Jason Whitehill and Peter Boyce
Q. I hit my nine degree driver well but extremely high which results in what I feel is a loss of distance. My club head speed is approximately 85 to 90 mph so I have a regular flex shaft. Any suggestions?
A. Go to an experienced club fitter or to your club’s demo day and try a shaft that is regular flex but stiffer in the tip. The stiffer the tip the less effective loft your club will have at impact. Quite often club fitters will remove a shaft and cut an inch off the tip to stiffen it slightly then adding an extension at the butt. The swing change that will help is to concentrate on the butt of the club passing the ball before the club head. This shallows the swing path and keeps the face of the club hooded more, therefore less loft at impact.
Q. I can hit great iron shots at times taking a nice shallow divot after impact but then can hit the next shot fat (ground before the ball) or thin (half of the ball). What part of my swing can create this big difference?
A. The culprit could be your left wrist at impact. The good player leans the shaft of the club toward the target at impact which retains the flying wedge which is the angle between the right wrist and the shaft. If this angle is retained, the left wrist is flat at impact and slightly bowed. A great drill is to hit some shots with the ball on a short tee and with a shorter swing with just your left hand on the club and you will learn to feel the club contacting the ball before the turf. This feel will only happen if the grip (and your hand) passes the ball before the club strikes the ball. This move is a must to become a consistent ball striker.
Q. My seven year old grandson wants to learn the game. Can we cut down some old adult clubs for him to use?
A. It would be in the junior’s best interest to use clubs that are specifically designed for the younger golfer as they are lighter and much more flexible than adults’. This allows the junior to swing the club rather than have the club swing the junior. Complete sets, including bag, are reasonably priced and you can be assured that as a trade in for a longer length set you will normally receive a credit resulting in an investment of about $20 to $50 a year which is well worth the price. Sometimes a used set is available, too!
Q. I am a beginning golfer; should I wear a glove?
A. If you asked Fred Couples or Davis Love III, they would have replied “No.” About 97% of the players on tour do wear a glove and it is there for improving the connection between the top hand and the club and not for protection. We suggest novices learn without a glove as hand placement is related to feel. Once you have developed a reasonably consistent swing, you can then add a glove to your equipment but remember the more expensive the glove, the thinner the leather is and the faster it will wear out if you have a bad hand placement.
For more help with your game contact the PebbleCreek Golf Professional Staff.