Joe,
I have heard or read in more than one place that in order to improve, sometimes you have to work on swinging a certain way and accept the idea that you will get worse before you get better. How long do you have to wait before you stop getting worse and start getting better?
Wong

Hello Wong,
Life is too short to accept getting worse for any period of time. I do not agree with those who say you must swing exactly a certain way, because everyone is built differently and therefore may have to swing a little differently in order to get better results. Of course there are certain fundamentals involved, but executing those fundamentals may look a little different from one person to another. If you are correctly executing certain fundamentals, at the very least you should not be getting any worse than you already were when you were swinging incorrectly. Maybe if you told me which swing aspect you were told to execute, then I could tell you how important or unimportant that aspect may be compared to other aspects. Imitating the way the pros swing can mislead you by looking at the wrong part of the swing because some swing actions are not really fundamentals, they are only mannerisms. For example, people make fun of Jim Furyk’s swing, like it is a one man game of twister, but what you are seeing on the backswing are mannerisms, while on the downswing Jim has excellent fundamentals, just like all the other pros.
Joe

Joe,
Why is a belly putter supposed to be any better than a regular putter? What advantage is there, if any?
Bill

Hi Bill,
Some people can putt just fine with a regular putter, others get “The Yips” where the two hands are fighting each other for control. Sometimes the left hand wins and sometimes the right hand wins, resulting in poor consistency of the stroke. The belly putter eliminates this problem because by anchoring the butt end of the shaft against your belly, the hands have no choice but to automatically work together smoothly, especially when you grip with your hands lower. I highly recommend golfers who get The Yips should try the belly putter. You do not have to buy one, you can make your own by cutting a hole in the top of your grip. Since the shaft is hollow, you can add an extension for any desired length (even a wooden dowel will work). If you still do not wish to do that, you can simulate the anchoring action with your regular putter, just pin either one (or both) of your elbows to your hip and make the stroke with your shoulders. If you are getting The Yips, you have nothing to lose, so it is definitely worth a try.
Joe

Hi Joe,
this is a strange game, and as we all know, our games evolve (for better or worse) constantly. as a beginner i struggled with duffers, toppers and slicers. all of which were a result i guess from acombination of bad technique and too much lower body and head movement. to solve the slice and after watching one of nick faldo's videos, i flattened my swing plane ever so gently until i hit astraight ball for about 3 months. straight as a rocket it went and when i added some hot sauce on it, i upped my driving distance from 200m to an average of 260m, with max hits at 290m. then I started drawing the ball. lovely sight, those, especially when it is controlled. but a strange thing happened. the right to left shot which i replaced with a straight and then a softly drawing shot which went more and more left. i started fighting the dreaded pull, which led to hooks. i'd say this now -- i'd rather slice the ball then hook it. i'm sure many golfers can identify with this and if you will, please correct my analysis:the slice was a result of an outside in swing by flattening my swing angle a little, it forced an inside to out swing because i was consciously flattening my swing to prevent the slice, i overdid it and the swing then went in-out-in. this made me adjust my grip a little to open up the face a little (not the right thing to do i know) by adjusting my grip, i second guessed that aspect and that led to an occasional loosening at the top of the swing which led to wild hooks so i revamped and broke down my swing and then i discovered that if you keep staring at the ball and keep your spine angle until after the ball has been struck, the ball goes straight again. but a strange thing happened -- distance loss. from an average of 250-260m on drives, i was barely breaking 220m. so i did multiple pushups and core exercises, to no avail. one day on the course, while getting outdriven by my retired friend who is 20 years older than me, i gave up. had nothing to lose, so all i did was "follow the book": eye on ball, head still, relax, gently swing back and release. 250m. 230m. 260m. 240m. i found my distance again. i started swinging those weighted clubs as well and unless i hit the toe (draw) or heel (fade), i pretty much hit it straight and with decent length now. but something else happened the other day. i was 5-over after 12 holes and then i 3-putted the next two for bogeys. next thing i knew, i got a bogey+double+triple (on a 180m par 3 -- in water) before rescuing the 18th with a one putt bogey. the two 3-putts killed me and i basically choked. What does one do when a good round goes south. how do i recover mentally? i know these things happen, but i'd rather prefer to stop the bleeding earlier. help?
dc

Hello DC, nice to hear from you again. You certainly are a student of the game, but this game gives no guarantees. Just when you think you have things figured out, something changes, and guess what, change is the only constant in golf. That is why you hear of great golfers always revamping their swings. Even Tiger and Jack admit to doing that constantly. Why? Because all our body muscles are always getting stronger and weaker in different combinations. It takes hundreds of muscles working together to execute a golf swing, so you can image what a “house of cards” a golf swing really is. It only takes a few misbehaving muscles to make those cards tumble, so the key is to be able to make adjustments when your results are changing, and they always will change, trust me on that one. The last part of your message had to do with the mental game. Sometimes we get so upset over a 3-putt that it affects our concentration for the next shot. If you allow that to happen, you may never stop the bleeding, as you put it. You can only play the game one shot at a time, so don’t let misfortune get in the way of your mental process for the next shot. Everyone encounters misfortune. Some people deal with it correctly and some don’t. Mental discipline is a must. Those who understand this can stop the bleeding earlier. There is no other way.
Joe

Joe, how do you know when you are going to be in a slump?

Answer: There are lots of signs, for example, when you go fishing and your first cast misses the lake; or when you lose a ball on the first tee in the ball washer; or when your rice krispies are silent; or when you have car trouble on the only day when you forgot to bring your cell phone; or when you are broke and in a hurry and your ATM is out of cash but doesn’t tell you until you have already navigated thru 15 screens.

Joe,
I HAVE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE SUBJECT ...BUT NEVER AN EXPLANATION OF WHY SOME TALENTED ... BLIND GOLFERS CAN SHOOT IN THE 80s. I WILL BE INTERESTED IN YOUR COMMENTS.SINCERELY;JOHN AFFLECK

Hi John,
For those of us blessed with the gift of sight, it is hard to imagine doing anything blind, or deaf, or without one of your limbs. However, anyone who is in love with life has made up their mind that they are going to enjoy life any way that they can. Imagine yourself suffering an accident and losing your sight. You would have a choice of sitting around feeling sorry for yourself, or instead finding friends who are willing to help you maintain your love for golf by taking you to a practice green and lining you up for a putt. Imagine feeling the thrill of tapping the putt and hearing it fall into the hole. Those of us who have good sight should try closing our eyes and feeling this, not only is it pretty cool, but it also helps you concentrate on trusting a proper stroke without looking up too soon. It is said that whenever a person loses one of their senses, all the other senses compensate by becoming more keen. Then imagine you (as a blind person) are taken to a practice range where you can execute a swing without visual distractions, and feel the thrill of hitting the ball right on the sweet spot. Your friends give you feedback on the results of your shots. Then you can go onto a course and your friends can guide you the same way. If you can contact the ball cleanly every time, and your friends can make all your distance and alignment decisions for you, then it is possible that you could get no worse than a bogey on each hole, and therefore shooting in the 80’s is within the realm of possibility.
Joe

Joe,
Thanks a lot for your reply. I never thought I would ever get online free golf tips. My Names are Johnson Omolo I work and live in Kampala Uganda. I HAVE BIG TROUBLE WITH MY GOLF SWING. Most of the time on my down ward swing to hit the ball the club face is closed. We have no good golf teacher in Uganda. The guy teaching golf was a 4 handicapper who turned pro. I cant tee off with a wood.Johnson

Hello Johnson,
You are not the only one who has trouble with the golf swing, everyone else does also. It is a never ending struggle, so enjoy every small success. In order to help you, we would have to view your swing, but we don’t mind making a few suggestions. The easiest method to solve general problems is to view the Body Golf videos. For more specific problems, like your closed club face, make sure you are using the correct grip, and control your wrist action down the target line, because those who roll their wrists too much usually end up with wild shots. Why do you say you cannot tee off with a wood? What is the result? Maybe that particular wood does not fit your swing? Let us know more details.
Joe

Joe,
Why are the impact and address positions so different in swing sequences? It doesn't look like they return to address. The hips are open, the spine angle is more, the head is further behind the ball, the hands are forward. It is completely different to address. Why do people say you have to return to address at impact, when impact is so obviously different. The other thing is, if you drop your right shoulder, your spine now has a bend in it halfway up your back. If you make a turn from here your head must lift up.-- Doug Kercher

Hello Doug,
You are correct in saying the positions are obviously different. I do not believe it is reasonable for the impact position to look exactly like the address position because at address nothing is moving, while at impact your weight is actively shifting from your back leg to your front leg and your hips are in the midst of turning. Different people have different ways of explaining things, so interpretations will also be different, especially cause and effect. I do not believe dropping your shoulder is a cause, it is an effect from the way you start the downswing. Instead, I prefer the cause to be getting your back elbow in front of your hip, which will accomplish the same thing without lifting your head up.
Joe

Honest, I did not make this up. I really did read this recently in a magazine. The author has got to be the ultimate purist instructor. My comments are in parentheses( ). Here goes: “At the top of the backswing for right handed golfers the left shoulder must internally rotate (as opposed to externally rotate?) and horizontally adduct (what does that mean and how do you do that?). This requires flexibility in the left posterior rotator cuff muscles (what about the anterior, should I shut them down?) and scapular muscles (I wear a scapular but it does not have muscles). The right shoulder needs to abduct (is that the same as adduct?) about 75 degrees (I will need to see a digital readout as I swing, I don’t think I can move that precisely) and externally rotate about 90 degrees (I think I am going to sprain every muscle in my body) to be in the ideal position (and then after all that you top the shot anyway). This also requires rotator cuff strength and shoulder capsular flexibility” (at least my cap is flexible). (This guy has got to be kidding, does he really think people are going to understand and implement that?)

