Golf Lesson Diary Week 2

[DisKoDucK]

Hey everyone.

Sorry for the delay in update, but here is my week two lesson summary.
Last week my instructor had me working on trying to use my hands a little bit more as well as try to get a more inside to out swing path. He used a couple of drills that helped me get the feeling of the drills. The "back to the target" drill helped me get the feeling of wanting to slow my shoulders down a bit to club swinging from in to out as well as get my arms and hands to catch up. At least that's what I think I was supposed to feel out of that drill.

Anyways this week we continued a little bit more about swing path and club face. The first thing he did however, was note that for most of my iron shots, my ball was too far forward of my stance, and that it would be easier for me if I were to place it in the middle of my stance. I never asked him this, but my question is why do some books/ magazines talk about place it more and more forward as your club gets longer. Something so simple yet I still don't quite understand.

Anyway the rest of my lesson was pretty simple actually. He was trying to get me to hit some more shaping shots. First he got me to hit more draw shots, he put a ball about 5 feet ahead and to the right of me, and told me to have my swing path reach that ball. He then did the same thing to the left of me and had me try to pull the ball. He was trying to make me feel the difference between the two, and then how those to feelings translate to the ball flight. He then told me to hit a push fade, and a pull draw; saying that those were the two extremes I never want to do, and that I should know the feeling so I can fix it right away. He was trying to get me to feel all the different types of shots, that way when I practice on my own, I will be able to watch my ball flight and determine what I did. It felt really nice when I saw the ball do what I actually wanted it to do. The thing is, this type of control works best for me when I'm hitting driver. Because the ball is tee'd up, I don't have to worry as much about hitting the ball fat or thin, so I just focus on swing path. So I tried to make the ball do a lot of different things with pretty good success.
What I did find out though, is that when I just think, swing hard, the ball will generally fade pretty nicely for me. If I want it to slice more, I just have to think keep my hands open more.

All in all the lesson was pretty similar to last weeks, maybe adding a little bit more with the fade part. I actually liked it that way because I wasn't sure I was ready to learn another completely new feeling with only a week's practice. But I'll be ready to learn more this week.

[Adam Pettman]

Sounds like a productive lesson, I play my 5 iron further forward because I dont want to deloft the club as much and the longer club will mean that your swing is shallower and the bottom of my swing arc will inturn be moved forward. Someone will probably explain the reasons for moving the ball in a more simple way soon so dont completly take what I've written as garunteed fact

[$2 Nassau]

I don't feel there is any "correct" or "incorrect" ball position. Obviously if you play your driver off your back foot, well that might qualify as "incorrect" but aside from something drastic like that, it's all about the player's preferences, swing, etc.

If he is telling you where to play the ball, I assume he is doing it for a reason.

For me personally I play the ball a little forward in my stance for all irons...PW and shorter irons would be closer to center but still forward, and 5i, 4i etc would be a little more forward. For me, having the ball forward actually helps me hit it lower. Sounds strange, but it forces me to "get through" the ball and gets my hands out in front of the clubhead. Playing back just makes me hit down on it really steep with all my weight back, which makes the ball pop up with tons of backspin.