Hello,
I was wondering if you could explain how an incorrect lie angle can affect the shape of a shot. The reason I ask is I feel like the toe of the irons I use sits up too high (they are standard lie). I have noticed if I hold my hands high at address so the club sits flatter on the round it is easy to work the ball left, (I am right handed) but it feels a little unnatural with my hands so high. Do you think changing the lie angle (bending the toe of the club down) will help.
Regards
Jeff Sinclair
Newcastle, Australia

Hi Jeff,
For right handers, lie angles that are too flat will send the ball more to the right, too upright will send the ball more to the left. Are your divots deeper near the toe or the heel? If neither, then your lie angle is correct. For most people, it is normal to address the ball with the toe up because your arms are hanging down and are not on the same plane as the club shaft. However, when you are swinging, the force of the swing causes your arms to go on the same plane as the club shaft, which means the bottom of the club will be correctly flat to the ground. Watch any slow motion replay of anyone’s swing and you will see this to be true. When you extend your arms at address (like Natural Golf), the bottom of the club is more flat to the ground, as you said. If you enjoy working the ball left, do not bend the toe down. If you do not like holding your hands high at address, but you still want to work the ball to the left, then bend the toe up. 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 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

Hello,
Can you or anyone explain why the golf shoe makers have reduced the number of spikes on a golf shoe? It was 11 or 12 at one time, and now it is down to 6 or 7. It certainly does reduce the amount of traction for us amateur golfers who have to use soft spikes. Is it merely a cost savings for the shoe makers ?
Thank You,
Marshall

Hi Marshall,
The older shoes were designed for metal spikes, one point per spike totaling 11 or 12 points of contact with the ground. Newer shoes are designed for soft spikes, which typically have 6 points per spike totaling 36 or 42 points of contact with the ground, which should be enough for good traction. However the soft spikes wear out quickly, so replace them if you feel your feet slipping. You might also want to try a style of shoe that does not have removable spikes, instead they have built in permanent rubber points.
Joe

Hello,
I am 63 years old and started golfing right after my retirement in 1992. I am slowly dropping my handicap down from once a 36 to now a 18 yet want to get better. I realize you must practice a lot which I rarely do and that could be the main problem. I would like to get better with my irons without changing a whole lot of things. I have bought numerous videos and golf magazines and after I've watched or read hints to improve my game I get worse. I know old habits are hard to change and I seem to be a little stubborn when things don't go right and go back to what got me where I am at the present. I seem to pull the ball left on 90 percent of my shots where I know I could improve my game if I could only straighten this problem a little. I'm getting a divot before the ball is struck, seems as though I'm taking the club back to fast and dropping my shoulder on the down stroke to get as much distance as I possibly can get with an iron. I think should get me to the green. Usually a 5 iron gets me 150 yards, then a 7 iron does the same thing at times but always left of the green. I try to compensate by aiming right of the flag by a whole lot and the ball goes right where I was aiming most of the time to the right of the green. Yet when I aim at the pin the ball goes left of the green. No consistency what so ever. I know your going to say go practice on a range, but I'd rather be out on the course where I enjoy doing what I like to do. All I want is a tip from you that I can take with me while I'm golfing and improve my game just a little. I know this may seem stupid to you for what I'm asking and what I refuse to do and that is go to a range and hit balls. I've tried this many times before and my game didn't improve, I believe in on the job training while playing cause it's more fun. Three more strokes off my handicap and I'd be happy for now.
Thanks,
Gerald Koski Sr

Hi Gerald,
The mind is a powerful thing, and sneaky too. When you aim at the flag, the mind allows your natural tendency to pull, and when you aim to the right, you mind adjusts your swing to finish to the right, and the ball goes right where you aimed. You may have already discovered the solution to your problem, and many others also have this problem. Convince your mind that if you try to swing down the target line while your body is turning, by the time your club gets to the ball, your body turn causes the path of the club to turn left also, which causes a pulled shot. Your mind already knows when you aim to the right, the ball goes straight, so your solution is to line up at the flag, but do not swing down the target line, direct your downswing a little to the right, and your body turn will bring is back to square, which is down the target line. Let us know how it turns out.
Joe

Hello,my name is Mike. I’m 13 years old and I love golf. I can hit 200 yards on an average swing but on some swings the ball just goes straight down to the ground and doesn’t hit the fairway. Why is this? Please email me back with your best answer. Thank you.

Hi Mike,
I am assuming you are using a driver with a deep face. If you look closely, you can see a bulge in the face, so if you strike the ball high on the face, it will fly high and long. However, if you strike the ball low on the face, the bulge is your enemy because it sends the ball too low. Try teeing the ball as high as you can without hitting popups. If this does not work for you, find a 3-wood with an oversized head. The extra loft might be all you need. Good luck!
Joe

Question:
what is the best tip you ever heard?
Answer: Don’t speak to strangers.

Joe,
My putting has been scaring the heck out of me....I read the putts and hit the distance but my line is off..Especially short ones...I push, I pull...Is this the yips?...I'm from Kansas City and remember Watson having a similar problem...My buddies accuse me of having a pebble taped to the front of my putter...please help..
Sincerely, Sean

Hello Sean,
It could be the Yips, it sounds like your left and right hands are fighting 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. Here is a way to force them to work together. 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 cannot fight each other. When you see the improvement, you can either invest in a belly putter or make your own by simply cutting off part of the rubber top of your putter’s grip and inserting any type of shaft extension down into the hollow shaft of your putter. Even a wooden dowel will work, or a piece of broken shaft that already has a grip on it. Also, you can experiment by gripping the club different ways to see which is best for you, like reverse overlap, left hand low, hands split apart, etc., almost any grip will work with a belly putter. Good luck and let me know how it turns out.
Joe

Richard, Your article the other day on keeping the back swing shoulder high (for a big guy) as opposed to over the head was of real interest. I find that my divot is much straighter however my distance is lacking. I use a strong grip. I feel this is for me but something is not quite right. Is it weight shift-turn or what happens first on the down shift. Could you perhaps shed a little more light . My 7 iron is good for about 105-110 yards if hit real well.
Dave

Hello Dave,
Richard asked me to answer this one. To start the downswing, your weight should already be on the inside of your back foot. You can shift your weight to the front foot by pushing off the back foot to start your downswing. If you can keep your front leg straight, you do not have to think about turning on the downswing because a proper weight shift will automatically result in a turn. If you want more distance, delay your wrist snap until the last possible instant before contact. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV and you will see this is how they get maximum clubhead speed even when it looks like they are swinging easy.
Joe

Richard, Your article the other day on keeping the back swing shoulder high (for a big guy) as opposed to over the head was of real interest. I find that my divot is much straighter however my distance is lacking. I use a strong grip. I feel this is for me but something is not quite right. Is it weight shift-turn or what happens first on the down shift. Could you perhaps shed a little more light . My 7 iron is good for about 105-110 yards if hit real well.
Dave

Hello Dave,
Richard asked me to answer this one. To start the downswing, your weight should already be on the inside of your back foot. You can shift your weight to the front foot by pushing off the back foot to start your downswing. If you can keep your front leg straight, you do not have to think about turning on the downswing because a proper weight shift will automatically result in a turn. If you want more distance, delay your wrist snap until the last possible instant before contact. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV and you will see this is how they get maximum clubhead speed even when it looks like they are swinging easy.
Joe

Joe,
Tempo, that is exactly my problem. I do not know how to get my body into the shot. I hit fairly consistently, but not very far. Can you help me with this? What is the sequence, hips, legs, arms? Is there an exercise for this? How can I get the tempo? If I try to move my hips or legs I wind up "sliding". If you can fix this, I will really be able to score.
Thanks,
Susan

Hi Susan,
For your problem, I highly recommend the Body Golf videos because they show you the drills you need to achieve better tempo, like the 2 club drill. If you think in terms of a sequence, it is like a house of cards, one false move and the whole swing is ruined. Get your body to work together smoothly. Hal Sutton says the smaller muscles do not work well under pressure, so instead rely on the larger body muscles (shoulders and hips) and simpler swing thoughts.
Joe

Question for the Evil Twin:
Jody,
What kind of holes are you favorites and why?
Answer: The 19th hole, of course, and the reason is BEER. I am not alone on this, here are other famous people who agree with me:

Sometimes when I reflect on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. I think, "It is better to drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." -- Babe Ruth

I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day. -- Lyndon B. Johnson

An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools. -- Ernest Hemingway

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading. -- Paul Hornung

24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not. -- H. L. Mencken

When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. So, let's all get drunk and go to heaven! -- George Bernard Shaw

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. -- Benjamin Franklin

Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza. -- Dave Barry

BEER: helping ugly people find love since 3000 B.C. -- W. C. Fields

Remember "I" before "E", except in Budweiser. -- Professor Irwin Corey

To some it's a six-pack, to me it's a "support group." Salvation in a can! -- Leo Durocher

One night at Cheers, Cliff Clavin explained the "Buffalo Theory" to his buddy Norm: "Well ya see, Norm, it's like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular elimination of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain! can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine! That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers." --Cliff Clavin

Joe,
I would like to know the exact way that you propose to "Hit thru the ball" I have a good hands and arm swing but do not get the yardage I should receive. I am 77 yrs young and would like to hit further.
Leroy Grossman

Hello Leroy,
Try this experiment. Take a ping pong paddle and ball, hold the ball out in front of you and swing at it with an arm swing. Then do the same thing, but this time delay the wrist snap until the last possible instant and watch how much farther the ball goes. A golf swing works the same way. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV. You will see that the wrists do not snap until the last possible instant, which adds to clubhead speed at contact. People who fail to do this are “hitting from the top”, which means they use up their wrist snap too soon, reducing their clubhead speed at contact. This idea, along with a more aggressive weight shift on the downswing, should result in better distance.
Joe

Dear Joe:
I’m not sure if you’ve ever gotten a question like this or if you will be able to help me. If you can’t maybe you know someone who can. My problem is that I’m a well endowed woman. Not extremely, but well enough for it to cause problems with my swing. Most videos and books tell you to let you arms hang naturally at your sides to swing. Well, if I do that something gets in the way when I take the club away. I usually try to set my arms over them, but then I end up reaching for the ball which puts my weight on my toes, which in turn limits my weight shift and I end up hitting mostly with my arms. Any suggestions?
M.C.

