The OS Golfer's Thread!

[1Rose]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

No, you want to keep your ball position the same. I keep everything off the inside of the left heel and I always advise everyone who asks me to do the same. I don't have a problem with moving it a little forward for the driver though, because some people have difficulty getting through the ball and moving it even with the left foot, allows the club a little more time to get to square. Good for people that have some trouble with a fade.

Many people think that the longer the club, the farther in front the ball should be placed and that is not true.

Look at it this way. The golf swing is like a large pendulum. No matter how short/long the club, the club is still going to impact at the same position. If it's a 3 iron, the impact area isn't all of a sudden different than a PW. Like I said the only thing that should differ in a golf swing, is your distance from the ball at address which will vary depending on the club.

The only time I ever shift my ball position is if I'm trying to loft the ball quicker or keep the ball low.

[ty5oke]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

No. No. No. No.

Do NOT change your swing for different clubs! Consistency is KEY!! The ONLY difference between hitting an shot with your irons and hitting a drive is your setup at address. The only thing that should differ is your distance from the ball.

Obviously, seeing the Driver is longer anyway, this should make you stand farther away from the ball, creating a flatter plane to sweep the club across the ground through the golf ball. When hitting irons and wedges, the ball is closer to you, causing a steeper plan to hit through the ball.

Nothing in the swing should change. Just adjust your setup to the ball.

So, I should focus on swinging the same way as I do with my irons but just stand further back? It's fine to think down and through?

[1Rose]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

Yep, because standing further back will automatically flatten the plane of the swing causing you to sweep. The reason is that when you stand further away, this causes you to extend your hands away from your body, which will create a natural sweeping motion on the back swing and will set the table for the rest of the swing.

You always want to think down and through and driving through the ball no matter what club.

[rspencer86]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

No, you want to keep your ball position the same. I keep everything off the inside of the left heel and I always advise everyone who asks me to do the same. I don't have a problem with moving it a little forward for the driver though, because some people have difficulty getting through the ball and moving it even with the left foot, allows the club a little more time to get to square. Good for people that have some trouble with a fade.

Many people think that the longer the club, the farther in front the ball should be placed and that is not true.

That goes against the "textbook" method that I've read in several books. They always say inside left heel for driver, near the middle of your stance for irons.

I would think it would be harder to hit iron shots with the ball at the same position more in front of you as you use when hitting driver.

[Jr.]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

That goes against the "textbook" method that I've read in several books. They always say inside left heel for driver, near the middle of your stance for irons.

I would think it would be harder to hit iron shots with the ball at the same position more in front of you as you use when hitting driver.

This is what I do as well. Driver is set up just inside of my left heel, and most irons are more toward the middle of my stance. My wedges are back in my stance.

I might have to change up my swing though because I just can't seem to hit my irons anymore. I'll try focusing on sweeping with my irons the next I'm at the range to see if that helps.

[1Rose]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

That goes against the "textbook" method that I've read in several books. They always say inside left heel for driver, near the middle of your stance for irons.

I would think it would be harder to hit iron shots with the ball at the same position more in front of you as you use when hitting driver.

Well there is always multiple ways to do things. (Ex. Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson...)

Once again though, your ball position doesn't effect your swing, it doesn't change the plane or where the impact area is. What does that is how far you stand from the ball and where your hands are.

Sure, you can move the ball back in your stance but why?

My idea is, simplify the game. Why have extra thoughts if you don't need them? The biggest problem with amateurs is that they have too many swing thoughts. Why change your approach for every club in your bag? The game is difficult enough. Especially when doing so will give you marginally different results.

Find something and stay consistent with it. That is the key in golf, consistency and routine.\




How he is set up, is how I set up for every club in my bag. The only time that changes like I said, is if I'm trying to get the ball up quickly, or keep it low.

[speels]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

I am going to go on a different path than Rose, although in golf, what works for you is what works for you.

I okay my driver about 1" inside my left heal. This is the longest club in the bag and you need to make a sweeping swing with your driver. The longer the swing the better. Fairway woods are also swung in a more sweeping motion.

Now with irons, the shorter the iron the closer the ball is to the middle of my stance. To me this is basic physics. If I have a club that is X inches long and I place the ball at Y position in my stance, I will make Z solid contact. So, if I change the variable X then I will have to adjust variable Y in order to get the outcome Z to be the same, or I have tio change my swing and where my club contacts the ball.

So this leads to my PW being in about the middle of my stance. Also, when I swing my irons, it is more on a V swing plane that the U I hit with my woods.

Again, this is how I play and it may not work for everybody. Now I would make a suggestion to everybody that is learning golf or trying to improve, and that is get a golf magazine, such as Golf Digest, it is pretty cheap if you sign up for a year. This helps to see how to make a proper swing and also is a very cheap lesson.

I say all of this after I shot an 83 with a bad case of the shanks.

