Joe, My buddy has always been just a little better than me. He keep busting on me that i have a great swing but the final score tells the picture. If my swing is so good why can't i beat him. I need tips, training ideas, mental strategies, is there anything I can do to shut this guy up for next year, I just got promoted at my job so the money should allow me to get some one on one training with a golf pro but anything you can help with would be greatly accepted thanks again. Drew

Hello Drew,
Sometimes you can go to any driving range and see golfer A hitting next to golfer B. They both hit the ball about the same. However, golfer A cannot break 90 and golfer B has a single digit handicap. The moral of the story is that a great swing will only get you so far. Golfer B is better at chipping and putting, but you could never tell that by watching full swings.

If you were to keep charts on both yourself and your buddy, you might find that both of you hit the same number of fairways and greens, but your buddy has more 1-putts than you do. You might think your putting is just as good as your buddy's, but maybe your buddy gets his/her chip shots closer to the hole. The charts will tell you which parts of the game you need to improve on, if you are ever going to beat your buddy. Set goals for yourself. Make every putt within 3 feet. Lag every long putt to within 3 feet and you will seldom 3-putt. Get all chip shots as close to the hole as possible. The more you practice these "scoring" shots, the better you will get at this. Good luck!
Joe


(got a question? Send it to golfwithjoey@yahoo.com)

Joe,
I wonder how much winter generally effects a golfers game. (I live in the Baltimore, Maryland area) I know I am somewhat effected by the excess clothing that hinders my full swing. In addition to that it just seems like I am not getting my normal distance. How does the cold effect ball flight? Do you have any suggestions for swing modifications to accommodate the excess clothing.
Sheila

Hello Sheila,
For clothing, I would recommend a few layers of light loose-fitting clothing rather than one heavy layer. Don't try to overswing. Cold weather will cause the ball to lose distance anyway, so you will have to adjust your club selections accordingly.
Joe

Joe, I thoroughly enjoy the tips. I am a new golfer and have a problem. I can hit my irons fine, but when it comes to the driver, I cannot hit the driver. I spent two practice sessions working on hitting the driver and did not work on the irons and got to where I could hit the driver with very good accuracy. On my next practice session I picked up the irons, and I could not hit the irons. Everything seemed to be out of whack. Then when I got to hitting the irons right again, I could not hit the driver. It kept going back and forth. Is this typical for a new golfer, or are there two swings. One for the irons and one for the driver?
Bill

Hi Bill,
Some people are able to get away with using a different swing for the driver and the irons, but I would recommend finding a different driver that allows you to use the same swing for all clubs. If you are anything like me, you might need a driver with a loft of more than 12 degrees, or a 3 wood with an oversized head and deep face (to avoid popups), which is really no different than a driver with extra loft.
Joe

(got a question? Send it to golfwithjoey@yahoo.com)

Joe,
I am a 11 H'Caper. I have been going thru your articles almost everyday. They make very interesting reading. I wanted some advice---- When the round is going exceedingly well, suddenly from out of the blue I begin to shank especially so with the 3 & 4 irons. What could be the reason----is it a flat swing which is what I suspect or any other. If you could rectify this I will be extremely greatful.
Thanks, Bala

Hello Bala,
Although shanks with long irons can be partly attributed to a flat swing, the first thing you should try is to keep your weight more on your heels. I also had the shanks until I realized my weight was too much on my toes. If you find that you still have the shanks, you may want to consider using a 5-wood and 7-wood instead of the long irons. I hope this helps.
Joe

Joe,
I'm having a problem hitting my fairway woods, some times I strike them well and other times I can't hit one for the life of me. Also I don't get the distance I should out of them when I do hit one well. can you help me with this problem.
Jimmy

Hi Jimmy,
Of course I would have to see your swing to say for sure, but I can surmise that your fairway woods do not have enough loft. If you like the model you are using, try the 5-wood and 7-wood, the distance you lose will not be much. Compare that distance to your long irons. If there is no difference, then try different models of fairway woods.
Joe

Joe, u r doing a great job and helping alot of golfers,can u help me to solve my swing problem: My practice swing is very good (though fast by normal standards as pointed out by my fellow golfers) but when it comes to actual ball striking ,back swing becomes much much shorter, which people attribute to me becoming (maybe) tense,can u help in my case ,I am 52yrs old,but has atheletic body ,i am encouraged to write in view of ur offer of seeking help from joe by sending email
Thanx, Resham

Hello Resham,
You are correct in your self-diagnosis on being tense causing your quick backswing. I have read things from several experts who say that nobody ever swung the club back too slow, so take that advice, and go real real slow and see what happens. If that does not work, let me know something more specific, like are your bad shots fat or thin, sliced or hooked, all clubs, or just woods, or irons, etc.
Joe

Joe, u r doing a great job and helping alot of golfers,can u help me to solve my swing problem: My practice swing is very good (though fast by normal standards as pointed out by my fellow golfers) but when it comes to actual ball striking ,back swing becomes much much shorter, which people attribute to me becoming (maybe) tense,can u help in my case ,I am 52yrs old,but has atheletic body ,i am encouraged to write in view of ur offer of seeking help from joe by sending email
Thanx, Resham

Hello Resham,
You are correct in your self-diagnosis on being tense causing your quick backswing. I have read things from several experts who say that nobody ever swung the club back too slow, so take that advice, and go real real slow and see what happens. If that does not work, let me know something more specific, like are your bad shots fat or thin, sliced or hooked, all clubs, or just woods, or irons, etc.
Joe

Hi,
Any idea why I am hiting my driver 260yards and yet my 3 iron could not go further than 190 and my 7 iron goes not farther than 145 yards. I also only hit my 3 wood no more than 210 yards. but my irons give a consistent distance of about 10 yards. I am a 15 handicapper. Do I need to change my equipment or practise more?? Since I know that the driver usually hits about 20 yards further than the longest club and that is crucial on approach shots. Please recommend. Thanks
Jack

Hello Jack,
If you can hit shots consistently to the distances you mentioned, then your 15 handicap is probably not due to your equipment, it is probably due to your short game. Let's say you are always on or near every green in regulation. If you can get "up and down" half the time, your handicap would be around 9. Anyway, what kind of equipment do you have? I am surprised by the difference in distance between your driver and 3-wood, are they the same brands and same shaft flex? If you truly can hit your driver 260 yards, then you ought to be able to hit irons a little farther than the distances you mentioned, so newer equipment might also help. Just make sure you get better at getting up and down.
Joe

Joe, how do one pick a ball because of the dimples is it more or less any guide lines one could go buy.
thanks ////ron

Hi Ron,
Unless you are a low handicap player, the dimples are not going to matter. If you are already a low handicapper, you probably already know which ball works best for you. Since all of us are unique individuals, the only way to tell which ball is better for you is to have a contest. The ideal way would be to find an uncrowded course (if there is such a thing in your area) and play two balls. Which one wins? In prior newsletters I have already stated my "meticulous scientific method" of selecting a ball, so let me know if it bears repeating.
Joe

Joe, I have a quick question for you. I play with a set of 1996 callaway big bertha irons and i love these irons. Recently 3 of the little badges (dome stickers) have fallen off during swings, and i could find them. How do i go about getting some replacements without having to buy new irons. I guess it is just a cosmetic flaw. I just want them to look good again. Callaway just suggested getting newer irons. What do you think?
Thank you for your time. Joe from Indiana

Hello Joe,
Well, if you said you did find them, then just glue them back on. If that is a typo, and you really meant that you could not find them, ask your local golf shops if they could put a replacement badge on your club. If you buy a new club, you run the risk of that club not being as good as your present club due to tolerance differences. If it were me, and I really liked the club, I would not give a #$%*& about the sticker, but that is just me, you decide.
Joe

Joe, I have recently changed over my Irons from blades (Lynx) to the Oversize offset clubs King Cobra. I am an 8 handicapper, now playing like 18, I either skull the ball or the club digs in behind the ball. The problem is obviously the OFFSET, so how do I overcome this. Secondly, can Joe tell me how to go about deciding wether to make the clubs 1 or 2 or even 3 degrees upright, if the lie is too flat ?
Regards, Nippy

Hi Nippy,
It sounds like you did not get fitted properly before you bought new clubs. It is possible that your blades had more appropriate specs for you, such as length and shaft flex. I am not sure how you came to the conclusion that you need your lie angle adjusted to be more upright, but if you did notice the scuff marks on the bottom of the sole being more toward the toe, then you are correct, but before you take them to a golf shop to have them bent more upright, compare the shaft lengths and flexes. You can only blame the offset if all other variables are equal.
Joe

(got a question? email to golfwithjoey@yahoo.com)

Joe,
I play mostly all woods like 15,13,11, and so on. I carry a 9
iron a pitching wedge and sandwedge. My reason are simple as I
don't draw the woods but do draw all of my irons. I am now trying
to keep to wrist stiff and I can see by doing that I am now
hitting a 7 iron straight. My only problem I am not holding the
club in my left hand softly rather I am holding it a little
tight. Is this wrong? I find when hitting a iron ,it seems to
me that I come over the ball instead of hitting straight thru the
ball. With wood I feel I definitely hit straight thru the ball.
Should I still be holding the club a little tight or try to
loosen up on it?
Carole