Hi M.C.,
My evil twin is dying to answer this one, but I won’t let him. Did you ever see Nancy Lopez swing? Just before she starts her backswing, she extends her arms outward to be on the same plane as the club shaft. There are many books and videos on the market that give a lot of information, but some of the many ideas may not work for you, like the one you mentioned about how you must let your arms hang down. That is only a mannerism, not a fundamental. Natural Golf has built an entire system based on extending your arms outward to a single plane setup, so there is nothing wrong with reaching a little bit for the ball. However, do not allow your weight to go to your toes, stay back a little bit on your heels to maintain good balance. Another thing that might help is the type of sports bra that women athletes are using in today’s sports and exercise programs. My evil twin has offered to help you get fitted for this, but I won’t let him.
Joe

Hello, I am a keen follower of your articles. I have one question---how does one achieve a flat left wrist while gripping the club with your left hand. If you could guide me through I will be grateful.
Rgds
Bala
Bangalore India

Hello Bala,
A flat left wrist is a concept that is achieved at the top of the backswing, not when you grip the club. At the top of the backswing this helps to keep the clubface square for better ball striking. When gripping the club, assuming you are right-handed, place the shaft diagonally across the left palm and close the fingers. The V formed by the thumb and forefinger should point to your back shoulder, unless you hook the ball too much, then you can have this V point more toward your chin. Then as you take your backswing, your wrist can bend into the flat position at the top of the swing. If you have trouble doing this, here is a drill. Begin at the top of the swing and look at your wrist. Make it flat, and memorize how that feels as you start your downswing. The purpose of the backswing then is to arrive at that feeling.
Joe

– Joe, Please advise me...
I am a weekend golfer and could it be better for me to use blade clubs or I should I remain with my Oozler cavity backs. Awaiting for your favourable advice. My last weekend game was good among my previous game, my score was 95, from 142 to 95 (BIG Change)
Rgd Joe

Hi big change Joe,
If you just improved by 47 strokes, you might want to stay with your current clubs. But you are my kind of guy, 47 strokes is not good enough, you want more, I like that kind of attitude. Blade irons are for golfers who can hit the sweet spot every time, and it is a really sweet crisp feeling when you do, but if you miss the sweet spot, the errors are magnified. Cavity backs are a little more forgiving when you miss the sweet spot, so unless you are a single digit handicap, blades are probably not going to help you. Of course there are a lot of other factors in any club that may or may not be suitable for you, like proper shafts, lie angles, etc., so the only way to tell is to borrow different types and compare results on the range.
Joe

Joe, I have problems with the grass down here the ball lies like it was on hard pan. U have to go down after it. with the long irons and 5 wood I have a lot of trouble with it. How do U hit a ball like that with hardly any grass under it. Any advice U could give will help a lot. thanks
nick

Hi Nick,
From your description, I am guessing you are topping the ball or hitting it thin, right? When you say U have to go down after it, are you departing from your normal swing? Most people have better results when their normal swing goes down after it, no matter what the lie. In your case, ball position may be a factor. Play the ball in the center of your stance and hit down. If you are already doing that, and your results are not good, experiment with a more forward ball position and more aggressive weight shift on the downswing.
Joe

Question: On the range I am great, but on the golf course I stink. What should I do?
Answer: Bring some deodorant.

Hello Joe, I Would appreciate any help in assisting me to be able to hit down and through the ball and take a divot. I have always scooped the ball and realize this is not the way to play the game, especially with the short irons. Any drills or suggestions would be appreciated.
Don

Hi Don,
There are plenty of good drills in the Body Golf videos for this. Since you have been a scooper, you probably are not shifting your weight on the downswing to your front foot. If you can accomplish a more aggressive weight shift, it will be easier for you to hit down and take a divot. The step-thru drill is my favorite for this.
Joe

Hello Joe, I don't know why I am topping now? not my irons but with my woods. Can you help me. Thank You
David C.

Hi David,
If you are OK with your irons, but not with your woods, I suspect your woods may not be correctly matched to your swing. Many driving ranges have samples of different brands that they will let you try. Also try to attend demo days in your area, where you can hit different brands for free. You might even find decent woods at a garage sale for just a few bucks, which may or may not fit you, but for such a small investment, you never know, it might be worth a try.
Joe

Joe, thanks for your tips on putting (vijay's way with the belly putter). it has
proven to be worth -3 to 5 strokes per round to me (by cutting down on the
3 putts). now if i can somehow figure out how to putt straight with my 43'
odyssey white-hot 2ball from 3 feet in, i'll be able to cut another 4
strokes off the round. my question today is not about putting. you see, i
seem to have developed a distance problem. perhaps it is my swing or
perhaps i'm hitting it cleaner but my yardage has gone beserk lately. i'm
35 years old, 5'10, 165lbs with a 5'10 wingspan. i golf 2-3 times a week
(only in april since i'm clearing leave) and play hoops for 2-3 hours on
saturdays after golf in the morning. i use a set of forged titleist 690.cb
irons with royal precision flighted rifles 5.5 shafts and midsize softie
grips. about a month ago, i used to hit my pitching wedge 110 metres (121
yards). over the last 3 rounds (last week), the PW goes 125m (136 yards).
which means my 7-iron now goes to 155m (169 yards), up from 145m (158
yards). now this is normally a good sign for most golfers, but i'm missing
greens long by 20 yards or so, and it's irritating me to death. and it has
been inconsistent, because the yardage differences are small. here's my
carry yardage: 60*LW - 60m/66yds, 56* - 80m/88yds; 51* - 100m/109yds, 47*PW
- 125m/136yds; 9-iron - 130m/142yds; 8-iron - 137m/150yds; 7-iron -
155m/169yds; 6-iron - 165m/180yds; 5-iron - 180m/196yds. my clubs go at 4
degree increments from pw - 5-iron. i don't carry the 2-,3- and 4-irons
(although i can hit them); instead i carry a 19* rescue/utility club with a
39-inch flighted rifle and similar grip to my irons. this club gets me
(depending on whether i concentrate on the shot -- which is easier said
than done) anywhere from 180m/196yds to 230m/250yds. because of this
yardage, i almost never pull out my driver now, which is longer but gets me
penalties.
my question really is, will the yardage drop as i play less? and how do i
concentrate on releasing the club at the top of my swing, because if i
don't, i hook the little white fella into the jungle. that's why i said
it's easier said than done, beause i lose concentration quite often within
a round. is there a thought process which i can follow while at address?
i've resorted to mouthing out "release, release, release, xxxx" which is
irritating to my playing partners and looks quite stupid, and even then my
eyes sometimes lose focus of the ball during the backswing (the eye follows
the clubhead, and if i remember, i'll re-setup, if not, it's either a
pull/hook or push. i don't slice the ball anymore. help.
dc

Hello again dc,
I don’t know what the climate is where you live, but a month ago perhaps the weather was cooler, and that could account for the differences in distance per club. You are obviously doing everything you can to be physically fit. If this is a recent thing, that also could account for your increased strength. If you play more frequently only in April, the more you play, the stronger you get, that also could account for increased distance during April. I would have to see your swing in order to determine why you sometimes pull hook or push, but other people with the same problem tend to have a “flying elbow”. By keeping the back elbow closer to the front elbow especially during the downswing, and swinging inside-out, you might be able to correct this.
Joe

Joe,
What are shallow faced or deep faced woods. Some thing to do with there loft? Are there any 2 degree upright clubs available except.I have been told to buy 2 degree upright clubs (ping green dot).
Anand

Hello Anand,
Loft has nothing to do with deep face or shallow face. Measuring the clubface from bottom to top is the determining factor. Drivers have taller/deeper faces than fairway woods. Years ago, the Adams Tight Lies model introduced the shallow face concept to lower the center of gravity for fairway woods, making them easier to hit from any lie. However, if you try a shallow faced club from a tee or from fluffy grass, you risk hitting a popup. The upright lie angle is also not related to loft or deep/shallow face, it just measures the angle of the shaft when the sole of the club is resting flat on the ground. People who push or slice their shots might benefit from a more upright lie angle (if the divots are deeper at the toe), and the reverse is true for people who pull or hook their shots, they need a flatter lie angle. Forged clubheads can be bent to adjust the lie angle, but cast clubheads are at more risk of cracking when bent.
Joe

Question:
I am told I am way too conservative, what should I do?
Answer: For starters, you can stop painting your Easter eggs white.

