Merry Christmas - here are some free things to have some fun with. If the links do not work, just copy and paste to your browser window.


http://www.stmulligan.com

http://www.orbitzgames.com/puttputt

http://www.cincinnati.com/golf/golfquiz/html/brand.htm

Joe,
I cannot sink a 3 foot putt for the life of me. I have heard about the yips but this is ridiculous. I have tried just about everything. I need one more idea please.
Blane

Hello Blane,
Never fear, here is an idea that works so good you can do it with your eyes closed. First with your eyes open, take the clubhead back about 2 or 3 inches and stop. Before you complete the stroke, make sure the clubface is pointed directly at the hole, and convince yourself that your forward stroke is going to keep the clubface square to the hole all the way during the follow thru. The reason this works is because some twisting may be taking place during a continuous backswing and forward stroke. By stopping after the backswing you can be fairly sure that no twisting has taken place, and you can remind yourself that you are not going to allow any more twisting during the forward stroke. If you can get your mind to believe it can feel keeping the clubface square, you can close your eyes before the forward stroke and you will make the putt just about every time because there are no visual distractions that might be causing your yips. In other words you cannot look up too soon if you are not looking at all. Just feel the clubface staying square.
Joe

Joe,
My buddies and I like to make silly little bets on trick shots. I am two down to them so I am counting on a sly dog like you to give me two ideas on how to get back at them.

Answer: On the putting green, bet that you can get two balls into the hole from 20 feet with only 3 strokes. They will think you must hole one of the putts so they will take the bet. Then you put both balls together against the face of your putter, so a single stroke will send both balls close to the hole, and hopefully from there you will have two tap ins. Next, bet that one swing with your wedge can make a ball pop straight up in the air and you will catch it in your hand. Then stack one ball on top of another, since balls have dimples this is not hard to do. Then hit the bottom ball with your swing and the top ball will pop straight up in the air and it should be easy to catch. OK readers, now it is your turn, have you got any other trick shots to share with us?

Another Season Comes To A Close
This is a sad time of the year in the northern midwest. 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 probably have already played our last round of the year. No more Indian Summer, even global warming is not helping. Even if it were warm enough one more day, there are so many leaves fallen to the ground that it is hard to find your ball in the middle of the fairway, but then most of us are not used to being in that position anyway. All we have left of the season are memories 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 of ripples created by your ball, 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. That last part is the best. There is no better therapy for life’s daily stresses. Hurry, 2008.

Point and Counter-Point:

Purist Point - Prayers are not allowed on golf courses. If you call on God to improve the results of a shot while it is still in motion, you are using an Outside Agency and subject to appropriate penalties under the rules of golf.

Counter-Point – So penalize me. Let us pray. May thy ball lie in green pastures and not in still waters. Amen.

Joe,
I like my long irons but people keep telling me hybrids are better. I do have occasional bad shots with my long irons but I figure the same thing would happen with a hybrid. Do you agree?
Lem

Hi Lem,
I suspect your bad shots with a hybrid will be better bad shots than those with your long irons because there is more mass behind the ball with a hybrid. If you look closely at all your irons you will notice that the mass gets smaller and smaller as the number of the irons gets lower, making the sweet spot smaller as well. Hybrids have a much larger sweet spot so your off center hits should still produce decent results, while an off center hit on a long iron usually loses too much distance.
Joe

Question - is golf a dying sport?
Well I hope this does not happen, but here is a nightmare scenario. In this ever changing world there are times when things must adapt or die, and golf purists refuse to adapt by trying to make the game more fun for the masses. Once upon a time, golf was a sport only for rich people. Today it is for all people, but I see municipal courses closing because the land is very valuable near cities, so new courses must be built in the boonies, and it is becoming more expensive to play, not to mention the price of gas to get there. What few courses remain near cities are already overcrowded because they are the only places people can afford to play. The pace of play is horrible, so with these factors there is danger that many people might give up the game. If overcrowding gets bad enough, we might have to do what other countries are already doing, and that is to prove that your game is good enough to qualify to be allowed to play at certain courses. This leaves out lots of people who enjoy the game but are not good enough to qualify, which is the opposite of growing the game. As a result, golf may go back to being a game only for the rich, and then it will be even more difficult to grow the game. Today there are admirable programs that are trying to get kids involved, but will these same kids be able to afford to play later on? And when Tiger retires, will anyone else be able to capture the interest of the fans as much? If not, this downward spiral may begin. Prize money will come down, and the popularity of the game will decline. Then more courses might close. Somebody stop me before I start to cry. We need more ideas on how to grow the game, and we need them quick. Insanity is expecting things to get better while you continue to do things the same way.

Joe, I read in a magazine recently that if you start your swing and while you are swinging the ball happens to move either by wind or soft grass giving way, that you are deemed to have moved the ball and therefore it is a penalty. What do you think about that?
Answer: It takes a lot of wisdom to say you are deemed to have moved the ball when you clearly did not, so by the same logic I think the rules makers are deemed to be idiots.

Joe,
I am bigger and stronger than my buddies and I can hit a softball farther than them, but they hit a golf ball farther than me. How do you explain that?
Big John

Hi John,
There is a big difference in the weight of a softball and bat versus golf club and golf ball. Since you are stronger, you are more able to drive the heavier bat thru the heavier ball, more so than your smaller buddies. You probably have more of an arm swing than your buddies, and it might be harder for you to generate any extra speed with a golf club. Since a golf club and ball are much lighter, your buddies can use more wrist action to generate speed, especially if their timing is right. This can best be illustrated by using a ping pong ball and paddle. If you swing very hard with your arms, but with no wrist action, the ball will not go very far. If you swing with all wrist action, but no arms, the ball still will not go very far. So obviously the answer is the combination of arm and wrist action. However, timing makes the biggest difference for distance. If you use the wrist too soon, you end up with only arm action at the point of impact, hence the term "hitting from the top", and you get poor distance. You can send the ping pong ball the farthest by swinging your arms first, and delaying the wrist action until the last possible instant. This timing of the wrist snap is most important because it does not just ADD arm speed plus wrist speed, it actually MULTIPLIES them. Think about swinging easy with the arms and hard with the wrist at the last possible moment. Try this with the ping pong ball and paddle and you will see how this will increase distance, then use the same idea with a golf club. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV, this is exactly how they get great distance with a seemingly effortless swing.

Joe,
U think u are so smart, how come we never see ur name on leaderboard eh?
(name withheld)

Dear no name,
I never said I was on the same level as Harmon or Leadbetter, neither are my fees. That being said, be sure to let us know whenever you see their names on the leaderboard, OK?
Joe

Bob writes about Denis Watson losing the 1985 US Open due to the ten second penalty, which I said was an atrocity:

Joe, if you knew the rule, perhaps your comments would hold more water. Many times your humorous replies are not only demeaning to those of us who play by the rules but your answers are incorrect, thus further confusing those who read your rants on the rules. The ten seconds does not start until the player reaches the ball, without undue delay. If the ball is not holed within that 10 seconds, it is deemed to be at rest (which is the part of the rule Denis violated). If it subsequently falls into the hole the player is deemed to have holed out with his previous stroke and must add ONE penalty stroke to his score. It is interesting that you use Denis Watson as his example. Following this incident, the USGA changed the penalty for this infraction because they felt two strokes was too severe.