Hello Carole,
It sounds like you have different swings for different
clubs. It would be nice if you could have the same
swing with all clubs. It is possible that your set of
clubs is not matched very well. If they were, you
would not have to worry about how to make adjustments
for this club and for that club. Your grip should be
neither too tight or too loose. Try to attend some
"demo days" where you can try different types of clubs
for free, and you might be surprised at how much
difference there is between brands.
Joe

Joe, I have a one and three iron-wood, Calloway brand. Number One wood is 11 degree. Am able to hit my three wood between 180 and 200 yards. My one wood goes 20 yards shorter than the three. When first acquired I used to slice consistantly with the three wood. It was so much lighter than my old small head woods so I decided to add some lead tape to the bottom back section of the head. This definitely helped to get me back on my 'straight ball'. Weight added to the one wood made no difference as far as being able to hit it longer than the three wood. In spite of my advanced age I am still quite flexible and do have a good body turn. Not seeing me swing ,I'm sure makes it difficult to analyze but perhaps you might have several reasons for the discrepency. (My short game keeps me shooting in the mid eighties )
Thank you....... Ed


Hello Ed,
There are a lot of people who cannot hit their driver as far as their 3-wood because their drivers do not have enough loft. Installing lead tape on your club is a good thing, if you want to reduce a slice, you put the tape at the heel. I recommend you get a driver with more loft, or a 3-wood with a huge head and a really tall face. If you cannot find one, I recommend the John Daly "Extreme" model. The 5-wood is just as big as most normal drivers, but it has the extra loft of 20 degrees. The 3-wood has 15 degrees loft and is just as big as most jumbo drivers. The driver is 500cc, which is about the size of a Buick.
Joe

Joe,
I have developed a problem with my swing although being a capable golfer (h,cap 20)i can not seem to be able to rectify it. on driving of the tee i keep hitting it right or left with no obvious reason this dosn't happen with irons off the tee or the fairways please can you help
thankyou steve

Hello Steve,
If it is true that all your shots are fairly straight except your drives, then perhaps all your clubs are properly fitted to your swing, but your driver is not. You might be surprised how many differences there are in drivers. Try to attend some demo days or go to a golf store that has a computerized hitting bay and bring your driver with you to compare results against other brands.
Joe

Joe,
How can I tell if the clubs I'm using have the correct lie angle
for my height? Also how would I go about measuring the lie angle?
Thanks Joe from Staten Island NY

Hello Joe,
There are a few different ways to check this. First
of all, lie angles that are too flat will tend to push
your shots to the right, assuming you are right
handed, and conversely the lie angles that are too
upright will tend to pull your shots to the left.
Check your divots, are they deeper near the toe or
near the heel? If deeper near the toe, the lie angle
is too flat. Most golf shops that have a hitting bay
will allow you to put tape on the sole of the clubs
and hit balls off a "striking board". If the tape
gets scuffed nearer the toe, then the lie angle is too
flat, a proper lie angle will show scuffs in the
center of the sole. I have always suspected most
golfers have lie angles that are too flat because when
they are fitted, they are incorrectly using the
address position of the hands and arms. The correct
position is the impact position when the arms and
shaft are on the same plane. If your shots happen to
push or slice, you can partially correct this by
having your lie angles bent more upright. Some golf
shops will do this for a fee, but you may have to sign
a waiver due to the risk of breaking the club in the
process.
Joe

Joe,
I have asked this question many places and never got an answer. Perhaps you will attempt one. What is the highest percentage shot if you are on hardpan and neeed to go over a sand trap with little green to work with? This can happen where the ground is hard near a cart path. Is it almost better to try to run thru the trap? use a lofted wedge? Use a 9 iron?

Hello Alan,
This depends on the situation. Can you live with a bogey or do you feel you must go for the par and possibly risk a double bogey? Let's say you need a par, and the sand is hard and the trap has no lip. In that case you can try to run the ball thru the trap, otherwise don't try that if the sand is soft and the trap has a lip. If you can live with a bogey, you can consider playing around the trap unless that leaves you too far from the hole. If you really need a par
and the trap has soft sand and a lip, open the face of a sand wedge, so it will not dig into the ground, but instead the sole will bounce off the ground and into
the ball. With a little practice this shot should work. Good luck!
Joe

got a question? send it to me at golfwithjoey@yahoo.com)

Joe,
Over the last few years I have developed a vicious snap hook. I am right handed and quite often my right hand will roll over on the downswing and create a snap hook that will travel 150 yards forward and 75 yards to the left. I have tried to relax the right hand grip, rotate my hips and various other fixes with mixed results. I may have two or three good swings during an 18 hole round where my drives will be straight and approximately 275 to 285 yards. All others will be snap hooks. I never had this problem till about two years ago and since then I have been unable to remedy this situation. When I go to the range I am able to hit drive after drive either straight or with a light power fade. Not so on the course. Help! Richard

Hi Richard,
From your message I assume you only hook with the driver, not with any other club. At the range, are you using the grassy area or the mats with the permanent rubber tees? When you are using the mats, the tees are always at the same height. On the grass when you use your own tees, maybe you are teeing the
ball too low. If this is not the case, try a more upright swing plane and make sure to hit down on the ball more steeply, and extend your follow thru on an inside-out line.
Joe

(got a question? send it to me at golfwithjoey@yahoo.com)

Joe, I need help. Any solutions to an improved result from 90 yards to the green would help my game (?) a bunch. I am 72 and have struggled with this for years. I feel as though I am jabbing my club at the ball – no rhythm, no true feel, no accuracy, no confidence, to name but a few inner observations. Please help! Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Chuck Phifer

Hi Chuck,
If I understand your problem correctly, it is the partial wedge shot, which many other people suffer as well. If you have not already tried different types of wedges, maybe that would help. If you have already tried this with no success, then you must do two things. First, make sure on the downswing that your hands are leading the club all the way down, including after the contact. Second, keep your club shaft on the same plane as your leading arm. Let me know if this helps.
Joe

(got a question? send it to me at golfwithjoey@yahoo.com)

Question: Is there a drill I can work on that will keep me from rolling out on my right ankle when trying to hit my driver. I am a pretty straight ball hitter, but I hit my 3 wood farther than my driver. If i keep my right heel off the ground i can crush my driver but I feel to awkward. Thanks for your help.

Answer: If you are rolling the right ankle during the backswing, your stance may be too narrow. If you are rolling the ankle on the follow-thru, you may be swinging too hard. I would recommend the 2-club drill like a baseball player warming up in the on deck circle. While doing this drill, the right heel should only come off the ground when finishing the follow-thru. I do not think it is a good idea to have the right heel off the ground during the backswing, you might lose balance. Instead, during the backswing, let the inside edge of your right foot feel the weight shift, and push off from there to start the downswing.

Another Season Comes To A Close
Where did the summer go? How did time slip by so fast? The cold air is already slipping down from Canada. The fall colors have gone. We can never be sure when the weather will dictate that our next round of golf might be our last of the year. Come on, Indian Summer, thank goodness for global warming. There are so many leaves fallen to the ground that it is hard to find your ball in the middle of the fairway (but most of us are not used to being in that position anyway). In a few days, the season will be only a memory of some remarkable shots, like the awesome majesty of a moon-shot popup drive, the graceful curve of a banana-peel slice, the feeling of helplessness as the ball heads toward the water hazard, the perfect symmetry of ever-growing circles that the ripples create, the impressive rooster tail from the morning dew being ripped apart by a sizzling worm-burner, some “almost-good” rounds, and plenty of laughs with good friends. There is no better therapy for life’s daily stresses. Hurry, 2004.

Joe,
Do you have a comprehensive program to eliminate a hook ?---All my shots go from right to left, I find it impossible to even fade the ball, if I try to, I pull hook it.

Hello Doug,
Rather than presenting a complicated program for this, since I have never seen you swing, here are two simple things to try. First, weaken your grip. Notice that your thumb and first finger form a V, which in your case should point toward your chin, both hands. Secondly, most people who tend to pull their shots are not aware of their swing path. If you are a right handed player, and your target is at 12 o'clock, you may think you are swinging at the target, but your body is also turning as you swing, so by the time your club gets to the ball, your swing path is actually going at 11 o'clock. to compensate for this, try to extend your follow-thru toward 1 o'clock, and your body turn will probably bring the swing path closer to 12 o'clock at impact. Let me know if this helped.
Joe

Joe,
Thank you for the opportunity to ask questions. I have developed a consistent pull hook with all my clubs. This tells me I have developed the habit of coming over the top at the start of the downswing. Do you have any drills I can use over the winter to ingrain the correct starting movement from the top? Thanks again!
Bill

Hello Bill,
Here is a drill that might help. Begin at the top of your backswing and hold that pose. Begin the downswing by starting your lower body weight shift first, but don't finish the swing, just stop your swing when your elbows pass in front of your hips. Is the club shaft on the same plane as your front arm? Are your elbows too far apart? Have your wrists begun to snap too soon? Repeat this until you get these 3 checks right. Then finish the swing inside-out. In other words (for right handers) if your target line is 12 o'clock, extend your follow-thru towards 1 o'clock.
Joe

Joe,
I am 5' 7 1/2" tall, and am of average build (165 lbs). I measure 34" from ground to wrist with shoes on. My question is what length should my driver be and is there a 1/2" length reduction in each succeeding wood/metal as there is in irons. Thank you J. Keane

Hello J.K.,
Although there is a "recommended" driver length according to a person's height and build, I would need to know first if you consider yourself to be a good consistent ball striker who does not need more distance. Let's say you already are a good ball striker who wants more distance, then I would say to try longer lengths. If you are not such a good ball striker, then I would recommend shorter lengths which might improve your ball striking. The best thing for you to do is to get fitted somewhere that has a computerized hitting bay, and compare results with clubs of different lengths. Sometimes you will find the brand makes a difference also, and we have not even begun to mention other factors such as shaft flex, torque, kickpoints, lie angles, loft angles, swingweights, grip sizes, etc. Some people who think about all these things just throw their arms up and run away screaming into the night, and then use the John Daly philosophy, just grip it and rip it.
Joe

Joe,
I read in a recent golf magazine an article about Jan Stephenson. One of her comments was to the effect that Tiger Woods was getting the club in front of him; however, he was not doing it the best way. Please describe the position "club in front." What does it do to help your ball striking? How is the best way to get the "club in front" of you? What are the common errors we amateurs make?
John

Hi John,
All instructors have their own theories about what things are most important, and to me, this is not one of them. I would love to be able to do things Tiger's way, even if it is not the best way. Who says it is not the best way, is there somebody out there who is better than Tiger and can show him how to do it right so the poor guy can win once in awhile?

