Why Do Some Hit Their Irons Well, But Not Their Driver?

Fri, 08/24/2012 - 22:32 -- Don Trahan

Frank Frieri wrote me about six weeks ago for some advice for a problem he was having with his driver. And since there are a number of key points I would like to make about his situation, I thought it would be a good starting point for today's video tip.

"Hi,

I've been with your program going on 3 years. I was having a problem with my second shots with fairway woods, so I made the mistake of listening to someone and tried going away from the upright swing and back to the round egg-shaped swing. Beware of changing your swing, I learned the hard way!

I'm back this year to your swing and manual. I've got the game back and I'm hitting the ball well with every thing but the driver. Can't seem to hit a drive straight, but always to the left, not a hook, but way left of target. I've got to find the answer to this part of my game! I am 5'8 and about 235 pounds with longer than normal arms.

Most course professionals all preach the round golf swing, but I would like to stay with your approach as it does work. What part of your manual should I be into? Thanks for any help."

Well, Frank, to answer your last question first, you should be in Chapters 3-7 which cover Setup and its four key sub-components: Grip, Stance, Posture and Alignment. Why? Because experience has shown me that 90-95% of all swing problems are directly attributable to a problem in one of more of these areas. You want to make sure that you're setting up correctly--with particular attention paid to Alignment. It is a possibility that you are just lining up too far left of your target and when you execute a good swing, the ball goes straight to where you aimed it.

If you can prove to your satisfaction that you are correctly aligned parallel left about 10-15 yards left of your target then there are other possibilities for what is causing your driver problem. One of them could be that you are letting your arms swing too close to your body instead of straight up and straight forward in front of it. But chief among the possible causes is something you've probably heard me say before: "It's your driver!". It used to be that Men's standard length clubs were anywhere between 43" and 44" for a driver. But in the constant drive to find something new to talk about, the OEMs started lengthening the shafts AND making the club heads much larger so they could make outlandish and unsupported claims about "bigger sweet spots" that also produced longer drives. Strapped to a golf club testing machine that can be adjusted to make a perfectly square hit on the center of the sweet spot at the exact same velocity every single time, this could be true. But the actual distance gained over a club with a smaller head is probably only a yard or two in the lab.

However, when you put a 460cc driver with a 45" to 46" shaft into the hands of 98% of the golfers of the world, these claims quickly become meaningless because of the sharp decline in accuracy they experience. A long shaft forces them to have an even flatter swing and therefore they come over the top more often and either hit a huge slice or a dead pull. I am an inch taller than you and I also have long arms like you do. I swing a 43 1/2" driver so its quite probable that your ideal shaft length would no more than that. So get yourself a good three foot rule and set the driver on the ground at the angle it would be at address. The place the rule next to the club head on the ground and have it come up the shaft so that you can determine how long it is. My guess is that it is at least 45" if you bought it at retail in the last 3-4 years and that the head is at the USGA set maximum of 460cc. Since you hit your other clubs well, there isn't a burning need to replace those, but with your body measurements, I would seriously consider getting a custom built driver that will be perfectly fitted to your swing. If you you live near a PPGS Certified Club Fitter, then give that guy a call. He meets our strict standards on what must be done to ensure a great fit. If you don't then try to find a professional club fitter in your area who is a member of one of the major Club Fitting organizations. Ask him to build you a shorter driver with a head around 360cc and a shaft that is matched to your swing characteristics. This can often be done for about the same cost as buying an OEM "latest & greatest" model off the sales floor at a golf retailer. The results, however, will be radically different I would wager.

Keep it vertical!

The Surge

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Comments

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

I'll have to see today how the course I usually play at, Las Vegas National, is doing cleaning up from last week's storm. One of the flood control washes runs through the course, separating the 16th green and 17th tee from the rest of the course. Apparently in the rains, a big slab of concrete washed loose and blocked the outgoing channel, resulting in flooding out the 16th green and 17th tee. Everyone was hopeful that as soon as the water was cleared, no major damage would have occurred to the green. They slowed their greens down recently to about 9 or 10. Early in the summer they'd easily been 11 or 12. Reasonable without being too slow to putt.