Response: They changed something? What a concept, I thought that was not allowed. I guess losing the US Open on a technicality does seem a bit severe. Using the same logic, maybe all 2 stroke penalties are too severe, right?

Bob continues: When any part of the ball overhangs the lip of the hole, the player is allowed enough time to reach the hole without unreasonable delay and an additional ten seconds to determine whether the ball is at rest. If by then the ball has not fallen into the hole, it is deemed to be at rest. If the ball subsequently falls into the hole, the player is deemed to have holed out with his last stroke, and he must add a penalty stroke to his score for the hole; otherwise, there is no penalty under this Rule.

Response: Was an official Olympic stopwatch used to time the ten seconds or how many seconds constitute an unreasonable delay to reach the hole? If not, how do you know if it was not 9.9 seconds when the ball fell in the hole? Furthermore, if you try to beat the ten second rule, and the ball really was moving while you tap it in, that should also be a penalty, right?

Bob continues: Additionally, there are only 34 rules and the "Rule Book" is no where near 150 pages. The rule book will easily fit in a small pocket on a bag or even in a back pocket.

Response: I do not know which version of the rule book you are holding. I am holding the USGA 2006-2007 version, and the text with Appendices goes up to page 140 followed by the index which goes to page 164. Geez what a complicated game. No wonder some new people are too intimidated by this to stay with this game.

Bob continues: It takes no longer to play by the rules than is does not to, and to many of us it is very enjoyable to do so.

Response: Tell that to the recreational golfer waiting on the tee while the group ahead marches back to the same tee to replay a shot instead of dropping at the spot where a ball was lost. Bob, I mean no disrespect. Obviously you are passionate about the game, so all your comments are appreciated and should be discussed. I just think the rules are overly complicated and could use a good dose of common sense.

Your putt stops at the lip of the cup. When you about to tap it in, you notice it is still moving slightly and you mention this to your opponent, but your opponent says you only have ten seconds to tap it in. You cannot hit a moving ball, so you wait an extra moment, and then the ball falls into the cup, and your opponent calls a two stroke penalty on you for taking longer than ten seconds. What would a rules official say about this?


This actually happened to Denis Watson in the 1985 US Open. The rules official imposed a two stroke penalty, and Denis lost the tournament by one stroke.

My Opinion: The ten seconds should begin at the point where the ball comes to rest. If the ball is still slightly moving, the ten second rule should not have been imposed. You cannot say it is ten seconds from when the putt was stroked, some long putts take longer than that to get to the hole. Besides, ten seconds is nothing compared to how long it takes some people to line up their putt and then freeze over the ball. Maybe there should be a time limit for that instead, after all, that is what holds up the pace of play much more than the ten second rule.

Losing the US Open because of this is an atrocity, and one of many reasons why the rules need to be updated and simplified. The object of the game is only to hit a ball into a hole, so unless you love beaurocracy, there is little reason for the rule book to be over 150 pages long.

This is about hypocrisy, and what should be done about it. The USGA has recently sent out a message stressing the importance of keeping a good pace of play, but then in the same message it states courses or committees cannot waive a rule for pace of play. Well, I guess it must not be that important after all. To them it makes more sense to follow illogical rules than to have good pace of play. The message says courses or committees should not allow a drop area near a water hazard that happens to be closer to the green than the point where a ball would enter the water. Nor should it be allowed to establish a stroke limit on a hole. Well I guess some poor hapless soul who is having trouble getting the ball airborne is going to have to stay there all day until a shot clears the water hazard or he runs out of balls, too bad about the pace of play for everyone else. Then the message said wooded areas should not be marked as a water hazard because it does not fit the definition. So if you lose a ball in the woods and did not hit a provisional, you must march back to the spot where the original stroke was played and hit again, instead of just dropping where the ball entered the woods, which would save a lot of time. So what should be done about this? Revise any rule that hurts pace of play. For example, create a new rule called Ball Out Of Play, which would replace the separate rules for water hazards, out of bounds, unplayable lies, and lost balls. Think about it, if a ball is out of play, and you are already getting a penalty for that, why should it matter how or the ball went out of play or what color the stakes are? In all those cases, just drop at the nearest point where the ball went out of play, one stroke penalty, and play on. So what if the drop has to be a little closer to the hole, you already have suffered a penalty so big deal, it is not going to affect anyone’s score. This would help pace of play because there would never be a need to replay a shot or to hit a provisional.

Joe,
I am right handed and I have read and heard so many times that the putting stroke is supposed to keep the right hand out of the stroke. I do not understand why. That is like telling me if I want to roll a ball, not to use my right hand. Please explain.
Tony

Hi Tony,
I like your analogy, you raise a good point, why should you not use your dominant hand? Because the back hand supplies power to a swing, this power sometimes creeps into the delicate touch needed to putt on very fast greens. That is why you see some pros use the claw grip so there is no chance that the back hand can overpower the other hand. This does not mean you cannot roll the ball with the back hand. Look at the way Zach Johnson putts. He leans the handle of the putter back behind the ball. This does two things for him. It allows a better view of the clubface to square it up to the target line, and it also reduces the tendency to flip the back wrist, because it is already in a flipped position. This allows a feeling of rolling the ball with the back hand without extra power creeping in to ruin the stroke. By the way, I also use this method and it seems to work well. Good luck and roll on.
Joe

Sometimes I am asked why I criticize the logic of the Rules Of Golf. That was the same question asked to our founding fathers about the rules of taxation in 1776, but they chose to fight injustice rather than just live with it. Good thing they did, or else you would be having tea and crumpets every day instead of Starbucks. Then I am asked to give an example of injustice. OK, if you are in the middle of your swing, and the ball happens to move either from the wind or from soft grass giving way, whatever, the rules say you caused the ball to move, so it is a penalty, even if you stop your swing. But you did not cause the ball to move. Is that justice or injustice? If you think that is a just penalty, then I think you are incapable of rational thought. There are many more examples of similar injustices that, in my opinion, have no business imposing penalties for reasons that have nothing to do with the skill of the game. How people can honor such nonsense is a mystery to me.

A Bit of Golf Trivia:
Every year, the USGA provides its members with an 18 question quiz, which is an open book quiz with no time limit, so anyone can take their time and look up the answers. In the years 2005 and 2006, there were about 2500 people who provided answers for this quiz. Can you guess within 500, how many people got all the answers correct?

Answer:
In 2005 only 21 people got all the answers correct. In 2006, only 6 got all the answers correct. In 2007, although the year is not over yet, over 1200 entries were submitted, and so far NOBODY has gotten all the answers correct.