Let me attempt to answer your last question first. Among the common errors we amateurs make are to over-analyze each part of the swing. The best thing we can do is to simplify things instead of over-complications which will surely hurt ball-striking consistency.

Since I did not yet read Jan's article, I have to guess at what she meant. Maybe it has to do with the moment of impact, for example did the club position catch up to the hand position for square contact? It seems to me for the "club in front" concept, the average golfer might over-do this and hit from the top, which robs you of power or causes a snap-hook. To maximize power, you want to delay the wrist snap until the last possible instant before impact. Most people find that the club will square up anyway, and if it does not, the worst that can happen is a power fade, and we can make further adjustments from there. Let me know if this helps.
Joe

Question: I am a senior citizen and I have never played golf, but some of my friends are urging me to try it. Unlike me, they all started playing at an earlier age. They took me to a driving range, but I made a fool of myself, so I am reluctant to go on to a real golf course. Is it simply too late for people like me to learn the game?
Grandpa Fuzzy

Hi Grandpa Fuzzy,
It is never, never, never too late to enjoy this game. Here are my recommendations. Take things one step at a time. Step 1 is zero cost - Borrow a putter from a friend and go to any local course that has a practice green, and you can putt as long as you want for free. Start with short putts about 3 feet. When you can make most of them, see if you can lag longer putts to within 3 feet most of the time.
Step 2 is also zero cost – Borrow a 7-iron and wedge from a friend and practice chip shots. This is not allowed on some practice greens, so make sure to check which ones will allow chipping. Start with shorter chips using the 7-iron from just off the fringe. The only difference between this shot and a putt is the ball position should be more toward your back foot, and the stroke should keep the hands ahead of the club at all times. When you get the hang of that, try the wedge to chip from a little further away from the green. You will have to hit the ball a little harder with the wedge because the energy of the club is directing the ball more upward rather than forward. Try to land the ball on the green and let it roll to the hole.
Step 3 is low cost – Get a set of cheap clubs from a garage sale and go to a driving range. Never try to hit the ball hard or you will mess up. Just keep the head steady, keep the leading arm straight, and hit down at the ball, don’t try to lift it, let the club do the work. Take notice how many yards you can hit each club.
Step 4 – Go to a par 3 course to develop some confidence.
Step 5 – Once you have made it thru the previous 4 steps, you are already just as good as many other people who play the full size courses. Enjoy the game for the rest of your life!
Joe

Joe,
Why do the TV announcers sometimes call a fairway club a “3-metal” instead of the traditional “3-wood” that we are used to hearing? I know it is no longer made of wood, but the last time I checked, a 3-iron is also made of metal. How do you feel about this?
Anita

Hello Anita,
Good point! I agree with you, I don’t like the term 3-metal either. What if they start making clubs out of other materials? Will the announcers start calling them 3-plastics, or 3-ceramics? I feel the announcers should go back to the original terms like "brassie" or “spoon” or “cleek”. Then it no longer matters what material the clubhead was made from.
Joe

Joe,
My problem is that I used to think power came from swinging harder with my arms. I now have learned that body rotation and free hinging wrists provide the power. The problem is that I have swung incorrectly for so long that half way thru the round I find myself slipping back to all arms. I am left handed and the ball is going dead right. Are there any exercises or swing thoughts to help prevent this? thank you, Tom

Tom:
Power comes from clubhead speed. To maximize this, change the idea of free-hinging wrists to controlled hinging. On the downswing, you must delay the wrist
snap until the last possible instant before impact. This will increase your clubhead speed. Proper lower body weight shift is also a major factor. Other things can help also, but don't do any of them if they hurt your ability to strike the ball on the sweet spot every time.

Joe,
What do you recommend for the mental side of the game? Cary

Hi Cary,
I would recommend going to the thinkandreachpar web site and getting “Own The Zone” by Jennifer Scott, who not only hypnotizes you, but also whispers in your ear as your coach and gives you some mental images. My favorite is “white circle against blue sky, hanging, hanging”. Last week I focused on this as I approached the green with an 8-iron, and it snuggled up to 6 inches from the pin, and I thought hey Jennifer, that one is for you.

Question: With all the technology improvements in equipment, it is said that older golf courses are becoming obsolete, and people will slowly stop playing them in favor of newer courses. Do you agree?
Jim

Hi Jim,
No, I do not agree. While the techno-geeks may prefer longer courses, there is still a huge base of golfers who do not benefit so much from new technology, so the older courses are just fine for them. Also, the greens fees for older courses are usually lower than fees for the newer courses, so the more affordable courses will always get business from those of us who must watch our budgets.

Here is a way for any golf course to increase their business. People love to see their name on display, so they could have a bulletin board that shows the 3 (or any other number) best scores ever posted from each set of tees. Starting a new list each year keeps the incentive going. Another idea, if your course can stand the administrative effort, is to have separate lists for “shotmaker’s rules”, where you carry only 10 clubs, or 7 clubs, etc., but in doing so you get to improve your lie. Many people would welcome the challenge, especially when they find out their scores are not much higher when using fewer clubs. With a little imagination, the possibilities are endless for promoting more business.
Joe

Hey Joe, I hear you are from the Chicago area, how about them Cubs? Hahaha
Len

Hi Len,
I guess I could try avoiding this by saying I am a Sox fan, but wait a minute, they also choked against the Twins. Oh well, I can always look forward to the football season, but wait a minute, hope for the Bears? Oh well, how about hockey, but wait a minute, hope for the Blackhawks? Oh well, how about basketball, but wait a minute, hope for the Bulls? Oh well, I can always go out and play some golf, but wait a minute, the season is just about over, here comes winter, w-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-h!!!

I would like to know how many golf structures teaching) are there? Is the
PGA of the States structure better than the PGA of
Europe? I enjoy reading your material and i wish one day i could have your
knowledge. I am a professional for two years already and feel
that i have lots too learn. I am teaching beginners but it is a challenge
because in Portugal they think they know it all after 10 lessons. Im
South African and i know how practice is important. I am doing a project on
the following topics: how to teach, how to play, how to manage and product
knowledge. If i have any difficulty may i ask for your help?
Keep in touch
Victor

Hello Victor,
Sure, you can ask for help any time. We all have a
lot to learn, golf is a never-ending learning
experience. There is so much information out there,
you have to be careful to select the things that work
for you, because all tips do not work for everyone.
Since you have been a pro for 2 years, I would like to
know which organization you belong to. I would
recommend looking up the World Golf Teacher's
Federation (wgtf.com) because you can affiliate
yourself with any of 35 countries that belong to the
WGTF. I am certified by the USGTF and I found it to
be a wonderful organization, very helpful. They can
help you with all of your questions.

I would like to know how many golf structures teaching) are there? Is the
PGA of the States structure better than the PGA of
Europe? I enjoy reading your material and i wish one day i could have your
knowledge. I am a professional for two years already and feel
that i have lots too learn. I am teaching beginners but it is a challenge
because in Portugal they think they know it all after 10 lessons. Im
South African and i know how practice is important. I am doing a project on
the following topics: how to teach, how to play, how to manage and product
knowledge. If i have any difficulty may i ask for your help?
Keep in touch
Victor

Hello Victor,
Sure, you can ask for help any time. We all have a
lot to learn, golf is a never-ending learning
experience. There is so much information out there,
you have to be careful to select the things that work
for you, because all tips do not work for everyone.
Since you have been a pro for 2 years, I would like to
know which organization you belong to. I would
recommend looking up the World Golf Teacher's
Federation (wgtf.com) because you can affiliate
yourself with any of 35 countries that belong to the
WGTF. I am certified by the USGTF and I found it to
be a wonderful organization, very helpful. They can
help you with all of your questions.

Question: I can usually chip pretty good, but when the grass is high near the green, I have trouble chipping. What can I do about this?

Most people who have this problem can do two things to improve. First, play the ball farther back in your stance and use a more lofted club. This will force you to strike the ball with a more descending blow which will prevent the high grass from snagging your club. Second, open the face of the club. This will allow the club to slide thru the grass more smoothly without getting snagged. Of course, this will send the ball to the right of your target, so set up aiming left and swing along your body line. If you try to swing outside in, you may not contact the ball consistently and cleanly.