Dragonhead's picture

Submitted by Dragonhead (not verified) on

Uh! Reading the text and then watching the video and you save 9minutes? Only if you speed read and then fast forward can you save time.[ I can speed read], but the video is still 10mins 40 seconds. Please explain for the benefit of thickees like me how you do it? Pretty please.

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

Sounds like a great time, Neil. Did you get the clubs already, or is Doc shipping them to you?

Marilyn's picture

Submitted by Marilyn on

Yes, it is the head, it gets loose and yes, I have paid to have it repaired. I do like my driver, as I said, I hit very far today for me!! The driver is five years old, as long as I have been playing. The last time, he said he put all new epoxy on, but, anyway, thinking I just need a new one.
Thanks,

Dragonhead's picture

Submitted by Dragonhead (not verified) on

Club Champs would be a way off yet Russty hahaha! One swallow doesn't make a summer, but I am still chuffed with the play on the day.
What type of net did you buy, and from where?One of my listed items [on a long list ; - ] of things 'needed' hahaha! Muddy spot for your net is a pain.Luckily the deck here accommodates the golf driving range mat. Can only hit soft balls into an alcove or against the garage wall at present.So hope springs eternal ; - )
Hope that you managed to get out and have a hit.
Roll on Tuesday, or........patiently waiting for..... ; - ] Have a good 'un next time too.

Lynn42's picture

Submitted by Lynn42 (not verified) on

Lol, Steve, he gets great lag with it, but it makes my body hurt just watching it. How long did it take your body to recover after you tried it? ;0)

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

Hammer,
I have been very slow reading and catching up on the comments lately.
This is one that both Steve and Robert answered really well already but I wanted to add my two cents. Having lofts and lies adjusted are the cheapest and most over looked 'fixes' in golf. Even after I have written lengthy blogs on why those adjustments are not only advisable but paramount for anyone serious about improving ones game, very few players have said that they have jumped on it and done anything. Now I know Robert F. has had his adjusted and likely Steve and maybe a few others on here but while most agree that it is reasonably logical and needed, they just keep on playing with their clubs as they are and still have that iron in the bag that goes straight and several others that tend to hook left or push right. They may still continue bewildered as to why their 5 and 6 iron both fly about the same distance.They still blame the swing, even though they have improved both set up and execution. It is my opinion that loft and lie will have a greater effect on results than shaft and THAT should be more "obvious" but like many cheap and simple fixes, it will continue to be overlooked as no big deal. Point is, you are likely only saying what others think too. Shocked but pleased I would be if most reading this would either say yes I did get mine checked and adjusted or that they will now take it serious and see the local club guy asap.
BTW, it has been estimated that most players have irons that are too flat and that is another key reason that many shots are finding the right side so often with a normal set up and swing.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Hey Hammer,
I see you got a "dislike" for your opinion. Don't worry about it...I get them all the time.
I agree with you about the lie angles on sidehill lies. The lie angle that was completely wrong on a ball above your feet may inadvertently "fix" what would have been a problem with the ball below your feet, or vice versa.
HOWEVER....Since we don't know how many shots we may have above or below our feet, and since most tee boxes are relatively level (except on some of the cow pasture tracks I play) there is no good reason to not start with the lie angle correct on a level lie (WITH ALL CLUBS). Then it's not much of an adjustment for either the ball above our feet OR the ball below our feet.

Worst of all would be to have the clubs all over the place from club to club. Then it would be a complete guessing game not only for the side hill lies but between which club we are hitting.
P.S. The last time my son bought a set of clubs (off the rack) he had the lie angles checked and they were all over the place.

Lynn42's picture

Submitted by Lynn42 (not verified) on

I looked at that exact thing, Robert. I maintain flex on my rigt leg fairly well, but I think my stance has been too wide with the driver which may contribute to not getting through to my left side. I also noticed what I thought was a bump was more of a slide which will keep my weight on my back leg. So, it's a couple of things to work on.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

I don't ask for much from greens. Just 10 on the stimp, smooth as glass, and with an extra 1 inch diameter hole.
Ha ha!

