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