# I'm in over $3,000 on this and still can't hit a ball....help?



## Chipmunkslayer

So I decided to take this game up once winter started giving way to spring. I bought a cheap little $200 set at Costco and then 10 lessons @ $50 a shot at the local resort. First 4 lessons were grip, chipping, putting and pitching...had absolutely no problems with them, decided I was going to like the game, being outside, aesthetics, etc. So I went out, got custom fit, and bought the following:

Cleveland Hibore irons--900
Ping tour green dot wedges (52, 56, 60)--300
Odyssey 2 ball putter-240
Cleveland Hibore XL driver (11.5)--300
Cleveland Hibore fairway wood (3, was told by the salesperson I didn't need a 5 since I had hybrids)--200
Bag-120
Golf shoes--300
Balls--40
Lessons (pre-existing expense)--500

Lesson 5 was half swing. I "sort of" had it after class, just took some getting used to raising the club up. 6 was a recap of the 5 previous lessons just to reinforce, as well as setup. 

Then came lesson 6....I wasn't really getting the full swing thing (I tend to top the ball), so the guy told me to go to something akin to a baseball swing because I was gravitating towards it anyways. Lesson 7 was more full swing and I started to "get there". Dealt mostly with keeping my left foot down. Lesson 8 was more of the same, and by then I was up to about 75% up in the air.

At lesson 9, he decided to tell me to completely change what I was doing to go to a more traditional swing. I wasn't getting it. There was too much going on...weight shifting, wrist hinging, hip turning, club motion on an X and Y axis, trying to not chicken wing my arms...I was supposed to absorb all of this in about half an hour. By the end of the lesson I couldn't even get a ball in the air while trying my OLD swing. Worth noting that between lesson 5 and lesson 10 (and in the 2 weeks since) I've been on the range hitting -at least- 2 large buckets a day, every day, no exceptions - some days up to 6. Rain, wind, cold, tendonitis in one of my fingers, doesn't matter. So add:

Range balls--500 (conservatively)

To my total. I spent 4 days after the lesson trying to figure out this new swing on my own and never got a single ball in the air, even by accident. I then spent the next 2 days just trying to remember how to do my old swing. Lesson 10 was being handed a cart, a scorecard, and a tee time and going out and playing 18 (shot 100 even, using old swing). Afterwards, took a week and a half off to heal the tendonitis in my finger, which was causing serious wrist pain at that point.

Somewhere along that week and a half off, I've completely forgotten how to swing I guess, because my last 3 trips to the range have yielded about a 10% loft rate. 

Bottom line here is I'm force committed to learning this game at this point; I've spent too much. And since I'm over 3 grand into it, I'm pretty much at my limit of expense. I didn't anticipate sinking the equivalent to 3 mortgage payments into just getting STARTED.

*And for this massive investment, I still can't even hit a damn ball, let alone be halfway respectable on a course.* I can't buy anymore lessons--I wouldn't even if I could. Doesn't matter how many times or ways someone tells me "don't try to hit the ball" or "don't try to push your swing" or the like, my head is going to have a hard time accepting it and since I obviously don't even have proper form it doesn't matter anyways.

What resources are out there I can use to try and figure this out? What training aids work? I was looking at something called a Medicus but it doesn't say if it will teach a person a swing--just implies it can teach an improved swing. Since I don't have a swing at all right now, improving nothing is...nothing. If there's a tool that can get me a swing, I'll buy...but I'm done paying people to "coach" me, it's a waste.

I'm at my rope's end here. I'm not looking to be Tiger Woods here, I just wanna be able to go out and have some fun. And skidding a ball 20 feet along the ground and knocking out some poor chipmunk isn't it. I just want the damn ball to go in the air. I don't need to even work on direction since I naturally hit pretty straight.

L'il help here?


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## stevel1017

Welcome to golf. one of the most fun and frustrating games there is.
With out seeing your swing, it would be hard for us to diagnose what the problem is, but I have usually found the when people are topping the ball, and not getting it in the air, they are scooping, trying to help the ball up.
You can not scoop the ball into the air (the ground gets in the way). Golf is a game of opposites, to get the ball to go up, you have to hit down on the back of the ball. You must hit the little ball (the golf ball) before the big ball (the earth), When you hit down on the ball, the loft of the club will get the ball up.