Jody, my Evil Twin, stop laughing and tell us what you think about that?
Answer: That just goes to show how ridiculous some of the rules are. Come on people, wake up and smell the coffee. Some of the rules are outdated and unnecessary. This is the enlightened 21st century. The concept of continuous improvement dictates that we should fight to amend the rules so people can understand them. The game should not be so complicated. All you are doing is hitting a ball into a hole. Is there any other sport where such a low percentage of people would pass a rules test? NO, so use a little logic and figure out which are reasonable rules and which others are illogical because they have nothing to do with the skill of the contest, and fight to get those fixed. If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem. And that is the name of that tune.

For many years I have wondered why woods had to have a rounded shape. It made no sense to me because any off center hit will have less mass behind the ball. Consider how irons are perimeter weighted to help an off center hit. I saw no reason why the same concept would not also work for woods. Recently I tried an off brand square driver called a Blockhead since the price was very reasonable, and if it did not work I was just going to donate it as a prize at our next outing. Anyway, I took it to the range and compared results with my regular rounded driver. First few shots were comparable, alternating clubs. Then my rounded driver, as it sometimes does on the course, would hit an occasional hook or slice, but the Blockhead stayed straight, almost every time. I had to tell myself, OK, do not get too excited until it proves itself under playing conditions, and so I used it on the course, and to make a long story short, it is now my first string and second string driver (I bought another one), the rounded one is now third string. The moral of the story seems to be this. Club with curved shape produces curved shots. Club with straighter shape produces straighter shots. Next I think I will look for similar fairway woods and hybrids. Do you think Charlie Brown can guess what my new nickname is?
Regards,
Blockhead Joe

Joe,
Sometimes on a short putt I feel like I am sure that I made a good putting stroke, but the ball sometimes reacts like a pull or a push and it misses the hole. Could it be the dimples on the ball?
Drake

Hello Drake,
You are correct. The Zen putter manufacturer has done some experiments that show striking the ball on the edge of a dimple can send the ball as much as two degrees off line, which can result in a miss from 5 feet. Zen then claims that their putters correct for this because of the way the face is designed, but I do not buy that. I do not see how a milled or grooved face is going to strike the dimple any differently. It was not that long ago when all golf balls had a visible seam where there were no dimples. Golfers used to line up this seam so the putter could strike the ball on that seam where there were no dimples, resulting in a true roll. Today’s ball designs have eliminated the seam in favor of better ball flight on full swings. Then I saw another ad for a ball with no dimples at all, and it was very pricey. However this ball is probably only intended for putting because ball flight will be erratic without dimples, and for competition you cannot switch balls for putting. The only solution that I can think of is to use a ball that has smaller dimples. Anyone else have any ideas on this?
Joe

You Make The Call
A golfer tries to hit a shot over a water hazard marked with yellow stakes. The ball lands on the opposite side, appears to come to a stop, but then trickles down a slope and into the water. Where should the golfer take a drop?
A. On the far side because the ball successfully cleared the water before it rolled back in.
B. On the near side because the shot did not successfully finish on the other side.
(answer is below)

Joe,
Why is it OK to play a provisional ball if you are not sure a ball went out of bounds, but it is not OK to play a provisional if it is a water hazard instead of OB?
Mike

Hi Mike,
The penalty for OB is stroke and distance, so if the ball were OB and you did not hit a provisional, you would have to march back to the tee and play again. The penalty for a water hazard is not stroke and distance, so you can drop near the spot where it entered the water, which eliminates the need to march back to the tee, therefore no need for a provisional.
Joe

Answer to You Make The Call (above): B is correct because you cannot drop closer to the hole from where the ball entered the water.

Jody, my Evil Twin, any comments on that?
Answer: That means if you cannot see whether or not the ball rolled back into the water due to tall grass, and you cannot hit a provisional for water hazards, you have to march all the way around the pond to find out, and if the ball is not there, you have to assume it went into the water, so you have to march all the way back around the pond and play the ball on the other side because you were not allowed to hit a provisional ball for a water hazard because if you did, that ball immediately becomes the ball in play, even if you do happen to find the first ball on the other side. That hinders pace of play and therefore that is a bad rule.

Joe,
I heard that the balls retrieved from water hazards do not go as far as new balls? Is that true? Do they get a little water logged?
Will

Hi Will,
I have read test reports that showed the "pond" balls travel only a few yards less than new balls on the average. What these tests did not say is how many yards does any ball lose after it has been used for awhile, even without being in a pond. I do not think they get water logged. My guess is that the more a ball is used, the less distance it will travel anyway, pond or no pond. So if you have a lot of money, and you want every single yard possible, just keep buying new balls. If you are like most people who want to save money, you might choose to use "experienced" balls that you find for free and live with the loss of a few yards.
Joe

Joe,
What do you think is the best type of putter to buy? Does the shape really matter? Why are the expensive ones any better than the cheap ones?
Preston

Hi Preston,
When you count all the strokes used for each of your clubs for any round, the putter by far is used the most times, so it makes sense to get a putter that you like. That does not mean it has to be an expensive putter. Consider this, even if you have a perfect putting stroke, you still will not make very many putts unless you read the green perfectly, and stroke the putt with the perfect line and the perfect speed, and who is that perfect? To make matters more complicated, even if you read the green correctly and make a perfect stroke, the putt may still hit an imperfection in the green and lip out. The answer to your question, in my opinion, is that there is a good chance you can putt just as well with a cheap putter as you can with an expensive putter, just find one that feels good and have a contest using that one against a borrowed goochy-fufu-expensive one and see which one wins the contest. The mind is a powerful thing, so you are more likely to make a more confident stroke with a putter that you like, expensive or not. It is the confident stroke that makes you a better putter, more so than the brand or the type or shape of the club.
Joe

Two golfers happen to use the same brand ball, same number on it, and no other markings. They both hit their drives down the middle, the same distance, and they end up so close together that they could not tell which ball was theirs. What is the ruling?
A. Whenever you cannot identify your ball, the lost ball penalty applies. Go back to the tee and replay both shots.
B. It does not make any difference, you cannot prove either ball does not belong to either golfer.
C. Flip a coin to see which is which.
D. Have a swordfight with your drivers to determine who gets first choice.



A is officially correct, although I personally think it is stupid. Pros have forecaddies, so this can’t happen in tournaments. Recreational golfers do not have the luxury of forecaddies, so for recreational golf, B and C are both OK. For purists who take everything literally, D is only kidding.

Rule makers, use your head, the balls were not lost, they were clearly visible in the same spot. Anyone who says they are lost is a moron. If you can see the ball and play it, it is not lost. Proper skills were used to get the balls there. Furthermore, if you go back to the tee, you are going to delay the pace of play for all other golfers playing behind you. Golf should be a game of relative skills, not blockhead technicalities. Rules like this should be only for tournaments. Otherwise just flip a coin. If a coin flip is acceptable for football games, where there is a lot of money at stake, what is so wrong about doing the same in this situation where it really does not make any difference which ball is which?

