Jason Whitehill
Q. All my divots go across my target line resulting in sliced or shanked shots. How can I correct it?
A. Usually in this case, the golfer leaves his or her weight on the front foot and then during the forward swing, the weight reverses allowing the arms and hands to come over the top therefore creating an outside the line swing. Work on feeling your hips turning slightly in your back swing and feel 90% of your weight gathering on the inside edge of your right foot. With the weight and power gathered in the right leg, work on a leg and hip initiation of the forward move and allow the club to drop into the slot. You will feel your right elbow close to your right hip at impact and that is where it is supposed to be. When working on this move it is important to swing slowly until you can actually see the club swinging on an inside to the line and then back inside motion.
Q. I keep wearing out the palm of my glove right where the butt of the club rests. Is there a cure?
A. You are probably holding the club too long as there should be a quarter of an inch of the club extending past the fleshy part of your palm. Move your hand down a little and concentrate on maintaining even pressure with the last three fingers throughout your swing. That should help your glove problem and unfortunately also affect your golf professional’s glove sales.
Q. I am hitting the ball solidly but it is flying higher than usual and I have lost a lot of distance.
A. I would bet that you are not using your lower body efficiently and that you are flat-footed at impact. Many players including low handicappers get trapped into this move and don’t feel it as they finish with the weight on the front foot and are in a balanced good finish position. However, we find this problem usually using video playback and seeing that the rear foot is still flat on the ground at impact. The legs and hips should initiate the forward motion and the right knee (right-handed players) should be ahead of the ball at impact. If you work on your leg drive, the ball will go lower and you should regain the distance.
Q. I have arthritis in my knuckles and have trouble holding on to the club. Is there a solution?
A. Yes, there are grips on the market that over oversized specifically for this problem. They fit standard clubs (men’s and women’s) and although they may slow the club head speed down slightly, that is a lot better than losing control of the club.
Q. There is one hole on the course which bugs me and I usually hit my tee shot out of bounds. How do I approach it?
A. There is no law that says you have to hit your driver. If you are after low scoring, try hitting a hybrid off the tee and play for a two-putt bogey or a one-putt par. After a few rounds and your confidence returns—try that driver again.