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## stevel1017

Also see here
topping


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## Chipmunkslayer

Much appreciated replies.

I've actually got a pretty good idea of where I'm going wrong. My downswing places the club head about 3-4 inches further out from my body than where it was when the club was at rest (I can actually put a ball just outside where my ball is and hit that placed ball while leaving the main ball alone). I'm moving my arms in a way that is getting the club funky on the downswing. I'm sure I've got some posture issues that are resulting in me standing up a bit on backswing. I know I don't try to scoop it. I -do- try to cream the ball, which I know I'm not supposed to do, but my mind is going to have a hard time accepting that until I get some form.

The problem is I don't know how to correct them, and it's obvious some guy with a tan and a polo shirt isn't going to be of help at a reasonable cost. The swing I had, while ugly and improper and costing me distance, was mildly functional just due to the sheer power I swing the club with (I'm in the high 90's on my irons, 110-115 on the driver). It obviously wasn't proper though.

If I have to start over and learn a proper swing, I might as well start over and learn a proper swing. So I need a tool, a resource or something that will construct a proper swing for me.


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## stevel1017

I have the Medicus, and love it, but I had been playing for a while before I got it. Anyway you could post a video of your swing on youtube or some place like that so we could see?


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## stevel1017

I have also taught my wife to golf, and I suggest that you try 3/4 swings and see if you make good contact then.
Also get a copy of Hogan's Five Lessons, The modern fundementals of golf.


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## white_tiger_137

And 100 is not that bad for your first time out.


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## Chipmunkslayer

Thank you for the book reference, I will definitely buy it. I went to that Medicus site to try and see if maybe there was some info there I missed and saw it had a 60 day return policy. Originally I thought I'd just buy one on Ebay for 80 bucks, but went ahead and paid to have them send me a driver and 5 iron directly...worst that happens is it's too advanced for me and I send them back. My "normal" swing actually IS a 3/4 swing. I'm not very flexible. I have a short backswing and then just power the club on the downswing. I don't take any advantage of leverage, sadly.

On the issue of 100...it might not be bad for a first time out, but that score was due to 2 big factors: I'm naturally a pretty good putter (I've played a lot of putt putt hehe) and, contrary to golf logic, my best & most reliable club is my driver - which I've been told was supposed to be the -toughest- club in the bag to hit. I'm routinely firing it 250 with my driver (and according to the impact tape, am still hitting the ball wrong) and shot one off about 310. It always goes straight and I'm happy with that. I'm not so picky that I really care if I can make it hook to get around obstacles. I figure it has to do with the fact that the ball is teed up fairly high at that point. I never putted more than 3 on any hole. I -did-, however, have a number of holes where it was shoot/move the golf cart up 15 feet/shoot/move the golf cart up 15 feet (repeat)


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## Foster4

High expectations for your first time ....I mean say i never played basketball ever! and then i played MJ 1 on 1 ...What i'm trying to say is don't expect to much...And something i read recently "Don't get mad, you have never been any good anyways", That means just go out and have fun. Even when you play well your still gonna think you could of done better its a never ending cycle. All you can do is practice work hard and things will fall into place.


Just a tip: Since i see this alot in bad golfers, They try to kill the ball and end up just swinging out of there shoes. So relax take short calm swings and let the club do the work.


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## Chipmunkslayer

Naw, my expectations were more along the lines of realizing that I had, in the span of a little more than a month (assuming there are 70 balls in a large bucket), hit over six THOUSAND golf balls and should have been able to get a ball airborne consistently by now. I understand the old "if at first you don't succeed" addage, but I'm pretty sure there weren't 6 thousand "try's" in the saying.

I guess all I'm saying is if the best I can do is shoot 100, then I'm fine shooting 100. But I want it to be because of reasons other than not being able to perform the basic tenement of the game: Getting the ball airborne. My instructor took the opinion that I should just tee the ball up every shot...and that would accomplish (for the most part) what I want. But I want to play within the rules as well.

