Fore! Who's playing golf, yo-

[4matic]

No! DO NOT use the same swing for your driver as your wedges. Maybe the same type of easy tempo, but other than that those clubs should be swung very differently.

Also: where did you get that list of the top golfers and the iron style they use? Did it also list the specific clubs?

Greg Norman:

"Having made that point, let me say that you should never intentionally try to swing the club in a horizontal or vertical way. Never try to fit your swing to the club in your hand. After all, it's tough enough to master one golf swing without having to manipulate a dozen of them. Just remember to narrow your stance. The clubs themselves will cause you to do the rest.

http://www.worldgolf.com/newswire/br...ng-Your-Driver

[spook]

i seem to recall a similar conflict between various authors and instructors. some have said the swing should be basically the same for all clubs, some have said they are very different between driver, mid and long irons, and sort irons.

makes me a bit nervous because i can only practice with my 56* wedge here unless i go to the range, so i'm getting reasonably efficient with that. even if the swings are diffent, though, all the practice at home has definitely helped me slow my swing down and relax, which is the first thing i have to get past.

[TahoeJ]

You hit the ball with your driver on the upswing. You hit the ball with your other clubs on the downswing (and it's not just ball placement making the difference). That's why you really have two different swings. Should they be very, very, very similar? Of course - but not really the same. I don't care what Greg Norman says - he had a different swing with his driver too.

Not to mention, show me a single pro golfer who doesn't have a shorter back swing with his wedges than a 3-iron or driver.

[4matic]

You hit the ball with your driver on the upswing. You hit the ball with your other clubs on the downswing. That's why you really have two different swings. Should they be very, very, very similar? Of course - but not really the same. I don't care what Greg Norman says - he had a different swing with his driver too.

Not to mention, show me a single pro golfer who doesn't have a shorter back swing with his wedges than a 3-iron or driver.

Fair enough. I agree.

[guroo270]

Fair enough. I agree.

Good ol' 4matic. Vehement in his objections until someone who knows something comes along and corrects. Damn Orientals.

[Art Shirk]

I don't think Norman's comments and TahoeJ's are actually mutually exclusive.

And TahoeJ's comments make me think I am hitting down on the ball with my driver. I impart backspin sometimes for god's sake. I squeeze my irons rather than sweeping them, so I am sure that is one added reason my driving fellates macaques.

[4matic]

Good ol' 4matic. Vehement in his objections until someone who knows something comes along and corrects. Damn Orientals.

You think the discussion I made was vehement? I chose to end it cordially like a gentleman. You're the thin skinned wimp that doesn't know when to quit. Ever.

[Steven S. Dallas]

And TahoeJ's comments make me think I am hitting down on the ball with my driver. I impart backspin sometimes for god's sake.

Any drive will generate backspin, but if your drive is actually stopping dead or jumping back instead of rolling out then- yes, you probably are hitting down. No way that should happen.

Total guess, as well, but- without grooves to impart backspin, compressing the ball downward with a driver means you have to be 100% square at impact or the ball will necessarily squirt out to the side, so now you've got backspin and sidespin on anything less than a perfectly struck ball.

[4matic]

I don't think Norman's comments and TahoeJ's are actually mutually exclusive.

And TahoeJ's comments make me think I am hitting down on the ball with my driver. I impart backspin sometimes for god's sake. I squeeze my irons rather than sweeping them, so I am sure that is one added reason my driving fellates macaques.

That's why on driver you need to have the spine tilt to encourage the hitting on the upswing. Most players I observe have the ball too far back in their stance on driver.

[guroo270]

Just trying to get a rise out of you here, bud. I'm off to Philly. Enjoy my absence.

[Art Shirk]

Any drive will generate backspin, but if your drive is actually stopping dead or jumping back instead of rolling out then- yes, you probably are hitting down.

Yeah, its about that bad. Very little roll if any. Hitting down, not clearing hips and coming over the top = backspin and a loss of probably 50 yards (air and ground aggregate). Which is why my driving is so important to remedy. Hitting 250 with a driver, only hitting the fairway once in awhile so I may as well hit the 230 3 iron. I should be driving around 290 easy.

[skiballs]

Tee the ball as high as you can , this will force you to sweep the driver .

[jfost]

Tee the ball as high as you can , this will force you to sweep the driver .

this is where the superdeep really helps - with my old burner I would hit a few sky-balls a round, but with the crazy deep face that is almost impossible... I use a 2-7/8" tee, but barely stick it in the ground.