Dragonhead's picture

Submitted by Dragonhead (not verified) on

Russty Kiwi, Sun is out but more of that wet stuff meant to be on the way : - ( May be clear by Tuesday. Had a quiet swing on the deck after lunch just keeping in mind the lessons learned yesterday on the course.Fingers crossed.
Keep on hitting them long and straight in godzone mate.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

Neil, awesome to hear about your steller experience. I had the same quality experience when my wife and I were there 3 years ago. Greg is a really nice man (along with everyone we met associated with Don) and a super teacher too. Your last few comments are telling and a good reminder about how important the set up and fundamentals are. "Straighter and longer"?? What else could you want aside from more putts dropping? Thanks for sharing your super experience. NY is a great place too, eh? I lived in NYC for 4 years. Amazing time of my youth many moons ago in my early 20's.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

Inexpensive shafts does not equate to poor quality as Doc says and my adventures with expensive and cheap shafts proves. It is all a put characteristics and profile as you know. An interesting discovery for me is that I play better with a driver that has a low torque, 3.4
and x stiff. You wouldn't think that would make sense for a 98mph club head speed but I'm killing it.
As Doc says, it's because there are no agreed upon standards. Mad scientist like me can try a variety working out of ny garage till I find what works. What fun!
Awesome that you are now getting better distance. The tools DO matter.

HAMMER's picture

Submitted by HAMMER (not verified) on

This business about getting clubs fitted for (lie angles ,shaft lengths, etc ) is rather confusing. I think, on reflection, is there any point in spending lots of cash getting lie angles changed, club lengths trimmed , etc? What I was forgetting is that virtually every fairway shot I play (apart from maybe the tee) is not on a perfectly flat horizontal surface. The ball is either going to be a little above or below my feet coupled with a downhill or uphill lie. So it doesn't really matter about the lie angle or the length of the shaft. Sometimes it will be perfectly suited to the shot while at other times it may not. The only time a custom fitted club will be superior to a standard off the shelf one would be if the player and ball are standing on a perfectly horizontal surface (not forgetting also having a good consistent swing technique). Obviously , shaft flexes may play a bigger part to play in customer fitting , especially if you like playing with graphites. Personally, I think we will always need to adjust our posture and setup to try and accommodate the lie of the ball. And if 'setup determines motion' , then we have to be experts in adjusting slight changes to hit the ball from an infinite number of potential ball positions. No wonder golf is one of the hardest games to master.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

No recovery was necessary because of two things.
1. I couldn't do it.
2. I have very durable hands and wrists and didn't hurt myself from hitting 6 inches behind the ball every time.
;-)

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

"Around like a baseball bat"?
Not at anything above Pony League facing anything above an 85mph fastball.
The butt end of the bat is driven toward the ball from the top. The butt end of the golf club falls toward the toe line in golf. Anybody that tries to swing the barrel of the bat around from the top will never hit a fastball.
The only real difference is that since the ball is not on the ground in baseball gravity is of no, or little, help and the ideal impact position in baseball has the forward arm in line with the bat, and in golf gravity takes the forward arm down and the prefect impact position is for the left arm to be more vertical at impact while the shaft is in line with the right forearm. Gravity along with the superior mechanics of the arms coming down is also why it's much easier to hit a low fastball than a high fastball.
Few of us can get the left arm close to vertical at impact in golf (especially me) but we still need that drop into the slot after the bump as our first path with the arms. How long we have the discipline to let it fall straight down depends on how good we are.
DJ's left arm goes pretty much straight down the whole way. Most of us will never be able to do that, especially with the longer clubs.

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

I remember a couple weeks or so back it being mentioned that we would be off of DISQ by now. I wonder how that's coming along. Must be some snags with the new system they're going to use. I'm one of those who's always comfortable with the old ways and dislike new changes, until I get used to them and then wouldn't go back for anything. I remember when I first tried Chrome and Firefox not much liking them. Now, I don't know why anyone would prefer IE to either. I hope our new system turns out the same way. I think the comfort with the old gets more prominent and change more abhorred as I age. Probably just that old fear and laziness of having to learn the new.

