i got a lesson from a muni pro, and now im confused. HELP!

[nick714754]

hello, im around a 4 handicap and was playing well untill i got a lesson...

 

i realize changes dont take effect right away, but im starting to doubt some of the things the guy was telling me...

 

the last year or so i have been trying to get my hands lower because i have always had toe contact, therefor my clubs needed to be bent upright. i started working on this and noticed i was picking the ball cleaner than before. i have also never used forward press, my hands have always been even with the head, or slightly behind it like with my driver.

 

(using a 7 or an 8) the pro basically told me to get my hands higher and further away from my body, play the ball way back in my stance, hands ahead and think of taking large divots while trying to push the ball.... before the change, i played the ball about 4 inches off my left foot for a 7 iron for example, never towards the middle of my stance... my swing path is NORMALLY down the line or slightly inside out.

 

NOW i have been either pushing everything with a little draw, or even worse, a pull hook. should i continue to pick the ball clean, or go for that big inside out divot???? i mean were talking ball striking style, not fundamentals hes trying to change.... i dont know...

 

on another subject, i have always been way short of paralell, but manage to hit the ball pretty far, are there disadvantages to a very short backswing? because my uncle was telling me that with such a short swing i can get quick and start flipping at the bottom...

 

anyway thought i would throw that out there, i know i dont have videos or pics which makes it hard, but and help would be appreciated!!!!

[eppey]

There are many ways to swing a golf club, some ways are going to provide different results, such as trajectory changes, spin, dispersion and power. Just out of curiosity, why did you decide to take a lesson? Not that I am trying to be mean just there must have been something you weren't happy with about your game. Are you planning on taking many more lessons? The reason I ask is the change you describe sounds like the pro was having you exagerate something so you could get the feeling of the move. I am no pro so won't say what I think he is trying to change, sorry.

[nick714754]

ya, well ive never had a formal lesson before, but have always payed attention to my swing, through mirrors, reading golf digest crap, watching the pros.... but i want to improve my game, something i havnt ben able to do for 6 years! im 21 now, and im still scoring in the mid 70s to low eighties.

 

i was happy with my game at the time, after shooting 74, 75 77, but i want more than that, i guess im just not happy with all of the swing thoughts that float through my head on a given day, i want something more concrete to focus on. im not sure about more lessons, untill i can have someone express the validity of his tips... it seemed like throughout the entire lesson, he kept hammering on the 3 basics; hands ahead, hands away from the body, and play it further back in the stance. he said that was all he wanted to see me work on, he mentioned not wanting to "mess with my swing" because he said my plane is decent....

 

i played today and tried to incorporate my learnings into my round... once again, didnt work out well.. kept pushing the irons rightm and they showed a little draw back in.. after butchering the first 7 holes in 4 over, i went back to my old swing. a par three about 176 straight downwind, i hit a 9 iron, NOT delofting it with my hands ahead, but even with the clubhead, i also played it alittle further up in my stance. i caught it maybe 1 or 2 grooves low, and picked it clean off the tee, ball ended up 3 inches. then i nailed a drive in the par 5 9th about 310 with a butter-cut down the poop-shoot. as i approached my 2nd into the green, i thought, "just keep my old swing going" and i did. i took it back low, and my follow through was even lower! the club shaved a narrow divot about a foot long before i made contact with the ball! i did hit it a bit chunky, but still solid, it flew nearly 210 yds, 15 yards short of the green..... that shot kinda told me "you know what, maybe you do need to get steeper and more aggresive through the ball" ....

 

my main point is, what do i sacrifice??? my original shallow swing produces strait golf shots, but lack of contact consistancy ..

 

the "hands ahead, ball back" position give me more solid contact, but im all over the place!!! playing the ball back is a good way to hook it in the first place, and hands ahead is delofting the club, adding unwanted yardage to my short irons...

 

i dont know.. im not sure why i posted this all, but writing it has helped my understanding!

[oregongolf]

sounds like you need to hit buckets of golf balls. don't expect all the changes to produce immediate results.

 

did i read it right -- you used to play a 7 iron four inches off your left foot?

 

also, if you can manage a shorter backswing and still keep the distance, you will find that consistency sooner or later.

[nick714754]

well, maybe more than 4 inches, but definitely nowhere near the center... ya just gotta bang balls i think, ive just been playing lately, not much practice.

[oregongolf]

honestly, it might feel weird, but playing the ball further back is usually a good thing.

 

i played everything too far forward in my stance as a junior and wasn't nearly as consistent as i am now. i would bet once you figure out how to control the trajectory, you'll love the change.

[dminn23]

First of all, everything should be played off of your left heel or within an inch or so. Where the ball is in your stance is an illusion. The longer the club, the wider the stance, therefore with shorter clubs, it will LOOK to be in the middle of your stance. Looking at ball position this way makes it much easier. As far as a forward press, he's probably advocating way too much, which will cause you to get steeper and chunk or hit huge divots.

 

In regards to your uncle, I think he is absolutely wrong. Short of parallel is excellent, Phil Mickelson (before he injured his wrist) was starting to get to parallel or just short of parallel with his driver. He used to go way past. When he did that, he would flip his hands. Mickelson might be able to win 3 majors with that move, but the majority of us don't have a chance on playing good golf with it. Him and Harmon are working on those changes to take the hands out of it.

 

Short of parallel is very good, and if anything, it causes a more controlled swing so you WON'T flip your hands as much, there is less time to get lazy or over **** the wrists in the backswing.

 

 

 

Goto the range, hit a couple buckets of balls experimenting with your ball position. Only take backswings to 9 o'clock and then go thru. Once you find whats crisp and straight, stick with it. From 9 o'clock, all you have to do is turn your shoulders more to produce the same swing but full. That is as long as you don't lift your hands too much in the later part of the backswing, if you do that, you're doomed to be inconsistent.

[Schleeman]

I agree about getting only to short of parallel. If you go beyond or feel you have to get to that position, many times, something breaks down, left arm, weight on the outside of the right foot, etc. It's important to stay coiled so you can swing through the hitting area and not just at the ball

As far as the hands lower at address, that's what I teach.

The arms need to feel long and hang straight down. Ball position doesn't really matter unless you want to hit the ball high or low. It matters where the base of the spine is at impact and how it gets there. Do you slide, or do you rotate the lower body properly? Sliding will get you in trouble because it is a timing thing.

What I was handed down from Ben Hogan, through John Schlee, is the importance of the spin. The better you can spin and reduce lateral motion, the more consistent your ball striking will be, granted the hands and arms do their part. Hand position at address is not important.

 

Later,

Tom Bertrand

 

[NikeSlingshot06]

dont try to take divots if your at 4 handicap, look at tom watson, with your shorter irons, ex. PW,9,SW, you should play the ball back in your stance and make your normal swing, sweeping is perfectly fine if you hit the ball well