[Art Shirk]

Tee the ball as high as you can , this will force you to sweep the driver .

Yeah, or hit under it Need to use the tallest tees at the range.

[wooley12]

High driver ball flight? Could be narrow stance, ball position, swing plane, loft or shafts with a low kick point. Irons? Here's what I'm using. Matches my newly acquired driver.

[skiballs]

Yeah, or hit under it Need to use the tallest tees at the range.

Think top spin forehand to the back right corner .

[jfost]

Think top spin forehand to the back right corner .

I dunno, that's an awful lot of right hand...

j/k - nice analogy!

[Art Shirk]

Think top spin forehand to the back right corner .

That's actually pretty apt and will give'r a shot next session.

[spook]

guroo - haha, I guess I didn't catch it when you said it... hmmm, may have to try me some AP2's someday. I have Forged CCI's from a few years back - they sure are plain-jane but nice feel when well struck. I bought them thinking that the additional feedback would help me learn vs. something like TM Burner's... I am playing better than I ever did, but I'm still only a bogey golfer. Waaaaay less blowup holes than I used to have though.

edit: I think it is getting harder to categorize blade/CB's anymore. And as for the tour pros, their shit is bent, ground, shafted, and swingweighted to perfection anyway, so it may be a bit hard to compare to mostly off the rack sets. I had the golftec set analysis done, and I guess I was within spec for my CCI's and VR wedges, so we didn't change a thing loft/lie-wise.

For spook (these are specs on my CCI's, which I think are pretty "standard" lofts at least historically. many new clubs are stronger, like the TM Burner series and prob the RBZ's too) *********

Club Loft Bounce Offset
---- ---- ------ ------
PW 47° 9° 0.080"
9I 43° 8° 0.080"
8I 39° 7° 0.080"
7I 35° 6° 0.095"
6I 31° 5° 0.110"
5I 27° 4° 0.125"
4I 24° 3° 0.140"
3I 21° 2° 0.155"
2I 18° 1° 0.170"

(I don't carry the 2I)

woods are TM Superdeep in 9.5, and TM R9 in 19deg (5wd), wedges are 52/10, 56/14, and 60/6. Again, I am just a bogey golfer but got this setup looking to improve. It is working because when I bought this stuff a few years ago, I was mid-high 90's, now I am right around 90 most of the time and shot a legit 83 about 6 months ago. (I usually only get out for 9 so I don't have a real HCP)

thanks much

[sidewall]

This site's really been helping me

www.revolutiongolf.com


you get a free video tip every day from a top instructor. Got one yesterday from Jim Mclean that fixed a fade I've had for years, my iron shots are 100% better now.

[spook]

Think top spin forehand to the back right corner .

i'm sorry, but i'm not sure what this means. my last round i left my driver in the bag except to clear the huge ravine and 18 to clear water on one side and out of bounds on the other side. as it turned out, i was teeing off with my 4 iron and hitting it straight and as far as my partner was driving, which isn't saying much. i haven't practiced enough with my driver to be confident and there is very little rough to find your ball in. if you miss the fairway by more than a couple feet on several holes, your ball is gone.

was supposed to play this morning but switched to the afternoon to get another lesson on the driving range and a putting lesson.

[spook]

This site's really been helping me

www.revolutiongolf.com


you get a free video tip every day from a top instructor. Got one yesterday from Jim Mclean that fixed a fade I've had for years, my iron shots are 100% better now.

cool, i love sites like this. i also like the guy who does the video jug vids --Rickard Strongert

[Tye 1on]

i'm sorry, but i'm not sure what this means.

it's a tennis analogy...

[spook]

it's a tennis analogy...

ok. so trying to push the driver head out and over (releasing the wrists/forearms) coming up from below with the face slightly (or feeling) open? i had an instructor tell me something similar. he put a ballin front and to the right of the tee (if you were standing behind the tee) and told me try to hit the teed ball in that direction to make sure i was swinging inside out.

[PassTheDutchie]

Alright, fellow hacks, recommended a couple of drivers for me to sample. I'm a bogey+ golfer and haven't had one in a bag for about a decade, preferring the reliability of my three wood. Played last week and hit a buddy's TaylorMade Burner on a couple of holes and pretty much hit it perfectly the times I hit it. So I'm going to give that one a whirl, also thinking trying the Ping G15... And out of ideas thereafter... Suggestions?