Joe,
There are so many different tips on TV, in magazines, in books, on videos, etc., and some of them seem contradictory to each other, for example on the backswing some say to set the wrist cock early while others say delay the wrist cock until you near the top of the backswing. I am drowning in too much information, how can anyone sort this out? Help!!!
Ian

Hello Ian,
Many tips are aimed a low handicappers who are trying to achieve every bit of distance and control. But the average golfer first needs to focus on consistent ball striking before worrying about distance. Some people have had success with early wrist cock while others avoid that. Some people like to grip it and rip it. However, I do not believe it is good advice for high handicappers to take a full turn and swing hard. Most tips may work for some people, but not for others. Avoid any instructions that are giving you more and more things to think about while you are swinging, since they must be assuming you already can make clean contact on every shot, and you must be playing several times per week. For higher handicappers, or people who play less frequently, I feel we must be careful to keep the game simple. It makes no sense to overly complicate the swing for them. Clean contact on every shot is of paramount importance. We are not robots. We all have different amounts of hand-eye coordination skills and athleticism. No two people are built the same. Everyone has some differences in bone and muscle structure, and the way our natural hinges work (wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, etc.). Although it seems to make sense to try to imitate the way the pros swing to some degree, you can’t expect the average golfer to execute every single move like the pros can. Pros play every day and have personal swing coaches, and the best customized equipment. People who play less frequently and have average equipment, average physical skills, and cannot afford lessons, must tailor their expectations accordingly. It is OK to have a long list of swing keys, but it is hard to think of more than one or two at a time during your swing. Therefore, just pick from your list one key for the backswing and one for the downswing. There may be a certain combination of keys that seem to work better one day and a different combination on another day. Why is that? Because your swing is controlled by many different muscles of differing sizes and shapes, all of which are getting bigger or smaller, stronger or weaker in different combinations every day, so without you realizing it, your swing does change. This is true for all sports, not just golf. Nobody ever maintains a perfect swing for very long. Even Jack and Tiger have always been tinkering with their swings. Just stay with the tips that improve your ball striking consistency.
Joe

Joe,
For some reason, I have acquired a huge slice that I never had before. Always had the confidence to walk up to the tee and drive it straight down the fairway, now I hesitate, not knowing where it may end up. Penalty strokes and bad lies are killing my game, not to mention adding to my utter frustration. (Trying to stay out of last place in my league). Friends have been helping me with my swing and I have now made so many changes to my grip, stance and position to the ball, nothing feels good or has helped correct the slice. The slice is not as pronounced with my 3 or 5 wood, but have lost all confidence with any club. Do you have any suggestions to starting from scratch? It is getting late in the golf season here in Canada and would like to end the year on a positive note. Not seeing my swing, I know it is not easy, but I will try anything.
(no name)

Hello Noname,
If you never had this slice before, are you using different clubs? If so, go back to the old ones, or at least try a different set. Clubs that are heel-weighted should reduce a slice. Since you say you have already experimented with grip, stance, ball position, etc., I can only say your best chance of success is to use a “strong” grip and an inside out swing path, extending the follow-thru outward to avoid coming across the ball, which is one of the main causes for slicing.
Joe

Joe, is Golf better than sex?
Answer: Consider the following and judge for yourself: You don't have to sneak your golf magazines into the house. If you are having trouble with golf, it is perfectly acceptable to pay a professional to show you how to improve your technique. The Ten Commandments don't say anything against golfing with someone else. If your partner takes pictures or videotapes of you golfing, you are less likely to worry about them showing up on the Internet when you become famous. Your golf partner won't keep asking questions about other partners you've golfed with. It's perfectly respectable to golf with a total stranger. When you see a really good golfer, you don't have to feel guilty about imagining the two of you golfing together. Nobody will ever tell you that you will go blind if you golf by yourself. When dealing with a golf pro, you never have to wonder if they are really an undercover cop. You don't have to go to a sleazy shop in a seedy neighborhood to buy golf stuff. You can have a golf calendar on your wall at the office, tell golf jokes and invite coworkers to golf with you without getting sued for harassment. If you want to watch golf on television, you don't have to subscribe to a premium cable channel. Nobody expects you to promise to golf with just one partner for the rest of your life. A good golf partner will never say, "What? We just golfed last week, is that all you ever think about?" Foursomes are encouraged, you can still make money doing it as a senior, three times a day is possible, your partner doesn't hire a lawyer if you do it with someone else. A below par performance is considered good, you can stop in the middle and have a cheeseburger and a couple of beers, the game is always willing to screw you (with bad breaks), you don't have to cuddle with your partner when you're finished. If your equipment gets old and rusty, you can replace it.

Joe,
Golf sets used to have only two wedges and now I hear we should carry four, why is that, and how many wedges do you think should be in my bag, and which clubs should I replace with extra wedges?
Wayne

Hi Wayne,
In the past, golfers got by with only the pitching wedge and sand wedge because they wanted to stay within the 14 club limit without having to give up any other woods (3) or irons (8). Today’s irons have lower loft angles than before, so you need a Gap wedge for the distance between the pitching and sand wedges. Also with today’s course designs, a Loft wedge can do a flop shot better than a sand wedge. I recommend removing your long irons to stay within the 14 club limit. You can still carry 3 woods as long as one of them has some loft which covers the same distance as a long iron, and gets out of rough and bad lies better than a long iron.
Joe

Joe,
Every time I think I have really grooved my swing, the groove does not seem to last very long. Does this means that groove was not really a good way to swing?
George

Hello George,Maybe your swing was OK. This typically happens to people who do not follow a regular daily exercise routine. Their muscle tone changes more depending on their daily activities, and as the muscle tone changes, so does your swing without you even realizing it. People who keep their muscles toned with daily exercise are more likely to keep their swings in the groove because daily activities have less effect on changing your overall muscle tone.
Joe

Question for the Evil Twin:
Jody, since you and Joe play in Chicago you must have to compensate for a lot of wind, by the way, why is Chicago called the Windy City?

