sunchopper

I think I have been addressing the ball with a closed face and the club flat on the ground. The reason I do this is because I try to make the bottom edge of club face perpendicular to where I am aiming. I was talking to my girlfriend's dad the other day and he said I should address the ball with my toe up slightly and that I had too much of a closed face. It looked really weird when he was showing me. The club face seemed more open than normal. It could just be how I am used to setting up, but I felt like I would push the ball or slice it if I swung with it that way. I've been hitting the ball fat a lot and I think its because my putting the ball back in my stance, I am hitting down into the ground. Are there any photos from the player's perspective of how your iron's face should look at address?

I'm a super newbie. I just bought some new to me (used) irons that are Callaway Big Bertha Fusions. I was wondering if the shaft was too soft, but I'm going to get the loft checked as you are the second person who has mentioned that.

My PW goes about 120, 9 iron goes 135ish, 8 iron goes 150ish, and my 7 and 6 both go about 150ish. What is up with this? Sometimes I can't even get my 6 iron to 120, but it doesn't feel like I am hitting it horribly.

How do I check the lie angle? Just take them to a local golf shop?

I bought the Big Bertha Fusion irons for $225. Its a 3-PW set. They have the uniflex shafts. I went to the range and I was hitting them worse than my KZG Cavity Back irons. I figure its because of the shaft flex. I was pushing the ball a whole lot, hitting it fat, and slicing. The KZGs have Dynamic Gold S300 shafts in them and I typically hit them better than I hit the Fusions today. Can I simply take the S300s out of my KZGs and put them in my Fusions? I really don't want to have to break down and spend another $150-$200 on shafts. That ruins the deal.

Ahh. I see what you are saying. I don't know why I never looked them up. They actually seem to be nice irons from what everybody says. They are the KZG Cavity Back I think - I'm pretty sure this is them - http://www.golfreview.com/cat/irons/...5_2940crx.aspx I've been thinking I should replace them, because they aren't good. If this isn't the case, should I? They are definitely for a player better than me, but is it worth it to switch to a more forgiving club? Should I just suck it up and learn to love them?

Would the uniflex shafts flex too much for me? Should I look into stiffs? Is it safe for me to assume that I have the same swing speed as someone who hits the PW the same distance as me?

I'm trying to decide what irons I want to go with. I don't have access to a nice pro shop where I can try out the irons first. I regularly shoot over 100 and am just looking for a forgiving iron. My swing is decent, but I haven't been playing for very long. I want a heavier iron that will help me when I hit it fat. Right now I am using a blade iron set that a friend of mine gave me. Its made by KZG which I assume is an off-brand. I can hit my unbranded SW about 100 yards and very high, but I hit my PW a lot lower - the ball still goes 120+ yds, but the trajectory is low. I'm going to try moving the ball up in my stance more. My 4-5 irons go anywhere from 150 to 200+ yards and low - my hits never feel too solid with these. My 7 iron is smooth and travels with good loft and about 165 yds... my 6 iron goes slightly shorter than my 7 a lot of the time. There is a 3-PW set of Callaway Big Bertha Fusion irons that are used and for sell for $250 (the guy said he would do $225 because they have been there for so long) at a municipal course near me. They are in decent condition, which is fine with me. I don't care if the clubs sparkle, because I know they will get scratched up eventually. There are also a couple sets of new Mizuno MX-950 irons on eBay for about $320. I'm a little bit skeptical, because I don't want fake clubs. The MX-950s sound like a really forgiving iron though and could get me some brand new clubs for $100 more than the Callaways. I also think Mizuno is more my personality than Callaway... not that it really matters. I've felt these clubs in stores and they both feel much nicer... they are heavier than my KZG's and I really like that. I'm not sure what flex my current irons are. My driver is a Callaway ERC Fusion with the stock shaft and the flex is "Firm". I'm not sure if this is the same as stiff - can someone clarify? I can land my driver straight and at about 280 yds with roll on a good swing, but I slice it or push it a lot. I'm a scrawny guy, so thats probably near my maximum for swing speed/distance. I would think that stiff shafts would be best for me, because I am young and swing pretty hard. Would these be right? Should I go steel or graphite shafts? I've felt both and the graphite shafts don't seem that much lighter. My current irons are steel. What iron set should I go with and am I taking a big risk buying the Mizunos off eBay? Here is a link to one I am watching - http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-RH-SET-OF-MI...3A1%7C294%3A50

I've had the same problem as far as hitting right before the ball with my driver. According to my girlfriend's grandpa, who was a scratch golfer and plays at a 10 handicap or below in his 70's, it is because I drop my right shoulder on my downswing. Which I kind of visualize as making more of a scooping motion with my swing. When it comes to slicing the ball, strengthening your grip may help. This makes it much harder for you to hold the club face open on your downswing. When I am hitting the ball well with my driver and irons, I can control a slice/hook with my grip and use it to shape my shots... I am a newbie, but the physics of golf make sense to me. Also wanted to add that as a skinnier guy with less muscle mass, it can be harder to control the club. This is a problem for me sometimes. You just don't always have the stability that you need for consistent shots.

