"Hi Guru,
I'm an 18 handicap and I'm hitting the ball way too high with my driver, it goes very high and barely reaches 170 yards. I used to be hitting it around 220. I'm pretty sure I'm not popping it up too. How can I fix this?"
Carol
Quick Tips
Help: Sliding Hips & De-Lofting the Club
Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by, we got a recent question in the inbox from a reader and I thought it would be worth sharing with you all. If you got a question to ask about your swing be sure to drop us a line!
Morgan wrote:
Hi,my name is Morgan and I have come to a small problem. I have a controlled right to left ball flight. I am right handed. I am hitting my irons with not enough loft. I am taking big deep divots, but I'm not hitting the ball fat. The divot is starting in front of the ball. It seems to me that when I'm making contact with the ball the club is to delofted. I do not play with a forward press. I am not sure if my wrist are not uncocking or if I'm swinging 'at' the ball and not through it. Any help would be greatly appreciated
That's really a tough question to answer without seeing your swing. A college friend of mine had a similar problem, however he managed it quite well. He was able to de-loft his PW and hit it 190+ yards if he wanted to.
Hitting the ball too low, or with extra large divots can have many factors, I want to go over the most common ones to help start you out on the right track…
Golf Tips for Teaching your Kids
With all the life lessons golf can teach us, including honesty, integrity, perseverance, and taking each shot at a time, it's no wonder so many of us want to share the wonderful game of golf with our kids. I highly recommend you take your kids to the range when they're young, and stick a club in their hands… and let them have some fun. That being said, if you're thinking of getting them off to a good start, many golf courses host junior and kids lesson clinics. Most of these clinics follow a basic regimen of fun first, fundamentals second and a couple easy to remember tips third.
No… Don't Bend Your Knees
Keep your head down, and bend your knees! Hear it before? This is by far the worst advice anyone can offer a beginner golfer. In this post we are going to focus on the ‘bend your knees’ part of the annoying myth. First off, don’t do it! Bending your knees will promote an address position that is much more commonly seen in a restroom. Golf specific, it promotes an address position where the body is very upright, and the body weight is near your heels – more of a squat. Does this sound like a very athletic movement? I didn’t think so.
The main problem with having too much knee flexion is that the vertical movement of your arms and trunk during your swing will naturally tug on your body. This means that your entire body will move up and down with your entire swing motion. The result? Many thin and fat shots. In an ideal swing, your legs stabilize your body height by maintaining their flexion throughout the swing.
Flat vs. Upright Swing Plane
Your swing plane is dictated by the angle you create with the ground as you swing. We use two specific terms for swings planes – either flat or upright. An upright swing plane is very vertical as shown in the image – whereas the flatter swing plane is much more baseball like. Each of these swing paths encourages different ball flight patterns as well. Put bluntly, a flat swing path will cause a hook and encourage a push; while conversely, an upright swing path will cause a slice and encourage pull.
The Role of the Right Hand in the Golf Swing
I am a lefty who plays right handed. Thus you would think I’d have an advantage, but no, due to my right hand. I can hit the ball better when I place my right hand over my left (not cross-handed, just a weak grip), but, I know that isn’t a good grip or the best way to swing the club. Could you give me an idea of the true role the right hand should play, and what I can do to minimize its influence?
Tom
Stack & Tilt Swing vs. Conventional Swing
I've read countless articles regarding both swing types and I must say I'm partial to the conventional swing type. But with that said, I want to explain the fundamental differences and key benefits of each swing type. Both swing techniques can be effective respectively, but one is more designed for accuracy, while the other, distance.
4 Must-Haves For Golf Instruction
I’ve never really understood the stigma towards golf lessons and professional instruction. As a former golf teaching professional, it was often a challenge to convince players of the value of lessons. Their excuses always fell into two categories… The most common excuse used was ‘I don’t need lessons’. This excuse (generally triggered by ego) was … Read more
The 7 Steps Every Backswing Should Have: Tempo
The final element in our series of backswing essentials is all about tempo and swing pace. Interestingly, the average professionals golf swing takes a little more than a second and a half to complete from the initial takeaway from the ball to completing the finish. The backwing in particular takes less than a second, and … Read more
The 7 Steps Every Backswing Should Have: Wrist Cock
Next up in our series of backswing elements if one of the most important, and difficult parts to master – the wrist cock. During the initial parts of your backswing, your wrists do basically nothing but hang on for the ride. This part of the swing should only be your one-piece takeaway taking shape and … Read more