Question: I purchased a 9 wood but can't seem to find the proper setup ball position. Most of the time I end up hitting it off the toe or chunk it. I use this club on a 140 yard par 3. Can you help me?

Answer: If you are hitting all your clubs well except your 9-wood, I suspect it simply does not match the rest of your set. The shaft flex may be too little or too much compared to the rest of your set. See if you can exchange the club for another one with a different shaft flex. Most 9-woods have a very thin profile, so it may not be a very forgiving club, you have to hit the sweet spot just right, or else the results may not be any better than using a 5-iron. If you use a 9-wood off a tee, the risk is high for a popup.

Joe :
I have a problem when I go to the driving range I can hit all my woods fairly well . Most shots are straight with good distance but once on the course I have great difficulty getting off the tee I top the ball.slice or hook . There is no consistent pattern. My second shot with a 3 wood (off the ground is usually fine ) any suggestions ? It seems the harder I try to relax on the tee the worse the shot?
Ernie

Hello Ernie,
You are not alone. Many people, myself included, hit great on the range and then get much different results on the course. I can think of 4 possible reasons for this.

First, maybe you are hitting off the synthetic mats instead of the natural grass. The tees on the synthetic mats are a constant height. When you hit off the grass and tee it yourself, maybe you are not being careful enough how high you tee the ball. The standard rule of thumb is to tee the ball so that half the ball is above the top of the driver. Also, although nobody has ever proven this, I have a sneaky suspicion that the fat rubber tees on the synthetic mats may be taking away some of the side spin that causes slices or hooks (you heard it here first). So the first solution is to use the natural grass at the range whenever possible, and tee the ball higher and higher until you start hitting popups, then lower it a little and take careful note of your optimum tee height.

Second, check your ball position. Whenever the ball is on a tee, you may get better results by playing the ball off your front toe. If you are already doing that, try halfway between the toe and center of your stance. Experiment.

Third, there is no pressure on the range, if you mess up a shot, it does not affect your score. On the course, you are aware that the shot counts, and the nerves start twitching. On the range, put some pressure on yourself by picking a target and betting yourself (or your friends) that you can get reasonably close to it.

Fourth, on the range, you are hitting a ball every few seconds, so you can easily get into a good rhythm. On the course, it may be several minutes between shots, and each shot is with a far different club. That is why on the range you should take your time between shots, and vary the clubs the same way you would on the course. If you take too many consecutive swings with the same club, you might lose your swing with the other clubs. Good luck, and let me know if this helped.

Joe

Joe,
Ever since I took up golf, I've battled the shanks when hitting my irons....even from the tee. If I understand correctly, a shank is when you hit the ball near the hosel of the club. I only seem to have this problem with my irons, but not my driver or fairway woods. A buddy of mine who played collegiate golf looked at my swing today at the driving range and told me to step closer to the ball. It made my hands almost touch the fly on my pants! The first few hacks felt rather odd. I had to grip down a bit further on the club because I started hitting it fat. After about 10 hacks, I started striking the ball pretty well with some consistency. The 7-iron started going on average about 150 yards with an occasional shot of about 170. Whenever I got the shanks prior to this, I always adjusted by stepping further away from the ball. This never did seem to help. My question is this: Why would stepping closer to the ball help me with my case of the shanks? Sincerely, Darren

Darren,
I also have experienced the shanks, and I found a couple of ways to cure them. I my case, I was standing with too much weight on my toes. When I put a little more weight on my heels, the shanks disappeared. In your case, standing closer to the ball forced you to put your weight on your heels. So now you can try standing a little further away as long as your weight does not go to your toes. Another possible reason for those who have a rather flat swing plane is that the harder you swing, the more the clubhead extends further from your body, so there is a better chance of striking the ball on the hosel. If you like swinging hard, try a more upright swing plane, and let me know the results. One more thing, since you apparently are not striking the ball on the heel of your woods, maybe your irons are not fitted properly to your body build, better visit your local pro shop and check this. Good luck!
Joe

What happens if you get shafts that are too stiff for you?

With older shafts you would lose distance and hit the ball too low, but you might be a little more accurate. I used to think that stiffer shafts were always preferrable because they theoretically would reduce an unwanted variable, that being the flex translating to variations in clubface positions, but now the shaft technology has introduced the low-torque concept which helps keep the clubface square while the shaft is flexing but not twisting. This allows us to take advantage of the shaft's spring-effect without sacrificing accuracy. So now it is less dangerous to optimize your swing speed by experimenting with different amounts of shaft flex. It makes me wonder how in the world did the old time golfers ever shoot par with wooden shafts? It gives you a sense of how good those guys really were. No technology, no matched sets of clubs, just a stick with a hunk of metal on the end, playing on scruffy fairways and greens with golf balls that were far inferior to what we have today. Wow.

Joe:
I recently purchased a full set of Callaway golf clubs and have noticed that I am hitting my irons much further than my old set of cheapies. I am hitting a 8 iron 160 and 4 iron well over 200. My old set would have taken a 5 iron and a 3 iron, to accomplish that distance. How do I make the adjustment to this added length?
Ty

Ty:
Most courses have a marker for 150 yards to the middle of the green. Callaway makes good quality clubs, so just trust your new distances. If you hit the 8-iron 160, use that club for the 150 distance because you might not hit it perfectly every time. From there, add or subtract 10 yards per club for the distance required. Also add or subtract 10 yards per club for gentle wind, more for stiffer wind. Also add or subtract 1 club depending on whether the pin is in the back or the front of the green. You are already taking note of the distances you get, so as long as you are consistent, just trust those distances and chalk it up to having better clubs.

Joe,
My problem is too many fat shots !!!
When I make a practice swing without a ball, it is perfect, I "shave" the grass but with the ball, I hit the ground behind the ball. Any drill besides a practice swing would be appreciated. thanks, Arik

Arik:
Your practice swing is good because you never hit a bad shot with it. You are swinging, not hitting. As soon as you try to hit, everything changes. Just execute a swing where the ball just happens to be in the way of the swing. Other things to watch for are the backswing making the body sway sideways rather than turning, or the downswing trying to scoop the ball up into the air rather than hitting down at the ball and letting the club do the lifting. Shaving the grass is not good enough, you must strike the ball first and then the ground with a downward blow. Some people are afraid this will cause thin shots, but even if that happens, a thin shot usually produces better results than a fat shot, and scores will improve if your bad shots become better bad shots.

Joe, could you help with this one?. Most times I videotape all the USPGA Tournaments to watch later. Lately, when the angle is right, I play the tee shots back frame by frame, and without exception, by the time the clubhead strikes the
ball, the players' hips are well through and just about facing the target. This is obviously the correct position to be in when striking the ball. Can you please explain what the sequence is in the downswing to get to this position. It seems extremely hard, from the top of a full backswing, to start the hips turning before anything else. Likewise, starting the downswing with hands arms and shoulders makes it difficult to get the hips through to the extent they should be. Hopefully, there must be an easy way.
Thanks a million. Ralph

Ralph,
When you properly shift your lower body weight from back foot to front foot, this turning motion happens almost automatically. It is unrealistic to try to think of every single motion during a swing, just focus on one move for the backswing, and one move for the downswing. It is OK to have a list of "keys" to pick from, just try them one at a time until they get ingrained into your motor muscle memory.
Joe

Hi Joe. I am a 30ish, female beginner student-five feet tall, very fit, strong, and very flexible. My only drawback is that I have a hurt left knee that forces me to point my left toe forward in order to complete a full follow-through like the 60-year old men around here do. I've been taking lessons for two summers now. Last week I was hitting with each of my clubs and
noticed that my full swing distance was exactly the same for my driver as for my 9-iron and everything in between. I reported this to my teacher and he smiled and nodded knowingly. He said that almost all women he's come across have had the same complaint. He said that I need to hit with more focus and intent. I'm wondering, if all my shots look exactly alike regardless of the club, why do I need more than one? Anyway, I've scoured all those insulting golf books for women that talk down to us like we're lost and helpless five-year-olds and found nothing on the universality of this problem amongst my gender. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Using the same swing with each club, shouldn't I be getting more distance out of my longer clubs?
Thank you in advance.
Tracy

Tracy:
Since you have already been taking lessons, I have to assume you can strike the ball with some consistency. Anyone who gets the same distance with all clubs must have a swing speed that needs improvement. Most people who have this problem, regardless of age or gender, are usually using too much arms and not enough wrist. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros' swings on TV, and you will notice how the wrist on the downswing is delayed until the last possible instant before striking the ball, and then it explodes into the ball. Here is a drill that should help build up some strength in your wrists. Take an ordinary hammer and pound some nails into a board, making your stroke in the same direction as your golf swing. In other words, stand the board up vertically and pound the nail in horizontally. The more you do this, the stronger your wrists will get. Gene Sarazen attributes his golfing ability to the wrist strength he developed during his carpentry jobs.