Answer: Because Wisconsin sucks and Indiana blows, and Chicago is caught in between. (note from Joe – apologies to our neighboring states, diplomacy is not Jody’s strong point; the real reason for the Windy City nickname is not due to weather, it is from the east coast politicians calling Chicago’s politicians a bunch of blowhards, that’s true, you could look it up).

Joe,
I can usually chip pretty good, but when the grass is high near the green, I have trouble chipping. What can I do about this?
Chad

Hello Chad,
This is not an easy shot because the tall grass sometimes grabs your club and your shot comes up short, but if you give it a little extra oomph, sometimes the grass does not grab your club and the shot goes too long. Here are some things to try. First, play the ball farther back in your stance and use a more lofted club. This will force you to strike the ball with a more descending blow which will prevent the high grass from snagging your club. Second, open the face of the club. This will allow the club to slide thru the grass more smoothly without getting snagged. Of course, this will send the ball to the right of your target, so just compensate by aiming left and swing aggressively along your body line.
Joe

Joe,
Ever since I HAD MY LEFT KNEE REPLACED i DEVELOPED THE YIPS IN THESE TWO AREAS. My putting is okay & my long game is okay. If I'm within 20 yards from the green I rarely git up & down in 2. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Emmanuel Shedlock

Hello Emmanuel,
I don’t know which chipping method you use, but since your putting is OK, you can use your putting stroke for chipping, just choose the right iron that gives you the same distance control as your putter. Of course you must change your ball position to your back foot and make sure your hands stay ahead of the clubhead all the way thru the stroke. However, this only works for chips that do not have to carry very far over tall grass. If your carry must be longer, then take your wedge and strike the ball as hard as you would strike a putt which would have double the distance. In other words, if it is a 40 foot chip, then with the wedge strike the ball as hard as you would strike an 80 foot putt, because half the energy of your stroke is spent sending the ball upward.
Joe

Joe,
I am desperate for help. I just can't bring my range swing to the course. I practice diligently. At the range I work on all my clubs & chipping. I can hit 200 balls at the range & never top a shot or shank an iron, 70% of my driver hits are long and true, my irons are high & straight, taking divots consistently. Well, I get to the course and sure enough start to shank & top shots, skull my short irons & chips, and pull many shots to the right (I'm a lefty), and rarely take a divot. My swing feels the same & I am relaxed. I know I'm a good ball striker, I watch myself do it all the time. Any suggestions?
Joe - Cleveland, Oh

Hi Cleveland Joe,
On the range there is no pressure, on the course every shot counts so you know you cannot afford to waste a shot. On the range you are swinging every few seconds, so you can get into a good rhythm. On the course you are only swinging once every several minutes, so it is harder to get into any rhythm. Did you ever notice while on the range if you hit too many consecutive shots with a driver, then you have trouble hitting a short iron? The lengths of the shafts are so different that it takes time to adjust if your muscles get too used to hitting drivers most of the time. I would recommend you make changes to your range routine. Start with wedges and whenever you hit a good shot, change clubs and work your way up to the driver. Then put some pressure on yourself by playing an imaginary hole. Pick two targets that define the left and right limits of your fairway, and pretend they are OB markers. If you get your drive in between them, pick any iron and target and see how close you can shoot to it. Then pick a target for a half wedge shot and assume one putt if you hit it very close, two putts if you are reasonably close, and 3 putts if you are way off. What did you score? Try this over and over again, creating the same pressure you would have on the course. For your mental game, it is OK to get butterflies, just make the butterflies fly in formation. It is natural for anyone to get nervous, just accept that and be determined to execute to the best of your ability on each shot, one at a time. Don’t let an occasional bad shot bother you, this happens to everyone, just forget it and do your best on the next shot.
Joe

Joe,
Why do you enjoy golf?

Answer: Golf allows me to drink and drive, I get to gamble, I get to cuss out loud just like everyone else, and when the marshal pulls me over, he tells me to speed up. That is so cool. Where else can you have that much fun?

Joe,
ANY ADVICE TO CURE HITTING LEFT (EITHER BY HOOKING OR JUST PULLING IT STRAIGHT LEFT), ALSO POPPING THE BALL UP AND THEREFORE SHORT ON DRIVES,EVEN THOUGH THEY FLIGHT MAY BE STRAIGHT, IS ALSO A SYMPTOM.
Joe Damin

Hello to another Joe D,
Pulls are caused by the path of your club going to the inside at impact. Many people think they are swinging down the target line, but their body turn brings it to the inside before impact. Have a friend stand behind you to watch your swing path to verify this. The remedy is to make your backswing go inside out, that way your body turn will bring it back to square at impact. Hooks are caused by the face of the club being “closed” at impact. This can be corrected by adjusting your grip to a “weaker” position. Popup drives can be caused by incorrect ball position, I am sure you have already tried to tee the ball lower, right? If a centered ball position does not work for you, try it more forward, even as far as your front foot, and let us know how it turns out.
Joe

Joe,
Using a belly putter has improved my accuracy, but now I am having trouble lagging longer putts close to the hole. I do not want to give up the belly putter idea, so what can I try?
Ted

Hi Ted,
I use a belly putter also, and I have experienced the same problem. Here is something that has helped me, so maybe it can help you too. Hold the putter with your leading hand only, and bend your wrist so that the shaft stays pressed against your forearm. Then add your other hand to the grip and use your shoulders to make the stroke. The butt of the shaft is no longer against your belly, but this type of stroke feels more solid and smooth. Have a contest with your old stroke against this stroke and see which one wins.
Joe

Joe,
I hear greens usually break toward water or toward the setting sun, so which way does the green break if water is on the other side of the setting sun?