If I can't learn to gauge distance, or don't learn how to lob shot, or start to hook a ball or any of the other million things that go wrong in a round of golf...I can live with that, so long as the ball is traveling more than 15 feet along the ground (except on a putt or chip). At least I'll be out there. I don't feel I belong on a course if I can't launch a ball, though.


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## bjterry62

"Naw, my expectations were more along the lines of realizing that I had, in the span of a little more than a month (assuming there are 70 balls in a large bucket), hit over six THOUSAND golf balls"

HOLY CRAP!! I don't think I've EVER hit that many balls in a month!!!

One thing to remember, hitting golf balls the wrong way only builds bad habits. I have my doubts about your instructor. How many days did he have you hitting balls with the half swing? Also, do you feel you are still making a similar motion when making a full swing. 

The fact that you're able to hit a ball 4" outside of you address position means you are standing WAY too close to the ball. There are far too many variables in the golf swing for anyone here to give you any tips without seeing you swing. My recommmendation is to do a little more research on instructors in your area. Talk to some of the better golfers where you play and see if they know of a pro that has a proven track record. Once you find one, you should see better results. One thing I'll say for you, you have persistance! That many range balls with little success would make most people give up the game. Once you get on track with the proper swing mechanics, you should see better results fairly quickly. 

About working the ball, don't worry about that until you get you swing established. Attempting to learn to work the ball while you're learning to swing correctly can have an adverse effect.

Let us know how things work out.

BT


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## Foster4

it'll take longer then a month to get it airborne i would say...Instead of hitting so many balls i would just relax some. Go to another golf professional and take lessons from several different teachers...Golf is all about learning new stuff so the more you learn from the professionals the more you will develop a sense of the golf swing and while yoru seeing alot of different ones, and you can remember which one you like the best and go from there.


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## shivas irons

*Learning how to learn*

I have a friend/business partner now who was a Top 100 PGA instructor. His students have been First Team All Americans, USGA junior champs, Ryder Cup members, and one student was a guy who *shot a 58* in a professional tour event. 

I say this since what I'm about to say comes from him and sounds like a paradox. He teaches people how to find "their" swing. Not teach them a specific technique! He believes in unlearning. Getting the garbage that clutters players' minds out and, in his wise words, allowing the *inner artist* to show up.

It was because of this philosophy he and I shared, (I designed a proprietary mental game program) that drew us together to change the way people learn this great game. Most golfers are so full of concepts and swing thoughts they can barely turn on a radio let alone make a flowing golf swing.

The original poster in this thread is not unique. We all hit that place at some point. Yet fortunately for him it's in the beginning. Stop! Take a deep breath and reflect on your natural abilities. Certainly there is much to learn in the game yet the game IS NOT difficult when understood properly. Use your left and right brain to learn and you will take quantum leaps in your skill integration AND joy.

In my humble opinion, however biased it may be, golf instruction without mental training is next to useless. After all it is your mind that makes you swing. It is your mind that directs your attention to the hole when putting. It is your mind that generates inner confidence, or not. My friend the pro and I believe the game should be built from the ground up. 

If you're building a house would you EVER consider just grabbing a hammer and some nails and flail away and hope to build the house you want? Of course not. You'd have blueprints. A plan. The same goes for your golf swing/game.

Our golf learning retreats will change the way people experience at this amazing game.

My apologies if this post seems out of context to the original thread yet I don't post in forums and this thread got my attention enough to respond.

In summary I would highly encourage you, "chipmunk", find out what your learning style is. If you don't know what this is then that's reason enough to spend some time finding out. If you match your innate learning strategy to your instruction you'll absorb things 10 times faster. Don't do what 99% of golfers do and simply find the nearest pro with the assumption their instruction is as good as the next and you need only "learn" what they show you. You're opening the door to frustration. The instructor should match YOU, not the other way around.