Gerald Gaughan's picture

Submitted by Gerald Gaughan (not verified) on

Not bad Mr Meade. I agree on the one thing - it is tough to have a good short game with no practice. I used to play the twlight on Sundays at Maple Lane and would get a ton of practice - putting, chipping, pitching, playing 2-3 balls every hole if no one behind me. But lack of time + heel spur has kind of kept me from going. At Tanglewood on Saturday shot 44-47=91. Like the guy from the last blog - the driver is killing me, cost me 8-10 shots easy. The rough was lush - any shot there was like a shot penalty. The putting another story. Tanglewood has hugh greens, and pretty fast. No three putts, six one putts. Jack Moore's method has worked great for me. Get well soon, and I agree on the hurricane - just a little rain and wind please Lord.
Jerry - Warren,MI

Dragonhead's picture

Submitted by Dragonhead (not verified) on

Mike, Found my friends from Tennessee and Kentucky [in the USAF], more than made up for their hillbilly upbringings. Smart as a carrot in all common-sense areas. One only spoke about 3 words a fortnight [we used to jokingly say], but boy when he did, you sure as hell listened. Give me mountain music over the present rapcrap! You read the text and watch the video, like I do. Again common-sense, just in case we miss something important, we can confirm it. Keep on swinging in Kentucky.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

I think your theory is exactly right about why almost none us us can return the hands at impact to where they were at address. With shorter clubs we can at least come close but the longer the club the higher our hands are likely to be at impact.

Of course if you take "shorter" to the extreme you will lose distance. It's why Doc and others would recommend that we tape the face of the club and hit balls choking down in small increments until we find the longest length we can control well enough to hit the sweet spot consistently. Then we can either choke down to that point every time or consider shortening our club. Very few people will find with a vertical swing that they can control a shaft longer than what is recommended on the club length to wrist to floor chart that has been posted on the blog so many times.
(For that matter most can't do it with a rotational swing either...But some can).

garysvent's picture

Submitted by garysvent (not verified) on

Great! The answer for the poor guy's question is to throw away the $400 driver he just bought. Sounds like my luck.

Too bad he didn't listen to Don a long time ago, like before he got caught up in golf's version of the "new-new-all-new!!!-longer-lower-wider" car business. Will marketers ever cease?

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

I think Doc gave a statistic a while back that the average driver length for a Tour pro was something around 44". Makes you wonder why OEM companies are selling drivers to amateurs with standard lengths of 45" and up.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Played at Moccasin Bend yesterday. Start was pretty much a disaster. Part of it pretty funny actually.
We started on the back nine so the first hole was a 200 yard par three. Normally shouldn't be much of a problem (and I did hit a few range balls, all very nice). Stepped up and hit one straight right, the worst possible place to miss, and hit a tree and it dropped down into very high rough with the tree in the way. Had to hack it out and chipped on the green. Got up on the green and saw that the greens were punched and sanded and were very bad. Two putted for a double bogie. Par on the next hole with a good sand save and sort of got my confidence back.
Made another 2 putt par and came to a par 5 along the river. Hit a very nice drive but when I got to my ball I thought the fairway and green were to the left of some woods so I hit my second shot in that direction. Mike was across the fairway and he yelled "What are you doing? The green is that way."
I had hit the ball almost in the opposite direction from where I needed to hit it and was totally blocked out from everything, and any chance.
Double bogie on that hole.
Finally got it back together on our "back nine" and shot 2 under. On those greens that was pretty good for me. The only 2 birdies I had were the two par 5s and they were a 3 foot putt and a tap in. Missed all of my other birdie putts but they were good putts so that was all I could do.
Mike only made one birdie all day but shot 1 under. Never made a bogie but 2 putted almost every green except 2 three putts he had on par 5s for par.
I'm going to try to forget everything except that I played the last five holes at 2 under. Ha ha!!!!

