I am looking for a drill to get better impact. I have having lessons over the past 12 months and have remodelled my swing. I used to line up way right of target, stand very upright, drag the club inside, over swing and hit in to my left shoulder producing a large but predictable hook. I have worked with the local pro to add width to my set up, line up parallel to the target, take the club parallel and shorten the back swing. While the swing looks fine and feels much better there has been no real improvements to the scores. I can feel myself lifting up just before impact producing inconsitent contact. Is there a drill to prevent lifting and improve contact.

Thanks

Steve

i have been told a simple drill and it seems to work and that is picture a ball a good 5 – 6 inches infront of the actual ball you are hitting it and extend out to it after imact provides a full extension of the arm and also makes you stay down longer hope that helps in your case .

Not a drill…but remember to hit a crisp shot the clubhead has to be going down at impact…

Grab a mid-short iron and take half swings focussing on the clubhead descending through the ball with the hands leading the club…continue doing this ensuring there is a divot starting just in front of the ball.

Once you can consistently do this at a half swing slowly make the swing longer until you get to the length you want, always ensuring that descending impact.

If you are doing that your body won’t be lifting.

I suffer from the same fault. Do as Toolish says, but first consider just hitting accurate divots for a time without a ball, after a specific point on the ground (i.e. marked by a tee.)

Helps to get past an aversion of hitting the ground.

Thanks for the help the pro has been telling me to hit out to the right and roll the wrist through impact. Seems like I need more work on the range with a couple of tees in the ground, one at the ball and one 5-6 inches in front and just to the right of the ball. Pratice part swings and work up to full swings with and without the ball.

Thanks for the help a bit worried about posting for the first time even though have been watching the forums for a while. But this has been frustrating me for the past 4 months or so.

Thanks

Steve

Welcome aboard Steve, it’s a friendly bunch around here. No need to worry about posting stuff, I’ve asked a bazillion stupid questions and posted almost as many dumb answers.

Look for the Dart and the Guru – they are the resident instructors and are more than happy to provide stimulating input – most of the time they ask questions to make you think through the answers rather than trying to spell everything out…

Do you tend to hit the ball thin? Flat left wrist?

Muntz thanks for the advice, look forward to participating. Flinders do tend to hit the ball thin probably every third shot or so they fly straight at the pin but 1 to 1 1/2 club lenghts short. Generally with a higher ball flight than normal. Don’t tend to have the problem with woods or long irons but mid to short irons.

Not sure about the left wrist very difficult to judge at my level but feel I could be releasing early as often worried about hiting it fat

regards

Steve

TJ.all the symtoms you give sound like a bending left wrist…

Where do you live, in person lessons are always an advantage over forum posts…

Thanks Toolish live in NQ, Townsville still working with the local pro. He is great bought my game a long way but having problems resolving this problem frustating to hit it 20 yrds past where I used to with the longer shots and still shoot 15 or 16 over par.

Regards

Steve

Welcome TJ40.

Yeah the brains trust is getting good in here. Might be out of a job soon:)

TJ40
I bought new clubs from Mark at The Willows last week and during the test/fitting session he gave me a couple of “tips” which have really stuffed my confidence. I used to do the occassional hook but now I’m blocking everything with inconsistent swings (is it the new clubs? is it the weaker grip? is it the longer takeaway? Ugggh!)

I’m not qualified to say he’s a good/bad coach but these guys should keep their thoughts to themselves unless I commit to a series of lessons to fix the poblems. Now I’m out on the range with my brand new set trying to get my old “feel” back.

When I lived in Sydney my club pro at Long Reef (Gary Chucher) helped reduce my handicap from 24 to 9 and this happened over 12 months but the main reduction came in the first 3 months. Mind you I was doing a lot of practice.

This is a frustrating game.

Try moving the ball a little further forward and the block might just disappear.

Try moving the ball a little further forward and the block might just disappear.

Oh no, another tip! What will this do to my game?

Thanks isgg. I sorted it this morning and it was all to do with alignment (as you suspected). Much better ball flight happening.

Whitedjn : I do not give “tips” haha. A tip is something that is gone the next time you try to use it….usually because the context behind it was not there.

If you see a short hint like the one above, always refer back to The Golf School articles to get the context.

In this instance Fix Your Swing Parts 1 and 2.

I am looking for a drill to get better impact. I have having lessons over the past 12 months and have remodelled my swing. I used to line up way right of target, stand very upright, drag the club inside, over swing and hit in to my left shoulder producing a large but predictable hook. I have worked with the local pro to add width to my set up, line up parallel to the target, take the club parallel and shorten the back swing. While the swing looks fine and feels much better there has been no real improvements to the scores. I can feel myself lifting up just before impact producing inconsitent contact. Is there a drill to prevent lifting and improve contact.

Thanks

Steve

Steve,

From my own experience of remodelling my swing, all I can say is be patient. I was playing off 4.2 when I started working with a pro. The following year everyone I knew was telling me to go back to my old method of swinging it, my handicap had gone out to 6 (5.5). I rang the pro to tell him I’d be stopping work with him, he told me that the scores would come, I just needed to bring my game from the range to the course. i stuck with it and dropped that year from 5.5 to 2.2! I broke par for the first time ever for 18 holes in competition then repeated the feat another couple of times before the end of the year.

As I like to say – “If you build it, it will come!”

Thanks for the advice Styles managed to get a some work on the range before my round today using the 1/2 swings and hitting to a tee just too the right and in front as suggested in the posts and hit the irons really solid. Scored 36 pts while managing to 3 putt the first 6 holes. The upside is was 3 putting for bogeys rather than doubles. Next lesson in new year so hopefully lower the handicap from 15 soon.

Thanks

Steve

I once had the pleasure to teach a group of blind golfers and to be honest, I was hesitant to do it but did it and was glad I did. Over the years, I have practiced my putting closing my eyes as well as chipping/pitching to get “feel”. Close your eyes and try hitting full shots and you will soon discover what lifting at impact is. You will have more airswings but in time after some practice, it will help you to stay down on the ball through impact.