>> Ask the Pro <<

[JMiller]

Thank you.

 

When I try to really rip a drive, I usually hook it. This would be because my arms are so far ahead of my body?

 

Well think of it this way.

 

Well think about it, if your hips don't rotate this leaves the shoulders closed, your arms can get out in front of the body rotation causing the club to come inside to outside, where the face is positioned to the path is where the ball will end up. Closed to the path = draw / hook, square = push, open to the path = push cut/ push slice.

 

You can hit a ball putting you butt/ back pointing at the target placing the ball to your lead side (left side on RH golfers) then make a pure arms swing and hit the ball straight to a draw or hook. If you make good contact there is not really a way that is going right unless you have rotated your body out of the start position. This position is actually a release drill a instructor in college taught me.

 

This video pretty much explains the drill well and what happens in a draw and slice.

 

 

If the body leads the club into impact it is going to create a outside to inside path.

If the club leads the body it will create a inside to outside path.

 

You just have to control the face to the path to hit shots, if you over cook one then just learn to time the combination of the two to tone down the curve.

[sai-jin]

I'm having a weird random problem with body alignment. This happen from time to time.

 

I set my club face down to target, then I align my feet parallel to the target line. Took my shot and the ball goes to target accurately, but I know it's a slight pull from the divot direction.

Places a stick down my feet line and I'm aiming right of the flag.

 

Now I place the stick for my feet down parallel to target line and I feel like my body is aiming way to the left.

Took my shot and the ball still finds the flag.

 

Any experience some of you can share about the body alignment? I tend to aim my body at the flag or right of it even when I thought it's parallel to the target line.

[JMiller]

I'm having a weird random problem with body alignment. This happen from time to time.

 

I set my club face down to target, then I align my feet parallel to the target line. Took my shot and the ball goes to target accurately, but I know it's a slight pull from the divot direction.

Places a stick down my feet line and I'm aiming right of the flag.

 

Now I place the stick for my feet down parallel to target line and I feel like my body is aiming way to the left.

Took my shot and the ball still finds the flag.

 

Any experience some of you can share about the body alignment? I tend to aim my body at the flag or right of it even when I thought it's parallel to the target line.

I figured that I would let someone else chime in first because I'm not technically a teaching professional this is not really my section / topic to be in.

 

 

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Please don't take this the wrong way I just want to give a little general advice on tips/ instruction.

 

When I work with Bruce Rearick, regardless of what I know about my swing I still shut up and listen to what he has to say and I like to pick his brain about my swing and general concepts. As a player you have to trust an instructor if you are going to ask for advice and work with a person on your game. It is completely counterproductive to tell an instructor how much you know about something, just take it as a learning experience and a different perspective. A second pair of eyes is always a good thing, when I work with Bruce Rearick on anything in my own game, I listen and ask productive questions to understand more about what I am told. If you are not sold on an instructor's knowledge ask the simple question of "why should I make that change?" If they don't have some kind of good logical answer for you then do not take that advice and find a different person to work with.

 

The reason that I am saying this is that I feel like I attempted to help you last year and well it really sounds like nothing has changed in your swing since the last video you posted.

 

 

QUESTION RESPONSE

Think about how a pull has to happen:

~ face square to the path

~ path is outside to inside to the target line

 

 

The last time we talked you have a two-plane (vertical) and a lot of one-plane (rotational) downswing. You either get stuck (push or draw/hook = flipping into impact), or cast over the top to get the club out in front of you coming outside to inside the line (slices, pulls, something that starts left)

 

 

You have two options because it sounds like the same swing I looked at last year:

1) change your backswing to a one-plane rotational swing

2) change your downswing to be more lateral slide and less rotational to match the vertical backswing

 

 

Nothing is easy to change obviously but for me when I was making swing changes over the last year or less myself the backswing positions are easier to hit then the downswing sequence changes. This is likely because the backswing takes roughly 3times longer to make then the downswing does. The downswing just happens a lot faster.

 

 

Good luck with the swing.

[apprenti23]

I hit the ball rather high with my irons. I don't take much of a divot with anything, yet I can still spin everything from a 8i on up on the green, so I know I'm hitting the ball crisply. Could it be that I need stiffer shafts?

No divot but high ball flight means you're obviously adding loft at impact. I would think that you never get off your back foot and flip at it through impact. Prob not a shaft issue but the fact that you don't make a descending blow into the ball with your hands in front of the club head at impact.