Joe,
Why doesn’t my wife share my excitement when I tell her I got a birdie on the last hole?

Answer: Here are two possible reasons – either she birdied that hole twice herself this week, or she had a wager on your opponent.

Joe,
Is it better to make adjustments until you can hit the ball straight every time, or just allow for hooks or slices?
Harry

Hello Harry,
This is a matter of opinion. Of course, hooks or slices that are too severe should be corrected, but my preference is to allow for fades or draws as long as they are fairly consistent. Not very many people can hit the ball straight every time. Ben Hogan used to say it was an accident to hit the ball straight. One day on the practice range Ben saw the notorious straight ball hitter Moe Norman, and said “accident” after every one of Moe’s shots, and finally gave up and said to Moe “Just keep hitting those accidents”. Realistically, there are not very many Moe Normans out there, so those who try to hit every shot straight are likely to succeed only part of the time, and most of the time they will have to guess whether their misses will be to the left or right. Those who can draw or fade consistently already know which side they would be most likely to miss, so they only have to guess at the amount of left or right movement, so this makes it easier to avoid the side that has trouble. They can aim at one side of the fairway or green, and if the shot happens to have very little movement it will end up where they aimed, and if it has more movement than expected, they are still in play on the other side of the green or fairway. Assuming your course has equal amounts of trouble on the left and right sides, half of the trouble on the golf course is eliminated, so the margin of error favors those who can consistently fade or draw.
Joe

Joe,
I do not understand instruction on that says to keep the clubface square to the target during the backswing. If the body is turning, it is hard to picture what is square. At the top of the backswing the clubface is supposed to be parallel to the leading arm. That is certainly not square to the target. Please explain.
Pernell

Hello Pernell,
What a great question! This is a swing thought that can help prevent wild shots, and there have been many different attempts at describing how this works. Some even say while your body is turning to keep the clubface aimed at the target. To me that seems like the clubface will shut, and will cause a pull unless you compensate on the downswing by opening the clubface to square at impact. I think you would need to have perfect timing in order to do that. Others say to concentrate on proper wrist cock by keeping the leading wrist flat to the arm at the top of the backswing, and this does work for some people while others cannot seem to grasp that. Another idea is to stop your backswing half way when the club is parallel to the ground and check that the toe is pointing straight up. Examples of this are Chris DiMarco and Mike Weir during their pre-shot routine. Here is my attempt at another way to describe this. Without a club in your hands, place your back hand on an imaginary grip and notice that the palm is more or less facing the target and therefore is parallel to the clubface, and you can make your wrist bend and twist in several directions (which you do not want if you want to keep the clubface square). Now do the same thing but control your wrist flex in a way that keeps your palm on the same plane as your forearm. If you can make your wrist behave this way during your swing, then you can feel the clubface staying square no matter how much body turn you are using, thus simplifying the swing thought.
Joe

Joe,
I HAVE PLAYED GOLF FOR OVER FORTY YEARS AND STILL HAVE TO BATTLE A REVERSE WEIGHT SHIFT. IT CREEPS INTO MY SWING REGARDLESS OF HOW GOOD OR BAD I HAPPEN TO BE PLAYING ON ANY GIVEN DAY. HAVE ANY SURE FIRE CURES?
Regards,
Dick

Hello Dick,
Old habits are hard to break, you have to try to replace them with new habits. I would start with the double clubber drill as shown in the Body Golf videos because while you are doing this you can feel how your weight is shifting, which allows you to adjust until you shift your weight correctly. This also makes it easier to establish good tempo. Usually this tempo is lost when you overswing, and that can lead to improper weight shift. Here is another thing to try. As you address the ball, tilt your spine so that your head is even with the inside of your back knee. This makes you put your weight on your back foot, and keep it there during your backswing. Then to start your downswing, push off the inside of your back foot to get your lower body weight going forward. The Body Golf videos also have drills called the toe-drag and the step-thru to help you ingrain this move.
Joe

Purist Corner:
I hope I see this guy on the golf course some day, I am going to catch him with all kinds of rule violations. On second thought that might lead to never ending retaliations. It was a dark and lonely night. I was driving up to a stop sign, no other cars in sight. I thought I came to a complete stop before proceeding, but a purist police officer pulls out from behind a sign, pulls me over and says I rolled thru the stop sign. Rather than argue that point since it was his word against mine, I tried the “no danger” ploy since there were no other cars or pedestrians around, but no, a rule is a rule, so I got a ticket. When I went to traffic court, the officer did not show up, so since the rule said he had to be present, the case was dismissed. I guess sometimes the rules work in your favor, but I did lose a half day of work because of this nonsense. Although the purists are out to get me, I shall continue to resist the errors of their ways, and I shall prevail!

Joe, what improvements would you like to see in golf course design?
Answer: I'd like to see the fairways more narrow. Then everyone would have to play from the rough, not just me.

Joe,
have a constant problem of hitting behind the ball. Any suggestions??Jarry

Hello Jarry,
Typically there are two reasons for this. First is proper weight shift. Some people have trouble swaying to the back foot on the backswing or failing to move their weight to the front foot on the downswing. The simplest way to overcome this is to start by tilting your spine so that your head is almost even with your back knee. This helps you to get your weight on the back foot early without swaying. Then on the downswing, just push off the inside of your back foot to get your weight going forward. The other reason for fat shots is head movement. Keep your head as steady as possible during the swing. Jack Nicklaus’ instructor used to grab the back of his hair to make his head stay steady. It is OK for a little lateral movement, but never up and down. I hope this helps you.
Joe

Joe,
What do you think of the baseball grip and how would you know if the shaft on your driver is too stiff or has too much flex?
Eugene

Hello Eugene,
Some folks think the baseball grip is the same as the ten finger grip, but I say they are different. When you grip a baseball bat you normally wrap your thumbs around the handle, but I would not recommend that for golf. However if you instead place your thumbs along the shaft it becomes the ten finger grip, no interlocking or overlapping of the fingers. After using the overlap grip for about 40 years, I switched to the ten finger a few years ago because I got better results with it. Sensei Mark also uses this grip. You have to experiment and find which grip works best for you. As far as the right shaft for you, if your swing speed is under 100 mph, use a regular shaft. A stiff shaft is for those who have higher swing speeds. This is not a hard rule because some people want the stiff shaft anyway if they are willing to give up some distance to get better accuracy, the theory being that a stiffer shaft reduces the variables called flex and twist. To complicate matters further, the amount of flex will vary from one manufacturer to another, for example medium from one brand might be the same as stiff from another brand. Graphite shafts also use terms like “firm” or “high modulus” just to add more uncertainty. How do you know which is best for you? If your shots are too high or too wild, try a stiffer shaft. If your shots are straight or too low, but you want more distance, try a regular shaft.
Joe

Joe, My question is how do I get backspin on my ball? I see the pros get a lot of backspin and a lot of "average golfers" get some backspin on it. How do I do it and what clubs are being used? I seem to get a little when I chip with my sand wedge (Cleveland 56 degree) but it is only very short chips and nothing consistent. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the great work and news letter.
Ted

Hi Ted, Backspin looks really cool on TV but understand that the conditions the pros are playing on TV are very plush. The conditions on most public courses are not always conducive to shots being helped by backspin. You may have seen some TV events where the conditions were “firming up”, and backspin was not working so shots were bouncing over the greens, well that would be like most public courses. Anyway, if your course has better than average conditions, and you want to maximize the effects of backspin, you must keep the grooves in your irons very clean, and those grooves cannot be worn out. The ball you use should be the soft and high spin types, not the hard distance balls. You must strike the ball with a descending blow in order to impart maximum backspin. This can be illustrated with a ping pong ball and paddle. The more aggressive the swing, the more backspin will result. That is why you do not see much backspin on partial swings like pitch shots, but you mostly will see the ball back up from full swings with the most lofted irons.
Joe

Purist Corner:
I just DQ’d a local store, who probably also lost a few other customers due to a purist clerk. At the express checkout counter, there is a sign that says 10 items or less. One lady had 11 items in her cart due to a 2-for-1 sale, and she was told she must go into a different lane, all of which were crowded. She pleaded if she changed lanes she would probably get home 20 minutes later. The clerk said too bad, a rule is a rule, you are in the wrong lane. She then tried to put aside one of the items so she would be within the rule, but the clerk said “don’t do that because we would have to restock it”. The next person in line (guess who that was?) finally had to say “Oh good grief, just ring up the extra item before I call the manager”. I was considering an additional penalty of two strokes to the clerk’s head, but I decided the DQ for future business would suffice, and also might keep me out of jail.

