Joe,
I hit a driver Straight 95% of the time and 5% off the time I push my drive, I can always hit a fade when the hole calls for it but I cannot Draw the ball. I have a son who is a Professional Golfer he says point your feet and your hips where you want it to start, and you driver face at where you want it to finish. I must manipulate my hands subconsciencely I always hit it straight. Would an offset driver where the face is 4% closed help me to draw the ball. Kindest Regards
Norm


Hello Norm,
Wow, 95% straight with a driver? You must be really good! Not very many golfers can hit any club straight 95% of the time, much less the driver. Are you sure you want to tinker with this? Mark Calcavecchia has taken away all the dangers on the left side of the course by refusing to hit a hook, and you might be better off doing the same.

The reason is that once you change your hand action to hit a hook, now you have to worry about the varying amounts of hook, and there also is a possibility that you will lose the ability to hit the ball straight anymore.

Nevertheless, if you really want to hook, go ahead and get the driver with the closed face, and listen to your son's advice along with one more thing which has to do with your hand action.

Your current hand action at impact is very good, right down the target line to hit the ball so consistently straight. That is possibly why you cannot hook even when you try to because this hand action comes so naturally to you. In order to hook, your hands have to be rolling over at impact which may be unnatural to you. Some people prefer to think of rolling the forearms instead, but now you have to worry about how much to roll the hands or the forearms. This may take a lot of practice to avoid wild shots or mis-hits.

Again I am concerned that you might lose the motor muscle memory that gives you good natural hand action and control that you already have. Try this on the range, but also keep trying to hit straight shots on demand so you don't lose your 95% accuracy when you need it.

Joe

Joe, is it safe to assume that the best instructors are also the best players? Greg

Hi Greg,
It stands to reason that any instructor must also be a pretty good player, but the instructor must also have good communication skills. I have seen cases where good players who happened to be blessed with a lot of natural ability cannot understand why students who are not so physically blessed cannot execute the same motions as the good player to whom this comes so naturally. Not everyone has the same degree of hand-eye coordination and athleticism. I would recommend choosing an instructor who became a good player by starting out as a hacker and has had to go thru the pains of learning from their own mistakes and how they had to correct them. Watch out for instructions that get too complicated. You cannot possibly be thinking of too many different moves during a swing.

Another idea to avoid is the one that says all golfers must swing the same way. That is not reasonable. We are not robots, we are all uniquely different human beings, with different body structures and hinges with differing ranges of motion, different degrees of hand-eye coordination and athleticism. Some people think instructors must always be better than their students, but if that were true, then Butch Harmon must be better than Tiger Woods, right? The best instructors are those who have good communication skills and are able to convey the right ideas to the right person.
Joe

Joe,
Some of Ben Hogan’s information says to hit the ball lower and your scores will improve, and I think that is working for me. However, my driver now hits the ball so low that my 3-wood gets more distance because it has more hang time. However, the face of the 3-wood is not very tall, so I sometimes hit popups. I have tried other drivers, but I seem to get the same result.
Joey

Hi Joey,
Guess what, we have something in common besides having the same name, I hit most drivers too low also. It is hard to argue with anything Ben Hogan has said. I agree with his statement that trying to hit the ball lower is a good thing because it makes you hit down at the ball more steeply, which improves consistency in ball striking. Therefore, the only drivers I can hit farther than my 3-wood are those with maximum loft, like 12 degrees, but they are hard to find. So I did the next best thing, which is to find a 3-wood with the biggest available head with the tallest clubface (to avoid popups), and now my tee shots are much better thanks to the 15 degree loft. The mind is a powerful thing. Just because you see a number 3 on the club, you might think you are giving up distance because you are not using a driver. Instead, just think of a tall-faced jumbo 3-wood as a mislabeled driver with a little extra loft.

Speaking of Ben Hogan, I read somewhere that he as such a perfectionist that he once had a dream of getting an ace on the first hole, and then the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. He had a score of 17 after 17 holes. On the 18th hole his shot sailed right at the flag, bounced once, and then lipped out. He said “When I woke up I was mad as hell�.