You Make The Call
You address the ball on the tee and accidentally knock it off the tee, and everyone watching thinks they are in a choir and they all sing in unison ONE. Then on the fairway you address the ball and when you ground your club the ball seems to move along with the soft grass but it does not move away from its original spot. Then on the green, you are about to address your putt and the wind moves the ball. Which one of these events is a penalty? (answer is below)


Joe,
At the recent Masters, they showed a replay of the telecast from 1960, during which Arnold Palmer left the pin in for a long putt, and his putt hit the pin. Why was that not a penalty?
Florence

Hello Florence,
By today’s rules that would have been a penalty, but at that time it was not a penalty for a putt to strike the pin. This is an example of how rules have changed over time despite those purists who say the rules are sacred (genuflect) and cannot be changed. I do not know why that rule was changed, I think they should have left it the same because it slows the game down when you have to wait for someone to walk up there and pull or tend the pin. I seriously doubt that there is any advantage gained by deliberately using the pin as a backstop because sometimes a putt might have fallen but the pin kept it out. There will always be debate about that, but I prefer rules that speed up the game. Then you have the jerks who would call a penalty on you if you tend the pin improperly. From a sportsmanship standpoint, I do not think the game needs that sort of nonsense.
Joe

Answer to You Make The Call (above)
No penalty for any of them. On the tee box you have not yet put the ball in play. On the fairway it is a penalty only if the ball moves away from its original spot, and on the green it is only a penalty if you have already grounded your club.

Jody, my Evil Twin, what do you think of these rulings?
Answer: Sometimes the rules do not allow for common sense. Common sense would dictate that if no advantage was gained by an accidental infraction, there would be no point in calling a penalty. And don’t feed me that line that says a rule is a rule, that is a brainless explanation. Let the scores be determined by shotmaking, not by bookworm technicalities.

Joe,
The TV announcer said he would not recommend the way Zach Johnson putts. Do you agree?
Johnny

Hello Johnny,
Putting styles are very individualistic things. If a conventional style is not working for you, what choice do you have but to try something unconventional? When Chris DiMarco started using the claw grip, people did not recommend that either, but when he started sinking putts from all over the place, more people started using variations of it. Bernhard Langer changes styles all the time, and so do many other pros. Zach tilts the shaft backwards and it works for him because he can keep the face square to the hole that way. This is the main point. Whatever style keeps the face square has to be OK for you.
Joe

Joe,
I find it hard to keep my left arm straight while I swing. I am right handed. Is it bad to bend it a little bit so I can take a longer backswing?
Alex

Hello Alex,
A bigger shoulder turn should help. Keeping the left arm straight accomplishes two good things. It assures the widest possible arc, and the wider the arc, the higher the clubhead speed. It also assures a more consistent arc, for example, if you allow the left elbow to bend, you have to be consistent in how much it bends or else the arc will be inconsistent, and therefore your ball striking will be inconsistent. In your case, as well as many other people, your body build will not let you keep it perfectly straight without restricting your backswing, so just keep it comfortably straight and you should be OK with a slight bend.
Joe

Joe,
Help me settle confusion on keeping the head still. I thought it was a good thing but I read about Harvey Penick saying anyone who keeps the head still cannot play.
Hank

Hello Hank,
Harvey was referring to keeping the head absolutely still, which would restrict your motion. Steady is a better word because it is OK for the head to rotate a little bit. Some instructors say the head must move a little bit sideways if you have a proper weight shift. It is true that you can get more power by allowing the head to move sideways during the backswing, but that is only for people who have no problems with good ball contact. If you find yourself hitting shots fat or thin or wild, then I would recommend keeping the head more steady and avoid the sideways movement. Jack Nicklaus’ instructor used to grab the back of his hair to prevent too much head movement, and Jack was still one of the longest drivers of his era, so I am not sold on the idea that sideways head movement helps. I think Jack can play, don’t you?
Joe

Joe,
Sometimes I see golfers stop their backswing at the top and check their position. What can I learn from this?
Chester

Hi Chester,
Some people prefer to check the position of the leading wrist. I prefer to check whether or not the shaft is on the same plane as my leading arm, and also that the clubface is not overly open or shut.

Jody, my Evil Twin, what is your opinion on this?
Answer: You can learn how many hands you have, and which one is wearing the glove.

Joe,
Is there a drill for learning to stay down on the shot?.
Frank Danoy

Hi Frank,
Next time you are at a practice range where they have mats with permanent rubber tees, take several lazy swings back and forth, and try to clip the rubber tee on both the backswing and the downswing. This will help you stay focused on the spot. On the course, whenever you take a practice swing, visualize a ball being there as you swing. When you take your actual shot, visualize that the ball is not there and just execute the swing. Let us know if this helps you.

Jody, my Evil Twin, what is your opinion on this?
Answer: Tie some fishing line to one of your shirt buttons with a large fish hook at the other end, place the fish hook between you legs. Whenever you look up, you will receive a biofeedback reminder.

thanks a lot for your email with lot of information regarding Golf. i have a question for Mr.joe Delorenzo
my left arm goes up before impact and result slightly bend in my left elbow (sign motion). i have been through many pros and watched many DVD. i put towel under my left chest, i hold my left arm attach to my left chest and etc.... i have handicap 13, but i am short with driver, and because at impact my left arm goes up and overpowered by right arm. so in this case i won't be able to have proper follow through. thanks in advance for your tips.
rgds
bahman
Germany Hamburg

Hello Bahman, this is Joe,
It sounds like you have what is called a chicken wing follow thru, where you left elbow stays high. You need to make it go low. To do that, you must roll your right arm over the top of your left arm at impact. Your left elbow then would be pointing toward the ground instead of the sky. Forget the towel and forget attaching your arm to your chest, this will only restrict you and cause loss of distance. You must extend your follow thru away from the body with your right arm above your left, and your distance should improve.
Joe

Joe,
It is said that each higher club hits the ball that extra 10m or so longer. So if my PW travel about 100m the 9I about 110m etc... What I have found is that I have gaps between clubs. Let me explain, PW (100m), 9I(110m), 8I(120m)..7I(150m), 6I(155m), 5I(165m), 4I(175m), 3I(180m). I use the same set of irons (Taylormade RAC OS2). Without making it out to be a very private lesson, can you explain the big difference between the 8I & 7I... it is a problem for me as some of the Par 3s I am in between clubs & usually miss the greens as either I try & slam the life out of the 8I or ease off on the 7I & mess up both of them more often that not. I play off a 18 HCP
Thanks in advance.
Sid

Hello Sid,
Your information suggests that you need your loft angles adjusted on some of your irons. At minimum, your 7i needs more loft. However, most people who are not scratch golfers do not hit the ball squarely every time, so the distance can vary quite a bit. In your case even if you did hit your irons exactly the way you say, your handicap should be a lot lower than 18, so it would seem your short game should be more of a concern to you than your iron game. Try this experiment. Play a round using only your even numbered irons and PW. I suspect your score will not be much worse than with a full set, plus you will get a lot more practice on chipping and pitching since you are not likely to hit as many greens. You will also be forced to learn how to adjust your swing for those in between distances. Most of the time you will be better off swinging easier with more club rather than swinging too hard with less club.
Joe