My name is Howard and my wife has some hybrid woods that only reflect degrees. She has club degrees ranging from 13 degrees up to 22 degrees. Could you please advise me as to what these degrees equate to as compared to a normal driver, 3-wood, or 5-wood?
Thank you,
Howard Duarte

Hello Howard,
Normal drivers can be anywhere from 6 to 12 degrees, typical 3-woods are 15 degrees, and 5-woods vary to the point where it no longer makes sense to categorize a club by numbers, so it is better to use the number of degrees instead. Long ago, woods did not have numbers, they had names like Brassie, Cleek, and Spoon. Irons were called Mashie, Niblick, etc. but then the numbering system was made to correlate to specific degrees of loft, beginning with the sand wedge at 55 degrees, and four degrees apart uniformly downward. Then lofts became lower as the club manufacturers competed with each other to say their irons hit the ball farther, which was not really fair since the lofts were not the same. Anyway, a hybrid club is neither a wood nor an iron, so using the four degree “rule of thumb”, your wife’s 13 degree hybrid can either be a 2-wood or a 1-iron, and the 22-degree hybrid can be either a 5-wood or a 3-iron.
Joe

Joe,
I need some help in stance, body weight shift ??? short swing arc, . I am a right handed golfer and have played for years and recently I had to have left leg amputated due to infection. I have since been fitted with an" otto bock" computerized prosthesis. Am wondering if you or anyone you know has any experience teaching my situation.
joe Chesla
Lino Lakes, Mn.

Hello Joe C,
I’m sorry to hear about your leg problems, but I am glad to hear you are still able to make a golf swing. Although I have no experience teaching your situation, I would have to ask if your prosthesis allows you to have good balance and you can put your body weight onto it without pain. If that is the case, there should be little difference in teaching the golf swing. However, if you do have some balance and pain issues, you will have to modify your swing to allow most of your weight to remain on the right leg. Assuming you are right handed, this is exactly what people do with the “reverse pivot” anyway, so although a reverse pivot is a fault, at least it will allow you to make a swing. Let us know how you are progressing and we can take it from there. Best of luck.
Joe

Joe,
I can't get rid of my fade, which turns into a slice as I tire......during a round.....it seems that no matter what I do to correct it, I can't....I have tried all the tried and true methods...videos, lessons...the most I have done was hit it somewhat straighter....until I tire...then fade and then slice!!!!!! Frustrating to say the least....Help!!!!!!! I am loosing distance....mostly with my woods, my iron play while the distance isn't as great as it was last year is still pretty much straight or to the left.....
Ed

Hi Ed,
Sounds like you need the Slice Buster video, available from the thinkandreachpar.com website. Make sure your clubs fit you properly. Perhaps you do not have the correct shaft flex and lie angle. Another possibility is your hand positions on your grip. The V’s formed by your thumb and first finger should point at your back shoulder.
Joe

Hello. I am new to the golfing world and have a few issues. I am 6'5" tall and have extended length clubs (1.5" over standard length). I have an issue with lifting up on the down swing. Is there any exercises I can do to fix this issue? Also help with using drivers and fairway woods. I can hit my 3 iron around 210-230 yards almost everytime. When I try to use my driver or fairway woods it just does not feel right. I almost always top the ball. I know that the head lifting is part of the problem. Would a few lessons help me get this worked out? Please add me to your subscription I would enjoy the help. Does the brand of club matter? (TaylorMade, Callaway, etc.) I was always told its not the club its the person hitting the ball. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
Jason Steele

Hi Jason,
Lifting up on the downswing is usually caused by improper weight shift. The exercise that should help you is the “step-thru” drill on the Body Golf videos. If you can hit your 3-iron over 200 yards, I suspect it fits your swing better than your woods fit. Have your 3-iron specs checked against your woods’ specs, maybe your woods are not the right specs for you. The brand of club is not as important as the specs. TaylorMade, Callaway, and many other brands have a wide range of specs. Try to attend a “demo day” at a local driving range. You might be amazed at the different results you get with the same swing using different brands of clubs with different shaft flexes and lie angles.
Joe

Hi, Thanks for your newsletter, I find the tips very helpful! I need specific help on body alignment. I have tried everything. What tips do you have on alignment, or do the golf videos address this? I make some good swings when I am set up and aligned correctly. Please help!!!
Willie Singleton

Hello Willie,
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

Question: Will it make a difference for me to use a 3-dollar ball instead of a 1-dollar ball?
Answer: YES, IT WILL MAKE YOU TWO DOLLARS POORER.

Why do so many people think it is OK to improve their lies?
Lyle

Hello Lyle,
There two schools of thought on this topic. The purists say you will never improve unless you learn how to play from bad lies, while others disagree. I have mixed emotions about this. Those who want to play in competition might as well get used to “playing the ball down”. Their handicaps will become higher, which gives them an advantage in formal competition. However, those who do not play in formal competition may not want to see a good round spoiled by a bad lie, especially when they don’t get to play very often, and are playing on course conditions that are nowhere near as good as tournament courses. One could argue that high handicappers have no business playing the ball down for two reasons. The pace of play will suffer due to more bad shots. If they cannot hit good shots from good lies, how on earth do you expect them to hit from bad lies? They will never gain any confidence. They can never be sure if the bad shot was due to a bad swing or a bad lie. With this in mind, it seems sensible for recreational golfers to improve their lies to get the most enjoyment out of the game and to improve the pace of play. However, if they ever want to establish a formal handicap, they will have no chance in competition when they have to play the ball down. Purists, stop and think about that, you should welcome it.
Joe

Hello, I'm a 14 yr old boy and have been playing golf 4 about 1.5 years. I got a bit of consistency of late, and I am hitting the ball fairly well (At least for my age). I want to ask you if there is any way I can increase the yardage of my shots and also increase it's height.
Thanking You,
Yours faithfully,
PP

Hello P,
Ben Hogan says it is a good thing to hit low shots, so instead of adjusting your swing to hit higher shots, just use clubs that have more loft. However, if you are speaking of drivers, you are correct to say you might lose distance if you consistently hit the ball too low. As you grow older and stronger, your power will increase, and this will give your ball more underspin when you swing down at it, and the extra spin will cause the ball to fly higher. Just keep a wide arc and smooth tempo with your weight shift. If you already have consistent ball striking as you say, you have a lot of potential. Oh to be your age again. A lot of us wish we were in your shoes, you have a lot to look forward to. Good luck and keep us informed on your progress.
Joe

Joe,
Thanks for your tips I receive every week, they are a help. My question is, I have the opinion, that I swing easier a wooden 5 than an iron 3/6. Could a wooden 7 may be usefull for distances between 100 to 150 meters. I way for your answer.
With kind regards
Jos Logister,56 yrs.
The Netherlands

Hello Jos,
Many people are finding a 7-wood to be a better alternative to long irons. In fact, some manufacturers are offering sets of irons without the 2-3-4, replacing them with “hybrid” clubheads which are thicker than irons but not as fat as the wood shape. Whether or not this really helps is an individual preference. I have seen some people so psyched out by the shape of a long iron that they will not even try one, and the same is true for others who are just as much psyched out by the shape of a wood. Some golfers benefit from this new hybrid shape, some do not. The only way to tell is to borrow different types of clubs and try them on the range before you purchase. You may also want to check to make sure your irons 3/6 are correctly matched to your wooden 7. If they are not matched, that might explain why you can hit your wooded 7 better.
Joe

Joe,
I have just been fitted with new clubs, but when I address the ball the clubs do not lay flat on the ground, the toe is up in the air. Does this sound wrong? Should I return the clubs?
JD

Hi JD,
Actually, this sounds correct, because when you address the ball your arms are hanging down and are not on the same plane as the club shaft. However, when you are swinging, the force of the swing causes your arms to go on the same plane as the club shaft, which means the bottom of the club will be correctly flat to the ground. Watch any slow motion replay of anyone’s swing and you will see this to be true. Therefore, unless you extend your arms at address (like Natural Golf), the bottom of the club will probably not be flat to the ground. 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 hit the striking board, you can see where the tape is damaged. It should be damaged in the center of the sole if you are correctly fitted. Also notice your divots on the course. Are they deeper near the toe, or are they just as deep from heel to toe? Very few people have clubs with lie angles that are too upright, and the results will be pulls or hooks, so unless that is your problem, you may want to keep these clubs. Most people slice, and part of the reason could be their lie angles are too flat.
Joe