Joe,
Sometimes I hit shots too fat and sometimes too thin. Any suggestions on improving this?
Andy

Hello Andy,
Usually this is a result of a swing that tries to sweep the ball up off the ground. I would recommend hitting down at the ball, so that your club first strikes the ball at the equator and then takes a divot. Notice on TV how the pros take a divot on every fairway shot. By hitting down, the ball spins up the clubface, even when you strike it at the equator. If you do not hit down, and you strike it at the equator, the result is a grounder or low line drive. This means by hitting down you improve your margin for error. Even if you think you are risking hitting more thin shots (and you might not), this is better if you have eliminated fat shots, because fat shots usually do not travel as far as thin shots. Everyone hits occasional bad shots, but there is an old saying that improvement begins with better bad shots.
Joe

Joe,
I have had problems lining up these new large head drivers with closed faces. Can you explain the proper setup for these? I was used to lining up the bottom of the driver head perpendicular to the target line, now what?
Gregory

Hello Gregory,
Not all drivers have closed faces, so just look around and you can find one to your liking. If you have already purchased this driver with the closed face, and you do not like it, you can always trade it in. If you do like it and you want to keep it, there are two things you can do.

First, you can hold the club an inch off the ground, line up the bottom of the driver head perpendicular to your target line and re-grip while you are doing so. Don’t lay the club on the ground or else it might throw you off again. If this happens to cause a push or slice, then you might be better off gripping with the closed face.

Second, you can change your setup routine. When lining up a shot, I would recommend doing the same thing that “spot bowlers” do, which means they do not look at the pins, instead they aim at a spot on the lane that is aligned with the target. For golf, just stand behind your ball and pick a spot on the ground along the target line a few feet in front of the ball. Then take your stance aligned at this spot without worrying about whether or not the bottom of the driver is perpendicular to the line.
Joe

(got a question, send it to golfwithjoey@yahoo.com)

For some reason, when I feel that I am properly "stanced" in preparation to hitting a golf shot, my club head over hits the ball; that is, the ball and the head of the club make contact at the heel of the club head.

As a result, even when I fell like I have the perfect stance, and after taking some preliminary swings which feel good, I then align my club head about an inch or two from the ball prior to swinging. This has for the most part accounted for the over swinging and brings the clubhead back square with the ball. I have taken lessons trying to work this problem out, with no success; have practiced ad nausium to correct it, with little success, and finally came to the conclusion that maybe I am rotating on my feet during my down swing which is pushing the club forward as I attempt to hit the ball. Thus, leaning purposefully on my toes at set up has brought me some success but it is not very comfortable trying to hit the ball with that kind of set up.

For the most part, and I do play a lot, I am more comfortable positioning the club head back from the ball at set up, allowing that during my swing, for some reason, the club will advance forward and position the club head squarely with the ball. If I don't do that, I will hit my irons fat, and with my driver will "swing over the ball", thus hitting the ball with the heel of the club head and hitting the ball decidely to the left. I am a right handed golfer.

I want to go back to my days of yore, where I could set up with the club head directly behind the ball, knowing that when I swung, the club head would come directly back through that swing plane.

Anything you can offer in the form of suggestions would be very helpful, I'm sure.
Oliver

Hello Oliver,

There are a number of possible reasons for this. I will have to assume this is true for all of your clubs, and therefore you are shanking your irons. If not, then your set is not matched correctly. Anyway my number one suggestion is to avoid putting your weight on your toes, instead put your weight back more to your heels. This usually solves the problem, but if not, then perhaps your knees are flexed too much in your stance. Just use a little bit of knee flex, not too much.

Posture is very important, so you must extend your derriere backwards to keep your spine in proper position. If the problem still persists, then another possibility is that you were using different clubs during your days of yore. If you still have your old set, try them again and see if there is any difference.

If that does not help, the next thing to try is borrowing clubs with shorter shafts and stiffer flex. Let me know what happens after all this.
Joe

I have thin hands and arms, what is the best grip ? I currently have a strong grip , otherwise the club gets loose. My arms are as close together so that i complete my swing with arms, shoulders and hands, one compact unit. When i used more right hand , got more distance but the obvious hook or fade. Now i've changed to a more controlled swing using my left arm. But distance has been sacrificed , my 6 irons goes 145 yards. sam

Hello Sam,
The interlock grip must be OK, because that’s what Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus use (I don’t use it for the same reason you mentioned, the club gets loose in my hands during the swing). The overlap grip must be OK because that is what the majority of good golfers use. The baseball grip, if you want to be picky, is a misnomer because when holding a baseball bat, your thumbs are wrapped around the grip, while in golf the thumbs do not wrap around the grip, but point down instead. Hence the term “ten finger grip” is more appropriate, and although it is not as widely used as the other grip types, it is gaining more popularity, and some very good golfers are using it.

It has been said that the interlock grip is most effective for people with smaller hands. I have seen cases where people with larger hands have been using the interlock and have struggled with it, and their games improved when they used a different grip. Personally I do not have big hands but I have never had much luck with the interlock. Most of my life I have used the overlap, which feels most comfortable to me, so for a long time I never considered changing it, but now I am experimenting with the ten finger grip. Why? Because like most people, I am never totally satisfied with my ball striking consistency, so I cannot resist tinkering. So here is what I have discovered, although I admit this is a bit unconventional, and may not work for you, but I like to share new ideas (purists may have a problem with this, but I don’t care because it works for me). Instead of looking where the V’s are pointing, I look where the “lifeline” is pointing.

