Friday, February 02, 2007

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?

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

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

Sunday, January 28, 2007

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