Joe,
i am 44 years old and just really began playing golf this year, the owner of my company invited himself to come play in a tournament in town and requested my presence, however, since i have fallen in love with the game, and with your help i have already gone from shooting in the 140's to the one teens, i go to the range everyday and hit a large bucket, however, i cannot seem to figure out my four iron, the rest of my clubs i am hitting somewhat respectively but i cannot do anything over ten yards on the ground with the four iron, can you help
thank you,
larry
Hello Larry,
Your are not alone, many other people also have more trouble with the longer irons. They seem to have a smaller sweet spot than the shorter irons, so the errors are magnified on a slight mis-hit. Only the better players are able to hit the sweet spot nearly every time. But what about the average golfer? By the way, everyone has a different opinion on what is an average golfer. Just for the sake of discussion, let's say the average golfer cannot break 100. If this is the case, what does this average golfer shoot on a par 3 course? I'm guessing an average of 4-5 on every hole. If that is the case, if you ever want to break 100, you might do better to work on the short game more than the long irons. OK, back on the subject, you still want to know more about long irons anyway, here are a couple of ideas. It could be that your clubs do not fit you properly. Try to attend demo days and see if a different brand of club works better for you, or maybe a different shaft flex, or different design, blade or offset styles, muscle-back or cavity-back. It could be that your problem is in your mind. Try to focus only on the leading edge of the iron without worrying about the amount of loft on the clubface. Hit down on the ball with the leading edge and see what happens. Convince yourself that if you can just strike the ball at the equator with the leading edge (with a downward blow), the ball will spin up the clubface no matter what the loft is. If none of this works, try the new styles of “hybrid” utility woods, which are designed to take the place of long irons. Many people say they are easier to hit and much more forgiving on slight mis-hits than long irons.
Joe
Monday, June 06, 2005
Joe,
Very often I have a very good practice session on the range, but I cannot seem to repeat those good shots on the course. It makes me feel like practice does no good for me. What can I do?
Paul
Hello Paul,
On the practice range, there is no pressure, since there is no penalty for a bad shot. Also since you are swinging every few seconds on the practice range, your muscles can get into a good relaxed rhythm. On the course, however, it is several minutes between each shot, so there is less rhythm and that makes it easier to tense up. So how can we keep pressure from affecting our shots? I like Hal Sutton’s advice on this. He says the smaller muscles do not work under pressure, so use your bigger muscles to swing . All muscles are controlled by nervous impulses. Pressure sends lots of extra impulses into our nervous systems, and it stands to reason that these impulses have a greater effect on our smaller muscles than they do on our bigger muscles. In other words, a wristy swing is more likely to break down under pressure than a body (arm/shoulder) swing. This is especially true for putting, chipping, and pitching. That explains why the Body Golf concept is likely to improve your game. You might want to view the Body Golf videos. Other ideas that might be worth trying to combat pressure are a consistent pre-shot routine such as a “waggle” or a “forward press”, or taking a deep breath and exhaling half way before you begin your stroke. Then, if you are really serious about doing everything possible to reduce pressure on yourself, and give yourself the best chance to succeed, get the “Own The Zone” CD’s by Jennifer Scott, also available from the thinkandreachpar site, and you will have a way to condition your mind to handle pressure.
Joe
Very often I have a very good practice session on the range, but I cannot seem to repeat those good shots on the course. It makes me feel like practice does no good for me. What can I do?
Paul
Hello Paul,
On the practice range, there is no pressure, since there is no penalty for a bad shot. Also since you are swinging every few seconds on the practice range, your muscles can get into a good relaxed rhythm. On the course, however, it is several minutes between each shot, so there is less rhythm and that makes it easier to tense up. So how can we keep pressure from affecting our shots? I like Hal Sutton’s advice on this. He says the smaller muscles do not work under pressure, so use your bigger muscles to swing . All muscles are controlled by nervous impulses. Pressure sends lots of extra impulses into our nervous systems, and it stands to reason that these impulses have a greater effect on our smaller muscles than they do on our bigger muscles. In other words, a wristy swing is more likely to break down under pressure than a body (arm/shoulder) swing. This is especially true for putting, chipping, and pitching. That explains why the Body Golf concept is likely to improve your game. You might want to view the Body Golf videos. Other ideas that might be worth trying to combat pressure are a consistent pre-shot routine such as a “waggle” or a “forward press”, or taking a deep breath and exhaling half way before you begin your stroke. Then, if you are really serious about doing everything possible to reduce pressure on yourself, and give yourself the best chance to succeed, get the “Own The Zone” CD’s by Jennifer Scott, also available from the thinkandreachpar site, and you will have a way to condition your mind to handle pressure.
Joe