Answer: In that case it will break away from the cup and toward the bar.

Joe,
The rules are intended to make sure nobody gets an unfair advantage. Since you seem to have a problem with some of the rules, can you give an example where the rules did not promote fairness?
Stickler

Hi Stickler,
Most people have heard the story where Tiger’s gallery removed a large boulder from his line of play. Is that fair to golfers who do not have a gallery large enough to move the boulder? No, of course not. That means that the rules allow an unfair advantage to those who have a gallery. One would think a gallery is an “outside agency” that was going to affect the next shot. That would suggest that your gallery can break a tree branch for you as long as you don’t do it yourself, but no. On the other hand, a player who was leading the tournament was disqualified for having a second caddie just because his young son carried his putter to him. Do you really think there was any unfair advantage gained by this action? No, of course not, that idea is outrageously stupid. Such rules violate the spirit of fair play and therefore should be modified or abolished. At the very least there should be a process to allow local officials to overrule instances where accidental infractions had nothing to do with a shot or otherwise gaining unfair advantages. Scores should be based on shotmaking skills, not technicalities that have nothing to do with trying to cheat. For those who want to preserve the ancient tradition of the game, go back to playing wooden shafts and gutta percha balls or else you might be a hypocrite. If you can live with violation of ancient tradition by using high tech equipment then you can also live with improving rules to assure fair play and common sense rather than perpetuating stupid concepts just because they are traditional concepts. Tradition says golf clubs must have a “normal form”, yet look at some of the weird putter designs that are allowed. Once upon a time the (unchangeable?) rules said you had to play your balls from plugged lies, even on the greens, so you had to hack the ball out with an iron. Imagine trying to putt on such hacked up greens after wet weather. If you want to stick blindly to tradition, then don’t complain about the condition of the greens. Ball marks are nowhere near as bad as wedge divots. How come they violated tradition by changing that rule? Because once in a great while, the rulemakers do have a logical thought, that’s why, but that unfortunately does not happen often enough. Maybe someone should wake them up and inform them of the “continuous improvement” concept used in all other sports rules and business processes. Don’t get me started on this, I could go on all day. Grrrrr.
Joe

Joe,
When the ball lies against a collar of thick grass at the edge of a green, my club usually gets stuck when I try to chip it. I have even tried the “bellied wedge” where you hit the ball at the middle and that sometimes works, but not when the grass is really thick. Is there any other way to handle this?
Barnie

Hi Barnie,
This may sound somewhat unconventional, but if the bellied wedge does not work for you, position the ball way back in your stance, and try using the putter with a very steep downswing, banging the ball down into the ground. The ball should pop up and roll forward with overspin. With a little practice you can get a feel for distance control with this shot.
Joe

Joe,
I have read in several books and magazines that you should make a full shoulder turn, but I get better results with less turn. Any comments on this?
Tom

Hello Tom,
This is another concept that causes debate. In my opinion a full turn is recommended only for those who are blessed with a lot of athleticism and good hand-eye coordination. There certainly is nothing wrong with trying this on the practice range, but for many people this does not work because their ball striking suffers. In order to improve ball striking, start with a shorter turn until you can strike the ball on the sweet spot every time, and only then should you increase your turn a little at a time until your ball striking begins to suffer. Then you will have a better idea of the optimum amount of turn that is right for you. This is not always due to your type of body build. John Daly does not look like he is in the best of shape but he has such good athleticism and hand-eye coordination, that he has the biggest turn you will ever see. Other guys with an average build like Dana Quigley have a very short turn but he is very successful because he is so consistent. The more you turn, the more you risk trouble, so if you want more consistent ball striking, do the experiment mentioned above and find the right amount of turn for you.
Joe

Joe, why have you stopped using your old putter?
Answer: Two reasons, it could not make a putt, and it could not swim.

Joe,
Every time I shoot a good round and share the joy with my friends, I cannot seem to do it again the next time. Is there a reason for this?
Esther

Hello Esther,
Someone once hypothesized that the likelihood of repeating a good performance is inversely proportional to the number of people you tell about it. Does that mean you can’t ever tell anyone about a good round? Not really, that would be no fun. But you do have to be realistic when you go out the next time and remember how you achieved the good score, you cannot just assume it will happen again without good concentration. You can only do it again when good practice sessions allow you to have a certain amount of confidence in every part of your game. The part of your game that you neglect to practice is most likely the part that will cause problems in your next round.
Joe

Hi Joe,I wonder if you could help me - I have been playing golf for about 10 years, my handicap has gone out from 12 last year to 17 at present. I don't know what has gone wrong, but suddenly my backswing is only about a quarter swing, I cannot hit an iron at all, which used to be one of my strengths! I am also not getting any distance of note on all my shots. I realize that it is probably not possible to fix my problems via e-mail, but is there anything I can do?Regards Pieter Lindenberg