Joe,
I am told, I'm sure correctly, that I need to get my hips turning towards the hole at impact. I am aged 68, 12 handicap, and not as flexible as I used to be. My question is "what should be my swing thought on the downswing?" Left hip back? right hip through? rotate both hips? Right knee through? right heel off the ground? Something else? I would appreciate your advice.
Colin Sowter
England

Hello Colin,
I need to know what prompted your getting advice on hip turning, are you having a problem with pushed or sliced shots, or simply a loss of distance? You are correct in saying people in their 60’s should not be expected to have the same flexibility they had when they were younger, so sometimes the standard swing theories are not realistic for you. However, if you think you can get better results with a bigger hip turn, try a more aggressive weight shift during the downswing, and your hips should automatically turn more without you having to think about it.
Joe

Hello, my game from Tee to close to the green is not bad. Putting comes along occasionally. BUT, I seem to go brain dead with short chips. I hit them everywhere. Skulls, ground first, too hard, too easy, etc. I need something to make me better and more consistent on these short @#$%^&* shots. I am even willing to listen and practice. I can't be much more cooperative than that. Thanks and I enjoy your tips.
Danny Shepherd

Hello Danny,
Here are three 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, try the belly-putter stroke. 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 the wrist action. Use a wedge, play the ball at your back foot, and keep your wrist locked so you only use your arms. Contact 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, hit the ball twice as hard as you would for a putt of the same distance. Let me know how this works for you.
Joe

Hi,
I can never remember where to position the ball in my stance if I want to hit a low shot versus when to put it if I want to hit a high shot. What is the answer?
Paul Larsen

Hello Paul,
For lower shots, play the ball more toward your back foot. For higher shots, play the ball more toward your front foot. However, this takes a bit of practice because there is danger of chunking shots whenever you feel awkward with unfamiliar ball positions. So rather than risking this danger, you might do just as well to pick a lower lofted or higher lofted club without changing your ball position. Of course it depends on the situation, the amount of distance needed is also a factor, so you may have to adjust how hard you swing according to the distance, and that again may feel awkward and therefore is also a risk for chunking shots. Try both these ideas on the range and see which one works best for you before you risk it on the course.
Joe

Joe,
I have been golfing for about 3 years. I carry a sand wedge but no other wedge. It was recently recommended that I purchase a couple of other wedges as I usually am laying somewhere within a 100 yards of the green. What degree wedges are available, what is available and are they really useful? Pat

Hi Pat,
Are you able to adjust your swing for varying distances with your sand wedge? If you can do that, and if you are happy with your results, you are a “shotmaker” and you may not need more wedges, although I am a bit surprised that you do not have a pitching wedge since that comes standard with most sets of irons. I assume you can also finesse your 9-iron for varying distances as well, so maybe you feel you don’t need a pitching wedge. If I ever get to be king for a day, I am going to institute a new set of rules called “Shotmakers Rules” where you can only carry 7 clubs and you will be forced to use finesse shots instead of no-brainer full swings for any distance, for example you can get 3 distances out of any club simply by swinging easier, harder, or normal. However, to answer your question, most people who seek lower scores are carrying 4 wedges. Modern irons have lower lofts than older irons, so today’s pitching wedge is about the same as yesterday’s 9-iron. Therefore if you like taking a full swing with a wedge, you would need a “gap” wedge which has a 52 degree loft, which is in between the 48 degree pitching wedge and 56 degree sand wedge. If you like flop shots, you might want to try a 60 or 64 degree lob wedge. Are they really useful? Generally yes, they should get you closer to the hole, but if you are really good with finessing your sand wedge, you may not need the others. The only way to know for sure is to have a contest and see which clubs win at varying distances. If you try this, let me know what happens.
Joe

Joe,
If you break your putter or forget to put it in your bag, what other club should you use to putt with? John

Hi John,
If you are in a friendly foursome, you can borrow someone else’s putter, but let’s assume you really want to try a different club. Tournament pros sometimes get angry and break their putters, and then they usually putt with their flattest long iron, either a 2 or 3-iron. However, it seems to me that the longer shaft is an awkward length. I am always having contests on the practice green with different putters and putting styles, and I got some really scary results when I had a contest between a long iron and a driver, and the driver won big-time. Now you would think that the flatter surface of the long iron would be more accurate than the curved face of the driver, right? Plus, if the length of the long iron shaft is awkward to me, why isn’t the longer driver shaft even more awkward?
Here is what I found out. The driver shaft was so long that I had no choice but to bury the butt end of the shaft into my belly and putt with my hands way down the shaft like Vijay Singh. Actually the length of the driver shaft is about the same as the length of a belly putter anyway. And then came the scary part about accuracy. Could it be that the curved face on the driver actually helped to keep the ball on line when I happened to strike the ball a little off center? Think about it, if you strike the ball a little toward the toe or the heel, that means your stroke went off line one way, and the curved face sent the ball the other way, which is back on line.
Then I could not resist having a contest between my driver and my regular putter, and it was a tie! Then I got a real belly putter and it beat both my regular putter and my driver, so now I am sold on the belly putter concept, and that explains why the driver did so well. The scary thing is how the curved face of the driver is somewhat self-correcting for an errant stroke. Maybe this only works for me, I guess you will have to try it and see for yourself.
P.S. Here is another scary thing, I just had another contest, and belly-chipping with a 5-wood beat my regular chipping with an iron (yikes!). Sounds strange, but don’t knock it until you have tried it. This is why you must constantly challenge your regular methods with other methods to see which ones can stand up under pressure.
Joe

Joe,
One of the most difficult shots for me is the little 20 yard pitches. I only get to play once a week. I do practice twice a week. I currently have a +.5 index. I play four wedges. 50*, 53*, 57*, 60*. I am much to quick with the shot. I am currently using a flop shot with the 60*, and open it to regulate the distance. I would like to be able to make a more fluid swing and use a less lofted club in those distances. From the fringe, my shots are ok. I make some and get the rest up and down more than 60% of the time. From 50 yards plus, I can get it close most of the time. Overall the mechanics are good, I just need a mental transplant!
Regards,
Jack Mitchell

Hi Jack (never say this in an airport),
Wow, a scratch golfer who only plays once per week? I’ll bet that over 99 percent of all the golfers in the world will volunteer for your mental transplant if they could have your game in return. Like you, most golfers have a “no mans land” of partial-swing wedge shots that give you The Yips. Most people only associate The Yips with putting, but I feel The Yips can be even worse with the wedge because there is the added danger of hitting it fat or thin. You say you are too quick with the shot, but what is your result? Is it poor ball striking or just distance control? If it is only distance control, just try to more carefully control the length of your backswing depending on the distance. If it is poor ball striking, have a contest with all 4 of your wedges and use only the winner when it counts on the course. As a matter of course management in competition, try to stay away from “no mans land”.
Joe

Joe,
I copy many of the lessons and save them in a "Golf File" Subject Request. Equipment: Are there advantages with "Name Brand Equipment" ? I love building clubs, but have no data as to best shafts for me, frequencing, etc. What Skill level should a golfer consider custom made clubs?
Thanks for considering,
Byron L. Sanders

Hello Byron,
Getting custom made clubs is not so much a matter of skill level, it is more of a matter of how much improvement is expected for how much cost. I am seeing more and more technology improvements every year, and yet the average golf scores have not improved for many many years. There is a lot of competition among the many golf club manufacturers, so you will always hear the techno-geeks jumping all over the detailed specs of a club. Now there are so many variations to consider, that you can never be sure which combination of which variables will be best for you. It is like saying if your current clubs are 98 percent perfect fit for you, and yet you are still going to seek 100 percent. If you do the math, how many strokes does that gain you (remember less than half of your shots in a round are full swings)? How did the old timers manage to shoot under par with comparatively lousy balls and clubs that were not much more than a stick with a hunk of wood or metal on the end? Anyway, to answer your specific questions, I prefer stiff/low torque shafts because they reduce variables and should make your shots more accurate. The only danger of getting shafts that are too stiff is that you might lose a little distance and your shots may go lower, but hey, Ben Hogan said you should try to hit your shots lower anyway, and it is hard to argue with anything Ben said. If you can afford the name brands, go ahead and get custom-fitted because they have put a lot of research into their designs and their quality control is probably better than lesser known brands. If you cannot afford name brands or custom fitting, you can still get good results with lesser known or off-the-shelf brands. Try to attend some free demo days to get a feel for the best shaft lengths and lie angles for you, and then you will have a better idea of what to buy off the shelf.
Joe

Joe,
Why is it a penalty if you accidentally have a double-hit?
Randy

Hi Randy,
This is one of many rules that seem unnecessary. Rules are supposed to to prevent cheating or gaining unfair advantages. Aside from putting, I think it would take a lot of skill to do a double-hit on purpose, and even if you could, I don’t see what advantage you could possibly be gaining by deliberately doing that. I hope some day the overriding question to any Ruling is "Was there any advantage gained by an unintentional infraction?". If the answer is clearly NO, logic says there should be no penalty. Scores should be determined by shot-making skills, not by technicalities. A double hit is not something done on purpose to gain an advantage, it was an accident, and it is never a good thing. The golfer was only taking one swing, not two. I had to shake my head while reading a magazine that suggested that a shanked shot is a double hit, once on the hosel and once on the clubface. Geez, isn’t a shanked shot bad enough, and now you want to add a penalty besides? Just shoot me instead. I’m not sure that people who like these rules should be allowed to reproduce. We need a new set of rules for the 21st century, and let the archaic rules of prior centuries go the way of the archaic equipment like the hickory shaft and the gutta-percha ball.
Joe

