# need help with my consistency



## nic113 (May 28, 2007)

hey guys, im pretty new to golf, only been playing about a month and a half but i have a pretty bad problem: i can rarely even hit the ball properly off the floor, i end up just topping it or hitting the floor in front of it. Iv had 2 lessons which have helped a bit but not much with this problem. Anyone got anything i can try to fix this?


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## Foster4 (May 2, 2007)

easiest tip is hand eye cordnation...making sure your watching the ball and focusing on it...don't let eyes wonder..make sure when you swing you stay still ...meaning don't let your body start going many directions..once you learn the basic swing you can start integrating hips shoulders etc into the swing to generate power


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## 65nlovenit (Dec 8, 2006)

One of the things you’ll usually notice about a good golfer is, he has developed a consistent range of swings. A half power swing, a three quarter and a full swing. I would suggest where your having problems getting started that the first you should do is take every club larger then a 5 iron out of your bag temporarily, leave them at home when you go to the range. When you go to the range, start off with a 7 iron. Start by developing your HALF POWER swing, draw the club back and stop it hip high. Try swinging just to make solid contact, don’t worry about how far the ball goes. Hit a couple dozen balls this way. When you start making consistently solid contact, draw the club back to just under the right arm pit. This will be your THREE QUARTER POWER swing. Again your swinging just to make solid contact, don’t worry about how far the ball goes. Hit another couple dozen balls this way. Once you can hit consistently this way, draw the club back to above shoulder high, this should be pretty close to a FULL POWER swing. Hit another couple dozen balls this way, but DO NOT swing hard, you want to develop a consistent swing, not hit the ball a country mile. The idea here is developing a swing technique. When you start to feel confident in the swing, change to the 8 iron and work your way down through the clubs to the pitching wedge. If you feel the need to compete with yourself, find an Executive-Par 3 course and play several rounds there, it will help you develop your short game, which by the way is the most important part of any golfers game. Take a couple weeks of this type of practice and your game will start to come along. Good Luck


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## indiginit (Jun 13, 2007)

great advice/post, 65er...

an idea to follow up on foster's post on coordination: try swinging one handed. several with the left, several with the right along the same lines as the routine suggested by 65nlovenit. 

making good contact with only one hand (particularly the lead hand) is really hard to do, but a great drill for developing/improving hand-eye coordination. half-swings with the lead hand would be a good place to start.

i do this drill with half swings in the living room sometimes and use a spot on the carpet for the 'ball.' i try to make consistant 'swooshes' with out any misses or thuds.


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## nic113 (May 28, 2007)

thanks guys, i played a round yesturday and fosters tip really helped, next time i go to the range ill be sure to try the other tips


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## Foster4 (May 2, 2007)

keep it up ...


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## Davethebulldog (Aug 5, 2007)

*Pre-shot routine*

Also I find it helpful if you develope a pre-shot routine. 

1) Once the ball is tee'd stand behind it and focus on hitting the ball where you want it.

2) Hit 1 or 2 practise swings from the same positon behind the tee.

3) Take your position over the tee. Dont think about the swing to much just focus

4) last point. Hit the damn ball in the hole!!!!

...........do this on all your shots whether from the tee, fairway or green!................

"club of the day. My cheapo 18 degree rescue club"


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## 300Yards (Jan 23, 2007)

Usually when you skull it or top it, it's cause your head is moving up or down in your swing. When your head moves, it makes you change your positions in your swing. The plane changes, and you may skull it or top it.

I have a few tips to help with this:

1.) Check your posture. Make sure your spine is straight, not your back.
2.)Make sure you aligned correctly with the target.
3.)Check your backswing. It should be one piece, and your head shouldn't move much, or at all.
4.)Loosen up. Let the swing happen. You don't have to squeeze the club.

If you do this, and your still having a serious problem, you can always try the plywood drill:

Get yourself a piece of plywood, some duct tape, and an iron. The plywood needs to be big enough, for you to stand on, and address a ball. Put the duct tape on the sole of your iron, so you won't scratch it. Can you see where I'm going here? Now set down a ball, and hit it off the plywood. If you can master this, then hitting it from the fairway should be no problem. The plywood will amplify your mistakes. If you hit it fat, you will know, and it'll probably hurt a bit. This is a good way keep your head still.

Your best bet though, is to get a few lessons. You'll be glad you did. This stuff really is complex when you first begin. Just keep at it, and eventually you will find something that works.


I hope that helped.. I wish you the best of luck!


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## gfl (May 8, 2007)

Keep a ball distance from the ball & the club.  
Funny....thats how I always hit the ball right. :laugh:


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## Jamin21 (Jun 7, 2007)

300Yards said:


> Your best bet though, is to get a few lessons. You'll be glad you did. This stuff really is complex when you first begin. Just keep at it, and eventually you will find something that works.


What he said! I know that when I forst took up golf years ago I was fortunate enough to get some lessons through school. Having just come back to the game after a decade or so without playing, I still have sound fundamentals underneath all the rust. If you learn the correct techniques right from the start, you'll eliminate the need to overcome any bad habbits you might pick up otherwise.

My wife has just started playing and I won't let her near a course yet. I insist that she learns a good fundamental swing first. As of today, she's had 2 lessons, and the improvement over those 2 lessons is noticable. Yesterday, we were at the range for a small bucket of balls each. And even she could tell which other players had swings that were ... "unorthodox" shall we say. 

So not only is she learning good technique, she is also understanding what makes a good technique and what doesn't. I STRONGLY recommend getting as many lessons as you can afford to learn the right things from the very beginning. It'll be an investment that, over time, will be far more valuable than any money you spend on clubs, balls, memberships or anything else.

And finally, Good Luck and stick with it!


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## Richy Young (Oct 15, 2006)

practise with out any balls, get down the range and try and clip the tee over and over and over do it three times a week build up the muscles you need to swing with power and control

simple ! dont complicate it youve only been playing a month


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## Davethebulldog (Aug 5, 2007)

Or go the gym and hit balls too


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