Hello Pieter,
If you are aware that your backswing is only a quarter swing, I assume that you have taken steps to correct this, but for some reason you cannot. Do you have an injury that is restricting your turn? If not, I would recommend the double clubber drill as shown in the Body Golf videos. This drill will help you attain a natural turn and good tempo without restricting anything. You are correct in saying it is not always possible to fix your problems by email, but if you can provide more details, maybe we can help. For example, what are your swing thoughts on your backswing and downswing? Unless we know this, it is hard to say what to do and what not to do. Let us know.
Joe

Joe,
My question concerns the position of where you stand when you hit the ball. On my drive I play the ball off of my left toe. Where is the position of the ball on the second shot, etc? Do you play it again off your left toe, in the middle, or?
Thank you,
Mickey

Hi Mickey,
There are always lots of different opinions on this. Some instructors say you have to vary the ball position depending on which club you are using, others say to keep it simple by playing it in the center for all clubs. Advanced players may benefit by varying their ball positions, but average players are probably better off with a centered ball position. I have seen people position the ball in a manner that they THINK is center, but it is too far back, and they can’t believe it until you show them by placing clubs on the ground, one parallel to the target line and the other perpendicular between the feet, that way they can see the true center position. The important thing is results. Everyone swings a little differently, and clubs, especially drivers, can be vastly different from each other. You might be surprised to find one driver works better from center while a different driver works better off the toe. But the driver is the only club to play off the toe, the others, in my opinion, should be played near the center. Take a look at your divots, are they shallow or steep? If they are steep, you probably are playing the ball too far back. Adjust your ball position until your divots are shallow, as long as you are striking the ball first and then the ground. That would be the optimal position for your swing. If this is different for each of your clubs, then either adjust accordingly, or perhaps your set of clubs is not well matched.
Joe

Joe,
I am a 12 handicap and I am having a problem with my putting. I am battling to hit the ball on the line I take to the hole. If I don't pull then I push the ball. On all the long putts I seem to pull the ball. Is there a simple solution to this problem. I look forward to hearing from you.Many thanksEric Abrahamse

Hello Eric,
The simplest way is to check your putting stroke on a tiled floor. Just watch your putting stroke against one of the tile lines. If you cannot make the stroke along the lines (a little bit to the inside is also OK), then you need to change the way you grip (reverse overlap is recommended) or the way you make the stroke, or both. Most people who have this problem are using too much wrist action during the stroke. I would recommend stroking with your shoulders only. Your arms should just go along with the shoulders and the wrists should be locked in the same position throughout the stroke. Also follow the no-peeking rule, which means do not look where the ball is going, just keep looking at the ball spot for one second after you hit it. This will help to keep your follow thru on the tile line and square to the target. Try these things with different styles of putters, you may be surprised that you can make a smoother stroke with a different type of club, like maybe a belly putter.
Joe

Question for the Evil Twin:
Jody, your poor attitude toward the Rules and mocking “Purists” is misleading people into thinking it is OK to break the rules. What have you got to say about this?

Answer: Two things. First, for recreational golfers, it’s only a game, not a courtroom procedure. Second, if you do really think it should be like a courtroom, then take a close look at this (!), you have just been e-mooned.

Joe,
I like John Daly’s term “Grip It and Rip It” better than the smooth swing concept because I don’t get much distance that way. Of course I am a little wild but it sure feels good to crush the ball once in awhile. But now I want my scores to improve, so do I necessarily have to give up and join the “dark side” by swinging like a p---y?
Hank

Hello Hank,
I assume you mean puppy, right? In both baseball and golf we have hitters and swingers, but in baseball you do not have to play your foul balls, unlike golf where you have to play all those shots no matter where they go. Hitters are more likely to swing hard and contact the ball at all different areas of the bat such as the handle, the tip, and occasionally the sweet spot, but you only have to be successful 3 out of 10 times to be called a good hitter. Swingers usually hit for a better percentage because they can contact the ball more frequently on the sweet spot of the bat. The same ideas holds true for golf. The better players are swingers, not hitters, and for the same reason. Most average golfers just think of hitting the ball while better golfers are thinking of executing a smooth swing with the ball just happening to be in the way. Many people can’t help being a hitter because you have the hitting concept ingrained into your subconscious. If you have reached a “plateau” in your scores, and you want to improve beyond that, you have to re-train your mind for swinging rather than hitting, and don’t worry about distance yet, it will come with an effortless delayed wrist snap. File your “hitting” swing away into your memory as your “Swing A”. This is the swing you have always been used to, and you can always go back to it if the following “Swing B” does not work for you right away. Meanwhile, keep working on Swing B, because the more you do the drill, the better it will work. On the practice range, always warm up with muscle stretches, and then take two clubs into your hands (or a heavily weighted club), and make some short lazy swings continuously just like a baseball player might do in the on-deck circle. Have a friend stand behind you to make sure your swings are on the correct plane or path. As you keep swinging continuously, little by little, lengthen the amount of backswing and follow-thru. Take it easy, never ever swing hard when you do this, the whole idea is to ingrain some motor muscle memory into your swing path, and the extra weighting will help. As you are swinging, take notice of your lower body weight shift. During your follow-thru, all your weight must be on the front foot (left foot for right handers), and the back foot should only be touching the ground with the toe. Keeping repeating this until it becomes second nature and you don’t have to think about it anymore. Then do this on a practice mat that has a rubber tee that stays in place, and try to clip it repeatedly with your two-club swing. After doing this as long as you can stand it, do the same with only one club, a short iron or wedge. If you are successful in clipping the tee every time, then place a ball on the tee and execute the same easy swing. Remember, you are not thinking about hitting the ball, you are thinking about executing a swing with the ball just happening to be in the way. If you can do this, you are on your way to much improvement. If you cannot do this quite yet, you are probably so preoccupied with the RESULT of your swing that you’re forgetting how to achieve it. You are probably very anxious and tense to see if you will get instant results. You build this picture of worry in your mind about where the ball might go and this worry will interfere with your swing. This is no time for tension. You’ve forgotten why you’re here. You’re playing, not working. You’re here to have a good time and get away from the troubles of everyday life, so unless you are playing for money, don’t sweat it. Let someone else watch where the ball goes, while you follow the “no peeking” rule, which will help your ball contact. This is a drill, do not watch the ball fly. Keep your eyes on the spot where the ball was sitting even after you your swing goes past it. Watch the pros on TV and in the magazines, you’ll see that at impact, every one of their faces is glued to where the ball is sitting at impact, and a little beyond! Start training yourself to count a beat before lifting your head up to watch the ball fly. Practice these smooth swings in your MIND whenever you have a chance. Just visualize perfect, smooth, effortless swings along with the ball flying straight and true time-and-again. It’s a scientifically proven fact that this type of mental programming can really help.
Joe