[bargolf]

How can you tell it is a pull from the divot?

 

A left pointing divot does not indicate a pull.

[silver & black]

Since there is a "best ball striker" thread going on.... how does one become a good ball striker? If there is one aspect of the game that I really want to be good/better at, other than putting, it is to be a good ball striker.

 

I have finally learned how to hit with a descending blow, after almost 2 seasons of making the effort to learn how. The problem I now have is that, I hit fat/before the ball more than I'd like. I'm fairly consistent but I tend to hit fat or thin at least a few times in a round. How do I consistently hit the ball first, and then take a divot?

[HighFade]

Need some sage advice:

 

As the weather has been warming up, I'm hitting the range 2-3x week. I'm hitting everything from driver through PW is very consistently and reliably. I'm even practicing 3w off the deck. I've never felt comfortable enough to hit more than 5w from the turf. I'm feeling that good.

 

BUT

 

I'm pushing my GW, SW, and LW to the right. Would this be due to the offset of my irons, as compared to the wedges? Irons are Mizzy JPX 825 Pro. Wedges are MP-T4.

 

Or should I just be opening my stance more with the wedges as I am not going to be clearing my hips with the slower swing?

[Shankster]

Need some sage advice:

 

As the weather has been warming up, I'm hitting the range 2-3x week. I'm hitting everything from driver through PW is very consistently and reliably. I'm even practicing 3w off the deck. I've never felt comfortable enough to hit more than 5w from the turf. I'm feeling that good.

 

BUT

 

I'm pushing my GW, SW, and LW to the right. Would this be due to the offset of my irons, as compared to the wedges? Irons are Mizzy JPX 825 Pro. Wedges are MP-T4.

 

Or should I just be opening my stance more with the wedges as I am not going to be clearing my hips with the slower swing?

Sent you a PM (disclaimer *im no pro*)

 

 

- Da Yooper

@og_shankster (instagram)

[flash7257]

I have a 112 mph driver swing (just my normal swing).  My driver is a cobra fly-Z (9.5 degrees) and I am playing a BiMatrx Orange - X Flex - 46', .335" Tip (80gm) shaft.  Since I have started using this driver (had a stiff shaft - stock when I first got it) I have noticed that this seems to be ballooning as compared to my Taylormade SLDR driver.  I switched to the extra stiff shaft thinking that this may help and it has not done so.  I am sure that I am loosing at least 20 yards as compared to my previous driver due to this ballooning.  Is there a general fix (I know nothing is simple) that I could use or try to stop this from happening.  I would use the old driver but the face has a crack in it.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Ron

[Golfspy_CG2]

Interesting bump of an old topic as I was thinking about this  very type of thread this morning and wodering if Burke or any other current or recent Pros would be interested in chiming in on questions. 

 

I guess Golf Circut or JMiller aren't around anymore?   I read some of the replies and they had some good stuff. 

 

So anyone around/qualified and interested in taking the torch?

[PlaidJacket]

Yes... this is uncanny. I was thinking this morning that it would be cool if some of our forum club fitters, Pros, superintendents, etc. could in some way have a badge or something identifying them as such. Perhaps a badge showing their professional affiliation, etc.

[Golfspy_CG2]

Yes... this is uncanny. I was thinking this morning that it would be cool if some of our forum club fitters, Pros, superintendents, etc. could in some way have a badge or something identifying them as such. Perhaps a badge showing their professional affiliation, etc.

That's a great idea Plaid.   I'd be happy to sport a Golf Tournament Sales Badge 

[bartbridge]

Here is something that you might be able to help with. I got fit for my irons a couple of years ago. I was fitted to standard length and 2 degrees flat (static measurements also suggested that). Since then I have improved significantly and one of those improvements was stopping my early extension. I recently got my lofts lies checked and now I'm 4 degrees flat. I got my irons adjusted but I wonder whether I should adjust my setup to bring this back to 2 degrees or keep my irons and wedges at 4 degrees. I worry this will negatively impact things going forward and promote bad habits.

 

Would appreciate any feedback on this.

[ddryan]

Good afternoon all- does anyone have a few drills to help me stop swaying forward (lateral shift toward the left - I play right handed) on the downswing?  I often end up forward of the where the golf ball was, with a block or push fade.  When I concentrate  and think "Stay behind the ball" I can catch it from the inside, get my little draw and a resultant good swing, but my frequent miss is that hip slide instead of a good turn...