[rspencer86]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

Well there is always multiple ways to do things. (Ex. Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson...)

Agreed 100%. If you find something that works for you, forget about the "textbook" method. I was just pointing out that is a unique approach for the setup.

[1Rose]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

Totally, and another thing that I can't tell is body types which is another huge factor in the golf swing.

My advice, especially to amateurs, is to simplify the game.

I'll ask speels this, and I can already tell from how he described his opinion, but how many thoughts go through your head, even before you address the ball? It seems like alot, just by how much you are thinking about each club.

Basic physics tells us that the impact area is the same for every golf club, at the very bottom of the golf swing. Don't believe me? Take your 3 iron and your PW. Grip it with your thumb and your index and swing it back and forth. Where is the impact area? Same place for every iron.

I want everyone to experiment with this, if you want to. Here's what I want you to do.

Go through every iron in your bag. Start with your PW and go to your 3-4 iron, whichever is your last one. Place EVERY ball you hit 4-5 inches inside your left heel. Make sure your hands are even with the golf ball and hit down and through it. That's it. Don't think about anything else, and tell me the results.

[speels]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

I actually don't think that much when I golf. I look at the shot I need to play, pick the club I need to hit, picture the shot I want to make, and then make it. I have been golfing for 30+ years and have realized that if I practice enough that my swing is fluid and strong, then I don't need to think about anything when I am hitting. I do my thinking before the shot in order to give myself the best chance of making the shot I need to make.

SHot 81 yesterday, still shanked a few, but my putting was better.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

I'm also at the point where I don't really think about anything when I'm about to swing. Probably because I've been doing it since I was 6. The more in there, the worse I play. I also take it a lot less serious these days since I came to realize that you don't improve by playing on the course. You improve by working on your swing and short game on the practice range and green. Once golf feels like a chore these days, that's when I'll stop playing because it's what I do to relax. So I'm OK with being an inconsistent golfer that puts together good rounds every once in awhile.

As long as I'm here, I guess it's time for the weekly update. I shot a 41 with the only bad hole being a double on a long par 4 where I pushed my drive into the trees and lost it. It was my only truly bad swing of the day other than a botched pitch shot into a par 5 that resulted in my other 6 of the day. Not much else to write home about - the rest were 5 pars and 2 bogeys.

Oh, I almost forgot about the 6-footer for birdie that I missed. That one was a bit disappointing. I totally decelerated through the thing. Didn't trust the stroke because it was downhill with a bit of a break.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

Another question:

My driver is costing me several shots per round because I literally cannot hit the thing. Every time I hit it, it's an extreme slice that stays really low to the ground and goes maybe 150 yards tops. This is really troubling because I used to crank the hell out of my driver...constantly dead straight, good height, good distance. Somewhere in the process of changing my swing I lost it entirely. I'd blame it on yips, but I haven't hit a legitimate good drive in 2 years. I'm using a 13-degree driver...could this be my issue? I'm starting to think so, but like I said I used to be able to hit the same club quite well. I've heard that high a loft isn't good for me anyway.

EDIT: I'll (finally) have a video of my swing up later today when I go to the range.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

Well, until you can figure out how to hit the club, don't hit it. So many times I see people hit driver for the sake of hitting driver when the added distance just isn't worth the risk. I know I'm guilty of it sometimes. If anything, the higher degree loft would make the club easier to hit, so that's probably not your problem. Find the longest club you can hit consistently down the middle and stick with that. 200 yards and in or near the fairway is better than 150 and constantly finding trouble way right. No one's gonna revoke your man card, lol.

[1Rose]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

Another question:

My driver is costing me several shots per round because I literally cannot hit the thing. Every time I hit it, it's an extreme slice that stays really low to the ground and goes maybe 150 yards tops. This is really troubling because I used to crank the hell out of my driver...constantly dead straight, good height, good distance. Somewhere in the process of changing my swing I lost it entirely. I'd blame it on yips, but I haven't hit a legitimate good drive in 2 years. I'm using a 13-degree driver...could this be my issue? I'm starting to think so, but like I said I used to be able to hit the same club quite well. I've heard that high a loft isn't good for me anyway.

EDIT: I'll (finally) have a video of my swing up later today when I go to the range.

The most common cause of this is swaying. Your swaying your body towards your front foot. Causing you to hit more down on it with the club face open because your not able to release the club through the hitting area. Focus on keeping your weight shift more quiet and just turning your hips.

[rspencer86]

Re: The OS Golfer's Thread!

Couple questions for you guys:

• Do you guys ever practice with those "wiffle" or foam practice balls and just go out to your backyard or a park and hit them, or do you stick to the driving range? Reason I ask is I'm not crazy about spending $8 for a bucket of balls every time I want to work on my swing.
• Do any of you wear two gloves? I got a couple blisters on my non-gloved right hand last time out at the range. I guess if I practice more and more without the second glove the blisters will eventually stop occurring?