticeable. However, a few issues that I need feedback on from those experts out there - I am still not taking a divot. In fact I never have. I am like Tom Watson and pick it clean. I did the drill of painting a line and hitting the dirt and now I feel like my wrists need to be in braces this morning and need to get the lie and loft corrected on the club I used! Also, I cannot for the life of me keep my left arm straight after impact, a slight chicken wing still wants to appear. I never had that with the old swing. I am making the full rotation and I am not trying to roll my wrists to release the club so I am baffled at the cause. It doesn't affect anything ( I think) I just don't like its appearance or the uncontrolled feeling on follow thru. I plan to take it to the course for real feedback this Saturday morning at 6:15am so I can get out and play 2 or 3 balls per shot and not hold up the course. I'll let ya know how many people are sueing me for injury or property damage and how many balls from the dozen I return home with.

First, about my situation (get comfortable)... Being new to the game (just 3 years) I am at the point of choosing whether to find another hobby or find a method of learning that works because I simply love the game. But I am thouroughly frustrated. I shoot in the upper 80s to mid 90s but my swing doesn't feel like I can trust it, I know I am always changing it in some manner either subconsciencely or with intention. The driver, it might as well stay in the garage. I trust that club like Elin trusts Tiger. It's all over the place and quiet embarrassing. I have mastered recovery, seriously. Hitting over trees from the other fairway, off the side of hills, etc. I don't know what it's like to play my second shot on the short grass. I am re-reading SnT with the intention of putting it to use and correct this swing and enjoy the game. I skimmed it before with curiosity. I don't ever expect to be club champion or really to break 80, but I know it can be alot more fun when the success of my round is how many balls I didn't lose. I agree with alot of what SnT says - that some, if not most instructors want to teach a swing that has too many variables which creates a mental swing checklist that would have me standing over the ball 10 minutes before initiating the swing. That's where I am at now. Too many tips I have gathered from reading, watching videos all starting playing as I get in my stance. This "modern" golf swing also leads us hackers to believe that we are not flexible enough for the correct swing. SnT seemingly (in print) makes this totally untrue. Also the authors of SnT states that practically no golfer aims the club straight at the target. I thought I had to!! like that was rule #1. A novice like me has spent many, many hours aiming AT the target and getting pissed when it doesn't go there and trying with little or no success to make that result happen with a tip in a golf magazine or searching thru YouTube for a video. I was a field goal kicker in college and I aimed at the space in between the yellow poles, not the play clock with hope to "draw" the ball between the posts. My understanding of the arc I used to kick helped me understand the SnT principle that angular momentum makes sense, not bringing the club straight back as my instructors taught. I have taken lessons in the past, 10 total, with 3 different instructors due to their availability and one left town. All of them had very different swing theories and none worked, and believe me I tried. I spend at least 90 minutes a day in the evening working on my swing and I play twice weekly on average. I cannot find an instructor that teaches SnT and when I mention it, they laugh. Yeah, because there is no money in "cures". So I am on a quest with the book to do this on my own. Now that I have that off my chest, my questions are for those that have implemented SnT. 1) Overall, are you happy with the book? 2) Have you improved, if so, how much? 3) What area did you see the greatest improvement - i.e. distance, accuracy, etc. 4) How long from the time you started the program until you saw consistent play you were happy with and a swing you could trust and became natural? 5) Did you use any other methods of instruction while reading SnT? Thanks much and sorry for the novel.

I have seen SnT, AJ Golf, etc. but I would like to get feedback from REAL peeps rather than an infomercial and "drink the Koolaid". I have seen a pro a few times but thanks to this WONDERFUL economy, I just cannot afford more lessons. Thankfully I have a course and got an "inside deal" where greens fee is only $7 to walk 9. That way I can still play twice a week and not break the bank. Anyway... I am on a mission to self-teach and fix my swing flaws and hope to find a good book and/or dvd that has solid visuals. I have the SnT book (The Definitive Guide) and IMO the pictures are very poor. No swing sequence and most of the time the photo doesn't explain the topic being discussed on that page. Being a visual learner, I could read a paragraph 100 times and MAYBE get it, where seeing it and being able to mimic the motion(s) I can get it much sooner. Thanks much!

Any tips on overcoming the mental block I am having? My warm up swing, the swing I hit balls with in the backyard into the net is fundamentally sound, and looks good on video. I am happy with it. When I get to the tee box or behind a ball in general on the course, it all goes out the window. Not a good hip rotation, not staying connected with arms consistently, etc.

I play 95% of my golf alone. I play twice, sometimes three times a week. I am fortunate to have a great couse where greens fee is only $25 with cart and $14 to walk and a par 3/4 course right next to it that is $7 for 9 holes to walk, otherwise I could not afford my addiction. I have 2 golf buddies that play only when they drag their hung over butt out of bed which is mid afternoon (too late for me). Sad that grown men still act like college boys. Or maybe I make golf more of a priority, maybe too much of one if that is such a thing. I am partially responsible since I prefer to play early - like at sunrise or no later than tee off at 8am, this is to beat the heat, high UV index and crowded course. It does suck, I mean if I ever get a hole in one, I don't have a witness!

Love the Cats and followed Cincinnati until Huggins left. Now the Bearcats are crap. They need a big name coach to get (eligible) recruits. But thats another thread. I hated to see multiple players leave to the draft. I think Cousins coulda used another year for sure and Wall, well, it wouldn't have hurt. NCAA needs to make it mandatory for kids to play at least 2 years IMO. I understand hardships and that money can help their families. But what about me? :p

Hey everyone. I live in Fairfield, Ohio (just north of Cincinnati). Started playing this game three years ago thanks to my father-in-law who wanted a playing partner for Father's Day. Shot 96, while he shot 105. He wasn't happy. Now I am addicted, I play whenever I can with regards to time and budget, but there is rarely a day I don't swing a club - whether its hitting balls into the net or chipping in the backyard or putting in the living room with my 4 yr old daughter, I am always wanting to find ways to improve. I am relatively self-taught. I have Ben Hogans Fundamentals of Golf which helped me immensely when I first started and I still refer to it. But I have learned a great deal watching players swings on TV and tips from the golf mags, tutorials on Golf Channel onDemand and The Golf Fix.

A 165 yd 7 iron shot from whispy rough about knee deep. Landed 8 feet from the hole. I was tempted to look around and see who just hit that cuz it surely wasn't me!

Ugh - an 89. Chunked some wedges and left myself some recovery work thanks to my bad behaving driver.

I am a freelance web developer graphic designer. Fortunately it allows flexibility to get in a quick round during a weekday when the course in relatively empty.