Rote learning is a killer. Simply look back to your school days. How much did the avaerage person get from school? Not much I think we can agree. Yet if the instructors knew how to teach according to each person's learning style...well who knows what we are capable of...

Learn how to learn first, then you can almost teach yourself. I play to a 4 handicap and never took a lesson. Not even from my pro friend. Only because I understood how to use my mind effectively. Is my swing flawless? Of course not. Quirks and all I'll take them over trying to mold my body to do something that is wholly un-natural. In my view Trevino has a beautiful swing...if we could all hit it like that!

Wade Pearse
Golf Mental Game
Mental Game Blog


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## golfermatt91

maybe try a different teacher... that could be a problem how your being taught.

2. you dont need to hit that many range balls... Go to the range get 1 small or medium bucket and work on 1 or 2 things max a time and then go over to the short game. (you dont need to go every day either)

3. A good way to learn is to get on the course... go somewhere where its cheaper so you can get lots of practice on the course.

4. Make sure your equipment is set to your needs. (shaft, lie, grip, etc...)


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## cbwheeler

Ack, too many lessons and not enough time to learn. What happens is you get overloaded with so much, that your body simply can't do what you want it to. It's best to focus on one or two things at a time, spend a week on that, then come back once you have successfully learned that.

Golf is very hard sport to learn. It's almost impossible to go into any type of accelerated program unless you have a LOT of time, a very good teacher and a very good student.

Understand this:
Learning the golf swing is NOT about hitting hundreds of golf balls. It's about learning swing positions and swing movements. If you can get your body into the proper positions, all you need to do is link them together with the proper movements. This is NOT accomplished by hitting golf balls. It's accomplished by simply performing the moves. Once you have learned them, then you can hit golf balls. It's very hard to learn positions and movements when trying to hit a golf ball at the same time. It's too much all at once.

This might seem stupid to some people, but I promise you it works wonders. If I were you, I'd cut your losses and try doing some research yourself. It will make you more self-sufficient. Once you have a good swing base and short game base, then go see a pro.


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## Chipmunkslayer

Thanks, but I'm done giving money to guys with tans, polo shirts and wide smiles so that they can provide me with supposedly esoteric insight into the game and its mechanics. That's just sending good money after bad. The guy I paid was supposedly one of the best. The one wild card to this whole thing is that I've talked to a lot of different golf pros, golf shop guys, even a former PGA pro that's presently selling custom made clubs from some boutique outfit in Idaho. The one constant? Every last one of them is telling me to do something different from all the others. 

This tells me two things. 1 is that there is no one right way to swing a club and 2 is that none of these guys are going to get me the form to hit a ball.

I ordered the Medicus 5 iron and driver and a DVD package yesterday--got a shipping confirmation today. Ordered the book referenced in page 1 of this thread. Should have that next week. If those can't get me off and running then it's a lost cause as far as I'm concerned. No more paying for the golfing equivalent of a "life coach", however. I understand the physics involved. I've heard what they say I am supposed to be doing. Bottom line is watching them and listening to them isn't translating into my body doing what I'm seeing. Feels like I am, but I'm clearly not. They can't help with this.


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## bjterry62

Chipmunkslayer - 

If you really want to learn to play, then you can learn to play. There is no need to settle for a 100 because you can do better. From your posts, I gather you learn better from someone who speaks plain english instead of TechnoBS. If you are willing to post some videos of your swing somewhere, I will do my best to help you out. Odds are it won't happen fast, but it won't cost you anything either (except maybe range balls, but not 6000!!). There are simple drills that you can do at home to teach yourself how to swing the club. Many of these I've done inside my house (as long as the ceiling is high enough). I worked for a long time grooving my swing and never had a formal lesson. I'm not gonna say it's easy, just that it can be done. If your interested, send me a PM and we'll get things rolling.