Joe,
Every now and then I see an ad about secrets of golf. Are any of these secrets any good?
Bill

Hi Bill,
All of us are built differently, so a "secret" position or "magic move" move for one person may or may not work for another person. Many times a "magic move" will work for awhile, and then it will stop working and you won’t know why. There are a lot of things going on during a golf swing, and sometimes a magic move will result in aligning your muscles in a good way. But your muscles are changing every day, some stronger, some weaker, in different combinations, so it stands to reason that many of these "secrets" fall in the category of "Mannerisms" which are different than "Fundamentals" which are more important. For example, in Ben Hogan’s secret the supination of the wrist is a mannerism that leads to the fundamental of lining up the club shaft on the same plane with the leading arm for the downswing. The secret of driving the right knee is the mannerism that leads to the fundamental of shifting the lower body weight from the back leg to the front leg. If you only think of the mannerisms without the fundamentals, then you have to guess how much or how little to supinate the wrist or how hard to drive the knee. By thinking of the fundamentals instead, you can reduce this guesswork.
Joe

Joe,
I have played golf once per week for many years, but from the third year onward, my scores have not improved. I should think that a person should continually improve over time, but I have not. I don’t understand why. Is there no hope of getting any better?
Rory

Hi Rory,
If you play once per week, but you do not practice in between, then it is not logical to assume that things will get better while you continue to do things the same way as always. Nothing is going to get better unless you change the way you do things. If you cannot get to a range in between rounds, just hit some wiffle balls at your local park. At least you ball striking should improve. Have a contest with your current grip against a different grip. Many people think the interlock grip is best just because it is used by Tiger and Jack, however many people find that the overlap works better, and the simple 10 finger grip may work best, despite the perception that it is a beginner’s grip, which is a false perception. Some people are blessed with a lot of natural athletic ability, while others must work at it to get better. Set some realistic expectations for yourself. Everyone has some bad shots. Just try to minimize them, or make them better bad shots. That may sound silly, but for example, a thinned shot is usually better than a fat shot, so make sure your strikes the ball before it strikes the ground.
Joe

Joe,
I usually hit a tee shot with a driver fairly high, and often see a ball mark not too far from where the ball comes to rest. This obviously means that I am getting very little roll on the ball after it hits the ground. A few weeks ago, I "accidentally" hit three drives low, and each of these drives ended up being by far the longest drives that I have ever hit on those three holes. I think it's obvious that I got a lot of roll on those drives, and that I should work on learning to hit lower drives (when needed). What is the best way to adjust my swing (including setup) to hit lower drives and get more roll on the ball after landing? Much appreciated.
Garth

Hi Garth,
The quick answer is to tee the ball lower, but there could be more to it than that, I would have to see how you setup and swing to comment further. If your ball flight starts out low and balloons upward, you are hitting down too much and giving the ball underspin, so your ball position might be too far towards center. If your ball position is forward and you hit all your shots higher than most people, and also tend to fade, it is likely the way you swing. If you only hit your driver high, and you do not fade, then I suspect your driver shaft has too much flex, so try a driver with a stiffer shaft and lower loft and compare results.
Joe

Joe,
Would you please answer this question?.... What do you do if your shot plugs in the lip of the cup?... I hit a shot yesterday that plugged on the edge of the cup. About on fourth of the ball was hanging over the edge of the cup...If I had repaired the plugged ball, the ball would have rolled into the cup... It was the first shot on a par three ... We did not count it as a hole in one... We counted it as a birdie. Hmmm... Thanks for any response....
Sandy

Hi Sandy,
A ball is not considered holed until it rests at the bottom of the hole. There have been cases where it looked like an ace because the ball was resting against the flagstick but when the flagstick was removed, the ball came out and did not fall. That technically is not an ace. In your case perhaps removing the flagstick would jar the ball loose, I do not know. If not, you must mark the ball, repair the ball mark, and replace the ball at the edge of the cup and then putt it in for your birdie.

Jody, my Evil Twin, what are your thoughts about this?
Answer: Joe, you are acting like a Purist again, cut that out. I would remove the flagstick and accidentally on purpose jar the ball loose. And I think anyone who thinks a ball resting against a flagstick is not holed is an idiot. And that is the name of that tune.

Joe, in your opinion who was the best ball striker ever?
Zeke

Hi Zeke,
It’s Canadian pro Moe Norman, winner of over 50 events in Canada. Moe was called "Pipeline" because he hit the ball straight every time. Ben Hogan, who believed all straight shots were accidents, watched Moe on the range one day, and kept saying "accident" after every one of Moe’s shots. After awhile, Ben gave up and told Moe to just keep hitting those "accidents".
Moe’s comments on the golf swing:
"Why am I called the greatest ball-striker? Because I have the least moving parts. I keep it simple."
"Stay within yourself. I never swing 100 percent. Most of the time, it's 80 percent. Sure, you can swing 100 percent and the ball will go further, but it's work. Swing easy. Golf isn't a game of violence. Just bump it !"
"With a short backswing, you can't get off line. How can you not hit it straight when you do that?"
Moe’s comments on the mental side of golf:
"Be your own best friend. Have a good attitude. Don't let the game eat you – you eat the game. When you step up to the tee, be glad you're up. Don't be afraid."
"I never got mad at myself. Why? Because getting mad only makes you swing worse."
"Golf isn't supposed to be work. It's to have fun. So have fun!"
"Golf is easy. People make it hard."

Joe,
I can almost break 90, but just when I think I have my swing figured out, my shots become inconsistent again. I need some ideas on how to be more consistent. What should I try?
Kilton

Hello Kilton,
Give yourself some credit, you are an above average golfer and you have the desire to get better. Everyone suffers periods of inconsistency, all you can do is minimize this by developing your own set of "key" swing thoughts. Have a set of "keys" for the backswing and another set for the downswing. Of course it is not possible to think of more than one or two keys while swinging, but you can select a different key depending on what the particular problem happens to be at the time. Here is a sample list of some keys to select from on the backswing - head steady, keep the left arm comfortably straight, take it back low and wide, feel the weight on the inside of the back foot, while the wrist is hinging, get the shaft on the same plane as the leading arm. Here are some keys for the downswing - smooth tempo while shifting the lower body weight to the front foot, swing down at the ball on a path that is inside-out, extend the follow thru while you are still looking at the spot where the ball was after you hit it. These are just a few examples, there are many other things that may work for you, so compile your own list and then pick one or two at a time from the list until you find the right combinations for the backswing and downswing.
Joe

Joe,
Why do some same number woods have a shallow face and some have a taller face? What difference would I get if I used either? Are there any advantages for using either?
Trent