Joe,
I recently bought a different spec of the same driver that I used before, hoping to get more distance with stiffer shaft and lower loft.
Here is what I have noticed in the last 3 weeks at the practice tee.
*The club seems heavier and harder to bring around.
*It seems more difficult to make the transition for the down swing
being on the right path.
*My balance is more off and less stable on the down swing
*I have had to move to a slightly stronger grip to stay on line, which of course makes the swing inconsistent because occasionally I get this hook.
*I do not believe that I am trying to swing harder, trying to keep it at the same tempo and force.
Is the shaft making that much of an impact to my swing?
What do you suggest me to experiment with when I go practice again?
I would appreciate your comments, for now, the club will not go to the course until I figure this out.
David H

Hello David,
Do you still have the older driver, or did you trade it in? If you still have it, compare results the next time you go to the range. Assuming you are swinging OK with your irons, it would be nice if you did not have to tweak your swing just for a driver. So if the older driver goes more consistently to the target, the extra yards that you may sometimes get with the new driver may not be worth it. Let me know if you have similar problems with 3-wood, 5-wood, etc.
Joe

Hi Joe,
I went to the range this weekend and did a small experiment.
I hit both the old and new drivers and compared the results. In essence, my swing with the 3 wood (from the ground and tee) is acceptable. The old driver, for some reason, I am hitting farther than I did before. Not dramatically, but enough to notice. I am also hitting it with more consistent results and ball flight than before. The new driver with the same swing as the old driver, is tough. I am truly not sure why the results are much less consistent. Obviously, the shaft is stiffer, so it feels a little heavier, but that is truly about it. The flight of the ball is unpredictable so I cannot even give you a general trend, other than inconsistent.
Anyways, for the time being, I will go back to the old driver and use it on the course and not use the new one. I agree with you that changing my swing for just one club is ridiculous. Oh well, live and learn.

Hi David,
Apparently there really is such a thing as a shaft that is too stiff. I used to think that stiffer shafts were always preferable because they theoretically would reduce an unwanted variable, that being the flex translating to variations in clubface positions. But now the shaft technology has introduced the low-torque concept which helps keep the clubface square while the shaft is flexing but not twisting. This allows us to take advantage of the shaft's spring-effect without sacrificing accuracy. So now it is less dangerous to optimize your swing speed by experimenting with different amounts of shaft flex. How in the world did
those old time golfers ever shoot par with wooden shafts? It gives you a sense of how good those guys really were. No fancy technology, no matched sets of clubs, just a stick with a hunk of metal on the end, playing on scruffy fairways and greens. Wow.

What is the best way to get out of deep rough?

The safest play is to use a sand wedge to get back onto the fairway, ideally to a distance that is a full wedge from the green (half-wedges can be tricky). If the rough is not too deep, and you feel like gambling for more distance, you can try a lofted wood like a 7-wood or a 9-wood (a 3-wood or 5-wood might not have enough loft if the grass is too high) but understand what a gamble you may be taking. For an intermediate distance, you can try a 7 or 8-iron, but there is danger that the tall grass will snag the shaft and cause the face to close, resulting in a pulled shot. To help avoid that, open the face and swing outside-in, with any luck the club will slide thru the grass without getting snagged. At no time should you expect to hit a long iron in heavy rough.

If cavity-back irons have larger sweet spots, why would anyone ever want to use blade or muscle back irons?

I have a set of blades and a set of cavity backs. From my own experience, I have found that when I am swinging well and contacting the sweet spot every time with blade irons, I get a much more crisp feeling in the shot, it is a really good feeling. Also, the smaller head of the blade iron seems to do a better job of getting the ball out from bad lies, from the rough, and also from fairway sand bunkers when you have to pick the ball cleanly out of the sand. Sometimes, like any other golfer, I get into a slump and cannot consistently strike the ball on the sweet spot. When this happens, I take both sets to the range to get my confidence back, and have a contest between my blades and cavity-backs. When I am swinging well, the blades win. When I am not swinging as well, the cavity-backs win. I am not recommending to keep switching sets of clubs on the course, that would not promote consistency, I only do that on the range to help get my confidence back whenever a slump occurs.

If cavity-back irons have larger sweet spots, why would anyone ever want to use blade or muscle back irons?

From my own experience, I have found that when I am swinging well and contacting the sweet spot every time with blade irons, I get a much more crisp feeling in the shot, it is a really good feeling. Also, the smaller head of a blade iron seems to get the ball out of the rough more easily, and also for fairway sand bunkers when you have to pick the ball cleanly out of the sand. Sometimes, like any other golfer, I get into a slump and cannot consistently strike the ball on the sweet spot. Since I keep a set of cavity-back irons in my shed, I can take them to the range to get my confidence back, and have a contest between my blades and cavity-backs. When I am swinging well, the blades win. When I am not swinging as well, the cavity-backs win. I am not recommending to keep switching clubs on the course, that would not promote consistency, I only do that on the range to get my confidence back whenever a slump occurs. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

How are Course Ratings and Slope Ratings made?
A course rating is simply the average score that scratch golfers would likely shoot on that course. Slope ratings, however, are a lot more complicated. The USGA has a formula that factors in all kinds of variables such as distance, flat or hilly land, doglegs, forced layups, elevation changes, altitude if over 2000 feet, prevailing wind, fairway widths, sizes, shapes, contours and firmness of greens, amount of rough near landing areas, water hazards, bunkers, out of bounds, trees, and psychological factors due to visible dangers. The higher the slope number, the more difficult the course.

Joey, I`m a 6-7 handicap, but i want to add distance with the driver,so as to shorten my approach shots. i`m using a cobra,350,with a stiff shaft. i`m usually fairly accurate, but only get it out there 250-260.can you give me some ideas on getting more power?
Answer - If you can consistently and accurately drive 250-260 yards, that is pretty darn good. The craving for more power will always be there, but if you want to lower your handicap you may be looking in the wrong area. I would suggest you keep statistics on how many greens you hit in regulation, and how many times you fail to get up and down, and work on those areas first. That being said, take your Cobra to a store where they have a computerized hitting bay, and compare results against other brands of demo drivers with different lofts, shaft lengths and flexes. A longer shaft theoretically can give more distance, but the extra length could make it more difficult to hit the sweet spot every time, which is most important. Also, even if you can hit it longer, do not sacrifice accuracy or consistent ball striking for the occasional home run. Don't trade in the Cobra, you may want to come back to it if the others cannot perform as accurately and consistently on the course. 250-260 consistently may be in the 99th percentile of all golfers. Lots of people can hit it that far, but not consistently or accurately.

How can clubhead speed be increased?
Let's assume you are right handed. Hold a ping pong ball in your left hand, and a paddle in your right hand. First, swing at the ball with all arm action with no wrist action and see how far the ball goes. Secondly, do the same thing with all wrist action and no arm action. Thirdly, do the same thing with a combination of arm and wrist action, and you will notice that the ball goes farthest when the wrist action is delayed until the last possible moment. This whip action, whether it is a ping pong paddle or a golf club, will provide the highest possible striking speed. (www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

How can I correct my swing path from naturally going outside-in?
Many golfers are trying to swing squarely down the target line, not realizing that their bodies are turning at the same time. So by the time the club reaches the ball, this turning motion changes the swing path from square to outside-in without the golfer even realizing it. What I would recommend is doing the two club warmup drill slow and easy like a baseball player in the on-deck circle. While you are doing this repetitive drill, you should be able to stare at a spot on the ground where the club passes over, and see the real path of the club AS IT PASSES OVER THAT SPOT, and make corrections to that path. Here is how to make those corrections:

Instead of trying to swing down the target line, try to make your downswing inside out. If the target line is twelve o'clock, make your swing path toward one o'clock because your body's turning motion will change your path to twelve o'clock without you realizing it. Also extend your follow thru to one o'clock and exaggerate that. If you quit the follow thru too soon, you are promoting an outside-in motion.

Be careful not to take your backswing to the inside because that might cause a loop to the outside on the downswing. Take the backswing straight back and high like Sergio Garcia, and then watch how Sergio attacks the ball from the inside. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

How important is it to be able to get backspin?
It is never as important to get shots to spin back as it is to get clean contact on every shot. Even pros cannot make backspin work when the greens get "firm", and they get to play on the best greens while the rest of us have to play on public courses that have greens that are about as firm as a parking lot. So unless you are a single digit handicapper, forget the spin and just keep striking the ball better and avoid tips that cause fat or thin shots. If you are a single digit handicap, and you do want to get more spin, clean your iron grooves before every shot with a small wire brush, play the ball a little further back in your stance and hit down at it.

Should beginners buy new clubs?

Some people think buying expensive clubs will guarantee better scores. If you have a lot of money, go ahead, but if you are a beginner or high handicapper, you might first buy a few less expensive clubs, and when you find some that you hit really well, then have the specs measured and use those specs when you are ready to buy newer clubs. When you do, have them custom fitted to your physique. Everybody is built differently, so your clubs should at least be the right length, shaft flex, and lie angle for you, in order to do your best.

For those who would rather not bother getting fitted and would rather save as much money as possible, you can consider getting used clubs from classified ads, garage sales, or stores that sell used sporting equipment. To minimize your risk, ask if you would be allowed to try the clubs at a driving range and possibly get your money back if you do not like the way you hit with them.

What kind of clubs should you look for? Let me tell you about one of my earlier experiences. I bought a very inexpensive set of used clubs which happened to have shafts with too much flex. I found that whenever I swung too hard, the ball would slice to the right, and when I swung too easy, the ball would hook to the left. Afterwards I bought a set of clubs having stiffer shafts, and I immediately began to hit the ball straighter and farther (I still had a fade, but it was consistent, predictable, and dependable). Of course, this result could be due to my individual physique, but it seems to make sense that a stiffer shaft would remove an unwanted variable. Too much flex could cause the clubhead to vary its position at impact. Even if some extra flex could give you extra distance, I would rather be a few yards shorter and in the fairway, as opposed to being a few yards longer and in the rough (or trees, or sand, or water, or out of bounds, etc.).