Joe,
Please advise me as to a solution to a problem of freezing over the ball (esp with the driver and long to middle irons). This problem began about 6 months ago and has gotten worse. I am fine on the practice tee and can make a practice swing on the course with no problem but when I get over the ball to hit it, the freezing starts. I have played golf for over 40 years and have played well (5 handicap until this problem began). I can chip and putt and hit sand wedges with no problem also. Please help!
Bill Coons

Hi Bill,
Many people have had this problem, including myself. We are just trying to be too careful to start the swing correctly. Some people develop a “waggle” as part of a pre-shot routine, like 3 waggles and GO. When I tried that it was 3 waggles… and… I’m still not ready yet. What finally worked for me was to realize that almost every time I froze over the ball, I would hit a bad shot. So a mental strategy is in order. You must convince yourself that you will guarantee a bad shot if you freeze over the ball. Try a “trigger” or forward press with either the hands or the back knee, or both. This has worked for me and for many others, because it seems to lock everything else into place, so there is no further need to worry about how to start the swing.
Joe

Joe,
I have often heard that shifting of bodyweight is of great importance in the swing. I am sure that this is right. Anyway, isn´t it the move you make that result in the shift of weight and not the opposite. What should I focus on? Could you please clear this out for me?
Best regards
Christer Lindeman
Sweden

Hello Christer,
The most important part of shifting the body weight is on the downswing. You must finish with all your weight on the front foot. Of secondary importance is the weight shift of the backswing. At the top of your backswing, you should feel pressure on the inside edge of your back foot (this may be the “move” you are looking for), this enables you to push off as you start your downswing, and helps to get your lower body going forward on the downswing.
Joe

Joe, I have read many articles that refer to reading the green. grain, but they don't tell you what to look for and give examples. Up hill breaks, downhill breaks what to look for and where to putt to. Please help as this is the only weak part of my game. Thanks Royal III

Hello Royal III,
The first thing to do on every hole is to observe the terrain as you walk up to the green from 100 yards inward. Which way will water likely drain off the green? That is the way putts will break in general if you do not observe any further undulations while reading any specific 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 hit a spot closer than the hole. 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,
Is it a good idea to use a 1-iron?
Ray

Hi Ray,
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 instead.
Joe

Joe, could u explain how to let go of the built up feeling in the muscles in left side in back swing in forward swing for u can feel the twisting feeling in back swing but forward swing u feel nothing.
(no name)

Hi (no name)
If I understand you correctly, the backswing is stretching the muscles in your left side like a rubber band. This is not a bad thing. When you let go of the rubber band (begin the forward swing with a lower body weight shift), power and speed are released. If you feel nothing in the forward swing, it is because the rubber band has been released and there is no more stretching going on. However, I would like to see you extend your follow thru more, or else you might quit on the shot too early. Try to make your right side feel a stretch when you are posing at the end of your follow thru.
Joe

(from a personal friend in the land of the rising sun…)
Joe,
Sometimes, my biggest frustration is when I go through periods of good ball striking and then into a time when I do not think that any part of my swing feels right. When you take the club back and it doesn't feel right, how do you get that back???
Maybe it is just me, but I found that playing with the right feel adds confidence and I know when I am not doing something correctly. Usually, 95% of the time when I hit a bad shot, I know exactly what I did wrong, because I could feel it. I think it is fair to say that when you are playing well, it just feels right. It can be the short or long game only or the whole thing. I know that I have played many a round where I putt great and it all felt like instinct, but my other swings just did not feel right all day or just the opposite.
Maybe I am bringing this up now because for the last month, nothing feels right outside of my short game. There isn't an iron or wood that feels comfortable when I swing and it shows in my ball flight. I still make solid contact with the ball, but I cannot count on where it will tend to go. Normally, when the feel is there, I know exactly where the ball is going to go.
I am sitting around 83 and cannot move lower. I cannot escape this out of body experience.
David from Japan

Hello David,
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. After reading your symptoms, here is something to try on the range:
(Right handers) Use the left arm to start the backswing, take it straight back (and wide) along the target line. While you are taking it back, your hips are turning naturally and comfortably (unforced). Here is where the "single plane" concept kicks in - before you get to the top of your backswing, use your wrist cock to get the shaft on the same swing plane as your left 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, but it is worth a try. Also, if your target line is 12 o’clock, extend your follow-thru toward 1 o’clock.
Joe

Follow-up from David:
Joe,
I have been meaning to write you back and tell you that I worked mostly on only one thing and that was the 1 o'clock image. I have to tell you that it works like magic. I am able to get much more length without losing accuracy. The confidence it has put into my driver swing as well as my other woods is amazing. While I should not get too carried away, I played around with how comfortable this feels and I am able to swing much harder at the ball than I ever have before. Usually, when over swinging, all kinds of bad things happen, but in my experimentation, focusing on keeping my head behind the ball at impact has allowed to keep everything together when I swing max at the ball.
My wife also tried this advice since I had to share this revelation with her. She also thanks you so much.
Your single plane image fits well as I have tried to eliminate my outside takeaway. I finally shot a 79, first time out with this method. Thank you so much for being the swing doctor.
Talk to you later. Best regards,
David from Tokyo, Japan

Joe,
Please explain the reason(s) why men can hit the ball farther than most women. My husband and I went to a local golf shop and were measured for head speed and were found to be exactly the same, however I cannot hit the ball as far as he can.
Thanks,
Sherry Sanders
Birmingham, AL

Hello Sherry,
Uh oh, my evil twin Jody saw this one, and Jody is one of those male chauvinists with a superiority complex. Since he is really loud, I will put his comments in all capital letters, while my comments are in lower case. HEY JOE, THIS IS A TRAP, DON’T GO THERE. Wait a minute, Jody, there may be some other factors at play here, like is the man outdriving the woman by only a few yards or 20-30 yards? OH COME ON, IF THE SWING SPEED IS THE SAME, THE RESULTS SHOULD BE THE SAME. THE READERS ARE JUST TRYING TO STUMP YOU. Maybe not, is the launch angle the same? We don’t know. WHAT IF IT IS THE SAME, THEN WHAT? Then maybe the man is using a club with more C.O.R. effect, like a trampoline. WHAT IF THEY ARE USING THE SAME CLUB? Then the only other factor I can think of is the rate of acceleration at the point of contact. Measuring swing speed is a snapshot which cannot measure acceleration. Whichever club is accelerating more at the point of contact should propel the ball further. WHAT IF THE WOMAN’S CLUB IS ACCELERATING MORE? Jody, what if the woman is using a very light club while the man is using a heavier club, don’t you think the heavier mass would compress the ball more? BALONEY, ADMIT IT JOE, MEN ARE JUST SUPERIOR. Jody, I bet you don’t get a lot of second dates, do you? Ladies, take heart, you are the only ones who can give life, and then you make life worth living. God bless all of you.
Joe

Joe,
Thanks for the all of the tips and the speed in which I received my videos.
As I have begun working on my goal of at least 20 strokes this season, I
wonder if you have any advice about the golf ball itself.
I like many others (I guess) are using balls based on marketing and golf
buddies. Is there a better way to select golf balls? I begun using Strata
"Straight" as a way to avoid my slice. It seemed to work well but I noticed
that the hold on the greens was not there. This is more likely than not due
to my bad short game.
But what are the concerns we should have when selecting ball purchase??