Joe, if you could get a personal lesson from any of the greatest golfers living or dead, which one would you choose?
Answer: The living one, of course, duh!

Joe,
Do “hot” irons really help?
Hank

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joe,
I cannot hit a pitch shot to save my life. I have tried everything. I understand the basics and I try to execute properly, but I either blade it or chunk it? What can I do?
Pete

Hello Pete,
Lots of people have this problem, because the pitch is a very unforgiving shot, either you execute it right or the results are terrible. Try different ball positions, a little further to the front foot or back foot, also closer to or further from your body. Experiment with a more upright swing arc while keeping the body very steady. If you have already tried all that, here is another idea that sometimes works, but I cannot guarantee if it will work for you. Sometimes the club itself is part of the problem. Compare the length of your wedge shafts with your friends’ wedges, you might find that your shaft is too long for you. Even if it does not seem too long, have the shaft shortened by at least one inch, maybe more, and have it regripped with a fat jumbo grip. The shorter shaft brings you a little closer to the ball, and the fat grip should help control. If you don’t want to alter your club, find an inexpensive used wedge that has a shorter shaft and compare results. Let us know how it turns out.
Joe

Joe,
I get really frustrated by slow play. Can anything be done?
Sam

Hi Sam,
If you are speaking of competition, then your marshals need to apply penalties to those who are causing delays. If you are speaking of recreational golf, then your local courses need to make some new local rules because if they don’t do this, they will lose money for several reasons. First, golfers will not return to a course where play is slow. Second, the slower the pace, the fewer the number of people that can be on the course at the same time. A quicker pace allows more golfers to play. Third, if the only solution the course can think of is to have their marshals push the pace clock, that will only make people angry, and less likely to return to that course. Here are some local rules that could help solve the problem for recreational play:
..No stroke and distance penalties. Instead, drop where a ball went out of play, the same way as a lateral water hazard.
..No provisional balls, since they are no longer needed (previously only needed for stroke and distance penalties which would no longer be in effect).
..Do not use the “honors” system. Instead play “ready golf” and hit whenever you are ready, as long as you are not distracting another player by doing so.
..Do not mark scores at the green, get to the next tee before you mark scores.
..No penalties for long putts that happen to strike the flagstick. This avoids wasted time waiting for someone to walk over and tend the pin, and then go back to read their own putt.
..Line up your putts from behind the hole while others are putting. When it is your turn, you can only line up your putt from behind your own ball. This avoids wasted time waiting for people to walk back and forth.
..People who cannot keep up with the Pace clock must pick up after 2 putts, and also pick up if they cannot make double bogey.
I am sure our readers have other similar good ideas, let’s hear them! Nobody likes slow play, so let’s help to fix this problem!
Joe

Joe,
I've been playing golf for almost 3 years now. I'm still having a problem in achieving consistency in my swing as a result of severe over-swing problem. I have also been trying several methods to resolve the problem but still unable to get rid of this bad habit. Do you have any good advise or method that I could practice to eliminate this bad habit of my golf swing!
TksChris

Hello Chris,
Habits can be hard to break, so let’s try a different approach. Next time you are on one of those driving range mats with the permanent rubber tee, go to the top of your backswing and pose like a baseball player waiting for a pitch. Do you feel that you are in a strong hitting position? If not, adjust your posture, you must feel comfortable here. Make sure your weight is on your back foot. Check the shaft to see if it points toward the target parallel to the ground. From this position, see if you can strike the rubber tee every time. If you cannot, then try a different posture at the top, for example, do not let the shaft reach parallel, which means your backswing will have to be shorter. If you can view yourself in a mirror it will help. When you find a posture at the top that works for you, then the only purpose of your backswing is to arrive at that position with a nice smooth tempo.
Joe

Joe,
My putting is erratic. What is the best putting grip and how can I check myself for proper alignment?
Greg

Hi Greg,
The most popular putting grip is the reverse-overlap, but some people have also had success with other types of grips including regular overlap, ten-finger, split hands, left hand low, index finger down, and the “claw” (different variations used by Mark Calcavecchia and Chris DiMarco). One way to test what is best for you is to use a square tiled floor as a guide. Using a putter that has an aiming line on top, position that line along a floor tile line and take a stroke, while watching how the line on the putter follows the tile line. Is it steady or does it wobble too much? Whatever grip/stroke keeps you closest to the tile line may be best for you. It is normal for the backswing and the follow to move slightly inside the tile line. To check your alignment, again use the tiled floor where the tile lines intersect. First, hide the intersection of the lines with a piece of paper or cardboard and place your putter in the address position, aiming down the tile line. We are going to use the vertical tile line to check that your clubface alignment is perpendicular to the target line. Have someone pull out the piece of paper and see if your putter face is lined up straight with the vertical line. Do this several times to see how consistent your aim/alignment is. The next step is to place a ball along the tile line and see if your stroke can keep the ball rolling along the tile line. You may be surprised to find that you have a tendency to pull or push your putts. If you cannot keep the putts straight along the tile line, then try to keep the putter square to the hole all during the follow-thru. Have another person behind you to verify whether or not the path of your stroke is pulling or pushing the ball off line. Try this using different putting grips to prove which one is best for you.
Joe

Joe,
I seem to pull all putts. The best I can do is not look. Please help!!Sam

Hello Sam,You have already provided a clue. When you don’t look, you don’t pull. Trust your line and execute your stroke, keeping your blade square to the target. If you look up too soon, your blade may no longer be square to the target, thus causing a pull. After the ball is struck, keep staring at the spot where the spot where the ball used to be. Don’t look up until you have completed your follow thru with the blade still square to the target, even if you can’t wait to see if you made the putt. Don’t worry, nobody is going to move the hole while you are not looking.
Joe

Joe,
I have a question, When I start the down swing do I pull the club through With my left side? I know my power comes from my right side but I've been pulling the ball to the left, I hit it solid but left, not all the time but enough to cause me problems.I'm 72 years old and I don't have the club head speed I used to have. I've been play golf for about 50 years.
Thank you
Jim

Hi Jim,
Different swing thoughts work for some people but not all people. If pulling down with the left side causes pulled shots, but it also improves your ball striking, then all we have to do is to cure the pull, because good ball striking is most important. If you are pulling down along the target line, don’t forget that your body is also turning at the same time, which means by the time your club gets to the ball, the turning action is no longer down the target line, but instead it starts to turn to the inside, which will cause a pull. Try to adjust by pulling down on a path that is inside out. Then your body turn will bring you back to square at impact.
Joe

Question: How many purists does it take to change a light bulb?

Answers:
-Two, one to recite and oversee the proper procedure while the second guy removes the old bulb and marks the spot with a coin while the power is still on. Then the first guy makes funeral arrangements.
-It takes 2 or 3, one to hold the lamp upside down while another holds the bulb with arm extended at shoulder height and tries to drop it into the socket. After 3 attempts you are allowed to call an electrician.
-I just spent over an hour searching thru the rule book, and I cannot find anything that describes how to do this. We will have to call an official for a ruling.
-None. That is my spouse’s job and she is not a purist. (burp) Honey, another beer please while you are getting the bulb, and hurry up, it is dark in here.
-And the winner is…You know how a good idea is signified by a light bulb going on over your head? Well, there are some purists out there whose bulbs definitely need to be changed, but they won’t allow it.

You Make The Call:
After watching his putt stop at the lip of the cup, a frustrated golfer kicks the shaft of his putter and bends it a little. Then he taps in. Is this a penalty? Why or why not?


Answer - You cannot use a club that has been altered or damaged other than during the normal course of play (a display of temper isn't considered normal). The Rules call for disqualification.

Conclusion - If nobody is looking, you can cuss up a storm, uproot the ball washer, tip over your golf cart, use the flagstick as a javelin, and you can continue to play, but if you bend your putter, the purists will hunt you down and descend upon you, and drag your sorry carcass off the course.

Joe,
Why do instructors say that a harder swing can result in less distance?
Larry

Hi Larry,
A harder swing has less of a chance to hit the “sweet spot” on your clubface. An easy swing that hits the sweet spot will send the ball farther than a hard swing that misses the sweet spot.
A hard swing may cause improper weight shifting, which may reduce your clubhead speed. Proper weight shift from the top of the backswing starts going from the back foot to the front foot before the downswing begins, setting up the power of a whip without extra effort.
Clubhead speed at impact is the sum of arm swing and wrist snap. A hard swing usually starts the wrist action too soon when the downswing begins, so there is no more acceleration added from the wrist by the time the clubhead gets to the ball, resulting an “all arms” swing and overall slower clubhead speed. For maximum distance, you must save the wrist action until just before impact. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV, and you will see the wrist snap is held back until the last possible instant. That is why most of the pros may look like they are swinging very easy, but they still generate a lot of clubhead speed with that last-second wrist snap.
Joe

Joe,
what would you do if your girl friend dressed up in a really sexy outfit and told you to tie her up and do anything you wanted?
Answer: I would tie her up and then go play some golf.