Joe,
I have question.one shot I find most difficult to hit on the golf course iswhen the ball is a on a sidehill lie above your feet.i hit the ball fat mostof time do you have a tip for this type of lie?
Rocky

Hi Rocky,
This usually happens when the setup is not adjusted for the lie. If your hands are too low at address, this could lead to a fat shot. Try raising the hands and stand a little further from the ball, so that the shaft is almost in line with your leading arm. This lie also will tend to cause a pulled shot, but don’t fight that, just allow for the pull and adjust your aim.
Joe

Joe,
What do normally look at when or while approaching the tee area? I've been playing for almost eight months and just made to C grade golf player. I've been playing in a lot of different golf courses here in Australia, but most of the time is just in my home club (Candem Lakeside). I know I still have a lot of things and techniques to learn and I have devoted most of my time in golf because i want this to become my career and become a pro if time and god help. I am thirteen years of age and have become golf fanatic. I have played seven competitions at my home club and my first score was 94 total stroke at eighteenth hole, 2nd competition was 102 strokes, 3rd was 105, 4th was 110, 5th was 115, 6th was 92 and 7th was 127. I feel very nervous and almost don't know what to do. I am positive I can hit the ball straight with good distance. my opponent's handicap was between 13 to 20. Now I feel very embarrassed especially to my father because he is supporting to finance and organise everything for my golfing needs. I also need advice on how to correctly target my second shot. I'm not quite sure how i go about estimating where to land the ball on the fairway for the next shot especially on par 4 and par 5. I am a member of the jack newton foundation here in Australia but i can not join any the competition yet due to my handicap and my category as a c grade player. I am still taking lesson from a PGA instructor. I just want your honest opinion if a have to continue attending private lessons or stop and continue learning by myself. I know my dad is upset sometimes and the money he spent for me is already over the ceiling. Can you give some good advice? Many thanks and I hope to here from you,
Grant

Hello Grant,
Since you are only 13 and you have not yet been playing for a full year, you have a lot of upside potential. Golf gives you no guarantees, so you will have to be a little patient and evaluate your game by charting your areas of strengths and weaknesses, this will show you which areas need the most work. From your scores and comments, if you can hit the ball as well as you say, then you should focus on your short game. If you have a decent short game, and you can hit the ball well, you should seldom have worse that bogey on any hole. That means you have a good chance of breaking 90 all the time. If you want to be a serious competitor, you must be able to get the ball “up and down” more often than not. Is your instructor only teaching you the long game and not the short game? The scores indicate not, so if that instructor is not helping you, find another one or learn by yourself because there are only so many things an instructor can tell you, but it is up to you to ingrain those ideas and execute them. On targeting your second shot, think one stroke ahead, for example, on a par 5, where would you like your 3rd shot to be played from? Not from behind a bunker to a short pin, or not above the hole if it is steep downhill. So play away from those areas. If money is becoming an issue, spend most of your practice time on the putting green. Create your own “up and down” contest by dropping any number of balls just off the practice green (assuming chipping is allowed), and simply counting one point for getting down in two and subtracting one point if you fail. Best of luck.
Joe

Joe,
A golfer notices his opponent spitting on his club before a shot, and calls a penalty for applying foreign material. Was this correct?
Answer: That is correct, the USGA considers saliva a foreign material.

Jody, my Evil Twin, what do you think of that ruling?
Answer: Is there that much difference between spit and water? No. Does that mean I cannot wash dirt off my club without being penalized? If some purist tries to do that to me, I will be spitting on more than just my club.