I haven't been chipping well at all lately. I am a new golfer and I just haven't been instructed at all on chipping. The same goes for 3/4 or less swings. I played at a course in the outer banks, north carolina area. I shot a 120 and it was pretty much completely because of my chipping. I don't think I 3 putted once... at least I can't remember doing so. Most of the time I hit the ball really low and it flied across the green. Feels like I am coming over the top. I seem to have trouble getting the ball in the air. I use a PW for chipping, because I can't hit my SW too well right now. Any tips for chipping or less than full swings would be great. Thanks

I will try this the next time I am at the range. I appreciate the input. Seems when I focus on actually keeping my head down and I am successful, I hit the ball horribly, but working on seeing the club impact the ball may help me out.

I was thinking the same thing. Where was the management during all of this?

I am experiencing this. I have only been playing for about 4 months. I am doing very well, imo. I was at the driving range last week and I was driving the ball and landing it at the 250 yd marker, which would have probably rolled to 270 with no net. Most of my drives were perfectly straight or had a slight draw or fade. Then I got out on the course 2 days later and I couldn't hit anything. I don't think I made solid contact once. I personally think it is a mind game. You have to practice a lot and then stay calm and focused when it counts. My biggest problem right now is lifting my head up as I am striking the ball. If I could just convince myself to keep my head down, I would hit 75% of my bad shots better. I just want to see where the ball is going... and that normally ends up being about 30 yds... lol.

The Sumo 2 is def the craziest looking and sounding out of the new drivers...

If I had the money(which I will some day), I wouldn't mind being a member of the country club; however, it would only be for the golf. It wouldn't be for the image that goes along with the club. I think all golfers appreciate the quality and maintenance that goes into most private courses. I mainly play two courses near me. One is a municipal course with 9-holes and two sets of tee boxes that play like 18. The course isn't the most difficult, but for the money it is very impressive. You can pay $17 and play as much as you want all day and that includes a cart. I think it is like $9 if you walk. The other is a moderately challenging public course. The public course only cost $500 for a years membership and if you add your wife its only $575 total for the year... its one of the best deals I have seen and the course is of a pretty nice quality.

I'm pretty sure I use a strong grip. I have a strong left hand with at least 3 knuckles showing, but I have skinny fingers so I don't know how much that affects me seeing my knuckles. My left palm is basically over the top of the shaft. I also keep my left thumb off to the left side of the shaft(sometimes it accidently goes straight down the shaft). My left thumb basically sits on its right side(very uncomfortable). For my right hand I try to place the groove of my right palm directly over my left thumb joint. My right thumb basically goes off the left of the shaft too. I have been taught to grip the club this way. I use an overlap grip. I have also been taught to never let me thumbs go straight down the shaft. I also basically hang on to the club(or I am supposed to) with my left pinky, ring, and middle finger. When I position my left thumb like I am supposed to, I just don't feel comfortable swinging my driver, because it keeps me from holding on with my thumb. I must say though, when I grip it this way, I'm not too confident with my swing, but it works very well... Are there any flaws in my grip and are there any pictures of tour players left hands on the club that I can look at?

I am going to play at Salem Glenn in NC tomorrow. It is an Arnold Palmer course. I didn't think I would get to play it anytime soon, but a buddy of mine gets to play for free... so that includes me. I'll post how it was afterwards. I am pretty excited.

Someone mentioned something similar to this. It is pretty clever... something only a cheater would think of.

A friend of mine bought some like new nike irons, 2006 model, last year at a 2nd swing in Greensboro, NC for $200.

That would be great. I travel between Winston-Salem, NC and Greensboro, NC. They are about 45 minutes apart. Charlotte is only about an hour away and Raleigh is about an hour and a half.

OK, so can you guys reccomend some affordable steel shafts that I can find in stiff flex? I see that they make lighter weight versions and I would like something that is a little bit lighter.

My driver has a regular flex rifle shaft. Does that mean it is softer than what most regular shafts are or did I just misunderstand what you were saying? I mean I slow down so much to keep it going straight, that I only drive about 200 yards.

I am 19 years old. I assume my swing speed is around 100 mph(could be faster), but I am not sure. I have never had it measured. I know that when I hit my driver, which is regular flex, I have to slow down so much that I feel like I am deccelerating to keep it from slicing. I don't care too much for the weight of the steel shafts on my irons. I am not a big guy, so a lighter shaft would be easier for me to swing. That is one of the reasons I was thinking of a stiff graphite, instead of stiff steel, shaft. Everything I have right now was given to me, so I'm workin with what I've got for the time being.

I would like to purchase a new set of irons, but I don't know if I am going to be able to right now. My irons were a gift from a friend of mine and they are Mizuno somethings. I currently have Tru Temper steel shafts with regular flex. I wanted to upgrade to possibly a graphite stiff shaft for each one which would improve my game because I could finally swing at my natural speed. What shafts would you guys reccomend? I don't want to spend an outrageous amount, but I could probably do around $100. There are a lot of shaft sets on ebay for around $100. Is graphite the way to go or would steel be better? I figure graphites would be easier for me to swing, because they would be lighter.

It is more dressy than most shoes, but I like it. It's like all shoes, they look good with certain outfits.