Oversized clubheads are a good idea for beginners or higher handicappers because the larger hitting surface reduces the risk of a mis-hit shot. Irons that have cavity-backs are also a good idea because the perimeter weighting enlarges the “sweet spot”, which means you do not have to hit the ball perfectly every time to get consistently predictable distances with your irons, so you are likely to hit more greens. Without this technology you might sometimes hit a good shot with the right club, but the ball ends up too long or too short, because you either hit it squarely on the smaller sweet spot, or somewhere other than the sweet spot. Most courses have distances to the green clearly marked, and you need to find (and trust) your individual distance for each of your irons.

Many people overlook the “lie angle” of clubs, which is the angle of the shaft relative to the bottom of the club. I believe most standard lie angles are too flat, resulting in most golfers hitting the ball to the right. If this is your natural tendency, try clubs with a steeper lie angle, as this would promote shots going a little more to the left. You may also be able to see scrape marks on the bottom of your clubs. Are they mostly toward the toe or the heel? If they are toward the toe, you need clubs with a steeper lie angle. Another indication of this can be seen if your divots are deeper toward the toe end.

Which are better, higher drives or lower drives?
Drivers come with varying degrees of loft and shaft stiffness. A stiffer shaft lends itself to lower shot trajectory.
For overall distance, in dry conditions the lower shot with extra roll will win out, in wet conditions the extra carry from a higher shot will win out. Into the wind the lower trajectory will win out. In my opinion, I would stay with the one that is most accurate for you. If they are equally accurate, keep them both and use them according to the day's conditions, windy or wet, etc.
The theory about lower loft being less accurate only applies if all other factors are equal, namely being able to strike the ball cleanly. Since underspin cancels out sidespin to some degree, the theory is correct that a lower loft has the potential to be less accurate, but if you as an individual are hitting it straight then other favorable factors are at play to your advantage (shaft flex, lie angle, etc.).
Some people keep two drivers, one for windy dry days when you want to keep the ball low, and the other driver for wet days when a higher shot gives more carry since you won’t get much roll on wet days.
(see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Do All Tips Apply to Everyone, Regardless of Handicap?

It is widely known that the vast majority of golfers cannot break 100. However, most instructions that you might see on TV or read in magazines do not always tell you whether certain tips are most appropriate for low handicappers or high handicappers (example: taking a full turn and swinging hard may not be good advice for a high handicapper). If the instructions are giving you more and more things to think about while you are swinging, then they must be aimed at low handicappers , since they must be assuming you already can make clean contact on every shot, and you play several times per week. For high handicappers, or people who play less frequently, I feel we must be careful to keep the game simple. It makes no sense to overly complicate the swing for them. Clean contact on every shot is of paramount importance.

We are not robots. We all have different amounts of hand-eye coordination skills and athleticism. No two people are built the same. Everyone has some differences in bone and muscle structure, and the way our natural hinges work (wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, etc.). Although it makes sense to try to imitate the way the pros swing to some degree, you can’t expect a high handicapper to execute every single move like the pros can. Pros play every day and have personal swing coaches, and the best customized equipment. People who play less frequently and have average equipment, average physical skills, and cannot afford lessons must tailor their expectations accordingly.

It is OK to have a long list of swing keys, but it is hard to think of more than one or two at a time during your swing. Therefore, just pick from your list one key for the backswing and one for the downswing. There may be a certain combination of keys that seem to work better one day and a different combination on another day. Why is that? Because your swing is controlled by many different muscles of differing sizes and shapes, all of which are getting bigger or smaller, stronger or weaker in different combinations every day, so without you realizing it, your swing does change. This is true for all sports, not just golf. Nobody ever maintains a perfect swing for very long. Be prepared to adjust, and minimize the slumps which happen to everyone. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Frugal Golf

Golf is getting more and more expensive, and because of that, some folks refuse to try it. Here are some ways for beginners to minimize their expenses.

You can get golf balls free, just stomp around in the taller rough, and chances are good that you will find them by stepping on them. Also you can borrow someone’s ball retriever and fish them out of water hazards.

Clubs can be very very inexpensive at most garage sales, where people just want to get rid of them. For example, since my wife loves going to garage sales, I tag along with no intentions of finding anything, but I always see clubs, balls, and bags for sale for dirt cheap prices. Recently I saw a full set of older Titleist woods and irons, complete with bag for $30, and although I did not need them, I offered $15 and they took it. I figure this could be a better than average starter set for a friend, or I can probably resell them for at least $100.

Practice could be mostly free, since most of your strokes come from the short game, and most courses have a free practice green, some of which allow chipping also. For pitches, you can practice at most open fields, baseball fields, or local parks, although some parks may not allow this. You can even take full swings at the park with wiffle balls.

When beginners are ready to play a real course, start with a par 3 course, they are usually inexpensive. Check for resident discounts at your local courses. Check for coupon deals on the internet and the newspapers, sometimes you can get 2 for 1 greens fees. Also, playing on weekdays is cheaper than weekends, and twilight rates are even lower. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Do Balanced Golf Balls Really Help?

In theory, a balanced ball will go straighter on all shots and putts than an unbalanced ball. To illustrate, take a cheap volleyball and roll it, and you will see that the ball will curve toward the side that has the air-fill hole due to the extra weight needed to support the hole. Golf balls however are much better balanced than volleyballs, yet most golf balls are not perfectly balanced. To prove this, partially fill a small bucket with water and keep adding salt until the golf balls float. Use a waterproof permanent ink marking pen to put a spot on the golf ball where it touches the surface. Then spin the ball in the water and see if the same spot arrives at the top. If it does, then the ball is not balanced because the heaviest side of the ball will always face down. I tried this with all of the balls in my bag and none of them were balanced, several different brands.

On the course, now that the ball is marked, the theory says that you keep the mark along the plane of the target line, and the ball should go straighter than if the mark were sideways to the target line.

If you do not like getting the balls all wet, there is another method using a small battery operated ball spinning device called “Check-Go”, available at many golf shops for under $30. If there is a heavy spot while the ball is spinning, that spot will work its way to the equator of the spin if you let it spin for several seconds. While it is spinning, you can lightly touch the ball with a permanent ink marking pen, and you will have the equator clearly marked to line up your ball for all shots and putts. This also is a good identifier for your ball on the course, because most other players do not do this.

Wilson has advertised their “True” ball as being perfectly balanced, so to test that, I put a few Trues on the Check-Go device and marked the equator, and then spun it again with the equator out of line, and it worked its way back to the same equator, which indicates to me that it is not really “perfectly” balanced. Hmmm! Well, in all fairness to Wilson, the balls may be better balanced, but nothing is perfect. Could the extra ink along the equator make that much difference? No, because I then put a fatter false equator on the same ball, but the ball spun back again to the true equator.

Then I wondered if the balance characteristics might change after hitting the ball for a few rounds. The results were, for all brands, that the equator arrived at the same spot again, so hitting the ball did not change its balance.

Any ball marked with the Check-Go equator, should float in salt water with the equator mark straight up and down. If that does not happen, maybe the ball is closer to being perfectly balanced.

Have my scores improved since I began marking the golf balls? Am I hitting the ball straighter? Are my wild shots any less wild than they used to be? Unless you swing with a consistency like Iron Byron, how can you really tell? Am I making more putts? Are my missed putts due to a bad read, or a bad stroke, or an inconsistent putting surface? Any or all of those factors are likely to be more significant than the precise balance of a ball.

We humans are imperfect beings. All we can do is to use as many factors to our advantage as possible. Therefore, here is the real benefit. Marking and lining up the balls to the target line not only helps your alignment while standing over the ball, but also lets you feel a little more confident, because you just eliminated a potential balance variable, however small it may be. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Hitters vs. Swingers – which are better?
In both baseball and golf we have hitters and swingers, but in baseball you do not have to play your foul balls, unlike golf where you have to play all those shots no matter where they go. Hitters are more likely to swing hard and contact the ball at all different areas of the bat such as the handle, the tip, and occasionally the sweet spot. Swingers usually hit for a better percentage because they can contact the ball more frequently on the sweet spot of the bat. The same ideas holds true for golf. The better players are swingers, not hitters, and for the same reason. Most golfers think of hitting the ball instead of executing a smooth swing with the ball just happening to be in the way. Usually, you can’t help being a hitter because you have the hitting concept ingrained into your subconscious. If you have reached a “plateau” in your scores, and you want to improve beyond that, you have to re-train your mind for swinging rather than hitting.

File your “hitting” swing away into your memory as your “Swing A”. This is the swing you have always been used to, and you can always go back to it if the following “Swing B” does not work for you right away. Meanwhile, keep working on Swing B, because the more you do the drill, the better it will work. On the practice range, always warm up with muscle stretches, and then take two clubs into your hands (or a heavily weighted club), and make some short lazy swings continuously just like a baseball player might do in the on-deck circle. Have a friend stand behind you to make sure your swings are on the correct plane or path. As you keep swinging continuously, little by little, lengthen the amount of backswing and follow-thru. Take it easy, never ever swing hard when you do this, the whole idea is to ingrain some motor muscle memory into your swing path, and the extra weighting will help.