Joe,
My long irons and woods have a very low trajectory almost a line drive in Baseball. My low irons are for the most part high. (P-7I) My line drives are on line to target or draw to the target. The driver sometimes does not get above 12 - 15 feet. I am puzzled.
Len Hess
Holland, MA

Hello Len,
It sounds like your shafts might be too tip-stiff and your driver’s loft is too low for your type of swing. Try to attend demo days where you can try a variety of different shafts and lofts. Some driving ranges have demo clubs to borrow, or check with your friends to see if their shafts are different, and if so, invite them to the range with you so you can try their clubs.
Joe

Joe,
What can I do to prevent hitting the ground behind the ball, or they call it hitting fat? I'm new to golf and just cannot stop hitting the ground.Thank you,Mickey

Hello Mickey,
There are a number of possible reasons for this. If you are not shifting your weight properly on the downswing, from the back leg to the front leg, your swing will bottom out before the club gets to the ball. Also, if you do not keep your head steady, you do not know where your swing will bottom out. Also, if you do not keep your leading arm reasonably straight, the arc of your swing will vary, so you can improve your consistency by focusing on these 3 areas. Good luck.
Joe

Joe,
I have always considered myself to be decent around the greens, not great or stellar, but above average. I think that is why on days when I’m not hitting well off the tee I can make up for a few strokes by 1 or 2 putting instead of 3 putting, but here lately what I have been having trouble with is chipping/pitching. I have tried using a 5,6,7,8,9 iron when around the green and a pitch, 50, or sand wedge when pitching. My main problem has been; I can’t get the ball to check up on the greens anymore for some reason and now am scared to hit the ball correctly knowing that if I hit it to firm it’s going to roll all the way off the green and with some of the greens we have at our home course that is the last thing you want to do! I know confidence is part of it, but what can I do to or what I have done to stop getting the ball to check up? Thanks for any continuing support you can share with me!
Chad

Hi Chad,
I have found the same thing. The ball will only check up only when the conditions are plush like the courses on TV. When conditions are firm like most public courses, the ball will skid instead of checking up, so don’t even try under firm conditions. However if your conditions are plush and you want the ball to check up, make sure you always clean the grooves on your irons and wedges, otherwise you will lose spin. Using a high-spin ball may help also. Use a lofted club and strike the ball with a descending blow with the hands leading the clubhead all the way thru.
Joe

Joe,
I need urgent advice. I have noticed that whenever I chip from around the green with a 7or8iron,my ball tends to go left of the flag instead of towards the pin. can you let me know how i can correct this mistake. Thanks
Vikram

Hello Vikram,
I suspect you are using a lot of wrist action on your chip shots. Rolling the wrists may cause the clubface to close before impact, resulting in pulled shots. Try to avoid using wrist action on the downstroke. Not only will this keep the face square to the target, but also this will likely improve your distance control.
Joe

Joe,
How much of a pro golfer’s success is due to good teaching versus his or her natural ability?
Mickey

Hello Mickey,
This is a great topic for debate. There are many good golfers who were self-taught, even if their swings might resemble a polo player without a horse. Lee Trevino said he would never listen to anyone who couldn’t beat him, and very few people could do that. Other good golfers were fortunate enough to be given good instruction from the start, and they continue to have swing coaches and mentors. However in my opinion, whether or not you have a teacher, in order to be really good you need to be blessed with a lot of natural ability, and better than average hand-eye coordination. You do not have to be in the best of physical condition, but you do need a fair amount of athleticism. When you do have natural ability, you do not need to think much about the way you swing. As an example, Ralph Guldahl was on his way to becoming one of golf’s all-time greats. He won the US Open in 1937 and 1938, and he won The Masters in 1939. Then he was asked to author an instruction book. He went into great detail, which forced him into thinking about parts of his swing which had always come naturally to him. After that, he lost his game and never recovered it. So what about golfers who do not have above average natural ability, are they all doomed to mediocrity? No, just be realistic and enjoy this crazy unpredictable game and set your own expectations for success. It is not reasonable to expect golfers like us, who play once, maybe twice per week, to play anywhere near as well as a pro who practices and plays every day, so just enjoy little successes one shot at a time.
Joe

)Joe,
I am really afraid of sand traps because I usually cannot get out in one try, so what should I do?
Sarah

Hello Sarah,
Many golfers do not have a place where they can practice sand shots, so it stands to reason that greenside bunkers are to be feared. If you ever want to get over this fear, you need to find a facility that has a practice bunker. If there are no such facilities nearby, you might have to be a little creative, like looking around for a park or playground that has a sand box, sand volleyball court, horseshoe pit or a nearby beach. Here is how to practice. Without a ball, grip the club with the face wide open (this prevents the club from digging too deep into the sand), and try to hit the sand in the same spot every time (make sure to fully follow through with the clubface still open). If you cannot hit that spot every time, then try a more vertically upright swing path. Once you can do this, then place a ball 2-3 inches ahead of that spot and make the same swing. The ball is likely to go a little to the right of the target (assuming you are right-handed), so don’t fight it, just aim to the left. If you are still having trouble, try a sand wedge that has more “bounce”, which is the downward angle of the bottom of your club measured from leading edge to back of the sole. Some sand wedges have very little bounce, which is good for fairway grass and for coarse sand, while other sand wedges have around ten degrees of bounce, which is better for finer grains of sand. The more bounce a club has, the less it will dig into the sand, so it will get you out consistently with less effort. Once you experience that, you can experiment with distance control by using the same easy swing and varying the ball position (forward usually works best), varying the amount of open face (after gripping the club), and varying how far behind the ball your clubhead enters the sand. Is there such a thing as a club with too much bounce? Yes, if the sand is firm, the club will not penetrate the sand, instead it will bounce off and “blade” the ball, sending it too far. However, this may be a handy shot to have for longer bunker shots that are out of your normal blasting range. For such longer sand shots, open the face a little more than normal and try to pick the ball clean. Even if the club hits the sand first, the club should bounce off the sand and into the ball, sending it about a far as a pitch from grass. This takes a little practice, but it might come in handy some day.
Joe