Hi there, all of you who wonder about the types of balls, unless you are a single digit handicap, most any ball brand or type will do. If you really want to get technical about the types of balls, check out the March issue of Golf Digest. I don't get any commission for saying that, I just think there is far too much marketing hype about what a ball can do for you. Consider this - How did the old timers ever shoot under par using balls that were far inferior to today's balls? To answer your questions more specifically, if your goal is to improve by 20 strokes, you probably are only going to accomplish that with improved ball striking and improved short game. Until you do that, your ball selection will not make that much difference. Spin is unlikely to help holding a green unless your course conditions are very good, and most of us play in conditions that are “firm” (like a parking lot), so the effect of spin is reduced. Every now and then I am asked to divulge my tongue-in-cheek “meticulous scientific method” of selecting a ball, but you would not like it, so never mind.
Joe

I have a problem with hitting the ground behind the ball at times. I cannot seem to correct it. Could you give me a pointer on how to correct hitting the "big ball" before the small ball? My game would improve by at least 5 or 6 strokes if I could correct this.
Thanks
Jerry Brown

Hi Jerry,
Most of the time I have seen this problem, it was due to improper weight shift. When your swing is finished, all your weight should be on the front foot. If that is not the case, you must work on this. If that is not your problem, then make sure your head remains steady during the swing. Jack Nicklaus's instructor used to grab the back of his hair before he swung to make sure he knew when he was moving his head out of position. Some instructors say it is OK to allow your head to move sideways, but that is only for people who want extra distance and they already have no problems with ball striking.
Joe

hi joe,
since the last time i emailed you about my duffing problem, i've managed to remove most of it. it still happens -- but not much now. how did i do this? i found a usgtf pro in singapore (67-year old single handicapper), who taught me rhythm and swinging with my shoulders. or and the proper way to address the ball. he suggested i hover the ball, take a rhythmic and slower 3/4 backswing and use my right shoulder to release the club from top. He said hit down on the ball, and throw the release to the right and release low (for irons). the result? straight (or if i prefer, draw or fade) shots. wow, i normally take between 26-30 shots (excluding putts) per 9 holes. this past saturday i hit 23 shots (5 of which were penalty strokes - he hadn't taught me how to drive yet, hence the penalties). By the way, i use a 10-finger grip because i've a torn ligament in my right last finger, and that finger hits a lot after a round if i use the overlapping. the shoulder turn bit is fantastic ... i now use a lot less hands, and connect cleanly on almost all the shots (i get the occasional duff and mishit when i look up). coach says i'll be able to cut my handicap to single digits by year's end. yesterday i got the lesson on woods and lo and behold, the ball goes straight now. long and i think i probably got 20 more yards from my 265-275 avg. the only thing is, i putt like a person without a clue. i use a 43" odyssey 2-ball belly putter (i'm too handsy). try as i might, i avg about 18-22 putts per 9-holes. the lowest i've had were 15 and 16 putts per 9 (and that's probably because i landed in the bunker often so i got it close ...because the net scores were about the same). Is it mental? strength? everybody tells me putting is about feel ... how you you learn feel? i got my long game in place now, and i can even chip and bunker out some. but putting .... oh my!
thanks for the advice.
DC

Hi DC,
Glad to hear about your progress. You are using an instructor from the USGTF (just like me), good decision. Now let's try to fix your putting problems. I also think your decision to use a belly putter is good. However, I am not sure you are using it correctly. Here is what I want you to try. Assuming you are right handed, put both hands lower on the shaft. Use your left hand to firmly press the end of the shaft into your belly all during the stroke. Experiment with different types of grips. Vijay Singh uses the belly putter with a left hand low grip. I use the right hand low, with both hands split apart. You have to find out which one works best for you. Have a contest and let us know how it turns out.
Joe

Hey there is too much information, both audio and video. We all can't afford to buy ever one of them. Since 80 % of all golfers slice could you please give us a little info on how to stop it. I have just recently signed up for your tips and greatly appreciate them. My son and I enjoy golf and I would like to be able to rid him of that slice. Any help at all would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Jim West

Hi Jim,
There are many things that contribute to a slice, such as the hand positions on your grip, your swing path, the way you use your hands during the swing, the way you shift your weight, the clubface position at impact, and even the type of equipment you are using. You don’t have to buy every video, just the right video for your problem. Having never seen your swing, I can only guess that you need to change your grip to a “stronger” position and swing with more of an inside-out swing path on the downswing.
Joe

Question, I just received your newsletter for the first time and enjoyed reading it very much. I have a question I'm sure you can answer for me but first a little history about my self. I'm 59 years old with a handicap of around 15. My big problem is, I'm still trying to kill my driver and fighting the urge to hold back. My driver is a 10 deg 580 with a regular shaft and my swing speed is 92 to 95 with a 3/4 swing. The old bones are to stiff to get it back any further, if you know what I mean. I usually hit it about 255 (+ -) 20 yards somewhere usually on the golf course but have been known to hit water holes, houses, and a lot of other places I shouldn't be. Matter of fact you could probably use some of my drives in your daily jokes material. My irons are the new Ping G2's with the 3 and 4 being HL's and to my standards, I'm very much satisfied with how I hit them. (Love the HL's) I would like (I think) to start using a 3 wood of the tee's to give me more consistency hitting fairways. I've been told and read many times over the years that the 3 wood would do the trick. (You know, a lot more straight and a little less distance) The 3 wood I have now has a very narrow face and it's almost impossible to hit off the tee, which is another consistency story. My question is: What type of a 3 wood would you advice/recommend I try to hit of the tee box. Is a high dollar club compatible with the mid range clubs in reference to 3 woods, or does it matter? Trying out a club all spring is something I really don't have time or patience for. Keep in mind that I would not use it the fairway just on the tee box?
Again, I appreciate you and your newsletter...I look forward to here your comments.
Thx's....Eddy

Hi Eddy,
I had the same problem, so I got a jumbo 3-wood with a deep face and I am very happy with it. I cannot hit it off the fairway but I don’t care because, as you said, that shot is for the club with the narrow face. If you cannot find a suitable 3-wood, look for a driver with maximum loft, like 15 degrees. I have never seen one, but I have heard they are available. To me the only difference between that driver and my 3-wood is the number 3 on the bottom. Both have huge heads and the same amount of loft. My choice is the John Daly Extreme model which is very reasonably priced.
Joe

The old pro in Milwaukee, ( I forgot his name) said you should use your hands on the upswing and your arms on the downswing. Forget your hips, etc. What do you think?
Frank Harenza

Hi Frank,
I believe there is no single method that will work for all golfers, but there are a lot of good ideas and bad ideas to choose from. I think the simplest ideas have the best chance of working, so I think the idea you mentioned is worth trying. There is nothing wrong with this idea, but I predict it will work for some folks and will not work for others due to other things going on with the swing that I would have to personally see in order to better understand. You forgot to mention whether or not it worked for you or for others. Let us know.
Joe

Joe,
Your tips are very helpfull. I am having trouble turning, i am 64, no physical problems, but cannot for the likes of me understand how best to turn.
michael persaud

Hello Michael,
Richard asked me to respond to your question. I have to assume you are already a consistent ball striker, and you just want more distance, and more turn, properly applied, can produce more distance. Before you concentrate on turning, make sure you never do anything that hurts consistent ball striking. On the practice range, you can always have contests between your “swing A” and your “swing B” and see who wins. I like Hal Sutton’s advice on turning by using your entire body as a unit, everything working together, arms, hips, shoulders at the same time. Others will disagree and say just turn your shoulders but not your hips. You have to experiment with the many available methods to find which method works best for you, because we are all built differently, as you may have noticed I say this a lot.
Joe

Joe,
I am in my 70's and quite small-sized. I can hit my driver straight although I can't hit long. My biggest problem is the irons, especially the long ones (1-4). I would appreciate if you could give me some tips on how to hit these clubs consistently. Thanks. Jim

Hi Jim,
Many golfers have a hard time hitting long irons because the sweet spot is very small, the shafts are longer, and any error seems to be magnified. Sometimes the problem is in the mind when looking at low-lofted clubs. You might be thinking you must try to lift the ball, which is a mistake. 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.
Your equipment may be a factor. If your set of clubs was custom fitted, you have a better chance at success, but if not, consider replacing your long irons with a 7-wood and 9-wood. 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, such as blades or offset styles, muscle-backs or cavity-backs. Also you can try the new styles of utility woods, which are designed to take the place of long irons. They have a head design that is a hybrid between an iron and a wood, and some people say they are easier to hit than long irons. Let us know how things work out for you.
Joe

At age 70 I have read and been told to shorten my backswing to about 3/4. I tried it with limited success but when I go back to a full swing I hit it farther and straighter. Is the shortened backswing really better for older golfers?
Thanx-Richard

Hi Richard,
There must have been a reason that someone told you to shorten your backswing. If you are hitting it farther and straighter with a longer backswing, and your ball striking is just as good, then you have no reason to shorten it. The same idea may work for one person but may not work for everyone because we are all built differently. Maybe the person who told you this was afraid you might develop back pain if you swing too hard, but if you have no back pain, go ahead and enjoy your extra distance and accuracy. Just because your backswing is longer does not mean you are swinging any harder, so as long as you are not straining, your longer swing should be OK for you.
Joe

Joe,
One of my biggest problems is controlling my swing tempo. My practice swing is picture perfect with a "Controlled " tempo. However when I place a ball in front of me, forget it I'm completely out of control. And if I slow down there is not much improvement. I think too much about this . Help
jerry

Hi Jerry,
Sometimes we ingrain a swing thought that gets in the way. Instead of Tempo, I would recommend finding a different swing thought or “key”, and there are many to choose from. Just pick them one at a time because you cannot think of too many things while swinging. How about the word “Control”? And while you are swinging, you can think of exactly what it is that you want to “Control”, for example, Control the downswing inside-out, or Control my weight shift properly, or Control the extension of my follow-thru. Find one that works best for you, and let us all know how it is going.
Joe