BT


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## Chipmunkslayer

I don't have a camcorder, and I think I'd probably have a hard time justifying the expense to my wife given the fact that we usually only allow ourselves discretionary spending of a thousand a month each so as to maximize savings/retirement fund. And I have pretty much obliterated that 2 months running now (not all the golf clubs, but a large chunk)

The Medicus guys did a followup call to me yesterday and swore up and down their little gizmo would get me in line, even as a guy who is essentially without a swing. We shall see; I've got 2 months to give it a go with it before I can't give it back if it doesn't work, I guess. Not real fond on all the upselling they do, though. What're ya gonna do though, eh?

I don't think 100 would be my cap, though...was just using it as an analogy. I'm already a really solid putter, the whole chipping thing is pretty much cake...so I have a short game. Even without using hips or legs or body coiling at all I'm generating 100ish mph club head speeds on my irons and well beyond that on my driver so I'll have distance. I'm just one-stepping it is all. I'll ponder optimum scores some other time. For now I'd just like to be able to play, heh.


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## cbwheeler

If you're swinging that hard with your irons, I don't see how you can be consistent. Most pros don't break 100 mph even on a long iron swing. I swing a 6-iron 92mph and that's pretty high for most golfers. That 92 mph swing yields a consistent 200 yard 6-iron yardage.

I've never had my driver swing clocked, but I'd say its 115 mph or so, enough for an x-stiff. I don't swing hard at all, on any club, including my driver. If I swung hard, I'd maybe get another 10 yards, but that's entirely not worth it for how inconsistent that swing ends up being.

Remember, you don't have to swing hard to hit the ball far. Golf is about accuracy, precision, not hitting the ball as far as possible.


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## golfermatt91

well said... It took me a year to relize that and now im hitting straighter farther higher shots


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## cbwheeler

It takes some people a lot longer. I just got it through one of my students heads to focus on pure contact. He's probably shooting 5 shots better per 9 now. Keep that mentality Matt.


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## bjterry62

"Even without using hips or legs or body coiling at all I'm generating 100ish mph club head speeds on my irons and well beyond that on my driver so I'll have distance."

I'm beginning to get a little nervous here. No hips, no legs, no body! Just using arms alone is not a golf swing. You can swing a fork to your mouth using only your arms, but never swing a golf club with only your arms. And if you're up to 100mph, something is gonna fly apart pretty soon.

BT


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## Jack C.

Chipmunkslayer said:


> At lesson 9, he decided to tell me to completely change what I was doing to go to a more traditional swing. I wasn't getting it. There was too much going on...weight shifting, wrist hinging, hip turning, club motion on an X and Y axis, trying to not chicken wing my arms...I was supposed to absorb all of this in about half an hour.


That's your problem right there. It can easily take a year to "learn" all that stuff, and a lifetime to master it. You gave it a week or two. You're really sabotaging yourself by stopping lessons and going back to your old swing at this point. Go to a different pro - your guy is way too expensive and he's just confusing you anyway. Try every guy in your area until you find one who is actually helping you, then stick with the lessons. Sell all those fancy clubs on Ebay and go back to your $200 set of clubs if it's a money issue.

Also, when hitting range balls, it's important that you don't just bang them out one-after-another until the bucket is empty. If you screw up a shot, stop and think for a moment - what did I do wrong? How can I correct that? Then and only then do you bend down and tee another one up. Try your fix for about 5 shots (remembering what you were taught by your instructor). If that has no effect, stop and think about what else you can try. You should eventually stumble across something that causes you to get the ball airborne. Practice time is all about thinking, making small modifications, then when you find what works, ingraining it into your mind and body with repetition.


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## 300Yards

Chipmunkslayer said:


> I don't think 100 would be my cap, though...was just using it as an analogy. I'm already a really solid putter, the whole chipping thing is pretty much cake...so I have a short game. * Even without using hips or legs or body coiling at all I'm generating 100ish mph club head speeds on my irons and well beyond that on my driver so I'll have distance.* I'm just one-stepping it is all. I'll ponder optimum scores some other time. For now I'd just like to be able to play, heh.


Are you sure? No hip action,or body coil at all? I bet if you recorded your swing, you would see there is some hip action, and rotation. I can hit 90 mph or more, with any given iron, but that's because of the immense weight shift, and body coil I have. You aren't going to acheive that, without those factors. It is humanly impossible.


