Swing thoughts that have worked for you

[bsanko]

I aim as far left as possible... That why I assure myself to hit it straight down the fairway!

LOL... I know thats not how you are supposed to do it. I just don't have the time to practice as much as I should to get rid of my terrible ability to hit it straight off the tee actually aiming straight down the fairway

If you are slicing, there are two simple fixes:

First, take your left hand and rotate more to the right. Place your left hand as you normally do and hit the ball. It feels weird at first, but it allows you to rotate your hands and hit the ball straighter.

Another option is to take your left foot and place it forward by closing your stance. This will allow you to stop creating that inside/out swing pattern which creates side spin while causing the ball to slice.

If neither of these work after some practice at the range, leave your clubs in the trunk and just throw the damn ball.

 

[bsanko]

What are the actual putting methods?

Most players create either an inside/out or outside/in swing motion causing the ball to be pushed or pulled. A great drill is to take a yardstick and place it on the ground. (You can do this while at home) Take your putter (placing it on top of the yardstick) and take your back and forth stroke in a straight line as the yardstick. Pay attention that you are not lifting up the putter on your back stroke and you are not going off line from the yardstick. Practice this a few times a day and your guaranteed to hit more solid putts.

Always make sure your putter is square, hands are not pushed forward or leaning back. Use a wall mirror if you have one to monitor. Also, always make sure your weight is centered and evenly distributed.

 

[bsanko]

One of the biggest issues I am currently dealing with is ball placement. At times I will either hit the ground first or top the ball. This is a result of either having the ball too far forward like a driver or too far behind.

Swaying my hips have always been my biggest problem vice rotating them.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

A lot depends on the course that you are playing. Miss a green where I play at & you are dealing with 3-4 inch rough. You need the hands to get through it.

Agree certainly in that case..mostly bermuda rough down here...most courses keep it 2" or less...this year with all the rain...rough is 3+ on a lot courses, but around the green they give you 2 cuts...one you can hit most any shot and the other, flop is all you have...so I stand corrected.

 

[SFNL]

Most players create either an inside/out or outside/in swing motion causing the ball to be pushed or pulled. A great drill is to take a yardstick and place it on the ground. (You can do this while at home) Take your putter (placing it on top of the yardstick) and take your back and forth stroke in a straight line as the yardstick. Pay attention that you are not lifting up the putter on your back stroke and you are not going off line from the yardstick. Practice this a few times a day and your guaranteed to hit more solid putts.

Always make sure your putter is square, hands are not pushed forward or leaning back. Use a wall mirror if you have one to monitor. Also, always make sure your weight is centered and evenly distributed.

Gotcha. A drill that i use sometimes is that I'll find a straight putt on the putting green then place 4 sets of 2 tees each right along the path that my stroke should follow. the idea is to stroke the putt without hitting any tees. really good drill for 10 feet & in.

 

[NickVT10]

One of the biggest issues I am currently dealing with is ball placement. At times I will either hit the ground first or top the ball. This is a result of either having the ball too far forward like a driver or too far behind.

Swaying my hips have always been my biggest problem vice rotating them.

Ball placement for me is for the driver is on my front shoulder and as I go to higher lofted clubs the ball works its way further back in my stance. My wedge shots are pretty center. Also i dont look at the ball when I swing. I focus about 1 inch in front of the ball. That is the spot I want the club to actually hit the ground. This will help with hitting the ball first on the downswing and giving you the divot in front of the ball like you are supposed to get. You will get good height on the ball and better spin as well.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Lol - don't play enough to be that good yet just enough to be miserable...

LOL...rarely am I ever miserable playing golf but I get your point....the only thing that really gets me steaming is missing those 2-3' putts...rushing a lot of times trying to get out of the way.

 

[SDPaddlefish]

A long time ago, I read a tip for sand shots that has worked extremely well for me. For a greenside bunker, open up your wedge so that it is flat enough that you could put a full champagne glass on it. I think of that for every sand shot now and it is worked wonders for me.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

One of the biggest issues I am currently dealing with is ball placement. At times I will either hit the ground first or top the ball. This is a result of either having the ball too far forward like a driver or too far behind.

Swaying my hips have always been my biggest problem vice rotating them.

Ball position...my preshot routine puts me in the same position everytime with my driver...start with feet close together and sq to the target line at address...Angle left foot out towards the target slightly...then my right foot widens out to my comfort zone...this put the ball right off my left toe...unless I start getting too wide with my stance my ball contact is fairly consistent with the driver...the same for my 2H & 3W.

