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Jay,
I've built a lot of 48" drivers for golf course play and that's kind of
an unusual result for someone hitting a long driver for the first
time...usually the high swingweight and extra length result in high slices. Most
players can't get the head to the ball in time and have the face open at impact.
Sure sounds like you are coming over the top or rolling your right hand over too
soon, or both.
If I hit a shot low left, I'm over the top and swaying my upper body
forward. Swaying the upper body forward on the downswing brings the club down on
a steeper angle reducing the loft. Over the top sends the ball left if the head
gets to the ball on time. Swing a little easier. Take the club straight back,
not inside. Slow down your backswing and transition to downswing, then
accelerate, keep your head behind the ball, aim your right arm at the
target and finish high.
What are the specs on that driver? I play a 48" driver all the time and
have found most players do OK with a club weighing 300 grams or less and a
swingweight of E0 or less...feels and plays almost like a shorter club. Unless
you are very strong, a club weighing 325 grams and swingweight of E6 is too much
to control. I hit some 48" Pings that felt like tree trunks at one of our
demo days demo last year...hit my BOM much better. Long
drivers designed for 18 holes of golf course play and long drivers made for
distance competition, or with components for shorter drivers are different
animals as far as I'm concerned.
I'm as accurate with my long driver as a shorter one. I had a bad left
knee last fall and built a 44" driver to reduce the shock on the
knee...little higher swingplane and less speed into the ball did help the
pain. I alternated the two drivers for two weeks (6 rounds) and kept
records of fairways hit, distance and score. I was off the fairway just as
many times with the shorter club, 15 yards shorter and 3 shots more on my
scores. Swing mistakes cost me the same with either club and distance lost with
the shorter club resulted in the higher score.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 10:29 PM
Subject: Re: ShopTalk: Tips for out to in
swing
This sounds like something that might help me.
About 10
months ago, someone talked me into buying a long 48" driver.... and "H e l l"
followed me.
I started/ended-up with a "low hook" that was mostly worm-burner.
Many told me that I was shutting the face down but fear that was just for
starters.
I seem to still hit my middle to short stuff fine (but
anything long) and it's like the above mentioned.
Appreciate any ideas?
Jay
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 2:02
PM
Subject: Re: ShopTalk: Tips for out to
in swing
Sadly, it seems I have an ability second to none in
the heartbreakin' bidness! So buck up, and when you speak of it, be kind
;-)
Now for the inside/outside stuff. I went through
much of what you're describing. My handicap went from 7 to 14 within a 9
month period. No distance, a lot of pull/push stuff, etc. I was hitting the
ball on the range a couple of months ago when our ass't pro yelled at me
from the proshop "Flan, you're shutting the face down." What I was doing to
compensate for the weak sclaffs was to close the clubface, which of course
made it even worse.
In desperation I went back to a lesson I had in the
early '60's. I think it was called something like "basics". Re-examine grip,
feet separation, distance from ball, ball position, hip and shoulder turn,
starting down, and so on. Then I started, with a 6 iron, a really simple
drill. With feet about 4" apart, I pulled my right foot back from the square
setup line about 6", lifted the right heel off the ground, and hit about 10
shots with half-swings, with the ball at mid-stance. Then 10 more full
swings/square stance, and back to the narrow stance, and so on. Voila! It
started to come back.
When I said it isn't possible to hit a ball inside
out from a square or open stance, I meant it. Too often what happens when a
person starts hitting weak shots to the right, or low pulls, the reason is
mostly because there's little or no lower body movement. The club is "cast"
from the top, the angle formed between the left arm and club shaft breaks
down, and a weak hit results.
One way to visualize this is to get a plate, or a
disc of some sort, and set it parallel to the intended line. Then simply
twist the plate in one direction or another and observe which way the arc of
the swing changes. It's interesting.
TFlan
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, May 07, 2006 5:33
AM
Subject: Re: ShopTalk: Tips for out
to in swing
Tom, you're breakin' my heart.... congrats on the
grandson... what am I going to do with all my spare time?? ;
))
Re: square stance... are you saying I must be open or closed to
accomplish this poor swing? Honestly... if I had a camera I'd take a
video. I don't know when this started but I swear I am square to my
line according to the video I've seen of my swing during
lessons. To make your head shake a little more... I seemed to
start doing this last year some time, at the beginning of the year my
index was 10.3 and at the end of the year it was 7.3... all the while
losing a lot of distance and accuracy with this. Lowest handicap of
my life, but it felt like the most frustrating golf year of my life.
Go figure. I was taking lessons this winter indoors to work on it
and the instructor just kept saying I'm getting away with it because I'm
athletic. I interpret that as "I can't figure out how the h*** you
are hitting the damn ball with that swing"!!
Jen
TOM
FLANAGAN wrote:
Jen, my once and only;
You may recall I had a long give and take about this
very subject a couple years ago. Briefly, the point
was this; unless you adopt a particularly awkward
stance, it's physically impossible to drive the
clubhead through the hitting zone with an inside path
with even mediocre results. As I recall, another one
of my idols, Professor Tutelman, agreed, as did
several others. Quite simply, ya can't do it from a
square stance. Nope. No can do.
TFlan
BTW: I guess it's over between us, romantically.
JanFlan and I became grandparents for the first time a
couple of weeks ago. Now, Nolan Gibson Flanagan is "He
Who Must Be Obeyed". Son Mike and his SWMBO, Missy,
finally came through! So, it's been fun. Try to
remember the good times.
--- Jen Kuntz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hey gang,
I've been fighting an out to in swing path for a
little over a year now
and having trouble with ways to practise to get rid
of it.
I tried the "inside approach" thing this winter and
it was ok but I
don't want to buy one. I've also tried just using a
couple
sticks/shafts parallel to the swing path on the
ground and trying to not
hit them. I find I keep hitting the damn inside
stick and it just
reinforces the problem instead of helping me work
through it.
Anyone have any drills they've tried that worked for
them to get rid of
this?
Thanks in advance,
Jen
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