Joe,
Your tips are very helpfull. I am having trouble turning, i am 64, no physical problems, but cannot for the likes of me understand how best to turn.
michael persaud
Hello Michael,
Richard asked me to respond to your question. I have to assume you are already a consistent ball striker, and you just want more distance, and more turn, properly applied, can produce more distance. Before you concentrate on turning, make sure you never do anything that hurts consistent ball striking. On the practice range, you can always have contests between your “swing A” and your “swing B” and see who wins. I like Hal Sutton’s advice on turning by using your entire body as a unit, everything working together, arms, hips, shoulders at the same time. Others will disagree and say just turn your shoulders but not your hips. You have to experiment with the many available methods to find which method works best for you, because we are all built differently, as you may have noticed I say this a lot.
Joe
Monday, February 23, 2004
Joe,
I am in my 70's and quite small-sized. I can hit my driver straight although I can't hit long. My biggest problem is the irons, especially the long ones (1-4). I would appreciate if you could give me some tips on how to hit these clubs consistently. Thanks. Jim
Hi Jim,
Many golfers have a hard time hitting long irons because the sweet spot is very small, the shafts are longer, and any error seems to be magnified. Sometimes the problem is in the mind when looking at low-lofted clubs. You might be thinking you must try to lift the ball, which is a mistake. Try to focus only on the leading edge of the iron without worrying about the amount of loft on the clubface. Hit down on the ball with the leading edge and see what happens. Convince yourself that if you can just strike the ball at the equator with the leading edge (with a downward blow), the ball will spin up the clubface no matter what the loft is.
Your equipment may be a factor. If your set of clubs was custom fitted, you have a better chance at success, but if not, consider replacing your long irons with a 7-wood and 9-wood. Try to attend demo days and see if a different brand of club works better for you, or maybe a different shaft flex, or different design, such as blades or offset styles, muscle-backs or cavity-backs. Also you can try the new styles of utility woods, which are designed to take the place of long irons. They have a head design that is a hybrid between an iron and a wood, and some people say they are easier to hit than long irons. Let us know how things work out for you.
Joe
I am in my 70's and quite small-sized. I can hit my driver straight although I can't hit long. My biggest problem is the irons, especially the long ones (1-4). I would appreciate if you could give me some tips on how to hit these clubs consistently. Thanks. Jim
Hi Jim,
Many golfers have a hard time hitting long irons because the sweet spot is very small, the shafts are longer, and any error seems to be magnified. Sometimes the problem is in the mind when looking at low-lofted clubs. You might be thinking you must try to lift the ball, which is a mistake. Try to focus only on the leading edge of the iron without worrying about the amount of loft on the clubface. Hit down on the ball with the leading edge and see what happens. Convince yourself that if you can just strike the ball at the equator with the leading edge (with a downward blow), the ball will spin up the clubface no matter what the loft is.
Your equipment may be a factor. If your set of clubs was custom fitted, you have a better chance at success, but if not, consider replacing your long irons with a 7-wood and 9-wood. Try to attend demo days and see if a different brand of club works better for you, or maybe a different shaft flex, or different design, such as blades or offset styles, muscle-backs or cavity-backs. Also you can try the new styles of utility woods, which are designed to take the place of long irons. They have a head design that is a hybrid between an iron and a wood, and some people say they are easier to hit than long irons. Let us know how things work out for you.
Joe