Now shorter clubs...off the deck, particularly uneven lies...it's more guess work where I'm going to bottom out...swing smooth on similar terrain/stance and try to repeat the smooth one...that's a tough one.

 

[TobyTyler]

Most players create either an inside/out or outside/in swing motion causing the ball to be pushed or pulled. A great drill is to take a yardstick and place it on the ground. (You can do this while at home) Take your putter (placing it on top of the yardstick) and take your back and forth stroke in a straight line as the yardstick. Pay attention that you are not lifting up the putter on your back stroke and you are not going off line from the yardstick. Practice this a few times a day and your guaranteed to hit more solid putts.

Always make sure your putter is square, hands are not pushed forward or leaning back. Use a wall mirror if you have one to monitor. Also, always make sure your weight is centered and evenly distributed.

I bring the putter back slightly inside on its natural arc and then let it release. I get a much more solid feel and never push putts like I do when using your method.

 

[TobyTyler]

Ball placement for me is for the driver is on my front shoulder and as I go to higher lofted clubs the ball works its way further back in my stance. My wedge shots are pretty center. Also i dont look at the ball when I swing. I focus about 1 inch in front of the ball. That is the spot I want the club to actually hit the ground. This will help with hitting the ball first on the downswing and giving you the divot in front of the ball like you are supposed to get. You will get good height on the ball and better spin as well.

Oh man, I could just see myself topping the ball and driving it into the ground. I'm gonna give it a try though. I haven't been happy with my divots lately.

 

[bsanko]

Oh man, I could just see myself topping the ball and driving it into the ground. I'm gonna give it a try though. I haven't been happy with my divots lately.

Actually the tip given is what a pro told me with my Titleist AP2's. With blades, you want to hit the ball first, then make a divot. Watch Sergio the next time he is on tv. He does this very well. The thing I don't want is more ball height and additional spin. My driver is X-stiff and the rest of my clubs are stiff. If you follow the Titleist shaft charts, I am playing with shafts that will cause a lower ball flight, yet I still hit the ball very high. My spin rate is extremely high, well over 5,000 RPMs. While this is great for approach shots and par 3s to hold the green, it sucks with the driver because I don't get much roll. I am lucky to get 5 yards. My swing path is one cause. Now that I have been properly fitted for each individual club, my next move is to be properly fitted with the right ball.

I will try the look 1 inch in front of the ball method to see how this will work for me.

 

[bsanko]

For chipping... Put the ball back in your stance and hit down on it while keeping your weight on your front foot. You'll get good, consistent contact that way and that is the most important thing in regards to chipping.

One thing I see a lot of people do wrong when chipping is they decelerate on their downswing which causes to hit a fat shot and come up short. You need to accelerate and hit down on the ball, which will create backspin. Another thing I see is people don't follow through with their shot and most will stop once they hit the ball. At a minimum, your backswing and follow through should be equal. This is the same with bunker shots.

 

[HizzleRocker]

Here's a secret to chipping:

Now first of all, make sure that you differentiate between chipping and pitching. I am talking solely about chipping (i.e. bump and run, etc...). It's about mathematics and making your target the simplest one.

Rules to chipping:

1) The target is never the hole. The target is always the first couple feet of the green in front of you. Never land the ball further than this.

2) Your goal on every chip shot is to do two things:
(a) First, hit your landing area (the first couple feet of the green). Say for example you are 5 feet off the green, and the pin is 20 feet more onto the green (making you 25 feet away in total). Your landing area now is only about 6-7 feet away. How much easier will it be to hit a target area 6 feet away than 25 feet away?

(b) Next, choose the right club. The club you chose is responsible for getting enough roll to run the ball the extra distance. Chosing the right club is much much easier than you think (which is Rule #3).

3) The club you chose is based on math/ratios:
(a) A PW will have about a 1:1 ratio. Meaning if you carry it 6 feet, it will roll 6 feet.
(b) A 9 iron will have about a 1:2 ratio. Carry it 6 feet, then get 12 feet of roll.
(c) An 8 iron will have about a 1:3 ratio.
(d) A 7 iron will have about a 1:4 ratio.
(e) A 6 iron will have about a 1:5 ratio.
(f) A 5 iron will have about a 1:6 ratio.


In the example I posted above (5 feet off, with the pin 20 feet further), the perfect club would be an 8 iron. You are going to land it roughly 6 feet away. Then you will get roughly 3x that in roll (18 feet). 6+18 = 24 feet.