 

Thanks

[STUDque]

Good afternoon all- does anyone have a few drills to help me stop swaying forward (lateral shift toward the left - I play right handed) on the downswing? I often end up forward of the where the golf ball was, with a block or push fade. When I concentrate and think "Stay behind the ball" I can catch it from the inside, get my little draw and a resultant good swing, but my frequent miss is that hip slide instead of a good turn...

 

Thanks

I had one I used for a while because I would sway a lot in both directions.

 

Just hit some balls on the range with your feet together. Try it with all your clubs. It's that simple.

 

I put it into my pre shot routine for a while till I finally got the feel. Now I'll just do some dry swings from time to time when I'm waiting for the group in front of me.

 

 

 

Sent from carrier pigeon using MyGolfSpy

[cksurfdude]

I had one I used for a while because I would sway a lot in both directions.

 

Just hit some balls on the range with your feet together. Try it with all your clubs. It's that simple.

 

I put it into my pre shot routine for a while till I finally got the feel. Now I'll just do some dry swings from time to time when I'm waiting for the group in front of me.

 

 

 

Sent from carrier pigeon using MyGolfSpy

*Great tip*!!!

 

To try and expand on that a bit...

A swing key I got from a very patient (!) instructor a few years ago was:

* Winding and Unwinding

 

The feet together drill helps me work on balance and weight shift; while turning back I think of the "winding up" phase and when turning forward I think of the "unwinding" phase.

 

It's a great warm-up and also a really great tension reducer and get your body ready for the next shot move.

 

Another term you may have heard is "swinging inside a barrel" (or a cylinder) .. this visualization may help with reducing the lateral movements.

[kahl2069]

Having driver problems.....all my shots are hooking....even my irons have a big draw in the flight

[dhartmann34]

A video of your swing would be pretty helpful.

Having driver problems.....all my shots are hooking....even my irons have a big draw in the flight

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[Kenny B]

Having driver problems.....all my shots are hooking....even my irons have a big draw in the flight

Could be all kinds of reasons, which is why the video would be nice.  

 

Could be grip

Could be stance

Could be ball position

you know... the basic fundamentals.

[BGH]

Question about tempo and swing speed: My SS on mid and long irons seems OK given my age and lower back pain (high 70s, tops out at 82), but my driver swing speed is only a few mph higher.  While demoing a 3W I mentioned it to the fitter (a PGA teaching pro) who suggested it might be a tempo issue.  I know from using a Zepp analyzer that my tempo is pretty inconsistent, but even when it is pretty smooth (2.9:1 or 3:1), I rarely reach 90 and usually more in the mid-80s.  I am working on tempo with the Zepp and a golf metronome.

 

Is there anything else I could be doing to pick up a little more swing speed on the driver?

 

Thanks for any insights.

[Markelly82]

I didn't read through the entire thread, so I'm sorry if this was already touched.  Right now, I'm struggling with my chipping and the consistency that should be there.  I don't have a lot of confidence that I can get a put up and down with I miss the GIR.  I'm looking for some tips and drills that I could implement to practice a little bit more.  I've tried the forward press of the hands and closing the face down a little and chopping down on the ball.  I've also tried the little forward press with keeping the wrists out of the swing, but I seem to chunk a lot of these chips.  I used to fully use the 60 deg when chipping.  Now I'll use lower lofted clubs to get the ball on the ground quicker.  

Mainly, I feel like I have no touch right now with these shots and I'd really like to have that back.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

1 hour ago, Markelly82 said:

I didn't read through the entire thread, so I'm sorry if this was already touched.  Right now, I'm struggling with my chipping and the consistency that should be there.  I don't have a lot of confidence that I can get a put up and down with I miss the GIR.  I'm looking for some tips and drills that I could implement to practice a little bit more.  I've tried the forward press of the hands and closing the face down a little and chopping down on the ball.  I've also tried the little forward press with keeping the wrists out of the swing, but I seem to chunk a lot of these chips.  I used to fully use the 60 deg when chipping.  Now I'll use lower lofted clubs to get the ball on the ground quicker.  

Mainly, I feel like I have no touch right now with these shots and I'd really like to have that back.  

