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**Ian Hancock** · 03-30-2006, 08:51 AM

Re: Poor contact from turf

Hi Martin,

You have touched on the difference yourself with perfect lies, also at the range you tend to hit ball after ball with the same club and become very confident with what the outcome will be...........................not so on the course, confidence is lower, one shot only from a not so clean and perfect lie.

Everyone is the same, you notice this as you get better for instance, once you reach a green for the first time that you couldn't reach before you suddenly become supremely confident the next, once you carry your drive over the trees for the first time you then start aiming for them and so on.

Now the weather is improving spend more time off grass (all the time in my case) right through until Christmas when it will be back at the range again.

There are lots of things on the course that take away you confidence, learn to deal with that and you will achieve scratch.

Hope this helps

Ian.

**Simon Woo** · 03-30-2006, 09:23 AM

Re: Poor contact from turf

One point I read before somewhere. On the mat, your feet are level with the ball. But on the course, the ball is light enough to stay level but because of your weight on the grass, you will generally sink a bit lower. So there will be a bit of height difference between hitting on the mat and on the course. How much of a difference, that I won't dare comment

Generally range balls should only have 70-80% compression, so on the course you should be seeing increased distance rather than the other way round. I believe Ian has answered probably the most important points though. Could be just a mental thing that's preventing you from hitting as confidently as in the comfort zone of the range?

**bloodredsun** · 03-30-2006, 10:23 AM

Re: Poor contact from turf

I do notice the difference in ball quality as pure strikes do go 15-20% further, that's one reason that it's so frustrating to have to club up! The weather where I am (London, UK) is also fairly bad so most of the courses have heavy lies even with "clean and place" rules in action. Not too sure about the mental side but it maybe that I am trying too hard on the course so my swing isn't as smooth as I think.

You've touched on some interesting points so they're definitely something to bear in mind so thank you both for your comments.

I was wondering whether I should be trying to sweep the ball off the turf, nip it off the turf or strike down onto the ball. To me this means adjusting the angle of attack from shallower to more vertical for those 3 swing thoughts. My natural swing plane is probably a little more downward would be preferred as I'm over 6 ft.

I guess that ultimately Ian's advice of practising off turf is the thing that I need to do. So it looks like I'm in the market for a good golf club in the South-London area with turf based driving range

**LowPost42** · 03-30-2006, 02:03 PM

Re: Poor contact from turf

Originally posted by bloodredsun

I do notice the difference in ball quality as pure strikes do go 15-20% further, that's one reason that it's so frustrating to have to club up!

I'm pretty sure I read it on these boards that a guy has 2 yardages per club: The 'perfect strike' yardage, and his average shot yardage. He plays almost every shot to his average yardage shot, and aims so that if he nuts it and gets his perfect strike yardage, he's clear of trouble. Absolutely brilliant, if you ask me, and something I've been guilty of (playing the perfectly nutted shot, then wondering why I didn't get on).

Originally posted by bloodredsun

I was wondering whether I should be trying to sweep the ball off the turf, nip it off the turf or strike down onto the ball. To me this means adjusting the angle of attack from shallower to more vertical for those 3 swing thoughts. My natural swing plane is probably a little more downward would be preferred as I'm over 6 ft.

I'm a 6 footer as well, and I've found that it's true - different swings for different things. Fairway woods and hybrids get swept (trying to avoid a divot), while everything else gets a sharp angle of attack - striking down.

Originally posted by bloodredsun

I guess that ultimately Ian's advice of practising off turf is the thing that I need to do. So it looks like I'm in the market for a good golf club in the South-London area with turf based driving range

Nothing replaces hitting off turf (except for maybe a $250 hitting mat).

**GoNavy** · 03-30-2006, 03:56 PM

Re: Poor contact from turf

If you are comparing your shots on the course to the range, then STOP doing that, most ranges, if not all ranges, miss mark the yardages, plus as said you are hitting lower compression balls, that have been hit a thousand times.

To find your yardages, take a sack full of ball to a field some where and measure off the yardages, noting the averages.

I personally do not like mats, they give a false sense of security (even fat shots are good), they are very hard on equipment. They are very hard on your body, hands, arms. I think they all need to be banned from courses. If you have been hitting from a mat for some time, you probably need to have your clubs checked for loft and lie, I am sure you have bent them out of specs by now. Sure may look like pretty fake grass on top of rubber, but most of them are also sitting on concrete under that rubber and grass. Would you intentionally go out a smack your club onto concrete, no, then why would do it just because there is some rubber and fake grass on it, makes no sense to me. Doesn't even make sense for tee shots, unless you tee your ball the exact same hieght as that little rubber thingy, then even that is not doing you any good.

**merarmou** · 03-30-2006, 04:27 PM

Re: Poor contact from turf

Originally posted by bloodredsun

Hi guys,

Here's my situation. I've been playing for about 3 years now and things are going pretty well but I have a noticable difference in length when hitting balls off turf rather than of astroturf mats.

As I don't belong to a club, all of my practise is done at a driving range that uses mats. There I can strike the ball pretty cleanly, well enough to be confident with my long irons that I'll put it down a 20 yard corridor at 200+ yards (give or take a following wind!) to a consistant length. But I don't seem to be able to get a consistant strike when playing the ball off turf. I have to go up 1 or 2 clubs to get the same distance; playing a 6 or 7 iron when I know that at the range an easy 8 would be perfect.

I don't think that I am hitting it fat from looking at my divots, but I could easily be wrong. Does anyone have any ideas/advice on this or could it just be inexperience in playing the ball off less than perfect lies?

I few years ago I experienced that same thing as you, and for me I discovered it was because I was hitting it fat. I would place tee or something 2 inches behind your ball (laying on the groud) and see if you are making contact with the tee. There are a lot of golfers that struggle with this. Driving range mats reward fat shots. Like I said a few years ago, I would go to the range and hit it great and then go the the course and struggle. If you have the option, I would recommend that you try and find a grass driving range. It really made a big difference for me.

**bloodredsun** · 03-31-2006, 10:54 AM

Re: Poor contact from turf

Thanks guys for all the advice

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