Hello Trent,
The wood with the shallow face will have a lower center of gravity, making it easier to get the ball airborne, especially from tight lies. You may have noticed the Adams company makes a complete line of shallow faced clubs called Tight Lies. The only disadvantage of this design would be the risk of popups from fluffy lies where the ball is sitting up, or from the tee because it is easy to tee the ball too high. A taller faced wood would solve both these problems but would not work as well from a normal or tight lie because the center of gravity is too high, resulting in lower shots with less carry.
Joe

Joe,
When I take my kid to the miniature golf course, she beats me and I find that very embarrassing. I figure she is not yet old enough to be affected by nerves, while here I am getting the yips on every putt because of the pressure of losing to a little kid. She just steps up and putts it while I take my time and aim carefully, but to no avail. There must be something I can do, what is it?
Defeated Dad

Hello Defeated,
The Yips cause your left and right hands to fight each other for control. When one of them wins you push your putts, and when the other hand wins, you pull, and you never know which hand will win. You need a way to force them to work together. Try this as a drill, whether on your indoor rug or a practice green, take your Driver (yes, your Driver), which is about the same length as a belly putter. Put both hands low on the shaft, and press the shaft onto your belly, wherever it is comfortable. You will be surprised how smooth your putting stroke becomes, because when the shaft is anchored into your belly, the hands can no longer fight each other, therefore they are forced to work together. Also, you can experiment by gripping the club different ways to see which is best for you, like reverse overlap, left hand low, the claw grip, or hands split apart, etc., because almost any grip will work with a belly putter. Of course you will probably not want to do this at a miniature golf course, that would probably look a bit too weird. But now you should have a better feel for a smooth stroke, and with a shorter putter, you might also get good results by anchoring the grip against your leading forearm instead of your belly. Might be worth a try. Bernhard Langer actually did this for awhile, he actually used his right hand to hold the handle against his left forearm, and his grip was nicknamed Der Clamp. Another possibility is that your daughter happens to be a really good putter and if that is the case, you may never beat her. Instead of feeling defeated, tell her how proud you are of her and watch her eyes light up.
Joe

Joe,
Any thoughts on why the US keeps losing in the Ryder Cup?
Joss

Hello Joss,
Once upon a time it was the US against Britain, and the US had a stronger team since it had more golfers to choose from. Now it is the US against all of Europe, and the US is now the weaker team. Since golf is growing all over the world, it seems to me that the competition should open up for all countries, each country should have its own team. I do not say this just so the US would be the strongest team, I think they would still only be third best behind Australia and South Africa, who are both getting stronger and stronger. Of course the format would have to change. You could not have that many countries involved in match play or else the event would take several months to complete, and the best golfers would not want to miss their tour commitments. In order to hold the event over one weekend, it would have to be stroke play, but you still could have alternate shot, singles, and best ball formats going toward a team score. Hey readers, what do you think about this? How would you do it?
Joe

Joe,
Why is golf not an Olympic sport, and if it were, how do you think the format would be?
Ian

Hello Ian,
It makes no sense that golf is not an Olympic sport. Golf is played all over the world. Other Olympic sports are only played in a few countries. Maybe the day will come. I do not think you would be able to use the Ryder Cup format because there would be too many teams for match play. I suppose people could play as individuals just like track and field events, and these scores could also count toward a team score. Golf could actually host its own Olympics because there are so many aspects of the game to consider. You may have seen TV events like the Skills competition, with separate events for putting, chipping, pitching, irons, drives, trouble shots, etc. What would be really cool is to have four person teams from each country and play alternate shot. That would really be pressure-packed and it would truly be team play.
Joe

Joe,
My friends are always telling me I am lined up wrong. I do not feel like I am lined up wrong, but I do push a lot of shots to the right. I can just aim to the left but I do not like that because it just feels wrong. How can I get a better feel for lining up correctly?
Will

Hi Will,
This is typical for those who only aim at a distant target. You need an intermediate target. Stand behind the ball along the target line, and hold your club up so you can see both the ball and the target along the shaft. Pick a spot on the ground two feet in front of the ball. Usually there will be something on the ground like a weed or a divot or just discoloration. Then place your clubhead behind the ball, aimed at that spot. Then take your stance and you should be able to easily align the rest of your body (feet, hips, shoulders) parallel to that target line.
Joe

Joe,
I am weary of long winded descriptions on how to do proper setup. They confuse me. Put the club behind the ball with one hand, then add the other hand. Square up your feet and shoulders. Watch your spine angle. Line it up to the front toe, then take a small step forward and larger step back. What is this, dance lessons? How big of a step is correct? There must be a better way to describe this. Lets hear yours.
Dutch

Hi Dutch,
Try simplifying things. If you are hitting shots on line, then your alignment process must be OK, so think about other things. First take your grip with both hands, then address the ball with your feet together, ball off the BACK foot. This way you do not have to take that small step forward. The step back depends on which club you are using, longer club, longer step back. How far back is up to you to experiment on the range until you get your best ball striking. Then tilt your spine slightly away from the target and you are ready to go.
Joe

Joe,
My name is Wm. Al Adamson and I have a question about golf clubs. Can you please provide me with the source by which I can find out what the parameters (weight & size) for a club to meet but not exceed PGA standards? Thanks
Al Adamson

Hi Al,
The source for your information is www . usga. org. where you will find many details on what is conforming and what is non-confoming. However keep in mind that this is mainly for tournament golf. If you are just a recreation player who wants to push the limits, consider these points. The weight limit is not an issue, a club that is too heavy will not help you because it will decrease your swing speed, resulting in less distance. The largest clubhead allowed is 460cc, trying to swing a larger one would be like trying to swing a Buick. Shaft length is not an issue because the longer the shaft, the more difficult it becomes to strike the ball on the sweet spot of the clubface. Skilled players can use a driver with a 45 inch shaft, but less skilled players might do better with a 43 inch shaft, it all depends on your body build and skill level.
Joe

Joe,
Whenever I see people freeze over the ball, I ask them why and some of them are in denial so they say do not rush me, this is not sprint golf. Others admit it but they say they are just not yet ready to start the swing. I ask them what would make them ready to swing, and they cannot tell me, they just are not ready. Can you give us some advice on this?
Ned

Hello Ned,
In your first example, someone who plays slow and accuses others of playing sprint golf is just being insensitive. They just do not get it, and there is probably little you can do about that without making them feel insulted. In your second example, people who hesitate to start the backswing until they receive a moment of enlightenment, are probably trying to think of too many swing keys at the same time. One way to overcome that is to limit your swing thoughts to one key for the backswing, and one key for the downswing. Another way is to convince yourself that you are guaranteed to have a bad shot if you stay over the ball too long. Ask yourself, do you want a bad shot? Do you? Do you? No, so swing already before it is too late.
Joe

Joe,
Last fall I won a new set of irons in a raffle and they look a whole lot better than my old irons, and they hit the ball farther too, but too much to the right. I did not have the same problem with my old irons, but I like the extra distance that I get with the new irons. I am right handed. The shafts are the same length. What can I do?
Willa