When I take my stance, I view the circle of the top of my club shaft as a clock, 12 o’clock being up and 6 o’clock being the side closest to my body. Since I am right handed, I place my right hand on the shaft first and notice where my palm’s “lifeline” is on the clock. Then I just snuggle the left hand in. I hit my straightest shots when this lifeline is at 4 o’clock, and if I want to fade I put it at 3 o’clock or 3:30, and if I want to draw I put the lifeline at 4:30 or 5 o’clock. Not only is my ball striking improved, but I am also able to shape the shots much more predictably than before without having to change the way I swing the club.

Most right-hand instruction says to place your left hand on the club first, but if you do that it gets in the way and you cannot see where the lifeline meets the clock on the shaft. Not only that, but then the position of the left hand becomes an unwanted variable which you would not have to worry about if you just snuggle it in when the right hand goes on first. However, if you like placing your left hand on first, I suppose you can find your own way to get the same results. But that’s just my way, unconventional as it may be. I’m not saying this is best for everyone, it is just something to try if you are struggling with other grips. You have to decide for yourself which grip works best for you and how to adjust it. Try them all on the range, especially if you are in a prolonged slump.
Joe

i just cannot get my clubface parallel to my left arm on the backswing, its close but not good enough, it causes inconsistency.

Mukesh Singh
Durban, South Africa

Hello Mukesh, it is a pleasure to communicate with someone so far away. Sometimes we focus on a theory that we think is correct for all golfers, such as your comment on getting the clubface parallel to the left arm on the backswing. I have see cases where golfers perform better with the clubface being slightly closed, rather than parallel to the left arm. I would recommend trying instead to focus on getting the shaft parallel with the left arm.

I have started golf at the age of 61 years. Seeing people hit the ball long distances, I have been trying get the same distance. I get a maximum of around 220 yards with driver. But that too not very consistently. After practicing for several months, I was told that it is becasue of my age that I don't get the desired distance. Do you think this is true? and if not what should I do get a longer distance. Should I slowly increase the speed of the drive in its down swing (I have tried to bring the club down with a greater force. This way I lose control of the stroke and my whole game get badly affected. In fact changing into my normal swing become difficult then. I have therefore stopped trying to get long distances.) Do you have any suggestion?
Sen


Hello Sen,
A forceful swing has less of a chance to hit the ball on 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, followed by a long high follow-thru.
Joe

Joe, I have been suffering for a long time in perfecting my putting. I have changed the way I putt several times. I discovered that I don't get the direction nor the feel of the distance. This was even after reading quite a few books on putting, but I have not been able to perfect it. I still find it difficult to putt as close as 5 ft away.
This is how I putt. By resting my elbow on my stomach I find that I have greater control on the putter, i.e. the putter moves in a straight line (Earlier when I was not resting my elbow on the stomach I used to find that the putter shakes while striking the ball. Thus making it difficult to keep the direction, and at the same time there was no feel of the direction) With the current technique, I have a better feel of the direction as well as distance. However, I still don't feel confident about putts as short as 5 ft from the whole. Is there any way I can improve my putting?
Prashanta


Hello Prashanta

Most people have a putting stroke that is not steady enough. To prove this, go to any square-tiled floor and see if you can keep your stroke steady along (or slightly inside) one of the lines in the floor. You will likely see the club jittering above and below the line during the stroke. Some people will spend a lot of money on a new putter, thinking that this might solve their problem, but before you waste your money, you must first do something about the steadiness of your stroke.

Here is how I found instant improvement. Recently I was in a Wal-Mart store which had square-tiled flooring, and while my wife was taking her time shopping, I went over to the golf aisle and tried various types of putters along the floor tile line, all of which showed a little jitter in my stroke. Then I noticed for the first time that there were some belly-putters on the rack. I never had tried these things because they were too expensive, but I put it to the tiled-floor test, and I noticed that by pressing the longer shaft against my belly, the stroke really did improve, very steady, no more jitters. It still seemed a bit expensive, so I made my own belly-putter by cutting a hole at the top of my putter’s grip and inserting a piece of broken shaft, making the overall length 43 inches. My next round showed immediate improvement in my putting, so I am sold on this belly-putter idea. I believe the shaft being pressed onto your belly will prevent and eliminate the unwanted wrist actions that make the stroke unsteady. You might want to try one yourself.
Joe

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)