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## white_tiger_137

Just taking a shot in the dark here, but are you falling forward on your follow through? Assuming your setup isn't absolutely terrible, there's no other way you could hit a ball 4 inches away from where you set up. If you are falling off balance, you're probably swinging too hard.


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## tkessel

I'm in the "find another pro" group.

I think you have been poorly advised, and are trying to do too much too quick: ie, the number of range balls hit.

I've only had 4 lessons, over the period of a year. That's probably too slow a pace (It's actually slower than I wish it were.), but it gives me plenty of time to work on the two tips and suggestions I walk away with after a lesson. (My pro is Bob Brokaw, in Ohio. He's not only played well, but coached high school and college golf teams/players, so he knows how to teach.)

I'd hesitate to get rid of the expensive gear for a while: you may want it back!

Although I'm playing and hitting better than when I started, I've got a long way to go.


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## lefecious

I think the most important thing that's missing from your golf game is patience.

It sounds like you expected to have this golf thing figured out very quickly, hence the insane number of range balls you hit. But golf is about the journey, not the destination. Ask any of the experienced golfers on this forum and I bet none of them are finished working on their game.

If you're serious about this game then you'll spend the rest of your life tweaking and adjusting little things trying to improve. I would just say focus on one thing at a time until you've got it down, then move on to the next thing.

And on a side note: 100 is excellent for your first time playing. I've been playing sporadically for 2 years and still can't even come close to 100. I've only recently gotten serious about trying to improve my swing though. I was kind of impartial to golf until about 3 weeks ago.


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## mkoreiwo

Chipmunk.... If you let people know where you are, they may be able to recommend some teachers that may be able to help. If golf were so simple there would be only one way to do it. Fact is there are as many different "theories" on the swing out there that you can drive yourself nuts trying to digest them all - since many are contradictory!!

I really think all the information out there can be poison for someone learning the game. If you _can_ find a good teacher who you click with, that is where i would start. I recently found someone who is close by me and really was able to communicate with me effectively. I won't be looking any further for instruction when I fell I need a lesson.

Too much practice where you may be hitting the ball poorly can ingrain bad swing habits that will be a bear to "unlearn". When you go play, you may simply revert back to what you have trained yourself to do, and that just undoes all the good a lesson may have accomplished. I have to spend more time than I'd like reminding myself on the course to pay attention to what I _should_ be doing as opposed to what my habits have made me do.

Golf can be wonderfully addictive, even if you can't break 90.... Hang in there, and as others have said - be patient, it'll get better.


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## cbwheeler

Here's what I'd recommend if all else is failing. Grab a wedge and focus on turning back and through with your chest. Only use your arms to get the club to the ball. Take half length swings, even pitch shots. What's this do? Promotes a good move away from the ball, good contact, good tempo, and also helps with your short game.

This is what I do with a lot of my students when they're struggling and even myself when I'm striking the ball poorly. It may not fix things completely, but it helps quite a bit to hit solid shot after solid shot. Start low, then work your way up.


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## mstram

cbwheeler said:


> Here's what I'd recommend if all else is failing. Grab a wedge and focus on turning back and through with your chest. Only use your arms to get the club to the ball.


Hi Cody, and greetings to everyone else,

Cody, never mind "if all else fails", I think that's the best way to initially learn the swing. 

"Turn back, turn through, *let* the club swing", is what I used for both my sister who had never played and my 75 year old mother also golf-beginner. Both of them were hitting "air borne" "real" golf shots a few minutes after practicing that motion.

And WITHOUT a golf ball initially.

Conversely I see the worst looking "swings" from rank beginners whose first swing is (usually with a rented/borrowed DRIVER) AT a golf ball. Right off the bat they are "ball bound" and have a "hit instinct", that many never recover from.

Instead of learning and acquiring the mental image of "tilted" hula hoop (swing plane) where the club is whirling freely on that path... and the body just supports that action, by being "ball bound", a beginner will have no idea of what the clubhead is doing or the path it is following, as their hands just attack the ball ... probably on a different path for every shot.