Hi Willa,
The first two things I would look at are the lie angle and shaft stiffness. If the new shafts are stiffer, you are likely to hit the ball more to the right. If stiffness is not the issue, the lie angle might be too flat. Check your divots to see if they are deeper near the toe. Since your shafts are the same length, stand up your old and new 5 irons on their grip ends together and you may be able to see if there is any difference in their sole angles. The best way to tell if your clubs have the correct lie angle is the striking board, where you put tape on the sole of the club and when you swing and hit the striking board, you can see where the tape is damaged. It should be damaged in the center of the sole if your lie angle is correct.
Joe

Joe,
What’s the difference between a pitch shot and a chip shot?
Ralph

Hi Ralph,
A pitch shot has more air time and less roll, a chip shot has less air time and more roll. A chip shot is usually played when the ball is very close to the putting surface but there is some taller grass in the way that would prevent you from using your putter. So by using one of your irons, maybe a 7 iron, you can still use your putting stroke and the ball will sail over the tall grass and then roll like a putt. A pitch shot is needed when you are a little too far from the putting surface to use the putting stroke and you need some height on your shot and you do not want the ball to roll so much, so you use your most lofted club and take a half swing, varying the tempo to control the distance of the shot. In both cases, make sure the clubface stays pointed at the target after you strike the ball.
Joe

Joe,
I cannot seem to hit the ball straight consistently. Sometimes it will go straight, and sometimes it will fade a little and sometimes a lot. I am left handed so whenever I adjust my aim to the right to allow for the fade, it seems to fade a lot more. Even when I make an extreme adjustment, the fade increases. What is going on?
Lowery

Hello Lowery,
It sounds like you are trying so hard to pull the ball that you are coming across it. The more you come across it, the more it will fade. This would explain why your fade is not so bad when you are not adjusting your aim. I suspect it will help if you extend your follow thru on an inside out path, that way you are less likely to come across the ball. Then take notice of how consistent you fade becomes. If it seems very consistent, then stop trying to hit the ball straight, just play the fade. Players like Mark Calcavecchia do exactly that because it takes away all the dangers on one side of the course because he trusts his fade.
Joe

Joe,
I have a lot of trouble chipping. I either hit it too fat or too thin and as a result I have no distance control. What can I try?
Emily

Hello Emily,
Here are some things to try. First, for the chips that are just barely off the green, always use a putter unless the grass is too tall. Second, if the grass is too tall, but you are still close enough to the green, putt with a 5-wood, it should loft the ball just enough to carry over the tall grass. Since the shaft is rather long, use it like a belly-putter. Third, if the chip is a little too far from the edge of the green, you must use a more lofted club to carry over the tall grass and land on the green. Here is where most people have trouble with ball contact as you described. Most of the trouble is caused by too much wrist action. Use a wedge, play the ball at your back foot, and keep the hands ahead of the clubhead and keep your wrist locked so you only use your arms, contacting the ball with a downward stroke. Your hands must stay ahead of the club at all times, even after you hit the ball. For distance control with a wedge, hit the ball twice as hard as you would for a putt of the same distance. Let us know if this works for you.
Joe

Joe,
I NEED TO REGRIP MY IRONS. ARE THERE ANY GRIPS YOU PREFER?
Jay

Hi Jay,
Most brands of grips are pretty good, even the less expensive ones. I will assume your grips are getting worn and therefore feel a bit smooth. When I was younger I found out the hard way how dangerous this can be. I laid my driver down on the ground waiting for my turn to hit, and the ground had some dew on it, but I paid no attention to that. But when I swung with the moist grip, the club slipped out of my hand and flew 20 yards, much to my embarrassment. If you are playing well with these grips, you can rough them up with sandpaper to get rid of the smoothness for awhile, but if you are not playing well with them and hoping new grips will help your game, then I would recommend a thicker grip for better control. The theory is the same for a baseball bat, the thinner the grip, the more clubhead speed you can generate, the thicker the grip, the better control you have. In my case, I like the mid sized grip because the skinnier grips give me a feel that the club is rattling around in my hands, and the jumbo grips have the feel of a baseball bat. For materials, some people like the feel of soft leather, but in my case I choose the rough feel of the black and white cord grip.
Joe

Joe,
On a flat green I putt pretty good, but on tilted greens I am clueless, I need some tips.
Slim

Hi Slim,
The first thing to do on every hole is to observe the terrain as you walk up to the green from 100 yards inward. Try to see which way will water would likely drain off the green. That is the way putts will break in general if you do not see any other breaks when reading your putt up close. Try the plumb-bob method where you stand behind the ball and hold up the putter’s shaft so you can see the hole along the shaft. Does the hole look perpendicular to the shaft, or is there a tilt? The third idea is to aim at an intermediate target, rather than aiming at the hole. You should already have estimated how much the putt will break, so pick a discolored spot on the green along that line and aim at that spot, it is much easier to aim at a near spot than to aim at a further spot such as the hole itself. Find a practice green that has a lot of slope and observe the differing amounts of break on uphill or downhill putts along the same line. Only with practice and observations can you get a feel for this.
Joe

Joe,
Every now and then I will hit a great drive and a great shot to the green and have a short birdie putt, and I get so $%#!ng mad when I miss it, like all that work for nothing. As I stand over the putt I am already telling myself I just hit 2 great shots and I will have wasted them if I miss it. This really psyches me out, I can make the same putts all the time on the practice green. What should I do?
Matthew

Hi Matthew,
The mind is a powerful thing, and pressure makes the mind behave differently, which can interfere with your putting stroke. It is natural for you to feel that you do not want to waste your good shots, but you need to use your mind to your advantage. Negative thoughts are a disadvantage, like worrying about missing the putt. Instead, understand that you cannot steer a putt. Once the stroke is made, you have no more control over where the ball goes. All you can control is the way you make your stroke. So tell yourself if you miss it, it will not be because you did not do your best to read the putt and commit yourself to executing a proper stroke. That is all you can do, and you have already proven on the practice green that you can do that. Once the stroke is made, if the ball does not go in the cup, oh well, at least you gave it your best shot. Worrying about a miss will only disrupt your stroke which is not giving it your best shot. Once you are able to focus on execution instead of results, I think you will see more of these putts fall.
Joe

Joe,
On the putting green I do OK but on the course I tend to baby short putts and leave them short of the hole. This is very frustrating. I know pressure has something to do with it, but is there a mechanical idea I can use to overcome this?
Bobby

Hello Bobby,
The simplest way to fix this without changing your putting style is to extend your leading elbow outward, so your forearm is along the target line, and then use that elbow to control the pace of your stroke. This elbow action forces a more complete follow thru, so you are less likely to baby short putts. You also may find improvements in your longer putts as well.
Joe

Joe,
I am not sure what to do. One magazine article says most people should take one more club on shots to the green. Another article says if you want to reduce 3 putting, you need to avoid downhill putts. Since most greens are slanted back to front, why should I take one more club and risk having a downhill putt? Another article also says to put your ball on a specific quadrant of the green if you can, depending on where the flagstick is. What do you think about all this?
(no name)

Answer: Just aim at the flag. Do you really think you will get any closer if you aim away from the flag? Sometimes we pull, or push, or hit it fat or thin, and we cannot predict which of these might occur, so I do not think the average golfer is so consistent that they can put the ball on a specific quadrant of the green every time. If you can do that, why not just put it in the hole?