Joe,
Please help me because I am desperate. I am shanking nearly all my chip shots and short pitches from every distance whichever technique I use yet I seem to be okay with the longer pitch shots.
Frank Orrell

Hello Frank,
Shanking usually results from your weight being too much on your toes. Try standing a little more on your heels. Try a more upright backswing because a flat swing can cause shanks. Also compare the length of your wedge shafts with your friends’ wedges, you might find that your shaft is too long for you. Even if it does not seem too long, it might help to have the shaft shortened by at least one inch, maybe more, and have it regripped with a fat jumbo grip. The shorter shaft brings you a little closer to the ball, and the fat grip should give you more control. If you don’t want to alter your club, find an inexpensive used wedge that has a shorter shaft and compare results. I hope this helps.
Joe

Question,
Maybe you can help me understand shifting weight. When I try to go to the right side on the backswing and the left side on the follow-through, I move off the ball and mis-hit it...
An instructor said to keep the lower body still and turn the upper body, but when I do that I don't get any distance and feel that I am not shifting my weight properly....Help!

Answer - In your case, I would recommend starting with your weight already on the back leg, that way you do not have to worry about shifting back and off the ball. It is much more important to shift your weight properly on the downswing, and you can do that by pushing off the inside of the back foot to start your downswing.
Joe

Joe,
I was told that I should get a driver with a longer shaft because it will give me more distance, but whenever I try a longer shaft, my distance is actually less. How do you explain this?
Linda

Hello Linda,
This is one of those theories that seems to make sense, but it only works if you can strike the sweet spot of the clubface every time. A longer shaft also theoretically makes it harder to hit the sweet spot because the ball is a little farther away from you. Any shot that misses the sweet spot will not go as far as a shot that hits the sweet spot, so if the shorter shaft allows you to hit the sweet spot more often, then that would be a better choice.
Joe

Joe,
I thought it was supposed to be a Fundamental to have the club pointing at the target at the top of the backswing, but I see photos of Phil Mickelson, John Daly, and even the great Bobby Jones pointing the club way across the line. How do you explain that?
Pete

Hello Pete,
In my opinion, that is a mannerism, not a fundamental. It sure does look picture perfect when someone can point the club straight at the target, but that is no guarantee to result in a good shot. Starting from the top of the backswing, what happens next is an inside-out swing path, which the body turn brings to a square path at the point of contacting the ball (like a swinging door). When you think about the plane for an inside-out swing path, pointing it across the line at the top only helps to put the club on that plane, so I do not see anything wrong with that, as long as your results are good. If, however, you have a hook problem, then you might be pointing it too far across the line, but most people slice, so this idea may help to cure it.
Joe

Joe,
I am getting contradicting information about different ways on how to hit chip shots. Is there only one right way to chip?
Charles

Hello Charles,
Different people have had success with different methods, so you may hear or read some conflicting advice about which method is best (most methods agree on proper setup, so we will skip that). They all have one thing in common. No method will work unless you keep your hands ahead of the clubhead at impact. If you can do that, then the main issue becomes distance control.

Here are 3 chipping methods for distance control, find the one that works best for you.

Method 1 - use the same stroke and tempo, knees to ankles, for all distances, just change the club to adjust for longer or shorter shots. This usually works best for those who have enough confidence in their stroke that they never hit it fat or thin, they can hit the sweet spot every time.

Method 2 - use only 2 clubs to chip (one for minimum loft, one for maximum loft) depending on the amount of loft and carry needed to clear the taller grass. Use the same backswing, but vary the tempo or acceleration depending on the distance desired. This usually works best for those who have a good sense of touch.

Method 3 - use only 2 clubs to chip depending on the amount of loft needed. Vary the length of the backswing for distance control, and keep a consistent tempo. This usually works best for those who do not have enough confidence to rely on touch.

The Evil Twin’s Purist Corner – Point and counter-point:
Point – (Mantra) – A rule is a rule and you cannot change the rule because all rules are good rules.
Counter-Point – Not all rules are good rules. Lemmings have a rule, if the first lemming marches off a cliff into the sea, then all the following lemmings must do the same (or else they might be penalized?).
In this case, if I were a lemming capable of rational thought, I might be tempted to get a parachute and life vest, or to consider breaking the rule (gasp!).

Joe,
i have a problem flying shots from a wet
sand trap. please help with some advice.
thank you
john neily

Hello John,
You cannot treat wet sand the same way as dry sand. If
your normal sand shot uses a wedge with a lot of
"bounce" (the sole having the rear lower than the
front), it will not penetrate the wet sand so you are
likely to skull the ball over the green. Try a wedge
with little or no bounce like a lob wedge or pitching
wedge. Many people do not take the time to practice
these shots, but those who do practice them will
understand quickly what works and what does not.
Joe

Joe, what kind of courses are your favorite and least favorite?
Answer – I like uncrowded courses that are not too expensive. Unfortunately these can be hard to find. What I really do not like is when I get talked into going to an upscale course, and two guys grab your bag out of your trunk before you can get your shoes out. Then you park your car and pay your greens fee and if you are lucky you can find your clubs somewhere on a motorized cart about a half kilometer from the practice area. You might be wearing your best golf outfit, but compared to everyone else you look like a commoner. Then you finally get to the first tee and then you get a lecture from a "course host," who has more stories than Mother Goose, and finishes by admonishing you that if your cart leaves the cart path, or if you cannot keep up with the Pace rules, you will be asked to leave. Having to stay on the cart path usually means a six-hour round, but they put you on the time clock anyway. Then another host takes pictures of your group and tries to sell them to you. Then you have to decide which of the 5 sets of tees to play. Then you finally get onto the course and then the beverage cart girl drives up, and if you order something and hand her a 5, she looks hurt if you ask for change. At the turn the least expensive fast food is a gourmet sandwich for $7 and a $3 drink, and don’t forget the tip. When you are done, whether you like it or not, a couple of kids grab your bag and start cleaning your clubs, and of course you will feel guilty if you don’t tip them too. Then a guy drives up in a golf cart and offers to take your clubs to your car. Where does it end? When you drive to the exit, there might be a guy who politely asked if you enjoyed your experience here, are we supposed to tip him too? These places are for people who say “Tally Ho the Fox”, but not for people like me who prefer to say “There goes the little *!@#$%”. Suddenly the local muni does not seem so bad.

Joe,
But one thing which has been bothering me is that I have a severe problem of hooking the ball, so I have to compensate for it while taking a shot but the problem is that sometimes it doesn’t hook at all and I land up out of bounds, I request you to please help me overcome this problem and advise some remedy to it ................... What the HELL am I doing wrong .Regards Kabir

Hello Kabir,
Since I have never seen you swing a club, I can only give some suggestions. First of all, do you hook only your driver or all your clubs? If only the driver, then trade it in for another model. I have seen many cases where drivers are so different that the same swing can produce a hook with one driver and slice with the other. Secondly, if you hook all your clubs, then I suspect your grip may be too “strong”, meaning the V’s formed by your thumb and forefingers are pointing beyond your back shoulder. Adjust your grip so that the V’s are pointing between your head and back shoulder. Some people even point them at the chin. What kind of “compensation” are you doing? If it is the grip position that I just described, then thirdly I would look at your swing plane, I suspect it might be too flat. Try a more upright plane and see if that helps.
Joe

Joe,
The logic for having rules is to prevent anyone from gaining unfair advantages. Using the same logic, why is it legal to allow a caddie to read a putt for you, or tell you what the exact distances are and what club to hit? Why don’t the rules say you must do this yourself? Aren’t those things a part of your own personal decision-making skills? You are allowed to ask a caddie for exact distance, but you cannot use a “range-finder” device for the same reason, and the device is not all that accurate anyway, so that’s a dumb rule. Isn’t this like a chess player being allowed to get advice from his/her “caddie” in the middle of a match? Isn’t this like a kid in a spelling contest having a “caddie” to give advice in the middle of competition? How is this fair to those of us who cannot afford caddies? I think players should have to make their own decisions as part of their overall skills. What do you think about this?
Josh

Hello Josh,
I think you have a good point. It is not a level playing field for golfers who cannot afford caddies, because you get no help at reading greens, while local caddies have seen so many putts, they know how every green will break. You can have a perfect putting stroke, but you still will not sink many putts if you can’t read the greens correctly. Those who can afford caddies have a definite advantage, not only do they avoid worrying about the read, but also they can blame the caddy for every missed putt while you only have yourself to blame.
Joe

Joe,
I can hit the ball better than my buddies, but they usually beat me because they putt better. I don’t understand why I cannot putt as well as my buddies if they are not as athletic as I am. Help!
Harold

Hello Harold,
Sometimes we overlook the little things. Any one of the following points might make a difference. For example, are you more like Golfer A or Golfer B?
Let’s assume Golfer A and Golfer B have similar putting strokes and they can both read a green equally well, but Golfer A makes more putts and 3-putts less often than Golfer B. How can this be?

