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�.
Monday, December 15, 2003
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
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