The forward press is your issue. This is going to cause the leading edge to dig in. The old school mentality of ball back, shaft lean hit the ball first leaves very little room for error.

 

also look at andrew rice who has done several videos on chips and pitches 

[Kenny B]

^^^  Agreed.  A more upright club exposes the bounce and bounce is your friend.  Need a little more weight on forward foot.

The only time I use forward shaft lean on a chip is when I am very close to the green and stroke it like a putt to get the ball on the green quickly and roll.

[Markelly82]

Thank you for the information.  I tried youtubing chips and got way to many results.  Sometimes it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

2 minutes ago, Markelly82 said:

Thank you for the information.  I tried youtubing chips and got way to many results.  Sometimes it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.  

The key thing imo if going the YouTube pro and self taught is find a channel that the teaching/explanation makes sense to you and stick primarily with that one.  Lots of good channels out there.  My preferences in no order are: meandmygolf, Danny Maude, Chris Ryan, Andrew Rice.  

 

[cksurfdude]

5 hours ago, Kenny B said:

stroke it like a putt to get the ball on the green

^^ THIS ^^

..is the best chipping advice!

Use a simple straight back / straight through putting stroke with no body movement. Call it a putt-chip, or a chip-putt. Then just vary the club used based on carry vs roll.

It works!

[PMookie]

Golf.com has a post of a video with Phil showing a chipping technique. It’s very similar to what Butch Harmon teaches. Note the forward press.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[edteergolf]

Wedge motions are just that motions.  Nothing locked down:  bad plan to 'leave the wrists' or any other part of your body out of it!  I usually find that my students begin to regain control of the their wedge shots when they improve how to interact with the ground.  First, don't get the leading edge stuck by having the handle too far forward at impact.  You want to learn to release the sole/bounce of the club into the ground.  You want to hear a thud but never take a divot - at least not inside 30 yards.  Most data shows 3-8* of forward shaft lean.  That isn't very much lean.  Once you hit the ball solid without ground interruption you can then regain distance and trajectory control.  

How does one release the sole to the ground.  It can be done with the wrists, body or combination.  My preference is a combination. 

1. Learn to properly use the wrists. (technique)

2. Learn to use the body correctly. (technique)

3. Learn to blend the two to create a solid strike. (technique)

4. Learn to hit multiple trajectories & distances with a highly lofted wedge by moving the ball position and not changing the swing. (skill)

5. Learn to select the correct shot and club to provide the easiest solution to each situation.  (skill, Golf IQ, & decision making)

I'd highly suggest you rid yourself of the idea that the face should be pointing to the ground.  

Good luck!

[Kenny B]

27 minutes ago, edteergolf said:

Wedge motions are just that motions.  Nothing locked down:  bad plan to 'leave the wrists' or any other part of your body out of it!  I usually find that my students begin to regain control of the their wedge shots when they improve how to interact with the ground.  First, don't get the leading edge stuck by having the handle too far forward at impact.  You want to learn to release the sole/bounce of the club into the ground.  You want to hear a thud but never take a divot - at least not inside 30 yards.  Most data shows 3-8* of forward shaft lean.  That isn't very much lean.  Once you hit the ball solid without ground interruption you can then regain distance and trajectory control.  

How does one release the sole to the ground.  It can be done with the wrists, body or combination.  My preference is a combination. 

1. Learn to properly use the wrists. (technique)

2. Learn to use the body correctly. (technique)

3. Learn to blend the two to create a solid strike. (technique)

4. Learn to hit multiple trajectories & distances with a highly lofted wedge by moving the ball position and not changing the swing. (skill)

5. Learn to select the correct shot and club to provide the easiest solution to each situation.  (skill, Golf IQ, & decision making)

I'd highly suggest you rid yourself of the idea that the face should be pointing to the ground.  

Good luck!

It does take practice... continuous practice!  Practice with correct technique to develop the skill, then continuous practice to develop and maintain feel for each type of shot.  It's amazing how quickly feel is lost when you aren't practicing.

[edteergolf]

4 hours ago, Kenny B said:

It does take practice... continuous practice!  Practice with correct technique to develop the skill, then continuous practice to develop and maintain feel for each type of shot.  It's amazing how quickly feel is lost when you aren't practicing.

Great technique takes less time to get the feel back than bad technique.  Life is easier with function technique unless you have tons of time to practice.