Thanks for the email about shanking. I have the other dreaded problem - I duff too many shots, most of which hit the ground 3-6 inches behind the ball. I lose distance, and sometime injure my shoulder. I've tried positive steps -- just as adjusting my balance towards the heel, but it's temporary. I figure it's primarily a balance issue, and have tried ways and means to correct this. sometimes it works, usually I revert. On bad days, I duff my drives as well, and then all hell breaks lose (the hooks come into play). I'm 5'10 165lbs. I use Titleist 690.cb irons with flighted rifle 5.5 shafts and player's midsize softies. my 7-iron goes 160-170 yards. My average drive goes 260-275yds. Recently, I've also had a pull problem where shots go 30 yards left from where I'm aiming. Then during the Sony open weekend, I watched Paul Azinger begin his grip with his right hand, then insert his left hand later. I tried that and to some degree, I've managed to get the ball to go within 15-yards less-left. however, sometimes it goes 15-yards right and that usually spells big trouble. When I started duffing (which then leads to hooks) and pulling shots, I've been incurring an average of 6-8 penalty shots per 9-holes. most painful. Can you help?
best regards,
dc

Hello DC,
Since I have never seen your swing, I can only suggest a few things. First of all, you have plenty of power, so you can afford to shorten your swing until you get rid of the duffing. Keep your head steady and your leading arm comfortably straight. If you allow that arm to bend, that may contribute to poor ball striking. Your observation of Paul Azinger’s grip is interesting, I do that also. Which grip do you use, interlock, overlap, or ten-finger grip? You may be able to cure your hook by experimenting with a different grip. I have seen too many people struggle with the interlock, which they insist is the best just because Tiger and Jack use it. I have tried all 3, and for me the best is the ten-finger, although I have used the overlap for most of my life. Have a contest on the practice range, one grip type against another, and see which one wins.
Joe

Joe,
I have a terrible habit of trying to swing too hard, swinging from the top. Because of this I never get my weight to shift.
Ed Ellstrom

Hello Ed,
As a drill, start at the top of your backswing to get a feel for your best power position. Then move your lower body first to start your downswing. When you finish, all your weight should be on your front foot. Using a mat with a permanent rubber tee, see if you can strike the tee every time using this drill. Once you are able to do this drill comfortably every time, then find a backswing that lets you arrive at this same “drill” position at the top of your backswing, and let the same drill take over. Be a smooth swinger, not a home run hitter. The ball will go just as far, maybe farther.
Joe

Joe,
At the outset I would like to say that your letters and tips have helped me in improving my game a lot. Thank you so much. I now wish to ask you a few clarifications. 1. Can a player use an iron to putt or putter is mandatory. 2. What is the correct size of the flag on the flagstick and what flag should be used so that it is visible from a distance and does not merge with the background. 3. How does one play iron shots from rain wet fairways. I always muff the shot. Should one use one more or less club depending on the distance to the pin. Thanks. Vikram.

Hello Vikram,
Sure, you can use an iron to putt, there is no rule that says you have to use a putter. There are stories about pros getting angry and breaking their putters, and they had to finish their rounds putting with an iron. Flag colors are not normally selected according to the background. Many courses are using red, white, or blue flags to indicate whether the hole is placed at the front part of the green (red), or the middle of the green (white), or the back of the green (blue). This should help your club selections by adjusting one or two clubs accordingly. I have never seen specifications for exact flag sizes, but most flags I have seen are about 18-20 inches wide and about 12-14 inches high. On shots from wet fairways, remember the casual water rule. If your stance causes water to rise up around your shoes, you can get a free drop to drier ground no closer to the hole. Otherwise, play the shot like a fairway bunker shot, choke up on the club to compensate for your feet sinking into the ground and play the ball a little further back in your stance to help avoid hitting it fat, and use one more club than normal.
Joe

Hi my name is Ian and I am a 7 handicap. I was just wondering how I would hit a chip shot with spin so it can stop close to the pin. Normally i just try to get the trajectory higher but sometimes the lie makes that very difficult to do. Any advice you could give would be extremly helpful. Thanks
Ian

Hello Ian,
Unless you are playing on very soft greens, I would not worry about trying to put spin on a chip shot, just allow for a certain amount of roll. Even on pitch shots or flop shots, unless the ball hits a soft spot on the green, it is not going to stop, because you can’t put a lot of backspin on any shot that is less than a full shot. You can only expect the ball to stop at distances where a full swing is required, because it is the force of the full swing that imparts the most backspin. You may have noticed the pros on TV can get their chips to “check up” and roll slowly to the hole, but remember they are playing on the best of conditions. If you try that in firmer conditions, the ball may or may not check up, and if it doesn’t, then it will skid and end up too far past the hole. If you want to try that anyway, make sure to clean the grooves on your clubface with a small wire brush (every time), and hit more sharply down at the ball to impart more backspin.
Joe

Joe,
I have worked on my driving for the past 3 or 4 months and I can basically hit 95% of my tee shots straight with good distance using 80% effort. What seems to be creeping in, within the last few weeks, is the tendency to create topspin on the ball with the effect of losing height and distance. I don't notice any change in my set up and it is driving me nuts. Any ideas?
Regards
Dave

Hi Dave,
Topspin with the driver is usually caused when the ball position is too far forward. If you prefer not to change that ball position, you will have to use a more downward stroke to prevent topspin. You may have heard that topspin produces more roll, but I do not like that idea because, as you said, the loss of hang time will cause loss of distance. Of course, too much hang time results in ‘ballooning’, but there is a happy medium. In your case, ballooning is not a problem, so the downward stroke should give you some backspin instead of topspin, which will result in more hang time. Have you changed drivers recently? If so, maybe your new driver does not have enough loft for your swing. If your drives are too low, why fight it? Just try a driver with more loft.
Joe

Joe,
I'm currently playing Mixed pennants, my partner plays off five and I
play off twelve, he is continually telling me I reverse pivot. I don't
want to sound stupid in asking what that is.... so I'll ask you, what's
a reverse pivot.
Lisa

Hi Lisa,
Your question is not stupid, in fact it is a very important question. Just to make you feel better, I am going to also sound stupid by asking you what is a Mixed pennant (now we are even)? A reverse pivot is an improper weight shift which is the opposite direction from the proper shift. The proper shift on the downswing is to transfer your lower body weight from the back foot to the front foot, finishing with all your weight on your front foot, and the only part of your back foot that touches the ground is your toe. The reverse pivot does just the opposite, you finish with all your weight on the back foot, and this is a bad thing that you need to correct.
Joe

Joe,
When I begin to feel really good off the tee with 3 or 4 well placed and consistent drives the dreaded pull happens. It is well struck and travel straight , but usually in the deep left rough or woods. How can I maintain that drive down the middle of the fairway drive? This pull to the left really causes me doubt and my whole game goes to crap. Tom Bolko

Hi Tom,
You are not alone, many people have this occasional problem, even the pros on TV. Nobody hits the fairway every time. If you miss it badly, you can attribute this to a momentary lack of concentration. Since you have already hit a couple of good shots in a row, you might feel there is no further need to concentrate as much. You can’t wait to see where the shot goes, so you might cut short your follow thru, and without proper extension down the target line, the tendency is to pull. Try concentrating on completing a full follow-thru down the target line and let me know if that helps.
Joe

Joe,
I' ve been golfing for 5 years and still trying to find the proper ball for my ability. At the age of 52, with a handicap of 18, and above average swing speed, I've used 2 and 3 piece balls with 36 to 67 compressions. My questions are: Can compression ever be too low ? What is a good compression ? Is there a good combination of multi - layer / compression ?
Wayne

Hello Wayne,
The worst that can happen if you use a ball having too-low compression is that you lose a few yards on your shots, but that may be counteracted by allowing better feel for the short game. So the net result, in my opinion, is that your handicap will probably not be affected much by your ball selection. However, if you really want to find a ball that maximizes your distance, find a facility that has a computerized hitting bay and try hitting balls having different construction and different compression, and view the computerized results, and then you will have a better idea. If you want to lower your handicap, you must look beyond the long game. The type of ball does not really matter if you have inconsistent ball striking. It is nice to seek every advantage you can find, but in my opinion, the handicap seldom gets lower unless you work more on the short game than the long game.
Joe

(see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Joe – I live in Pennsylvania and last week I was out in my back yard in the snow. I had my seven iron and I drew a line in the snow and took easy swings to see if I was hitting it fat or thin. I always hit the ground before the line. This tells me I am hitting it fat on the golf course. I even tried to slow my swing down and also to keep turning my body thru the shot and still hit it fat. Any tips as to what I can do to hit it crisp?
Tom

Hello Tom,
You made no mention of whether or not you also hit a lot of fat shots on the course last year. If you did not, don’t worry about your snow drill. There is a possibility that you are not really hitting it fat, the snow may be cratering outward when you strike it. Also remember that the top of the snow is higher than the ground on a flat lie That kind of reminds me about Chi Chi Rodriguez chunking one while giving a demo, and then joking that this happened because the ground there was higher than the ground in Puerto Rico where he came from. Also remember that hand-eye coordination is a factor. When you are swinging at a ball, you are not looking at the ground like you were when you were trying to hit the snow, instead you are swinging at an object that you are seeing above the ground. You are not trying to hit the top of that object, you are trying to hit the lower half of that object. Your hand-eye coordination has trained you to swing a little lower than the top of the object that you are looking at. That being said, if you really did have a lot of fat shots last year, try a more aggressive forward weight shift to start your downswing.
Joe

Joe,
I have lost considerable amount of distance on my shots, particularly the drive. I am only averaging 180 yards on the drive. There was a time that I was getting 220-240. I cannot figure it out.
‘r.dowe

Hello r.dowe,
Is this a sudden thing, how long ago were you hitting 220-240? Are you using the same clubs or a different set? Assuming this is with the same set of clubs, loss of distance can be caused by several things, among them “casting” or hitting from the top, or reverse-pivot instead of proper weight shift on the downswing. Trying a wider swing arc may also help.