Golfer A uses a putter design that is weighted at the toe and at the heel, but not in the center. Golfer B uses a straight blade. Since they both have similar strokes, they both miss the sweet spot on the putter by the same amount. Golfer A gets better results due to a larger sweet spot.

Golfer A has confidence in the read and can concentrate fully on executing the stroke. Golfer B changes the read as he/she stands over the ball (why bother with the original read in that case?). This can result in a tentative stroke due to worrying about the read instead of executing the proper pace of the stroke.

Golfer A aims at a spot on the green on the way to the hole, a spot that is close enough to hit every time. Golfer B does not use an intermediate target.

Golfer A improves touch for distance control during practice by noticing how far the backswing goes for certain distances, and then steps off those distances. Golfer B just relies on feel without thinking about the exact distance. As a result, Golfer A’s second putt is usually 1-2 feet long, while golfer B’s second putt is usually 3-4 feet long.

Golfer A’s putter has a fat grip, Golfer B’s putter has a skinny grip. In both cases, any accidental hand rotation will cause the putter face to rotate off line. Due to the fatter grip Golfer A’s putter face will rotate less off line than Golfer B’s putter.

Golfer A observes the terrain while walking up to the green from 100 yards on in, and can see which way water would most likely drain off the green, because this is the way all putts will break if you are not sure of other reads. Golfer B only reads putts after he/she gets on the green.

Both golfers have the Yips, but Golfer A uses a belly putter, which reduces the effect of the Yips.
Good luck Harold, I hope this helps!

Joe,
I have a problem flying shots from a wet
sand trap. please help with some advice.
thank you
john neily

Hello John,
You cannot treat wet sand the same way as dry sand. If
your normal sand shot uses a wedge with a lot of
"bounce" (the sole having the rear lower than the
front), it will not penetrate the wet sand so you are
likely to skull the ball over the green. Try a wedge
with little or no bounce like a lob wedge or pitching
wedge. Many people do not take the time to practice
these shots, but those who do practice them will
understand quickly what works and what does not.
Joe

Joe,
How does any golfer know which ball is best for them? Every brand says they are the longest, softest, best feel, etc., they can’t all be right.
Bill

Hello Bill,
All the ball manufacturers are already pushing the limits of the allowable specs, so there is not that much difference in performance among brands. The mind is a powerful thing, so if you believe you do better with a certain brand, then maybe that creates a positive attitude which helps your confidence. Pick a ball and stay with it for awhile. If you keep changing types of balls, your distance judgment might be affected if some balls behave differently for you. Realistically, only the low handicap players playing on upscale courses are likely to benefit from the high spin balls. If you have a problem with hooks or slices, a high spin ball might make it worse. A high spin ball theoretically will stop on the green better, but that depends on ideal course conditions. I’m sure you have seen the pros on TV bounce over the green anyway when the greens are firm. The number of layers in ball construction, again, is only important to the low handicappers, it will not make that much difference to the average players. Some players can tell the difference between harder or softer balls, but any ball will feel soft if you contact the sweet spot of your club, and it will feel harder if you miss the sweet spot. If you think a ball is really soft, bounce it off your head and then tell me how soft it feels (just kidding, don’t try this at home).

Jody, my Evil Twin, what is your opinion?
Answer: I think the purists should indeed try that bounce test at home, I suspect they won’t feel a thing.

Joe,
Controversy, controversy. Why can’t we have rules that are clear enough that no controversy is needed?
Cedric

Hello Cedric,
Controversy keeps certain topics in conversation. The more conversation, the more interest there is in the topic, the more news coverage it gets, whether it is about golf or any other topic. Take for example the NCAA football polls, they always cause arguments, which gives the sports talk show hosts plenty of material for their shows. That is why you will probably never see any college football playoffs, it would kill all the lively discussions. That also is the case for college basketball. There is always going to be controversy over which teams make the tournament and which teams were left out. I suppose you could let every team into the tournament, but the first round would be a joke. Instead, I would start the field with the 32 best teams getting a first round bye. The other 32 spots would be “play-in” spots, for which the next 64 best teams would have to win one game to get into the usual field of 64. That means 96 teams would qualify, and there should be little argument from those who cannot make the top 96. Then I would send all the losing teams from that play-in round as automatic entries into the NIT tournament. We could send this to the NCAA and the NIT for consideration, but I think they prefer to have all the controversy too keep the sports talk shows going.

Joe,
People say a hook travels farther than a slice. Why should it matter which way the ball is curving? Don’t they really travel the same distance?
Hank

Hi Hank,
A hook travels farther than a slice for the same reason that a 4 iron travels farther than a 6 iron, the loft at impact is different. The face of the club is “closed” when hitting a hook, which lowers the loft. The face of the same club is “open” when hitting a slice so the loft is increased. That means a draw with a 5 iron will fly lower like a 4-iron, while a fade with the same 5-iron will fly higher like a 6-iron.
Joe

Joe,
Thicker grips feel better to me, but I am told that a thicker grip will reduce clubhead speed. Is there any truth to this? Also, when putting I seem to do better with a thicker grip. What is your opinion?
Theo

Hello Theo,
The same argument takes place for baseball bats or golf clubs, the thinner the grip, the more bat speed or clubhead speed can be generated. On the other hand, a thicker grip makes the bat or club easier to control, so you have to choose whether you want to be a home run hitter or hit for a higher batting average. Remember, in golf you have to play your foul balls. For putting, it makes sense to me that a thicker grip should work better because it reduces the amount of clubface error caused by hands twisting. A small amount of hand movement turns a skinny grip (and therefore the shaft and the clubface) more than a fatter grip. It would take more hand movement to turn the fatter grip the same amount, so your margin of error is more favorable.
Joe

Joe,
I find this confusing. Why are some drops allowed two club lengths and other drops only one club length? Why don’t they simplify the rules and make it consistent?
Dan

Hi Dan,
If there is a penalty involved, the drop is 2 club lengths. If it is a free drop with no penalty, the drop is one club length. Sergio Garcia once actually incurred an extra 2-stroke penalty by dropping only one club length when he should have dropped two. Because of that penalty he fell back into a playoff and lost the tournament. Personally I think that is absolutely ridiculous, you would think the spirit of the rule means no more than two club lengths, so less would logically seem OK, right? No, wrong. Why? I don’t know, let’s ask Jody.

Jody, my Evil Twin, how would you answer Dan’s questions, why not simplify the rules?
Answer: It must be money. It is the same reason why the virus protection software companies keep the business going by creating new viruses for themselves to solve, and then looking like heroes for charging you money to solve them. For golf, the more complicated you make the rules, the thicker the rule book gets, the more money is made by the printers, the officials, the training seminars, etc. If they really wanted to simplify the rules, they could easily make all drops the same distance. I would pick 2 club lengths since one club length sometimes does not help much. Also, it would also be nice if they would say you can use anything in your bag, because then the telescoping ball retriever would be a good choice.

Joe,
I once had a penalty called on me because I was preparing to putt and the wind slightly moved my ball. Why should that be a penalty when it was not my fault? I did not do anything. How can anyone avoid this?
Phil

Hi Phil,
Here is how to avoid this. Do not ground your club, the penalty only applies after you have addressed the ball. If the club is not grounded, you have not yet officially addressed the ball, so just keep your club hovering above ground. Don’t delay the stroke because it is no penalty if the ball moves after you have begun your stroke. Why is there such a penalty? I don’t know. This is one of many unfair rules that can penalize you for things that are not your fault, and those types you should just leave for tournaments. If you are only playing recreational golf and you call this on somebody, you risk being branded as an anal aperture for the rest of your life.
Joe

Joe,
My natural swing produces a very low shot with a driver, and I have to use a 5 or 7 wood off the fairway because my 3-wood cannot get the ball high enough off the ground. I can drive OK with a 3-wood, but with the smaller head I get the occasional popups, toe shots, or heel shots. I have tried some swing changes but none of them seem to help my shot trajectory. Any suggestions?
Dean

Hi Dean,
Lower shots can be caused by using shafts that are too stiff for you. If that is not the case, you need more lofted clubs. If you cannot find a driver with enough loft, you might want to try a deep-faced oversized 3-wood for your drives. However, the deep face is not recommended for fairway shots because the center of gravity is too high, so just use it for drives. From the fairway you are likely to do better with a thin-faced fairway club such as the “Tight Lies” design because the center of gravity is obviously lower.
Joe

Joe,
I was once not allowed to play because my shirt did not have a collar. On TV I see some of the pros wearing shirts without a collar, if they can do it why can’t anyone else?
Dom

Hi Dom,
Some places have stricter dress codes than others, including restaurants, they just want to make sure people do not show up wearing sloppy T shirts or undershirts. The collarless shirts some of the pros wear are classified as “crew neck” when they have thicker neck lines, and they are usually nicer looking than the average T shirt, however one could argue that a T shirt is also a form of crew neck, and many sweaters or sweatshirts also do not have collars either. If your shirt was not a T shirt but had a thicker collar line, your golf course could have made an exception, but some purists insist that a rule is a rule, and they will defend that rule no matter how dumb it is. Seems like now is a good time for…

…The Evil Twin’s Purist Corner – Point and Counter-Point
Point - A rule is a rule. Tiger likes to wear crew neck shirts, but if he wants to play at a course where they have the collar rule, then he should not be allowed to play, just like anyone else. Furthermore, there is a risk that some astute TV viewer is going to phone all the major courses and find out which ones have that same collar rule, and then try to strip all those major titles from Tiger because he violated a Local rule, playing while illegally adorned.
Counter-Point – I guess you would also agree that there is nothing in the rules to prevent you from playing naked as long as you wear a collared shirt, and of course soft spikes.

