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Help with control!

alstott_27

Well-Known Member
Apr 1, 2008
52
0
I have been playing for a couple years now this will be my 3rd summer playing. I am striking the ball really well, hitting it flush 90% of the time. I am coming off the tee really well and my putting has improved. My biggest issue right now is "control". I used to think I wasn't setting up right and my aim was off. But I have been very strict on lining up my shot and setting myself up to my target. That has gone really well and my aiming has improved greatly. But now I set up and I am in position to hit where I want the club and ball to go. But then as I swing I am pulling the ball left or pushing it right it changes from time to time. The ball flight is great, nice and high straight no slice or hook and it feels very good coming off my club. Most of the time im hitting right in sweet spot of my irons. But I can seem to control where the ball goes. It will go straight just 20 or 30 yards sometimes more from where I want it to go. Often times causing me to miss the green and have to chip on taking away a valuable stroke. I hit 10 fairways last time I went out and only hit 1 green in reg, but I was hitting really well they where just going a bit off from where I wanted them to but it felt and looked like a truely good shot each time. Any suggestions? The only thing I can think of right now is that my left arm is coming away from my body causing me to have inconsistent ball flight!

Help!!!
 

twofast2s

Well-Known Member
Dec 30, 2006
1,292
2
since you're hitting your clubs pretty well, i'd suggest taking some time to control your tempo.

faster/quicker you try to swing, you will end up losing control, so make sure you're swinging w/in yourself and make sure you can hold your finish w/o having to stumble.

especially w/ irons, know your distances w/ each club and put a smooth swing and trust it. you get both the pull and push b/c you're trying to swing too fast. either you come OTT and pull or you get stuck and push.

also try stiffer flex. it might help the club to be more stable during impact. too soft of flex will make controlling the ball a bit harder.

another thing is alignment. are you using some kind of alignment aid? i carry 2 driveway graphite sticks from hardware stores to make sure my feet are aligned and my club face is sqaure. i don't use it all the time, but when i see my balls constantly leaking to left or right, i'm usually misaligned even though it seems that i'm all square to the target. i get those sticks out and align to it, and if my previous alignment was off, it'll seem like i'm aligned 30*or so to the left or right, even though i'm actually square to the target.

hope this helps.
 
OP
A

alstott_27

Well-Known Member
Apr 1, 2008
52
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
since you're hitting your clubs pretty well, i'd suggest taking some time to control your tempo.

faster/quicker you try to swing, you will end up losing control, so make sure you're swinging w/in yourself and make sure you can hold your finish w/o having to stumble.

especially w/ irons, know your distances w/ each club and put a smooth swing and trust it. you get both the pull and push b/c you're trying to swing too fast. either you come OTT and pull or you get stuck and push.

also try stiffer flex. it might help the club to be more stable during impact. too soft of flex will make controlling the ball a bit harder.

another thing is alignment. are you using some kind of alignment aid? i carry 2 driveway graphite sticks from hardware stores to make sure my feet are aligned and my club face is sqaure. i don't use it all the time, but when i see my balls constantly leaking to left or right, i'm usually misaligned even though it seems that i'm all square to the target. i get those sticks out and align to it, and if my previous alignment was off, it'll seem like i'm aligned 30*or so to the left or right, even though i'm actually square to the target.

hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice. I have been really working on a slow take back and keeping it smooth and slow throughout the swing. But you may be onto something because my transition from my back swing to my down swing can sometimes be a little quick and causing me to get off my swing plain. When i first started playing I would almost pause at the top and then begin my down swing and that slowed me down and helped with my control I may need to subconsciously start slowing it down.

Thanks
 

cypressperch

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2006
681
3
Toledo Bend Lake, Louisiana
Country
United States United States
Lots of stuff can bring about the results you have described.

I agree that TEMPO could be where to look first. You have to find YOUR tempo, and it has to be there in all of your shots. OK, full shots have a different tempo than pitches, chips, putts. Still, consistent tempo is a must to consistently make solid contact with accuracy.

Many people think if their feet are parallel to the target line, they are lined up. The feet are not nearly so important as the shoulders. If the shoulders are open, shots tend to go right. If the shoulders are closed, you will usually hit shots to the right.