Joe,
My game is OK except for the half-shot to ¾ shot, less than a full wedge. I either hit them too fat or too thin, and sometimes I hit it OK but I pull it, and I am throwing away a lot of strokes because of this. I hear this is called No Man’s Land, and we should avoid these distances, but I would rather not. What can I try in order to fix these things?
Ferdinand

Hello Ferdinand,
I’m sure you have heard about the Yips. Most people think The Yips only pertain to putting, but I believe The Yips also apply, maybe more so, to the half-to-3/4 shots. Why? Because this type of shot is a departure from your normal swing, and the opportunity for error is magnified by the many different variations in the length of the backswing necessary to control intermediate distances. Then add the factor of twitching nerves as you are scared that you might be hitting it fat or thin, and you already have too much to think about. Focus on execution and trust your stroke. First, let's address the pulled shot. Most advice on pitch shots say to use an open stance and swing along the body line. This will lend itself to a pulled shot unless you keep the face of the club open during the follow-thru. You can only accomplish that by keeping the hands in front of the club thru impact. Sometimes you cannot help flipping the wrists during the follow-thru, but on a less-than-full shot, you must have the discipline to keep the face open all the way thru, or else the shot will be pulled. Of course, if you pull the shot consistently every single time, just adjust your aim to a more squared stance. There are a number of reasons for hitting too fat or too thin. If you have too much body movement, work on executing the stroke while holding still (comfortably) as much as possible. Keep staring at the spot on the ground where the ball used to be after you hit it, this will prevent you from looking up too soon. Other experiments you can try are different ball positions, different amounts of wrist break on the backswing, different tempos, or a forward press. Above all, on the downswing be sure to keep your hands ahead of the clubhead and keep the face open thru impact.
Joe

Question:
When is it better to be a bad golfer than to be a good golfer?
Answer:
If you knew you were not going to die until you were able to shoot your age.

Joe,
What would you consider to be a perfect round of golf?
Zeke

Hi Zeke,
It depends how picky you want to be. A purist might say you have to shoot 18 for 18 holes, but obviously that is not very realistic. Is a perfect game in baseball one where the pitcher struck everyone out on 3 pitches? That is not realistic either, so no matter how you got the batter out, it is still a perfect game even if every batter hit long fly balls and your fielders made 27 acrobatic catches. In golf do you have to hit every fairway, hit every green, and make every putt? Well, that would be nice, but also not realistic. A more reasonable person might say shooting their best score would be perfect for them. Even then, no matter how good a player is, they can shoot their best round ever and still say there were a few more putts that they could have made. So absolute perfection is an unrealistic goal. Instead, look at it in terms of “expectations” vs. “successes” or “good feelings” about having achieved something. Jody thinks it is perfect just to get a date with the beverage cart girl (this goal still eludes him). So what are reasonable expectations? For most people, and there are exceptions, unless you play every day, you should not ever expect to shoot in the 60’s. Unless you play more than once per week, you should not expect to shoot in the 70’s. If you play less than once per week, you should not expect to break 90. Those who play only once or twice per month should be happy to break 100. So what brings the good feelings of success? If you have never broken 100, but that is your goal, it is a success and a perfectly good feeling when you finally do it. Even if your score was not your best, but you won a match, that’s a success and a perfectly good feeling. If you don’t have a match, create your own against the course. If you had more good holes than bad holes, you won. If you hit more fairways and / or greens than you missed, you won. If you one-putted more times than you 3-putted, you won. If you avoided lost balls or penalty strokes, you won. Feel good about any successes like these. Even if you did not accomplish any of these things, your misadventures can always get a few laughs during the recap of the round afterwards with your friends. Laughter is the best medicine, a good feeling, and if you and your friends had a good time, what can be more perfect than that?
Joe


Question for the Evil Twin:
Jody, are you good looking?
Answer: The beverage cart girl has voted me 2nd best looking out of all the members. (note from Joe – all the other members tied for first)

Joe,
Every time I have a few good rounds, just when I think I am permanently improved, another slump occurs. How do you explain that?
Serj

Hello Serj,
Someone once said the likelihood of repeating a good score is inversely proportional to how many people you tell about it. Everybody gets slumps in every sport. Our body movements involve hundreds of muscles trying to work together. Every day, each one of these muscles gets stronger or weaker, bigger or smaller, depending on how you use them in your daily activities. On any given day, the sum of these muscle changes will have a greater or lesser effect on your swing without you realizing it. So are we all doomed to mediocrity? No, you can reduce their frequency and their severity by adopting a daily exercise routine to strengthen certain muscles, and to induce “motor muscle memory”. You have to train your swing muscles to behave in a consistent manner. The Body Golf tapes have exercises specifically for golfers. If it were simply a matter of knowing all the right moves, then everyone should be able to play just as well left handed or right handed. The reason most of us cannot is motor muscle memory. This goes for everything in life, not just golf. Just like playing a musical instrument, you have to practice in order to be consistently good. The more you practice the right moves, the better you get. While inducing motor muscle memory, make sure you are training you muscles with the CORRECT moves, because if you induce incorrect moves, they will be much harder to “undo” once your muscles are trained to behave that way.
Joe