Obviously the ratios can vary slightly based on your particular clubs, uphill vs downhill, speed of greens, etc... However, once you get comfortable with them by practicing this - you will rarely be far off.

I promise you guys this works.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Now first of all, make sure that you differentiate between chipping and pitching. I am talking solely about chipping (i.e. bump and run, etc...). It's about mathematics and making your target the simplest one.

Rules to chipping:

1) The target is never the hole. The target is always the first couple feet of the green in front of you. Never land the ball further than this.

2) Your goal on every chip shot is to do two things:
(a) First, hit your landing area (the first couple feet of the green). Say for example you are 5 feet off the green, and the pin is 20 feet more onto the green (making you 25 feet away in total). Your landing area now is only about 6-7 feet away. How much easier will it be to hit a target area 6 feet away than 25 feet away?

(b) Next, choose the right club. The club you chose is responsible for getting enough roll to run the ball the extra distance. Chosing the right club is much much easier than you think (which is Rule #3).

3) The club you chose is based on math/ratios:
(a) A PW will have about a 1:1 ratio. Meaning if you carry it 6 feet, it will roll 6 feet.
(b) A 9 iron will have about a 1:2 ratio. Carry it 6 feet, then get 12 feet of roll.
(c) An 8 iron will have about a 1:3 ratio.
(d) A 7 iron will have about a 1:4 ratio.
(e) A 6 iron will have about a 1:5 ratio.
(f) A 5 iron will have about a 1:6 ratio.


In the example I posted above (5 feet off, with the pin 20 feet further), the perfect club would be an 8 iron. You are going to land it roughly 6 feet away. Then you will get roughly 3x that in roll (18 feet). 6+18 = 24 feet.

Obviously the ratios can vary slightly based on your particular clubs, uphill vs downhill, speed of greens, etc... However, once you get comfortable with them by practicing this - you will rarely be far off.

I promise you guys this works.

Good stuff...it does work, the key is the practice time. For a once a week player what would you consider a decent leave with 20-30' of green to work with...uphill? downhill?

 

[Tharvot]

If you are slicing, there are two simple fixes:

First, take your left hand and rotate more to the right. Place your left hand as you normally do and hit the ball. It feels weird at first, but it allows you to rotate your hands and hit the ball straighter.

Another option is to take your left foot and place it forward by closing your stance. This will allow you to stop creating that inside/out swing pattern which creates side spin while causing the ball to slice.

If neither of these work after some practice at the range, leave your clubs in the trunk and just throw the damn ball.

I normally push or slice with my driver, but thats the only club in my bad I do it with...irritating. I've gone to the range a few times and tried to focus on shoulder turn with varied results.

Whats this with your hands?

 

[bsanko]

I normally push or slice with my driver, but thats the only club in my bad I do it with...irritating. I've gone to the range a few times and tried to focus on shoulder turn with varied results.

Whats this with your hands?

When you rotate your left hand to the right around your grip, it forces you to rotate your hands and close the club head at impact making it square against the ball. Leaving the club face open allows you to push the ball to the right.

Here is a perfect video of what I am trying to tell you. Trust me, it works!!!!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxTnn1IWdvk]Fix Golf Slice Fast Grip Lesson - YouTube[/ame]

 

[SFNL]

This'll get ya thinking...

 

[HizzleRocker]

Good stuff...it does work, the key is the practice time. For a once a week player what would you consider a decent leave with 20-30' of green to work with...uphill? downhill?

For 30 feet out, even a once per week player should be able to get within 5 or 6 feet using this method, imo. The only thing you are asked to do is hit a landing area only a few feet or so in front of you, and then judge the right ratio. Makes it very simple.

 

[HizzleRocker]

I normally push or slice with my driver, but thats the only club in my bad I do it with...irritating. I've gone to the range a few times and tried to focus on shoulder turn with varied results.

Whats this with your hands?

The very first thing you need to do is figure out whether it is a "push" or a "slice." These are two totally different things. It's easy to see the ball go right and automatically assume you have sliced it. Not necessarily true.

1) Does the ball start right, and then just continue on that same line? If so, this is a push. If this is the case, then it has 100% to do with swing path. Your face is not the issue. Or,

2) Does the ball start straight (or left) and curve right? If so, this is a slice. If this is the case, it has to do with clubface angle. Here I would be focusing on your grip and your hand action.

3) If it does both - go see a pro quickly