NeilofOz's picture

Submitted by NeilofOz (not verified) on

Robert, late reply, but my message didn't show up and I thought to myself DISQUS has done it again. Had my club fitting done by a local
guy that Greg & Lynn recommended, I actually stuffed-up and thought
Lynn's place was only a short drive from Old South, but the taxi fare was $ 500.oo, so Greg/Lynn worked out a replacement. Am looking
forward to getting my new clubs this/next week. Was amazed how much cheaper these clubs were from my originals, goes to show that
club fitting is cheaper than those fancy showrooms, so Surgites get
fitted by the Doc, save heaps and get professionally fitted as well.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

On putts that miss high at least I get the thrill of rooting for them to go in. The low ones are just a quick walk. ;-)

Dragonhead's picture

Submitted by Dragonhead (not verified) on

Hi again, had a look on TradeMe and very little of interest in the training aids. Maybe I will see if I can make one if I can't find one. Took my broken rescue club in this am for repair, boohoo! Still in mourning hahaha. Be ready by the end of the week.
Rural NZ, a lovely place to work. Near here the scenery reminds me of Auchterarder [Gleneagles]Scotland. BTW Paul Lawrie won by 4 shots yeeha! and Watney by 3 from Snedeker and 4 over Garcia [Woods T38th]. Lydia Ko 15yr old by 3 [Yani Tseng T35th], LPGA in Canada.
Roll on the Ryder Cup. Some good golf in prospect.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Just a word, for what it's worth:
About 4 years ago I gave away a driver that I hit VERY, VERY well. I thought a new driver would automatically be either just as good for me or better.

Now 4 years later the "new" driver (that I bought 4 years ago) is not, nor has ever been, even close to as good as the one I gave away.

MikefromKy Go Bama. Go Irish's picture

Submitted by MikefromKy Go B... (not verified) on

Frankly I will take properly fit set of clubs over off the shelf. The shaft length , lie angles and proper flex are a must. To get your lie angles checked and adjusted once a year is about 40.00 for 8 irons. In saying this fitted clubs will only take you so far you still need to know how to use them.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

They figured out that distance sells and the average Joe out there doesn't know that extra length doesn't do anything for them if they can't hit the sweet spot or control the shot. I heard two different guys last week talking about looking for a 48 inch driver.
Maybe it will work for them but I doubt it.
The club companies use the same ploy by constantly reducing lofts so "Joe" thinks that new 7 iron is longer than his old one. He doesn't even know that the new 7 is the loft of his old 6.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Probably most of us are like that and hate getting out of our comfort zone...And new things are out of that zone.

I had a very good boss one time that always said, "Nobody ever accomplished much without getting out of their comfort zone".
I just wish the changes would always be for the better. ;-)

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

DJ has the advantage of those really long legs and his being a little more bent over at the waist to make swinging the arms around the neck much more natural.

T Medley's picture

Submitted by T Medley (not verified) on

My misses always count the same, high, low, short or long, they all count at least one more stroke to get it in the hole. That being said I know what you mean, at least a high one and a long one have a chance, as slim as that may in fact be. We all know 100% of those not reaching the hole will miss. A miss by any other name still stinks though.

Golf Buddy's picture

Submitted by Golf Buddy on

I enjoy your daily posts. I just received your book on PPGS and have incorporated many of your techniques with good results. I have a 15 handicap and am a senior golfer (68) and a lefty, I took your advice and shortened my woods 2 inches and I am hitting them them longer and straighter,
One issue I still struggle with is allignment, If the tee box iin line with the fairway my eyes work well and i can allign myself properly. But when the tee box is severely to the left or right of the fairway, I have a terrible time alligning myself properly. This is most frustrating on the short part 3's. I guess I lose 3 to 4 strokes a round by not setting myself properly and on several holes I back off and have to restart my routine from the beginning. I "line" my balls and use that as a marker to have my self parallel to the line but my eyes give me a signal that I am way off base. In my set up routine on par 3's I have stopped looking toward the green on tee boxes that are angled so that my mental picture is focused on the ball line direction - otherwise my eyes tell me angle my body more to the right. Most of my misses are to the right of the target ( on par 3's and with my wedges).
Your technique has helped me greatly in hitting the ball straight and even once in a while a left to right draw will make an apppearance. Any further hints on allignment would be appreciated,