As you are swinging, take notice of your lower body weight shift. During your follow-thru, all your weight must be on the front foot (left foot for right handers), and the back foot should only be touching the ground with the toe. Keeping repeating this until it becomes second nature and you don’t have to think about it anymore. Then do this on a practice mat that has a rubber tee that stays in place, and try to clip it repeatedly with your two-club swing.

After doing this as long as you can stand it, do the same with only one club, a short iron or wedge. If you are successful in clipping the tee every time, then place a ball on the tee and execute the same easy swing. Remember, you are not thinking about hitting the ball, you are thinking about executing a swing with the ball just happening to be in the way.

If you can do this, you are on your way to much improvement. If you cannot do this quite yet, you are probably so preoccupied with the RESULT of your swing that you’re forgetting how to achieve it. You are probably very anxious and tense to see if you will get instant results. You build this picture of worry in your mind about where the ball might go and this worry will interfere with your swing. This is no time for tension. You’ve forgotten why you’re here. You’re playing, not working. You’re here to have a good time and get away from the troubles of everyday life, so unless you are playing for money, don’t sweat it. Let someone else watch where the ball goes, while you follow the “no peeking” rule, which is the secret of this swing. This is a drill, do not watch the ball fly. Keep your eyes on the spot where the ball was sitting even after you your swing goes past it. Watch the pros on TV and in the magazines, you’ll see that at impact, every one of their faces is glued to where the ball is sitting at impact, and a little beyond! Start training yourself to count a beat before lifting your head up to watch the ball fly.

Practice these smooth swings in your MIND whenever you have a chance. Just visualize perfect, smooth, effortless swings along with the ball flying straight and true time-and-again. It’s a scientifically proven fact that this type of mental programming can really help. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Aaaarrrgh!!! Those of us who live in northern Illinois really have to watch our step. Canadian geese must have gotten the word that they are a protected species, because they have infested our parks and golf courses in droves, and are leaving their “calling cards” in copious amounts, especially near the water holes. There is nowhere to walk without getting this stuff all over your shoes and cart wheels. Taking your kids to the park to roll around in the grass is out of the question. Playing the ball as it lies is sometimes a messy proposition, and gives a whole new meaning to having a crappy lie.

These geese seem to have no fear. They slowly strut around like they own the place. Golf balls that narrowly miss them by a few inches do not bother them. You can drive your car right next to one of these geese standing on the road, missing it by a few inches and they won’t even flinch. Don’t go near their young ones, or else they will hiss at you and then attack you.

One of my friends hit an errant shot that accidentally struck a goose in the neck. The goose was in obvious pain, so it started running across the fairway with wings outstretched toward the water, and the entire flock of about 200 geese immediately ran along with it, an amazing sight.

I have heard that geese are afraid of swans, so some places have put swans in their ponds, hoping that this would keep the geese away. However, I have seen several ponds with a swan in the middle, along with flocks of geese on the shores. I would rather have the geese in the ponds than on the shores leaving their calling cards. The swan, who is no dummy, probably figures the odds are not too good on starting a fight with that many geese.

Some courses have hired dogs trained to chase away the geese, with some success, but I have another solution. Send these geese to the middle east for purposes of aerial bombardment and biological warfare, where they can poop all over Al Qaida, who then can either beg for mercy or wise up and realize they can feed their poor and hungry people with these geese. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - A friend of mine recently moved to Japan. I asked him how the golfing was and here is his response:
Here is a typical round:
Wake up around 0430 for a 0830 tee time.
Get ready and leave the really small apartment around 0500.
Walk to the train station and catch a 0510 train for an hour.
In that hour I make two connections so there is no time to sleep.
I meet my playing partners at the train station around 0605.
We get in someone’s car and drive for an hour and 40 minutes to the golf course.
The round is always with a caddy, so that is nice. I have never had that experience before, so I think that I am a little spoiled.
The cost of the round is about $250 US, thus making playing every weekend a little difficult.
In Japan, golf is a little different in play style. Always there is a break between 9’s. We eat lunch in the clubhouse and that goes for about $20-25 US.
After that the round is over, we take a shower and sit in the hot spring for a little while.
After traveling home and doing everything in reverse, I get home about 1800 or so.
Needless to say, this makes for a long day and little room to do anything else. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - What is the most important move a golfer can make during a golf swing?
If I tell you, I will have to shoot you. Oh, all right, here it is, Merry Christmas. You will get a lot of different opinions on this question, but here’s mine (assuming you are right-handed). On the downswing, move your right elbow in front of your hip before you strike the ball. This one move will help other good things to happen (without even having to think about them all). It helps your lower body weight shift from the right leg to the left leg. It promotes an inside-out swing path. It helps you hit downward at the ball. It helps to delay the wrist break until you really need it, like the power of a whip. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV, and you will see they all do this elbow move, no matter how different their swings otherwise may look. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - Why Is It That a Harder Swing Usually Results in Less Distance?
A harder swing has less of a chance to hit the “sweet spot” on your clubface. An easy swing that hits the sweet spot will send the ball farther than a hard swing that misses the sweet spot.
A hard swing may cause improper weight shifting, which may reduce your clubhead speed. Proper weight shift from the top of the backswing starts going from the back foot to the front foot before the downswing begins, setting up the power of a whip without extra effort.
Clubhead speed at impact is the sum of arm swing and wrist snap. A hard swing usually starts the wrist action too soon when the downswing begins, so there is no more acceleration added from the wrist by the time the clubhead gets to the ball, resulting an “all arms” swing and slower clubhead speed. For maximum distance, you must save the wrist action until just before impact. This is best demonstrated with a ping pong ball and paddle. How far can you hit the ping pong ball with an all-arms swing compared to using your wrist? Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV, and you will see the wrist snap is held back until the last possible instant. That is why most of the pros may look like they are swinging very easy, but they still generate a lot of clubhead speed with that last-second wrist snap. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - What Are The Yips, and Can They Be Cured?
The Yips are like momentary brain cramps or panic attacks that cause you to mess up a putt or other shot. Many good golfers get the Yips after they have reached their peak. Most of the time, the Yips affect the putting stroke. Any “touch” you used to have just disappears. Your thought pattern is no longer “I think I can make this putt”, instead it is “I hope I don’t miss this putt”, and that thought pattern alone will reduce your chances of making it. Ben Hogan got the Yips so bad that he stopped putting altogether (apart from competition), he would just play the ball to the green, and then pick it up and go to the next hole. Many pros are starting to use belly-putters or super-long shafted putters because of the Yips. I myself have overcome the Yips with method I call the “Poor Man’s Belly Putter”, which simply uses your forearm as an extension of the shaft, and your elbow touches your torso (instead of the shaft touching your torso). However, my worst Yips come from short wedge shots, which I fear will either be bladed (hit too thin) or chunked (hit too fat). I am totally aware of how to cure this, and when my concentration is good, it works. Keep the hands ahead of the clubhead during the follow-thru. However, if I lose concentration only for a moment, the Yips return and the hands flip too early. It’s a never-ending battle.