A very common fault that hurts accuracy, is a misconception about the clubface during the swing. THE ONLY TIME THAT THE CLUBFACE IS SQUARE TO THE TARGET LINE IS AT IMPACT. The misconception is that to hit shots straight, the clubface has to be square before contact and still be square after contact. That misconception robs both accuracy and distance. As the shoulders turn back, the clubface opens as it goes back. Coming back to the ball, the turning shoulders will close the clubface until it is square at impact. The shoulders keep turning which closes the clubface immediately. This is a natural movement. Keep it natural, and it is fairly easy. Attempting to manipulate the clubface during the swing to achieve a square hit is beyond human ability because things are just happening too fast. I think you can see how important TEMPO is in all of this. If TEMPO is constantly changing, the instant the clubface is square to the target line will be constantly changing so the ball is all over the place.

This is a short list of some pretty important factors relating to accuracy of shots. A lot of problems will be solved if these factors are presently missing but are then applied. There are still many other things that are involved. Having said this, it is very, very important to NOT THINK OF ALL THESE THINGS WHEN YOU PLAY. At the range, drill yourself thoroughly to get your swing fundamentally sound. But on the course, and with some of your range practice, go through a brief pre-shot routine, address the ball, and then just swing the club smoothly from start to finish without trying to think of all the stuff you were working on. THIS IS PROBABLY THE HARDEST THING IN GOLF TO DO. But the worst thing to become is a golfer who on every shot is thinking about left arm here, shoulders here, this position half-way back, finish the back-swing, right elbow in, etc, etc, etc. This type of golfer has become so mechanical that they are doomed. Yes, there is a term "swing mechanics", but your conscious thoughts are too slow to think these mechanics. Turn the execution of the swing over to your sub-conscious which can operate almost at the speed of light if freed so that it can. All this is simplified by the simple thought: "Just do it."

Cypressperch
 
OP
A

alstott_27

Well-Known Member
Apr 1, 2008
52
0
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
thanks cypressperch I really understood your write up here and I am going to hit the range with all my adjustments and when Im on the course im just going to swing the club. Thanks
 

Adam14

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2009
39
0
Lots of stuff can bring about the results you have described.

I agree that TEMPO could be where to look first. You have to find YOUR tempo, and it has to be there in all of your shots. OK, full shots have a different tempo than pitches, chips, putts. Still, consistent tempo is a must to consistently make solid contact with accuracy.

Many people think if their feet are parallel to the target line, they are lined up. The feet are not nearly so important as the shoulders. If the shoulders are open, shots tend to go right. If the shoulders are closed, you will usually hit shots to the right.

A very common fault that hurts accuracy, is a misconception about the clubface during the swing. THE ONLY TIME THAT THE CLUBFACE IS SQUARE TO THE TARGET LINE IS AT IMPACT. The misconception is that to hit shots straight, the clubface has to be square before contact and still be square after contact. That misconception robs both accuracy and distance. As the shoulders turn back, the clubface opens as it goes back. Coming back to the ball, the turning shoulders will close the clubface until it is square at impact. The shoulders keep turning which closes the clubface immediately. This is a natural movement. Keep it natural, and it is fairly easy. Attempting to manipulate the clubface during the swing to achieve a square hit is beyond human ability because things are just happening too fast. I think you can see how important TEMPO is in all of this. If TEMPO is constantly changing, the instant the clubface is square to the target line will be constantly changing so the ball is all over the place.

This is a short list of some pretty important factors relating to accuracy of shots. A lot of problems will be solved if these factors are presently missing but are then applied. There are still many other things that are involved. Having said this, it is very, very important to NOT THINK OF ALL THESE THINGS WHEN YOU PLAY. At the range, drill yourself thoroughly to get your swing fundamentally sound. But on the course, and with some of your range practice, go through a brief pre-shot routine, address the ball, and then just swing the club smoothly from start to finish without trying to think of all the stuff you were working on. THIS IS PROBABLY THE HARDEST THING IN GOLF TO DO. But the worst thing to become is a golfer who on every shot is thinking about left arm here, shoulders here, this position half-way back, finish the back-swing, right elbow in, etc, etc, etc. This type of golfer has become so mechanical that they are doomed. Yes, there is a term "swing mechanics", but your conscious thoughts are too slow to think these mechanics. Turn the execution of the swing over to your sub-conscious which can operate almost at the speed of light if freed so that it can. All this is simplified by the simple thought: "Just do it."

Cypressperch

I think I can benefit from your insight also.....very well said! Thanks
 

cwo2lt

Mulligans-R-Us
Nov 6, 2007
422
0
Tempo is a beautiful thing. At the range a couple weeks ago I hit my tempo and could not miss. No chili dips, no skulls blocks or pushes, just nice shots straight down range. 8 iron, 6 iron, driver, I hit them all very nicely and got distance back I thought was gone forever. Everything felt so smooth and easy. I was also able to translate that to the course, hopefully I will be able to continue the trend.
 

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