Joe,
I am too wild with a driver, so I want to use a 1 iron instead because it has a flat face instead of the bulging face of a wood. But I am having a hard time finding one. Why is it that nobody makes a 1 iron anymore?
Ronald

Hi Ronald,
A 1 iron is not likely to help you. Lee Trevino says when there is lightning, hold a 1-iron up in the air because even god cannot hit a 1-iron. Jim Murray says the only time he ever used a 1-iron was to kill a tarantula and that took him 7 strokes. Someone else once said a 1-iron goes just as far as any other club, when you throw them. When I tried it, I found that a 1-iron hits the ball about as far as a fairway wood when I hit the sweet spot, maybe with a little more accuracy, but the sweet spot on a 1-iron is very small, so when I miss the sweet spot, the distance is much less, so in my opinion it is better to use a fairway wood or hybrid instead.
Joe

Joe,
I consider myself to be a fairly good athlete, and my golf game is OK. At times my swing feels really good but other times it does not feel right and I do not know why. What are the things I should be looking at?
Lukey

Hi Lukey,
In golf it is nice to be able to rely on natural ability and feel because you do not have to think so much. However, when you get into a slump, something wrong must be going on, and if you do not think about it, you cannot correct it. Feel is an elusive concept. It seems to come naturally to those who are the most gifted with athletic ability and who play several times per week, but many golfers are not so physically gifted and they cannot play as frequently, and therefore they cannot always count on feel, so instead they must concentrate on mechanics. Here are some check points for you. As you start the backswing, take the clubhead straight back and wide along the target line. As you get to the top of your backswing, use your wrist cock to get the shaft on the same swing plane as your leading arm. This should help to arrive at a strong hitting position at the top of the backswing. You can experiment with how high your hands are to optimize your ball striking. For me, higher is better, but may not be the same for you, depending on your body build. Also, be sure to extend your follow-thru toward the target or maybe even a little outside the target line.
Joe

Joe,
In your opinion what is the best golf movie?
Billy

Hi Billy,
The best golf movie ever is The Greatest Game Ever Played, and the book by Mark Frost is even better than the movie. It is a true story. If you ever get a chance to see the DVD, make sure you see the section called Special Features for a personal interview with the actual main character.
Joe

Joe,
I need a new idea for putting, I have tried every idea in the golf magazines and nothing works. I do not have the yips, I just cannot seem to keep the clubface square all the time and I cannot get a feel whether or not I am lined up correctly. I refuse to try a belly putter or longer putter because I do not think they belong in the game. There must be a way to putt better with a conventional putter. Is there a method that I might have missed?
Terry

Hi Terry,
I am fairly sure you have tried just about everything including different types of grips and stances. The only things left to try are combinations of methods. For example, you may have tried a cross handed grip, but you may not have tried it along with both elbow positions extended outward along the target line. This may help to keep the clubface square along the target line all during your stroke, and the elbow positions may also give you a feeling that you are better aligned. You might also want to try pacing the stroke with either the right elbow or the left to see which works better. There may be other combinations to try if you put your thinking cap on, but in your case I think this one has a chance of working.
Joe

Joe,
Happy New Year to you and all. What can I do to have the same swing plane ?
Jimmy

Hi Jimmy,
I use a device that is a grip with no shaft with a laser pointer at one end. First I have the laser pointing at my chest while addressing the ball. Then in slow motion I take a backswing and notice where the laser is pointing. As I start the downswing, the laser should pass thru the ball position, indicating that the club will be on plane. Next, I address the ball with the laser pointing at the ball. Then I take a swing to make sure the laser passes thru the ball position. The second part of this drill is more important than the first part, because you can make sure your swing path is inside to square at impact. If you cannot get such a device, you can stop at the top of your backswing and look at the positions of your leading arm and the club shaft. Adjust this position to where you think the shaft is on the same plan as your leading arm, and then get a feel for this position as you try some full swings. Use a movie camera to view your own swing to make sure you stay on plane during the downswing.
Joe

Joe,
Please let me know if you can help me with my big problem. during follow through (or at impact) my left elbow start bending toward the sky and the result lack of distance. i put towel under my left chest and didn't work. i hope you will find a good tip in this regard.
regards,
bahman

Hello Bahman,
It sounds like you have the granddaddy of all clucking chicken wings. Once your body movements are ingrained into your motor muscle memory, they can sometimes be difficult to change. However, here are some things you can try. First, take a slow motion swing, and after the impact position keep your left elbow under your right elbow. You can make this happen by rolling your right forearm over your left. This should force your left elbow to point toward the ground instead of the sky. As a drill, swing continuously back and forth faster and faster until you ingrain this move into your motor muscle memory.
Joe

Joe,
What are some key tips to hitting a fairway wood solid?
Thanks man
Caleb

Hi Caleb,
Does this mean you can hit your irons solid but not your woods? If so, it could mean your set is not matched. If this is not the case, and your set is matched, then I would suggest experimenting with different ball positions. Do you take a divot with your woods? If you do, try a more forward ball position. If you are topping your woods without taking a divot, then maybe your ball position is too far forward. Try to use the same swing for both irons and woods.
Joe

Joe,
Why do they make drivers that have the face lined up for a pull when you rest them on the ground, what good does that do?
Pedro

Hello Pedro,
The idea is to help cure a slice. If you take your normal grip while the driver is resting on the ground, and then you raise it off the ground and line up the clubface to the target line, you have effectively rolled your hands to a stronger grip, which eliminates one of the main reasons people tend to slice. Of course there are other reasons too, but many people find this to be helpful.
Joe

Joe,
This time of year I try to play whenever the temps are above 40 and there is no wind. I seem to be hitting the ball OK but my scores are much worse. I know wearing extra clothing might restrict my swing so I wear loose fitting clothes and I do not feel restricted. The ground is rather hard and I get good roll, yet my distance is still lower than normal. I try to use more club sometimes but I cannot hold a green. Are there any strategies that work better for this time of year?
Gert

Hi Gert,
There are several factors working against you this time of year, the ball does not fly as far, the greens are firmer, and the pins are not moved as often. As a result, the area near the hole gets trampled down by all the traffic near the hole. This means you may have a slow green away from the hole and a fast green near the hole, so lag putts will either stop short or sail right on thru this area, leading to more 3 putt greens. This also makes it harder to stop chips and pitches anywhere near the hole, so you may be having a good day with ball striking, but you will still have a problem scoring, so just enjoy the challenge and the experience rather than having high expectations for a great score. In fact, if you can shoot your average under such conditions, think of it as a great round, not very many people can do that.
Joe