Joe. How do you hit "through" the ball?Thanks in advance.
Dean

Hi Dean,
The idea is to continue accelerating smoothly all the way into the follow thru. If you don’t do this, you may “quit” on the shot too soon. Many people have a beautiful practice swing because there is no ball to stare at, but when the ball is there, it tells your mind “hit me, hit me”, and that seems to change the way you swing, instead of just executing the same smooth practice swing while the ball just happens to be in the way. Usually if you have proper weight shift on the downswing, you will hit through the ball without having to think about it. A good drill for this would be the “double clubber” as shown in the Body Golf videos.
Joe

Joe,
i am 44 years old and just really began playing golf this year, the owner of my company invited himself to come play in a tournament in town and requested my presence, however, since i have fallen in love with the game, and with your help i have already gone from shooting in the 140's to the one teens, i go to the range everyday and hit a large bucket, however, i cannot seem to figure out my four iron, the rest of my clubs i am hitting somewhat respectively but i cannot do anything over ten yards on the ground with the four iron, can you help
thank you,
larry

Hello Larry,
Your are not alone, many other people also have more trouble with the longer irons. They seem to have a smaller sweet spot than the shorter irons, so the errors are magnified on a slight mis-hit. Only the better players are able to hit the sweet spot nearly every time. But what about the average golfer? By the way, everyone has a different opinion on what is an average golfer. Just for the sake of discussion, let's say the average golfer cannot break 100. If this is the case, what does this average golfer shoot on a par 3 course? I'm guessing an average of 4-5 on every hole. If that is the case, if you ever want to break 100, you might do better to work on the short game more than the long irons. OK, back on the subject, you still want to know more about long irons anyway, here are a couple of ideas. It could be that your clubs do not fit you properly. Try to attend demo days and see if a different brand of club works better for you, or maybe a different shaft flex, or different design, blade or offset styles, muscle-back or cavity-back. It could be that your problem is in your mind. Try to focus only on the leading edge of the iron without worrying about the amount of loft on the clubface. Hit down on the ball with the leading edge and see what happens. Convince yourself that if you can just strike the ball at the equator with the leading edge (with a downward blow), the ball will spin up the clubface no matter what the loft is. If none of this works, try the new styles of “hybrid” utility woods, which are designed to take the place of long irons. Many people say they are easier to hit and much more forgiving on slight mis-hits than long irons.
Joe

Joe,
Very often I have a very good practice session on the range, but I cannot seem to repeat those good shots on the course. It makes me feel like practice does no good for me. What can I do?
Paul

Hello Paul,
On the practice range, there is no pressure, since there is no penalty for a bad shot. Also since you are swinging every few seconds on the practice range, your muscles can get into a good relaxed rhythm. On the course, however, it is several minutes between each shot, so there is less rhythm and that makes it easier to tense up. So how can we keep pressure from affecting our shots? I like Hal Sutton’s advice on this. He says the smaller muscles do not work under pressure, so use your bigger muscles to swing . All muscles are controlled by nervous impulses. Pressure sends lots of extra impulses into our nervous systems, and it stands to reason that these impulses have a greater effect on our smaller muscles than they do on our bigger muscles. In other words, a wristy swing is more likely to break down under pressure than a body (arm/shoulder) swing. This is especially true for putting, chipping, and pitching. That explains why the Body Golf concept is likely to improve your game. You might want to view the Body Golf videos. Other ideas that might be worth trying to combat pressure are a consistent pre-shot routine such as a “waggle” or a “forward press”, or taking a deep breath and exhaling half way before you begin your stroke. Then, if you are really serious about doing everything possible to reduce pressure on yourself, and give yourself the best chance to succeed, get the “Own The Zone” CD’s by Jennifer Scott, also available from the thinkandreachpar site, and you will have a way to condition your mind to handle pressure.
Joe

Joe,
I have a debate with my friends over which is more important to think about, the backswing or the downswing. What do you think?
Bobby

Hello Bobby,
Although both are important, I think the downswing is much more important. The purpose of the backswing is to arrive at your best hitting position at the top, so if you fail to do that it will make it more difficult to hit a good shot. However, even if you make a perfect backswing, you can still mess up the downswing by improper weight shift, flying elbow, hitting from the top, coming across the ball, looking up too soon, etc. Therefore, my vote goes to the downswing being more important. Baseball players would agree because they have no backswing, they just set up in a certain position at the top of the backswing, and control the rest of the swing from there. If you are struggling, do this drill. Start at the top like a baseball player and make sure you are doing the right things on the downswing, like shifting your lower body weight to the front foot and bringing your back elbow in front of the hip, and then completing your follow-thru. Once you get a good feel for that, then just make your backswing arrive at the same position at the top.
Joe

Question - Two competitors arrive at the green where they notice several ball marks and spike marks around the hole, some of which happen to be in both their putting lines. They both agree this is unfair so they repair the ball marks and spike marks. Is this OK to do?

It is OK to repair ball marks but not spike marks that are in your putting line. Both players are disqualified for agreeing to waive a Rule.

Jody, my Evil Twin, what do you think of that rule?
Answer: Purists are not allowed to use logic. If the players in front of you don’t like you, they can rough up the green with spike marks and then you are at an unfair disadvantage. How come it is legal to repair ball marks but not spike marks? Why is it important to treat them any differently? Where is the logic in that? Huh? Huh? Can’t tell me, can you? OK then admit it, the rule makes no sense, so why don’t any of the rule makers have the guts to change goofy rules that detract from fairness and the enjoyment of the game?

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