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

I'm having a hard time putting two and two together on that comment.
If you read the text and then listen to the video looks to me like listening to the video would take just exactly the same amount of time as watching the video......Then if you add the time it took to read the text you should be at the maximum amount of time you could spend.
What am I missing?

BTW I promise that if I was impatient enough to be counting minutes I would choose a different game.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Anybody ever run across a golf ball that has no apparent flaws but just doesn't perform?

I played this afternoon and started out with an NXT. I have played with those balls plenty of times before and they did OK. Maybe lose a yard or two of distance with a driver but barely enough to notice.

I noticed right off the bat that all of my drives were coming up about 30 yards short of where I expected them to be, but I just thought maybe I was just weaker or slower today or something like that. On the ninth hole I ended up blocked by a tree that I am always past so I decided to change to my normal Pro V1 on the back side.

From the start every drive was back to normal distance and continued that way the whole back nine.

When I got home I held the NXT under the lamp and expected to find a hairline crack or something but can't find a thing wrong with it.
Hmmm.....

MikefromKy Go Bama. Go Irish's picture

Submitted by MikefromKy Go B... (not verified) on

After round report.

Played today shot 38 - 35 hit 5 greens 8 of 14 fairways and 25 putts 3 or 4 birdies. I came away feeling that I did not play that well. I know I know but my iron play was a little sporadic if it was not for the short game and putting I would have been in the 80's easily.
The driver the last couple of rounds has came back I have been feeling like I am not swinging the club or swinging with in myself and hitting the heck out of the driver I had 1 drive today that was less than 280 the rest were pushing 290 plus.
I am trying to incorporate that feel into my iron game also and finding out that I am more likely to pure them doing so over coming out of my shoes.

My goal for the rest of the year is to get 1 round in the 60's by the end of the year. We shall see.

ADD

I played today with a gentleman and his son the dad was 80 and played really great. He was hitting his driver around 200 yards and had a great short game he played the white tees @ 5800 yards. His son told me that they played Sharon Woods last weekend and his dad shot his age on a very tough course. He was in the upper 80's today.
I hope I can play that good in 29 years

Lynn42's picture

Submitted by Lynn42 (not verified) on

I played a couple of rounds last week with a guy who can talk you to death when it comes to swing theory...lol. His swing is rotational, but less than a 90* turn and fairly upright; narrow stance and nice even tempo.
He told me I was losing at least 20 yards with my driver because I wasn't getting anything with my lower body (weight shift). He videoed 3 of my tee shots and it confirmed what he said and what I already knew. I'm not getting through to my left side and hanging back.
Not sure what the fix is, but I feel like I PLHR too much and think I may be too concerned about the pop tart rather than getting through the ball and just letting the pop tart happen.
Tried something when I got home that may help. Using a narrow stance I preload just a little and very deliberately take the driver back to the top and stop, pause 2 or 3 seconds to get the feel and just let it drop and concentrate on driving through to my left side. It feels like I'm generating more clubhead speed and getting my weight through to the left side easier. Hmmm, time will tell.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Edit.

