# Shooting left and being watched



## Dryman (Sep 3, 2007)

Hi to everybody, very glad to have come across a golf forum site, as I am very new to this. I have been trying to play golf for about 10 years, but not regulary, and not at all last year. Despite spending a fair bit on lessons along the way, I still can't seem to improve much, in fact after starting to play again recently I seem to be going backwards.My main problem is hitting everything left, with My Driver it goes low and left(100yds)max, with my Irons left especially par 3's, and its even affected my putting causing me to 3 or 4 putt regularly. Funny enough with my 3 hybrid I slice horribly right, nothing I hit goes straight it seems. Its cracking me up as a lot of guys in work are just taking up the game and are better than me already, and want me to shoot with them. The only thing is my other problem is i get very nervous when people watch me play, so I have only ever played on my own and usually very early first light.
It gets so bad that if people are on the 1st tee or are waiting behind, I usually just go home, because my nerves get the better off me and I completely mess up the shot (2 air-shots off tee) last time I was being watched recently.
I love watching this game, and would just love to be able to play the game a bit , hopefully with the work guys so any help or tips would be much appreciated, my average score for 18 holes is about 118, so no danger of breaking any course records here I think.  
Cheers Dryman


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## 65nlovenit (Dec 8, 2006)

Well lets start with people watching you. I developed my own philosophy regarding people watching me on the 1st tee. What I do is assume that all those folks are hoping that I'm going to screw up so they can laugh at me. Well with that in mind, if I tee off and its a good shot, I casually bend over like I'm retrieving my tee, little do the people behind know that I'm actually mooning them. Now if I hit a bad shot, I casually bend over like I'm retrieving my tee, little do the people behind know that I'm actually mooning them. Its your shot and your game, you not there to entertain the waiting public, forget em or better still moon em. 
Now the other problem seems to be that your closing the face of your club, (the toe of the club is ahead of the heel...0\ ). Bring up Google and type in Golf Hooks, you'll find a ton of information, maybe even a video to explain and help fix the problem. 
The 3 hybrid is another problem, thats a SLICE....try Google again for a video... Good Luck
Del'


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## mstram (Jul 11, 2007)

I assume you're right handed (for the shots going left).

The #1 problem I see with "occasional" / "new" golfers when they are "spraying the ball" or hitting it all over the place or just hitting "ugly" shots, is that they are trying to "HIT THE BALL" .. or more accurately described, "hit AT the ball". 

For a right handed golfer, this usually means the golf "motion" (frankly it usually doesn't look like a "swing") is dominated by the right hand as the golfer tries to kill the ball, by trying to hit it with the club like they were using a hammer or axe or other "hitting instrument".

Now, before other golfers here, jump all over me and claim that their are "hitters" as well as "swingers", I'm going to make the claim that even a "hitter" has a degree of rythmn and timing in their motion, that means that even a motion that is more "hit" than swing, actually still has the *swing* motion as the primary motion.

Anyway, the "hit vs swing" could be a whole 'nother discussion.

From personal experience, other than a rather weak slice when I started, I never had a problem with "dub" shots, or wildly off line shots, and I believe that is because I, for whatever reason, started playing the game by *swinging* the club. 

When you truly allow the club to swing, which requires relaxed arms, shoulders, hands and wrists, the centrifugal force of the swinging motion of the club will "automagically" keep the club online. The club will also "naturally" open and close, like "a door", in response to the natural rotation of your forearms.

On the other hand, when you try to "force" the motion, and dominate your "hit" with your hands, the rotation / opening closing of the club and synchronisation with the body motion will be lost, often resulting in all kinds of mis-hits, off line shots etcetra.

Golfers who hook or pull the ball have their hand and arm motion "outracing" their body pivot, while slicers / faders / blockers, usually hold on to the club very tigthly and often "lunge" at the ball with their body, leaving the arm swing "way behind" the body.

The cure for both is a relaxed arm swing, *allowing* the arms to rotate, *allowing* the wrists to hinge, and *letting* the club swing through the ball, instead of forcing it.

When use your "practice swing" over the ball, and *let* the club swing, the game becomes much .. .much easier.

Mike


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## Dryman (Sep 3, 2007)

Thanks Del, for the advice, loved the mooning part, that should certainly boost my confidence !
Regards Pete


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## Dryman (Sep 3, 2007)

Hi Mike, I will take all your advice on board, seems like your talking a lot of sense and I will be giving this a try later on today.
thanks again 
Pete


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