Joe,
Perhaps you can help me with this question. Why can I hit my 3 wood
consistently further than my Driver, even when both go fairly straight?
Thanking you
Regards
Lance Evans.

Hello Lance,
If both clubs are not from the same matched set, that might be part of the answer, but let’s assume they are from the same set. Distance is a result of clubhead speed and launch angle. If your driver shots are too low you have less hang time, so the extra loft of the 3-wood will give you more hang time and more distance. Use the driver when you are against the wind and use the 3-wood when you are with the wind. Also consider trying a driver that has more loft.
Joe

(see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)

Joe,
Here's a topic I would like to see addressed, Ball placement in the stance. I was always taught to move the ball forward from center in my stance for the driver and longer clubs but I've never hit those clubs consistently well. Then I read a book by a teaching pro who suggests hitting all normal shots with the club head in the center of the stance for all clubs. The concept here is that keeping the swing the same for all clubs (just vary the swing plane) eliminates one complexity of the game and simply makes more sense. I tried it and found it to work better for me but when I mention it to most experienced players, they disagree but can't tell me why you should hit a driver off your left foot instead of more in the middle.
Ray Salinas

Hello Ray,
This topic, like many others, will be debated forever. There is such a thing called “conventional” teaching, which is to vary the ball position depending on which club is being used. However, how many of us really have a conventional body, with hundreds of conventional muscles and bones with the same conventional ranges of motions working together to perform a conventional golf swing, and a conventional amount of hand-eye coordination and athleticism? Consider conventional methods as a starting point, and make adjustments from there.

Most instructors will recommend the types of things that work for them personally, of course, because they have first hand proof that it works, and that logic is OK but it is not always conventional. This is why you will always hear different opinions from one instructor to another. However, let’s face it, we are all uniquely built individuals, so what works for any one of us, may not work as well for everyone else. There is no single way that is best for everyone.

If you need a little support, fear not, the Body Golf tapes also recommend the center ball position, just like you, so maybe you are already a step ahead of others. There are many good golfers who use center ball position, and there are many other good golfers who use variable ball positions. You may even be surprised to find that a different set of clubs will perform better or worse with either of these ball position philosophies, depending on how well your clubs have been fitted to your swing.

I prefer to keep it simple. Find out where your natural swing produces a divot. If you are swinging well, that should be a consistent spot, place the ball just behind that spot so that you will strike the ball just before your divot begins. If you are not swinging well, and you cannot find a consistent spot where your divot begins, your lower body weight shift needs to get more consistent. The Body Golf tapes will show you how.
Joe

Joe,
Here's one for ya. In my quest to become a better golfer I am making
progress in most areas except getting a divot in front of my iron shots. It
seems no matter what I try as far as putting the ball back in my stance I
Chunk it! And the further back I put it leads to a reverse pivot and I know
thats not right. I can do it for short chips but when I try it for long
swings I am like the Chocolate(Chunky)! Am I forever just going to be
satisfied with being a sweeper of the ball? Rich K

Hello Rich,
You are focusing too much on ball position. I would recommend a more aggressive weight shift onto your front foot to start your downswing. The Body Golf tapes have drills for this like the toe drag and the step thru. Another thing that "sweepers" do is called the "chicken wing" where the front elbow bends outward right after impact, preventing the downward blow that you need to take a divot. If the chicken wing is your problem, keep your elbows together as you follow thru in an extended outward direction. If you can do this, you should have no trouble hitting down and taking a divot, even with a ball position that is more forward.
Joe

Quick question. I use a distance ball, Maxfli Noodle, because it seems to
really reduce my slice and I get nice straight drives. However, I miss the
spin around the greens. Is there a way to get spin from my wedges with a
distance ball? Maxfli makes a Noodle spin ball, but every time I experiment
with a ball that promotes spin, my slice comes back.
Jeff

Hi Jeff,
It makes sense that a ball designed for spin will increase a slice if you are not contacting the ball squarely. I have to assume you are a low handicapper who plays only plush courses, because most average golfers play in firmer conditions where it is harder to appreciate the advantage of a spin ball around the greens. If you happen to be playing on firm conditions, use the distance ball because the spin ball may not work anyway in firm conditions. If conditions do favor the spin ball, you can reduce your slice by using a little bit stronger grip (I assume you know what that means, if not, the V's formed by your thumbs and forefinger point more toward your back shoulder).
Joe

Joe,
The older I get, the more inconsistent my ball striking becomes. What can I do about this?
Alan

Hello Alan,
This is a common thing for most folks, including myself. In our younger years, our hand-eye coordination was better and our bones and muscles were more limber so they performed more consistently and they did not get tired as quickly. People who exercise regularly will have a better chance to keep those bones and muscles near peak performance, but the enthusiasm to keep exercising sometimes goes away. Golf gives you no guarantees, but it stands to reason that if you are enthusiastic enough to seek better ball striking, maybe you could convince yourself that the extra exercising is worthwhile. There is an excellent “Executive Fitness” video on the thinkandreachpar web site which addresses the proper muscles without exerting yourself.

However, let’s say you are already exercising, and better ball striking is your main goal. The first thing to do is to clear your mind about needing to get maximum distance. Then consider the idea that the further your backswing goes, the more trouble you might get into. Watch the Champions Tour, guys like Dana Quigley, Allen Doyle, Jim Thorpe. They do not take a full swing, but they win a lot. An older guy named Moe Norman has been called one of the best ball strikers who ever lived, and he also has a very short backswing. So the next time you go to the range, start with a half backswing and see what happens. Forget about losing distance, just focus on contacting the ball cleanly every time. You might even be surprised to see that the ball still goes far enough, and in some cases just as far because you are no longer “hitting from the top” or “casting”. Once you get a feel for consistent ball contact with the half backswing, then you can lengthen it ever so slightly, and if you continue to get good results, lengthen it a little bit more until your ball striking starts to suffer, and then you will have a better feel for how far back is too far back.
Joe

Joe,
I hit a driver Straight 95% of the time and 5% off the time I push my drive, I can always hit a fade when the hole calls for it but I cannot Draw the ball. I have a son who is a Professional Golfer he says point your feet and your hips where you want it to start, and you driver face at where you want it to finish. I must manipulate my hands subconsciencely I always hit it straight. Would an offset driver where the face is 4% closed help me to draw the ball. Kindest Regards
Norm


Hello Norm,
Wow, 95% straight with a driver? You must be really good! Not very many golfers can hit any club straight 95% of the time, much less the driver. Are you sure you want to tinker with this? Mark Calcavecchia has taken away all the dangers on the left side of the course by refusing to hit a hook, and you might be better off doing the same.

The reason is that once you change your hand action to hit a hook, now you have to worry about the varying amounts of hook, and there also is a possibility that you will lose the ability to hit the ball straight anymore.

Nevertheless, if you really want to hook, go ahead and get the driver with the closed face, and listen to your son's advice along with one more thing which has to do with your hand action.

Your current hand action at impact is very good, right down the target line to hit the ball so consistently straight. That is possibly why you cannot hook even when you try to because this hand action comes so naturally to you. In order to hook, your hands have to be rolling over at impact which may be unnatural to you. Some people prefer to think of rolling the forearms instead, but now you have to worry about how much to roll the hands or the forearms. This may take a lot of practice to avoid wild shots or mis-hits.

Again I am concerned that you might lose the motor muscle memory that gives you good natural hand action and control that you already have. Try this on the range, but also keep trying to hit straight shots on demand so you don't lose your 95% accuracy when you need it.

Joe

Joe, is it safe to assume that the best instructors are also the best players? Greg

Hi Greg,
It stands to reason that any instructor must also be a pretty good player, but the instructor must also have good communication skills. I have seen cases where good players who happened to be blessed with a lot of natural ability cannot understand why students who are not so physically blessed cannot execute the same motions as the good player to whom this comes so naturally. Not everyone has the same degree of hand-eye coordination and athleticism. I would recommend choosing an instructor who became a good player by starting out as a hacker and has had to go thru the pains of learning from their own mistakes and how they had to correct them. Watch out for instructions that get too complicated. You cannot possibly be thinking of too many different moves during a swing.

Another idea to avoid is the one that says all golfers must swing the same way. That is not reasonable. We are not robots, we are all uniquely different human beings, with different body structures and hinges with differing ranges of motion, different degrees of hand-eye coordination and athleticism. Some people think instructors must always be better than their students, but if that were true, then Butch Harmon must be better than Tiger Woods, right? The best instructors are those who have good communication skills and are able to convey the right ideas to the right person.
Joe