This sounds to me what Mr. ChipMunkSlayer has done and is repeately practicing, "ball boundnes", and a hitting action more than a swing that is dominated by his right hand "hit".

While there are certainly "hitters" and "swingers", I think for a beginner, learning to LET the club swing and feeling the pendulum / centrifugal force is the most important fundamental. 

Even if they only start off hitting a 7 iron 80-100 yards with a 'powder puff' action, I think it's much better to learn to "swing" before "hitting", and see that "golf shot" parabola trajectory as soon as possible.

Then when they are gaining experience with balanced swings / good contact, it's easy to add in the idea of more "pace" will produce more power, as long as their hands and arms are relaxed enough to allow the release to happen.

After awhile they may feel they are "hitting" more than "swinging", but if they are still in balance and getting good results, at that point I don't think it matter much whether a golfer is thinking of "hitting the ball" or "swinging the club".

Mike


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## mstram

Chipmunkslayer said:


> I -do- try to cream the ball, which I know I'm not supposed to do, but my mind is going to have a hard time accepting that until I get some form.


Well, quite frankly, you may never 'get some form', if you persist with the idea of "full throttle" every time.

A good drill to learn tempo / rhythm .. timing, i.e. all the "good stuff", is deliberately hit shots with a club with the intention of achieveing 50% or less of the normal distance, while still striking the ball squarely and getting a proper trajectory.

To do that, you have to "ramp down" your overall pace, almost swinging in slow motion, or how a baseball pitcher would throw "change up". I.e. the overall swing / throw looks the same with out the "snap" .. or as much of it ..at the bottom of the swing.

It sounds to me like your hands and especially your right hand is dominating your motion. With the ball teed up for your driver, your apparently good hand-eye coord is letting you get away with a less than precise swing path.

When the ball is on the ground though, it's important to have the right hand be more a "reactor" than an "initator". The left side of your body has to play an equal part in the swing as your right side.

I recommend that you take a look at Paul Wilson's "Swing Machine" concept, which is based on the simple idea of 

Perfect Golf Swing Instruction with Iron Byron

turning the torso on a constant spine angle which then propels the arms/hands/club. I.e the opposiste of what you are doing. Once you get the idea of the role of the body to stabilize the swing, then you can experiment with more of a "hands driven" motion if that is more comfortable.

"Hand-arm swing causing the body to turn" or "body turn causing the arms to swing" is an endless debate among golfers, but IMO both work and actually the distinction can get quite blurry. Overdoing one way or the other can lead to problems in the swing, if all the supporting elements aren't in place. I.e. a body driven arm swing, combined with a very tight grip and no release is not going to yield very pretty shots, nor is a hand driven motion where the legs and body are extremely stiff or very unstable (the latter being the origin of the classic "keep your 'head' down) .. which really should be re-phrased as "maintain your spine angle !"

Mike


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## Chipmunkslayer

Just an update on this whole thing. I went ahead and ordered the Medicus 5 iron and driver. Those things work -wonders-. I mean, I'm not exactly shooting 70 or anything, but the clubs and DVD's really did a great job of at least getting me the beginning of a swing.

I think it'd probably work better if I had all the accessories that the DVD is demonstrating with, but seems kinda silly to spend that much money on a rubber ball, what appears to be a pillow, and the like.


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## stevel1017

Glad they are helping!


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## lfc1394

Reading through this post, it seems like the golf pro you went to was a bit of a con man. When I first started playing the game I went to a similar kind of guy, basically he wanted me to come back for a lesson every week. After speaking to people who played the game, they all pretty much said you should have no more than one lesson every 3 weeks, as there is no chance of you practicing and learning what you have been taught. The good thing is you are getting on well with the training aids. It will be worth trying a different pro in the near future, good luck.


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## Foster4

umm yea lesson every week if your going to work is fine but if not then no need


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## Watch this

3 grand just to get started? Does that include green fees? Dude, I think you may have jumped the gun. 2-3 irons, driver and a putter is all you really need your first year, spend the rest of the money on jumbo pails at the the local practice facility.


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