Joe,
They say new equipment is ruining the game and making some golf courses obsolete. Is there anything that can be done?
Edie

Hello Edie,
Lee Trevino once said "It’s not the bow and arrow, it’s the Indian". New balls and new clubs, while they do produce more distance, have not actually lowered the average scores for all golfers for many many years, which proves the short game is much more important than the long game. Therefore I don’t think golf courses will become obsolete, except maybe some won’t be chosen for tournament consideration, and since most golfers are not tournament players, they will still be eager to play the shorter courses because they do not get as much benefit from technology as do the tournament players. Technology’s extra distance also translates into shots going further off line and into more trouble, and frankly this becomes more dangerous because more people will be within range of getting hit by errant shots. Realistically, I do not think there will ever be a ban on new technology, so if we ever want to offset the effects of technology, we might have to convince enough people to "think outside the box". For example, we could introduce an alternate set of modified rules which could keep any course from becoming obsolete. Let’s say for the sake of discussion, this new set of rules could be called "Shotmaker’s Rules" or "Finesse Rules", whereby you could only use 7 clubs, so the wild driver may not be a good choice. This would put less emphasis less on power and more emphasis on finesse back into the game, having to adjust how hard you swing instead of having so many clubs that you can use the same monotonous swing for almost any distance. To make up for the disadvantage of using fewer clubs, all penalties would be only 1 stroke (no loss of distance) and you get to improve your lie. The rules then become a lot simpler, and the pace of play becomes a lot quicker. However, I am sure the clubmakers would not be in favor of selling fewer clubs, so this idea may not gain much support. However, you might be very very surprised that if you were ever to try this, your scores will probably not be much different than your usual scores with a full set of clubs. If that is true, wherefore art thou, technology, where is thy sting?
Joe

Joe,
I'm considering buying some new irons. I currently own ping isi with a swing weight of c-9. I would like to have a better feel of where the club head is...this is where your advise would be appreciated. I'm 60 years, work out daily and in excellent condition. My swing speed is near 90 and is slow and rhythmic. Any ideas?? I'm told the average swing weight is d-2, d-4 is this right?? Thanks in advance,
Bill
Hi Bill,
Some people like a lighter feel, some like a heavier feel. Some people hit poorly with clubs that feel good, and when they try clubs that do not feel as good, they are surprised to see better shots, and then those clubs start feeling better in a hurry. Base your decision by comparing results for different swingweights. Theories about specs are no guarantees. Many golfers want to give themselves every possible technical advantage to improve, and swingweight is one spec aimed at giving a consistent feel for all clubs in your set, by comparing the weight of the clubhead to the overall weight of the entire club. The higher the letter, the heavier the club (d is heavier than c), and the higher the number, the higher the weight ratio is from clubhead to the whole club. Some people think this ratio is important, but I think there are a lot of other technical factors at play that are more important than swingweight. The ratio is not the same from club to club anyway because the heads on shorter irons have more mass than the longer irons, yet they have shorter shafts, so it is hard to imagine every club feeling the same. So what usually happens in your c-9 set, for example, is that you might hit the shorter irons better than the longer irons, and with a d-4 set you might hit the longer irons better than the shorter irons. Since the shorter irons are the scoring clubs, most golfers will give up on the whole set if they cannot hit the shorter irons, even if they hit the long irons very well. So they embark on a never ending journey to seek the perfect set. That is partly the reason we are seeing new sets with hybrid clubs instead of long irons, the longer clubs simply need more mass. Swingweights are also changed when grip weights are added, or when lead tape is applied to the clubheads. So rather than focusing on swingweight, pay more attention to shaft flex and lie angle. If you still feel swingweight is that important to you, find a 7-iron that you really like and have the swingweight measured, and use that as a guide to get your next set.
Joe

Joe,
does it do any good to talk to your golf ball out loud?
Answer: Sure, especially when your opponent is swinging.

The Evil Twin’s Purist Corner - Point and Counter-Point:

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

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

Joe,
Why do the pros preach fundamentals, yet their swings all look different?
Davey

Hello Davey,
There is a difference between fundamentals (what everyone should do) and mannerisms (individual peculiarities). Most of the mannerisms occur on the backswing, because the backswing’s only purpose is to arrive at a strong hitting position at the top, and to achieve that, it may not matter how you get there (right, Jim Furyk fans?). From there, the fundamentals take over, and the downswing happens so quickly that you may not notice the pros all do the same thing (lower body weight shift to the front foot, and moving the back elbow to the front of the hip before ball contact). Once the ball is struck, the differences in the follow thru positions again are mostly mannerisms (right, Arnold Palmer fans?).
Joe

Joe,
There are so many tips in magazines, books, audios, videos, TV, etc. and some of these tips contradict each other. How is a person to know which ones to believe and which ones not to believe?
Ben

Hi Ben,
There are a couple of reasons for contradictions. Most tips come from people who have successfully used them, but that does not mean these tips will work for everyone else. Tip #1 might work for golfer #1 but not for golfer #2, but golfer #2 uses tip #2 which is the opposite of tip #1. For example, some say to start the backswing with no wrist action, others say to set the wrist cock early. Some say to use the “X-factor” by limiting hip action, others say to use more hips. All you can do is try them both and see which one works better for you. Another reason is the plight of any writer who has a contract to come up with a different article every week, or every month, this writer always has to think of something new to write about, and when it comes to golf tips, just about every idea has been used up already, so that makes it difficult to sound new and creative all the time. So to avoid repeating the same stuff, they might borrow ideas from others, and those ideas may be against something the same writer said before, who knows? That is why I prefer the question and answer approach. Even if I get the same question multiple times, I can always give a consistent answer explained a little differently for those who may not have seen or understood the same questions before. To answer your question on who to believe, I would not trust those who threaten that you must do every little thing their way or else you will fail, because that falsely assumes everyone has the same body build and degree of athleticism. Precision positions and moves that work for one person may not work for another person. Rather than thinking about 142 things during a swing, you have a better chance believing those who can keep things simple, because simplicity leads to better understanding.
Joe

A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Jack and Jill, both novices, are playing a fun round at the local municipal golf course. Jill is not a long hitter, but she gets the ball airborne consistently when the lie is good, and her main enjoyment comes from watching the ball fly. Jack hits the ball far, but not very accurately. On a long par 5, Jack drives OB, then hits again into the rough and cannot find his ball. Since he expected to find it he did not bother hitting a provisional, so he had to march back to the tee and hit again, finally hitting the fairway, but into a divot. Jill, meanwhile, is also in a divot, and she knows she is not good enough yet to get the ball airborne from a divot, so she moves the ball to a better lie and continues to make the ball fly, reaching a greenside bunker in 5 shots. Jack, meanwhile, skulls his divot shot into a fairway bunker and into a footprint. Then, while addressing the ball, his club accidentally touches the sand. Then his shot fails to clear the lip of the bunker and he slams his club into the sand in disgust. The ball rolls down into the crater he made. He finally reaches the fringe of the green in 2 more shots. Jill, meanwhile, finds her ball is also in a footprint, and she knows she is not good enough yet to execute that shot, so she moves her ball to a more level spot, and chips the ball onto the green about 50 feet from the cup, and waits for Jack to catch up, ribbing him about how much slower men are than women. The following group of golfers are gaining on them. Jack’s putt from the fringe hits the pin and comes to rest a foot from the hole. Jill, noticing the waiting golfers behind them, does not waste any time, and her putt glances off Jack’s ball, hits the pin, and comes to rest an inch away. While she is about to tap it in, a gust of wind moves her ball. Jack makes his putt from where his ball came to rest, and with steam coming out of his ears, he needs a calculator to figure the scores. Jill chuckles and said she only hit the ball 8 times, not bad for a novice.
Question #1 – Who won the hole?
Question #2 – Who had the most fun?
Question #3 – Which question is more important, especially for novices?

Joe,
What would be a good epitaph for a golfer?
Answer: He spent his whole life trying to get the ball into the hole, and now he is in there himself.

