Joe,
Do “hot” irons really help?
Hank

Hello Hank,
No, actually the concept seems rather stupid. The term “hot” irons refers to a marketing ploy that says you can hit these irons as far as the pros. That’s a lie because the loft angles of the hot irons are lower than normal. In other words, a hot pitching wedge can hit the ball 150 yards because it has the same loft as a normal 8-iron. The reason I call this stupid is because now you have no club to use for the distances between the hot pitching wedge and the sand wedge, unless you buy a “gap” wedge or “attack” wedge which has the same approximate loft of a normal pitching wedge. The manufacturers think this is pretty smart because now they can sell extra wedges, while they are playing with your egos because it is cool that you can hit your irons as far as the pros, it’s a macho thing. To make matters worse, if you get the extra wedge, you would have to remove some other club from your bag to stay within the 14 club limit. A normal set of irons should have about 4 degrees loft difference between clubs. If you are able to put aside the macho mentality for a moment, understand that irons are intended to be control clubs for specific distances, they are not intended to be power clubs, so who cares what number club you have to use for a given distance, as long as your results are consistent? Lower lofted clubs tend to be less accurate, so “hot” irons, in my opinion, can soothe your macho ego, but they are not likely to help your scores.
Joe

Joe,
I like my set of clubs and I hit most of them OK, but not all of them. I am trying some swing changes to hit them all the same, but nothing seems to work for all the clubs. Any ideas?
Ira

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

Joe,
What causes a person to constantly hit off the toe of the club and what can be done to correct the problem and/or exercises to correct. Thanks
Butch

Hi Butch,
There are a number of things that could cause this, of course I would have to view your swing to be sure. I will assume you have this problem with all your clubs, otherwise take the clubs that you hit well and have the specs measured, and replace your problem clubs with those having proper specs for your swing. Are your divots deeper at the toe end? If so, your clubs’ lie angles may be too flat. If your clubs are okay, then let’s look at your setup. To start your setup position, set the clubhead on the ground behind the ball before you take your stance, and then without reaching, take your stance. If you find yourself reaching, that may cause toe shots. Also check your weight distribution, is it balanced, or do you feel more of your weight on your toes or on your heels? If you are not evenly balanced, that might cause toe shots. Is your swing arc flat or upright? Sometimes an arc that is too upright can cause toe shots. As far as exercises, my favorite is the double clubber, as shown in the Body Golf videos, because it not only instills good tempo, but it also allows you to view the path of your clubhead thru the hitting area. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.
Joe

Here are your golf horoscopes, what’s your sign?

Aries - I have good news and bad news for you. First the good news, yes there are golf courses in heaven and they are far more spectacular than any course on earth. Now the bad news, you have a tee time of 8:30 am tomorrow morning.

Taurus – To avoid stress, expect to have a certain number of bad shots per round, and put them out of your mind. Once you have used up that number, and you are still on the first hole, then you can stress out.

Gemini - No matter how bad your last shot was it won't be your worst.

Cancer - After playing your best round of golf you can be sure that your next round will be one of your worst. The probability of this coming true increases with the number of people you tell about your great last round.

Leo – Your golf cart will run out of juice at the farthest point from the clubhouse.

Virgo – The slowest people in the world will be the ones in front of you, and the fastest will be the ones behind you.

Libra - Any golfer that hits into your group is guaranteed to be bigger than anyone in your group. And, what is truly amazing about this law is that the opposite is also always true. Any time you accidentally hit into a group in front of you, it will consist of at least one person over 6 feet 5 inches and 270 pounds.

Scorpio - The person you would most hate to lose to will always be the one who beats you.

Sagittarius - Regardless of how bad you cheat throughout the round, the last three holes will automatically adjust your score to what it really should be.

Capricorn – The more expensive ball that you buy, the more powerful will be its magnetic attraction to water.

Aquarius – You will be inconsistent, but not all the time. The best wood in your bag will be your pencil.

Pisces – Some days you will hook it, slice it, chunk it, blade it, whiff it, and on other days, for no reason at all you will really stink.

Joe,
what do you do when purists confront you to insist there should be no rules differences between tournament golf and recreational golf?

Answer: I tell them to check out my buns as I walk away.