Freezing over the ball is a form of the Yips. Keep moving (but not as long as Sergio Garcia). Have a pre-shot routine such as 3 waggles, or a forward press, and start your swing without delay. Before you address the ball, have a key swing thought in mind that you are going to execute. If you do not like to waggle, try taking a deep breath, and exhaling half way, and then execute. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - Today’s Irons vs. Yesterday’s Irons
Every now and then I happen to play with people who brag that they can hit a pitching wedge 150 yards.
Seems impressive, right? On two occasions I asked to see their clubs (more modern than mine). I took my older vintage Staff blade 8-iron and put it side-by-side with their pitching wedges and challenged anyone to tell me if there was any difference in loft. Everyone said the lofts looked about the same. I usually hit my 8-iron 150 yards, so that explains it. Today’s modern irons generally have less loft than yesterday’s irons. In a recent tournament it was reported that Tiger was using irons with “older” lofts. Why the difference between old and new? It may be a good marketing gimmick to say a brand-x 5-iron will hit the ball farther than an older 5-iron, but if the lofts are different, you are not comparing apples to apples. After doing a little research on the loft angles of irons, I found the older specs were uniformly 4 degrees apart, starting with the sand wedge at 55 degrees, so the older pitching wedge should be 51 degrees. However, on their web site, Cleveland’s modern pitching wedge is only 45 degrees. No wonder it goes as far as my 8-iron, the loft is almost the same! That means, if you have a lesser-lofted pitching wedge, you might want to carry an extra wedge (a “gap” wedge) for the distance between the pitching wedge and the sand wedge. Those marketing guys are pretty clever, aren’t they? They made you buy an extra club, which may or may not match your other clubs. Then, also, you might have to get another extra club, a Lob wedge, because the extra “bounce” on the sole of your sand wedge may make it more difficult to hit that club from the fairway grass. With all these extra clubs (4 wedges) in your bag, you may have to decide which other clubs to remove (long-irons?) to stay within the 14 club limit. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - A Poor Man’s Belly-Putter
Some pros, including Vijay Singh, have switched to the “belly putter”, which has a shaft long enough to press against your belly, thus making your putting stroke more consistent. However, specialty putters can be expensive, so here are two ways to use your own shorter putter with the belly-putter method. Grip firmly with the palm of your right hand (assuming you are right-handed). Take a posture that allows your right elbow (Method A) to touch your torso, and leave the elbow touching there for the entire stroke (you may have to adjust your stance to do this comfortably). This makes your right forearm an extension of the shaft. Method B would be to touch your torso with your left elbow, making your left forearm an extension of the shaft (again, you may have to adjust your stance). Have a 3-way contest between your regular stroke and these two methods. If your regular method wins, congratulations, your old method can take the pressure of a challenge! If not, you may have discovered an immediate improvement in your putting stroke! (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - How can I tell which putting grip will work best for me?
There are many acceptable grips to choose from. The most popular is the reverse-overlap, but you can also try regular overlap, ten-finger, stronger left hand control, stronger right hand control, shoulder control, and the “claw” (different variations used by Mark Calcavecchia and Chris DiMarco). One way to test what is best for you is to use a square tiled floor as a guide. Using a putter that has an aiming line on top, position that line along a floor tile line and take a stroke, while watching how the line on the putter follows the tile line. Whatever grip/stroke keeps you closest to the tile line may be best for you. It is normal for the backswing and the follow to travel slightly inside the tile line. The next step is to place a ball along the tile line and see if your stroke can keep the ball rolling along the tile line. You may be surprised to find that you have a tendency to pull or push your putts. If you cannot keep the putts straight! along the tile line, then try to keep the putter square to the hole all during the follow-thru. Have another person behind you to verify whether or not you are pulling or pushing your stroke off line. Also where the tile lines intersect, you can use the vertical tile line to check that your clubface alignment is perpendicular to the target line. First hide the tile line with a piece of paper, address the ball, and have someone pull out the piece of paper. You might be surprised to find you were not as correctly aligned as you had assumed. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - What's a Game Plan?
For most of us, a game plan might consist of general ideas such as beat your buddies, grip it and rip it, hit every shot as far as possible, don't hit any bad shots, make every putt, all fairway shots must be as close to the green as possible, or make a move on the beverage cart girl. But what if you strike out with the beverage cart girl, the putts won't fall, you can't hit the fairways, or hit the greens? What does it mean to stick to your game plan?
First of all, you have to change the way you make your game plan. Forget about beating your buddies, just play against the course, not your buddies. You cannot control how well your buddies play (unless you are into mind games), so instead just control your own game. The right way to make a game plan is to establish a goal and assess your strengths and weaknesses. Let's say your goal is to break 90, and your 2 biggest weaknesses are wildness off the tee and half-wedge shots. Your 2 biggest strengths are full wedges and short irons.
The way to make your game plan here is to think ahead on every shot to avoid your weaknesses and use your strengths. That means whenever possible, put yourself into position for a 100-130 yard shot to the green (your strength or your “wheelhouse”). Avoid going much closer, because that means it's a partial wedge shot (your weakness). With this in mind, it is not always a good idea to hit the ball as far as you can on every shot. Just get the ball to your "wheelhouse" distance where you have the most confidence on the next shot.
If you are wild with the driver, only use it when there is no danger if you should miss the fairway. If you can use a shorter club to safely get into your wheelhouse distance to the green, then you are following your game plan. Even if you completely flub a tee shot, just get your next shot to your wheelhouse distance, and you have a good chance to avoid a double bogey, and you will possibly also make several pars along the way, and that means a you have a much better chance to beat your goal. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - Strategies to combat the dreaded half-shot to ¾ shot.

Do you find that you either pull these shots or hit them too thin? Guess what? You are not alone. These are the shots where most people throw away the most strokes.

You have heard about The Yips? Most people think The Yips only pertain to putting, but I believe The Yips also apply, maybe more so, to the half-to-3/4 shots. Why? Because this type of shot is a departure from your normal swing, and the opportunity for error is magnified by the many different variations in the length of the backswing necessary to control intermediate distances. Then add the factor of twitching nerves as you hope to avoid hitting it fat or thin, and you already have too much to think about.

First, let's address the pulled shot. Most advice on pitch shots say to use an open stance and swing along the body line. This will lend itself to a pulled shot unless you keep the face of the club open during the follow-thru. You can only accomplish that by keeping the hands in front of the club thru impact. Sometimes you cannot help flipping the wrists during the follow-thru, but on a less-than-full shot, you must have the discipline to keep the face open all the way, or else the shot will be pulled. Of course, if you pull the shot every single time, just adjust your aim to a more squared stance.

The problem most people have is shots that are too fat or too thin. Here is a mental image to try, this is what I call the "wagon wheel". Your head is the hub, and your left arm is the spoke of the wheel where the club is attached. If the hub stays steady, and the spoke does not bend, the club cannot help but to strike the ball cleanly every time.

In summary, keep the hands ahead of the club thru impact while doing the wagon wheel, and you should see some improvement in consistency.
(see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - Are long irons a problem?
Unless you happen to be a single digit handicap golfer, long irons may be more difficult to hit consistently than other clubs. In order to hit them consistently, you must be able to hit the sweet spot nearly every time. Of course, if you can do that, you probably are already a single digit handicapper, right? But what about the average golfer? By the way, everyone has a different opinion on what is an average golfer. Just for the sake of discussion, let's say the average golfer shoots in the 90's. If this is the case, what does this average golfer shoot on a par 3 course? I'm guessing an average of 4-5 on every hole. If that is the case, you might do better to work on the short game more than the long irons.

OK, OK, OK, you still want to know more about long irons anyway. It could be that your clubs do not fit you properly. 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, blade or offset styles, muscle-back or cavity-back.

It could be that your problem is in your mind. 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.

If none of this works, 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.

To explore this any further, an instructor would need to know more specifics about the nature of the problem, is it consistently fat or thin shots, extra hooking or slicing, or general wildness? Depending on the answer, a swing change may be in order. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - Some Day You May Need A License Just To Play?
Golfers, be thankful that you live in the good old USA, because if you lived in other countries where there are not enough courses, you might have to be licensed to play. Will this ever happen in our country? Well, maybe only in highly populated areas. Courses in less populated areas are probably happy to get business from any level of golfer. Of course, one can assume that pace of play is the problem with inexperienced golfers, but in reality I have seen some pretty good golfers who are awfully slow, and conversely some less talented players who play briskly. Nevertheless, you can't license people based on their pace of play, so a logical criteria would seem to be the player's handicap. Courses that are overcrowded and never have any trouble booking all tee times are candidates for this sort of licensing. Realistically, they could allow higher handicap players to play only during off-peak periods. If pace is the real issue, I would suggest that any course could create a local rule to abolish the stroke and distance penalty. In the name of pace, nobody should ever, ever, ever have to walk back to the original spot to hit another shot. That is just stupid, stupid, stupid. Don't get me started on what I think of some of the other ancient sacred rules that supposedly cannot be changed, I could go on forever. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - Equipment Does Make A Difference
Sometimes I see people trying to change their swings just because they are having trouble with one or two of their clubs, even when they are hitting the rest of their clubs OK. Being able to hit most of your clubs OK is an indication that their swing is not that bad. Changing your swing to fit a certain club (especially drivers) could be a big mistake, a never-ending battle. There are many variables in clubhead shapes, weight, lie angles, shaft length and flex, grip sizes, etc., and the way all these factors come together can cause different behaviors from club to club, even in a matched set because of tolerance buildup. Keep the clubs that you hit well, and experiment with other clubs to replace your “trouble” clubs. You might even consider taking your best-performing clubs to a pro shop to have the specs measured, which will give you a basis for good decisions on getting other clubs. Borrow from your friends and try their clubs on the range. Visit some stores that allow you to try demo clubs. Some stores will allow you to try demo clubs out of the store with no commitment. Used equipment stores such as Play It Again Sports have a huge variety and may allow you to return clubs if they don’t meet your satisfaction. Try to attend “Demo Days” at ranges whenever they are advertised, because they will let you hit a variety of their clubs free of charge, and compare the results you get from different shaft types, flexes, lengths, swingweights, and other specs. Give yourself the best chance to succeed, before you try a swing change that may be unnecessary. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Golf - Practicing with the sand wedge

Most average golfers do not have a place where they can practice sand shots, so it stands to reason that greenside bunkers are to be feared. Either you have trouble with distance control, or you can’t get out at all. If you ever want to get over this fear, you need to find a facility that has a practice bunker. If there are no such facilities nearby, you might have to be a little creative, like looking around for a park or playground that has a sand box, sand volleyball court, or a nearby beach.

Without a ball, grip the club with the face wide open (this prevents the club from digging too deep into the sand), and try to hit the sand in the same spot every time. This will help your confidence a lot. Then place a ball 2-3 inches ahead of that spot and make the same swing. Vary the ball position and see what effect that has on distance control.

If you are still having trouble, try a sand wedge that has more “bounce”, which is the downward angle of the bottom of your club measured from front edge to back of the sole. Some sand wedges have zero bounce, which is good for fairway grass and for coarse sand, while other sand wedges have around ten degrees of bounce, which is better for finer grains of sand. The more bounce a club has, the less it will dig into the sand, so it will get you out consistently with less effort. Once you experience that, you can experiment with distance control by using the same easy swing and varying the ball position (forward usually works best), varying the amount of open face (after gripping the club), and varying how far behind the ball your clubhead enters the sand.

You may find you have a maximum range for these types of shots, so what do you do if you have a sand shot longer than your maximum range? Using a sand wedge having a lot of bounce, open the face about 45 degrees and try to pick the ball clean. Even if the club hits the sand first, the club will bounce off the sand and into the ball, sending it about a far as a pitch from grass. This takes a little practice, but it might come in handy some day. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)