Joe,
Help me settle an argument. The idea of hitting a provisional ball is supposed to save time. My tee shot had a long carry over water and I saw it land near the bank on the other side, but I could not tell if it stayed in the rough or fell back into the water, so I wanted to hit a provisional, but I was told I could not, because provisionals are only for lost balls outside water hazards. So I had to walk all the way around the lake to look for my ball, and when I could not find it I had to walk all the way back to the tee and hit again. The groups behind me were really peeved at me so they called the Ranger who scolded me for slow play. I guess I should have hit the provisional anyway, whether anyone liked it or not, right?
Paul

Hi Paul,
The rules do not allow for a provisional in this case (water), if you hit another ball, that would immediately become the ball in play, and you would be lying 3 whether you found your first ball or not. This is one of many examples where the rule should be changed, especially with today’s emphasis on pace of play. Provisionals are not the real issue for saving time because you really only need them for stroke and distance penalties. The real issue in wasted time is the stroke and distance penalty itself, which is long overdue to be abolished. If there were no distance penalties, you would never have to walk back to your original spot, so there would be no need for provisionals. You would either find your ball or take a penalty, simply dropping nearest the spot where it would most likely have been (this idea is already in the Rules for casual water). This would allow OB or lost balls to be handled the same way as a lateral water hazard. This would improve the pace of play in all instances. I think after I make my first couple billion dollars, I will be like Donald Trump and buy the USGA. Then I will ask if anyone thinks the stroke and distance rule is a good rule, and to anyone who says yes, I will simply say “You’re Fired”.
Joe

Joe,
You say to have contests with your own type of stroke against another type of stroke. Won’t this mess up your regular stroke if you are trying to make it more consistent?
Mitch

Hi Mitch,
Unless you have the work ethic of Vijay Singh, who spends all day every day keeping his stroke grooved, I believe it is a false hope for most of us to think our swings will stay consistently grooved if we try to swing only one way all the time. Many golfers also play softball or tennis or other sports, so you have to believe these things will have some effect on your golf swing, more so than simply trying some variations. There are other activities that cause your muscles to change on a daily basis (like lifting weights or helping someone move heavy furniture), so it seems logical to me that your swings are always going to change a bit whether you realize it or not. I will even go so far as to say that anyone who refuses to participate in any other activities for fear of losing their golf swing is playing with a house of cards, which means the house will come tumbling down unless you do nothing but golf. It might sound like heresy to say the following, but there is more to life than golf (don’t hit me for saying that, Vijay). Besides, if a person never wants to try variations, what will that person do when a slump arrives? We all get slumps. Believe it. Deal with it. Feel the joy of overcoming it. Find a swing that allows simple corrections when your muscles change slightly, as they always will, whether you like it or not.
Joe

There were 13 original rules of golf, and here they are:
1. You must Tee your Ball, within a Club’s length of the Hole.2. Your Tee must be upon the Ground.3. Your are not to change the Ball which you Strike off the Tee.4. Your are not to remove, Stones, Bones or any Break Club for the sake of playing your Ball, Except upon the fair Green & that only within a Club’s length of your Ball.5. If your Ball comes among Watter, or any Wattery Filth, your are at liberty to take out your Ball & bringing it behind the hazard and Teeing it, you may play it with any club and allow your Adversary a Stroke for so getting out your Ball.6. If your Balls be found anywhere touching one another, You are to lift the first Ball, till you play the last.7. At Holling, you are to play your Ball honestly for the Hole, and, not to play upon your Adversary’s Ball, not lying in your way to the Hole.8. If you shou’d lose your Ball, by its being taken up, or any other way, you are to go back to the Spot, where you struck last & drop another Ball, and allow your Adversary a Stroke for the misfortune.9. No man at Holling his Ball, is to be allowed, to mark his way to the Hole with his Club or, any thing else.10. If a Ball be stopp’d by any person, Horse, Dog, or any thing else, The Ball so stop’d must be played where it lyes.11. If you draw your Club, in order to Strike & proceed so far in the Stroke, as to be bringing down your Club; if then, your Club shall break, in, any way, it is to be Accounted a Stroke.12. He, whose Ball lyes farthest from the Hole is obliged to play first.13. Neither Trench, Ditch, or Dyke, made for the preservation of the Links, nor the Scholar’s Holes or the Soldier’s Lines, Shall be accounted a Hazard; But the Ball is to be taken out/Teed/ and play’d with any Iron Club.

Joe,
You seem to always give a hard time to “purists”. How do you define a purist?
Answer – It’s all in fun, don’t take it too seriously. A purist is one who will defend a law or rule no matter how stupid the law or rule is, instead of working to get it changed, or using some common sense depending on the situation. You cannot legislate common sense. An example of a golf purist might be a guy who insists on marking his ball one inch from the cup just because someone else is away, because proper etiquette says you should not shoot unless you are away. People with some common sense would just tap the ball in to save time. Anyway, let’s have some fun with this, I hereby announce the creation of “The Purist Corner”.

The Purist Corner – Point and counter-point:
Point – (Mantra) – A rule is a rule and you cannot change the rule because all rules are good rules.
Counter-Point – Not all rules are good rules. If you don’t believe that, be careful when you go to Arizona, in some parts they have a local rule that says “When being attacked by a criminal or burglar, you may only protect yourself with the same weapon that the other person possesses”. So if the criminal has a knife and you have a gun, you cannot use the gun to protect yourself, because if you do, you are breaking the rule.
You Make The Choice – which makes more sense, to seek to have rules improved when they do not make sense, or choose to meekly sit by and condone injustices? In this case, purists, before you get stabbed, you might consider breaking the rule (gasp!).

Joe,
Why do we need separate water hazard rules for lateral?
Larry

Hi Larry,
Due to the way the rule was written, you have to drop BEHIND the spot where the ball entered the water, along the line to the hole. Therefore if you hit the ball in the ocean, you might have to drop in Australia if it were not for the lateral rule. If it were up to me, I would change the wording of the rule to get rid of the phrase “behind the spot” to allow dropping at the nearest relief point no closer to the hole, then we would not need two separate rules. If the purists object, I would take away the lateral rule and make the purists drop in Australia.
Joe

Joe,
While viewing older films of the pros’ putting strokes, I noticed that they used a lot of wrist action, unlike today’s players who say we are supposed to use very little or no wrist action at all. Why not, if it used to work in the past?
Pat

Hello Pat,
It is true, most instruction says to keep the wrists out of the putting stroke. One explanation I have heard is that the greens of yesterday were slower than the greens of today, so more wrist was needed. Another explanation was that the wrist action is more prone to The Yips, but not everyone gets these Yips. Some people have a better feel for distance control by using more wrist action. Although this is not widely used, my personal opinion is that you should have a contest on the practice green between your arm stroke and your wrist stroke and see which one wins. You will never know unless you try it, maybe you are not prone to yips. Even if it doesn’t work, at least you will have more confidence that you have proven your regular stroke is better. In my own contests, I have found that a wristy putting stroke can work almost as well as an arm/shoulder stroke if there are no other moving parts (the arm stroke sometimes causes my balance to shift). To help keep the arms and body still, I press my front elbow to my side. The grip that seems to work the best is the reverse overlap grip, which helps to keep the clubface square to the target, even with wrist action. However, the wrist stroke cannot be too quick or else you will lose distance control or twist the putter face off line. Make the stroke very slow and deliberate and concentrate on keeping the putter face on line all the way as you follow thru. Again, whether it is putting, chipping, pitching, or full swing, have those contests to see which type of stroke can stand up to the pressure of competition.
Joe

Joe,
What is the worst advice you have ever heard in golf instruction?
Wayne

Hi Wayne,
I don’t like hearing or reading that you have to get worse before you get better, presumably because the theory says the correct mechanics take time to become ingrained, sometimes months. This may be true for those who can afford to have their swings monitored every day to make sure the mechanics are still correct and not lapsing back into older incorrect habits, but what about those people who cannot afford constant monitoring, what if they THINK they are performing the new mechanics OK but they really are not, that means they will never get better just by trusting a concept. I say this is bad advice for the average golfer, who will never be able to build any confidence while getting worse, with no idea how long it might take to see improvement. These poor people will have basically wasted months of lost enjoyment. That’s depressing. You cannot expect swing mechanics to be the same for everyone, you must first take into account a person’s body build and level of athleticism. Everyone is built differently with differing ranges of motion in every muscle compared to a better player, so it may not be reasonable to assume you will ever be able to swing exactly the same way as the better players. Sam Snead was so limber he could kick the top of a doorway while standing on the other foot (you can look up the photos), how many people do you know who can do that? If most people tried to swing like Tiger Woods with the same range of motions, I think they might sprain half the muscles in their bodies. Life is too short to waste several months getting worse with no guarantee that you will ever get any better. Find instruction that can show you simple ways to improve immediately, even slight improvements over time are better than getting worse first.
Joe

Joe,
Do you and Jody ever discuss philosophy?
Pauline

Hi Pauline,
We are usually not on the same page. The other day Jody says to me: “Joe, why are we here?"
So I pondered philosophically for a moment, and then said. "I've thought a lot about this, Jody, and I think I have it figured out, everybody is here for a purpose. I think maybe we're here just to teach people how to improve their putting, how to swing better, how to achieve good etiquette. We're here to see the look on someone’s face when they hit their first good shot. We're here to listen to their problems and help them overcome slumps. We’re here to share their joy when they have cured their slice. We’re here to celebrate with them when they shoot their best score. We’re here to try to put a smile on their faces. We’re here to…”
And then Jody interrupts me and says “No, no, no, what I meant was, why are we here when your wife said to pick her up a half hour ago”?