Robert F's picture

Submitted by Robert F (not verified) on

My guess is that what you're doing at the transition is rotating your hips, rather than bumping them laterally toward the target. Early rotation of the hips before the arms have begun to fall leads to early rotation of the upper body and swinging the club out and around, rather than dropping it down and swinging through and up.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

I was thinking how weird putting is compared to any other target sport I could think of. When my rifle is perfectly sighted in, over time I will miss left exactly the same amount as I miss right.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

Thanks Surge. Your Thoughts and reminders are right on as usual.
The wife and I played this afternoon and I was reminded why I prefer dry heat.
It was was sweltering like a muggy day in the south. Didn't play particularly well as we sweeted our way walking 18 but did have one memorable shot. After a drive off the tee ended up well left (speaking of drives hit left), I found my second shot would need to be a hook around a tree that blocked my line to the hole. I had 155 direct yards to the hole but would need a bannana that would start about 40 yards wide right then curve back left to the green. Hmmnn.....
So remembering Surges teaching of how to do it (from his shaping the ball video) I set up with my 6 iron toed in left and feet aimed just so to the right. It all came off perfect and I ran out to the fairway to see the ball curving back into the green. It ended up pin high about 20 feet left of the flag. Two putts for a par and a happy boy.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

I hate it that clicking the avatar to find prior comments doesn't seem to work anymore except on most of the regular posters.
It was always a hoot to look back at any or all of the other stupid comments.

Marilyn's picture

Submitted by Marilyn on

Thanks,,,,maybe I will think about it,,,I do hit it well...just the darn head keeps moving down...maybe try and get it fix one more time...
thanks for all of your help,,

Russty Kiwi's picture

Submitted by Russty Kiwi (not verified) on

Played 9 holes this morning & managed 4 pars but still ended with a 43, so the good was good but the bad was awful. The net I got on trade me from a guy who bought it over 10 years ago, but never used it. Its a super cage mouth, by IZZO, & its a cracker. Its 12ft wide & 8ft high and you can throw anything at it. I just need the range mat now to have the back yard driving range. The practice swings are good, but you cant beat having that ball lined up to see whats really going on. You should be right for Tuesday, as the forecast looks OK . I'm hoping for 9 holes on Wednesday arvo. Our 9 hole twilight will be starting in October, after daylight saving starts . Cheers for now.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Sounds like something that might help. Good luck with it.
My problems are usually just the opposite on long holes. Too much "pop tart" too early and too much drive to my left side.
I will probably always have a little of that in my swings and will always have to work on keeping it under control, at least a little.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

Good day Surge Nation,
Played a morning 9 at muni today before work. It's cooled off a little and was like 75-80*. Hit 6 of 7 fairways averaging around 260. Works for me. Missed a few second shots and had 4 bogies and 4 pars coming into #18 a par 5 that I often birdie. Another good drive but still had about 230. Decided to just hit a nice 5 iron down the left side to leave a good angle to the hole. Hit it great but then had a 35 yard chip. Nipped it short and stubbled home with a 6. 42.
Never thrilled with 42 on the back nine but am doing alot of things right. 4 putts rimmed out or missed by fractions.

I have come up with a likelihoods on the golf course that might as well be laws or "isms"- that which just "IS".
If you think you might hit a shot long or short you will.
If you hit a putt way long you'll be way short on the next one.
Experienced one of these on my 8th hole today. Had about a 25 yard chip I needed to hit over a lush rough covered hill. Last thought was "don't hit it short". landed just short of the hilltop! From there I chipped it long, ugh!! 15 foot putt lipped out.
Know one thing for sure, I was chipping and putting better early in the season when I was practicing the short game at least twice a week and putting only two or three times a week and playing 3 or 5 times a week.
Less practice and playing really shows up from 75 yards in.
A torn supraspinatous (a rotorcuff muscle) has slowed me down temporarily.
Life goes on:)
Hoping The hurrican doesn't hit New Orleans too hard. Hold on to your hats.

Steve Smith's picture

Submitted by Steve Smith on

Hmmm. I agree with the bent over part but would bet that my legs are longer than his.
His upper body is longer than mine though.
My body was made for running...Not golf. ;-)
Sitting in a chair I'm about the height of people that are 5'11 that are sitting beside me.

Robert Meade's picture

Submitted by Robert Meade (not verified) on

T, what's your latest putter of choice? I know you likewise have tried everything! I am now convinced more than ever that the difference between going low or not is what we do from 100 yards in. It has become even more apparent now that my long game has improved. As soon as the whether cools off and as my left shoulder allows, chipping and putting practice will again be priority one.

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