Joe,
How do you make adjustments in the middle of a round when your swing is not working well?
Al

Hi Al,
I would recommend having an “A” swing and a “B” swing to choose from. When the A-swing stops working and you cannot afford to experiment in the middle of the round, switch to the B-swing. The A swing is always your preferred method, while the B swing is only something to fall back on when the A swing goes wacko, but it does not have to be all that different, maybe just a shorter-easier-more relaxed version of the A swing, since many problems are caused by overswinging. There are many other ways to make adjustments, and the next time you are on the range it might be a good idea to try a few different things and pick the ones that suit you best. Remember, everyone is built differently, so the same ideas that work for one person may not work as well for the next person. There are too many ideas to list them all, but here are a few: If your backswing is naturally flat, try one that is a little more upright, or vice versa. Exaggerate your follow-thru more toward the target and pose longer. If you use a narrow stance, try a wider one, or vice versa. Change your ball position slightly and compare results. Try varying amounts of a forward press. If your backswing is wristy, try less wrist or vice versa. Most of all, keep your swing thoughts simple, because if you try to think of too many things at the same time, your swing becomes a house of cards that will tumble if you forget one of those many things. Next time you go to the range, figure out how to get your A-swing back and if you cannot, then maybe your B swing becomes your preferred swing for awhile. I hope this helps you.
Joe

Joe,
I enjoy reading your column on a regular basis. I've replaced my 3 and 4 irons with hybrids and they usually go straight. My question is: I hit my 5/6/7 irons well. They go in the direction I want with only a slight fade (about 10 yards in the air). However, when the balls hit the ground they immediately spin hard right (literally at right angles to the fairway by 10-20 yards. What am I doing wrong?
Richard

Hello Richard,
I would think a consistent hard right bounce would be due to lots of sidespin, but then your fade or slice would likely be much more pronounced. I have always felt that if you have some clubs that you can hit straight, then those clubs fit your swing, so change your other clubs that you do not hit straight. Since your hybrids go straight, check the type of shaft, are they regular or stiff? I suspect your irons do not have the same flex, maybe not even the same brand. Try some different irons, especially those with more upright lie angles, which will reduce slices. Joe

Joe, last week you said if someone else from another fairway hits your ball and you cannot find yours, that it should not be a penalty for recreational golf. It really is a lost ball, you have to go back and tee it again. Also you said if you and your buddy are betting money and you are not sure who wins on account of this to just forget to sign the scorecard so both of you are DQ'd and give the money to charity. Instead you should just withdraw from the match. I do think the time has come for a separate set of recreational rules, but that has not happened yet, so we should all play by the same rules or else we will not know where to draw the line, like mulligans and foot wedges, etc.
Bob

Hello Bob, thank you for the feedback, I agree with most of what you said, for example in formal competition, no question, a stolen ball is a lost ball, we both said that. However, in a personal bet with your buddy only, and nobody else involved, you suggested (a) go back to the tee and hit again, which is against local Pace rules which could get you kicked off the course, or (b) withdraw from the match, which is pretty much what I meant by saying tongue-in-cheek to give the money to charity. Not signing the scorecard deliberately was only my poor attempt at a joke. We both also said maybe the time has come to have a new set of recreational rules that avoid unnecessary penalties for things that have nothing to do with cheating. Somebody else stealing your ball is not deliberate cheating on your part. You cannot put that in the same category as the mulligan and the foot wedge, both of which are deliberate actions by the player, not by the ball thief. That’s like saying if somebody steals your car and gets a speeding ticket then it is your fault and you have to pay the fine for that speeding ticket. I am also glad to see your statement that there are several other rules that we both feel should be changed or discarded altogether, and that you are becoming more of an advocate for two sets of rules, one for tournaments and one for recreational golf. That makes you a fellow patriot, just like our forefathers who, instead of meekly giving in to old British tax rules forever, finally objected and eventually got their way. Good thing they did or else we would all be having our daily tea and crumpets and speaking with a jolly good accent. And, since purists insist that a rule is a rule and reform is a no-no, we would also still be playing with hickory shafts and gutta-percha balls. Anyway, my intention is not to offend purists with my tongue-in-cheek remarks, I just like to have a little fun by stirring the pot and watching the fur fly. Thanks again for the feedback Bob, and keep it up.
Joe

Joe,
FROM TIME TO TIME I SLICE RATHER BADLY.I HAVE DISCOVEREDTHAT WHEN I DO IT I PLAY FROM "OUT" TO "IN". WHAT IS THE SIMPLEST WAY OF COUNTERACTING OUT TO IN SWING PATH?
MANY THANKS
KAS

Hi Kas,
Since I have never seen you swing, I can only guess that your outside in swing has a root cause. I have seen this in other people where the cause is the flying back elbow. I would recommend going to the top of your backswing and stop. Then bring your back elbow as close as you comfortably can to your other elbow, and that will help your downswing to go on an inside out path. Remember, as your body is turning during the downswing, the path of the club is also turning, so you might think you are swinging down the target line, but you are not because the body turn brings the club outside in by the time it arrives at the ball. That is why you must try to swing inside out, because your body turn will bring the club back to square without you realizing it.
Joe

Joe,
How can clubhead speed be increased?
Cindy

Hi Cindy,
This can best be illustrated by using a ping pong ball and paddle. If you swing very hard with your arms, but with no wrist action, the ball will not go very far. If you swing with all wrist action, but no arms, the ball still will not go very far. So obviously the answer is the combination of arm and wrist action. However, timing is most important. If you use the wrist too soon, you end up with only arm action at the point of impact, hence the term “hitting from the top”, and you get poor distance. You can send the ping pong ball the farthest by swinging your arms first, and delaying the wrist action until the last possible instant. This timing of the wrist snap is most important because it does not just ADD arm speed plus wrist speed, it actually MULTIPLIES them. Think about swinging easy with the arms and hard with the wrist at the last possible moment. Try this with the ping pong ball and paddle and you will see how this will increase distance, then use the same idea with a golf club. Watch the slow motion replays of the pros on TV, this is exactly how they get great distance with a seemingly effortless swing.
Joe

Joe,
Thank you for all your emails and believe me all your information and tips are a constant source of motivation on the continual path of improvement. Is there a recommended club, scale weight (ideal weight) for an experienced 76 year old male (my coach) playing at presently to a 13 handicap. He read in a Seniors Golf book that 13 oz was the recommendation. What is your opinion and recommendation? The second question involves golf etiquette. How do I ask an opponent to move from my line of sight on the putting green, without causing WW3. I either need skills to block out these interferences (which I don't have) or a prayer that stops people taking things personally. Please help me.
Big hugs and prayers
Fay
Hello Fay,
Recommendations are not guarantees. Any "ideal" weight for a club must be tested by you. Maybe that will work for you and maybe it won’t. There are so many other factors at play such as shaft flex and torque, kick point, loft, lie angle, length, etc not to mention your own physical characteristics and swing speed. Rather than getting overly technical on these matters, I think you should try different clubs and simply compare results. These types of specs are more important for those who play every day and want to become scratch golfers. Those of us who play less frequently are not likely become scratch golfers, so if you want to lower your handicap, put more emphasis on chipping and putting. Even scratch golfers do not hit the green every time, but they can get "up and down" from almost anywhere. That means even if you can hit the ball just has well as a scratch golfer, but you cannot get up and down, your handicap will still be double digit, so why waste your time worrying about club specs? As for your second question, you are always going to be playing with people who stand in the wrong place, so you might as well get used to that. There is no single phrase that you can use to ask them to move that is sure to avoid offending them. Some people will understand and others will think you are a jerk for asking. The most diplomatic phase to try would be one that puts the blame on yourself, such as "I’m sorry for asking, but I get the Yips when anybody stands there, it’s not you, it’s me."
Joe

Joe,
What is your opinion on why Tiger’s game was not so great last year?
Tim

Hi Tim,
Have you seen his new bride? That’s gotta be a bit distracting. His primary swing thought is probably “The heck with golf for awhile, I can’t wait to get home”.
Joe

Joe, did you have a good year last year, and what was your favorite personal highlight from last season?
Answer: Every year is a good year, and if you don’t think so, just try missing one of them. I had two personal highlights. On the first one, I chunked a chip shot from the back of a steeply sloped green that just barely made it onto the putting surface, almost stopped, and then slowly trickled 40 feet down the steep slope, coming to rest one foot from the pin. Naturally, I just strutted up to the hole, twirling my club like a baton, whistling and tipping my cap like I knew what I was doing. My buddies were impressed, complimenting me for having such a delicate touch. If only they knew the truth, but why should I tell them? The second highlight was on a 136 yard par 3 where my dyslexic buddy and I had a bet for closest to the pin. He went first and hit the green about 30 feet way. When it was my turn my mind went blank (as it frequently does) so I asked my dyslexic buddy what the yardage was and he said 163 (the little trickster), so I took out a 6 iron which would have been way too much club but I hit it thin so it traveled shorter than it should have and ended up on the green anyway, 5 feet closer than him. Serves him right. This goes to prove it is better to be lucky than good.
Joe