Woods Woes

[Pappy]

I am new to golf and broke 100 my 3rd time out. My short game is relatively decent for a beginner but of course I will always need practice in particular with consistent accuracy. My problem is with my woods. Wether off the tee with my 3, 5 and driver or off the fairway with my 3 and 5 I simply cannot get a decent hit with them. I will hit maybe one in 10 that doesnt slice, draw, cruise a foot above ground or just simply roll on the ground. I tend to use my 3 or 5 hybrids in place of the woods because I get more distance with them and more accuracy, in fact they are my best two clubs. I have tried moving the ball forward, back, closer and further away. I have watched my swing plane to make sure I am not coming down on the ball as with irons but rather sweeping the ball. I am watching the arc of the swing. I seem to never get a good square hit, but rather hit near the hozzle or the toe. I am about ready to toss out the woods and driver and go solely with my hybrid 3 for long shots. I can get 200 with my hybrid 3. I am using Taylor Made R7 woods and driver, the driver set with a draw since I tend to slice more than draw. I am diligent to make sure my grip and stance are good and I tee the ball up so the top of the club meets the center of my ball. I have tried variations of that as well to correct the problem. I have even tried other clubs and its all the same so it is not the clubs, it is me. I do not kill the ball in fact I have a nice smooth swing according to golf instructors who have tried to help me. Even they are frustrated trying to figure it out. I put 60 to 70 percent of my weight on my right leg and shift the weight to the left leg as my hip and legs move to the left. My hands pass over the ball before the head gets to it. I work very hard to follow through with my hands making the X (right over left) as I come through the follow through and finish the follow through out and up over my left shoulder.

[BrianW]

Re: Woods Woes

It is hard to work out the problem without seeing your swing. Here are a few things to try though:

Position the ball level with your left armpit.

Make a full shoulder turn.

Don't sway too much on the back swing, keep centered over the ball with your weight on the inside of your right foot

Start down by rotation of the hips and transferring weight to the left foot.

Make sure you swing easy, that you are not trying to get distance by heaving at the ball, swing smoothly through it.

Focus on the back of the ball

Don't look up too early

Don't apply power to your swing until you are halfway down the downswing.

The solution is probably in there somewhere.

[Pappy]

Re: Woods Woes

Thank you very much for the input. I will try keeping the ball level with my armpit and keep my shoulders level. I do catch myself at times raising my right shoulder some. Looking behind the ball is a great suggestion. With my irons I look in front of the ball since that is where I want the club to connect with the ground, after the ball. I will also slow down some more and not try for distance but accuracy and planting the ball correctly on the face of the club. Great input, sorry about no video. One thing that really caught my attention is applying power after I am half way down. I work hard at keeping my head still and getting full turn with my shoulders and the weight distribution on my feet.

[BrianW]

Re: Woods Woes

Oh! just two more connected items.

Ensure you keep your right leg flexed and retain your spine angle throughout the swing.

[augolfer81]

Re: Woods Woes

One thing that REALLY helped me hit my woods better was to simply swing easier. Thats it, its hard not to try to get that extra 10 yards but just take a nice easy swing right down your target line and you will be very surprised at how far you can hit it. And P.S. use the 3 or 5 wood, leave the driver off of the course right now.

[Stillhacken]

Re: Woods Woes

I would bet dollers to doughnuts your coming out of posture.
Its hard to tell with out seeing your swing.
The three wood off the deck was the hardest shot for me to get consistant with. I had many bad memories to overcome before getting confident with it. It stayed in the trunk of my car so I wouldnt be tempted to use it on the course.
I read a tip on the Swing like Moe website that helped me the most.
I have a wide stance and when I came around it stressed my left knee causing me to raise up on my toes before impact. The tip was to flare the front foot out a little to relieve stress on the knee. Focus on keeping your feet flat on the ground until after impact. Also make sure you are standing far enough from the ball. Good luck !

[bruin]

Re: Woods Woes

i just got a new set of clubs ( 6 months ago ), its taken that long to get confident with the longer irons and fairway wood.
get used to hitting the 9,8,7 irons well then move to the 6 etc etc, no confidence means no commitment to the shot = duff shot !

[GreeBoman]

Re: Woods Woes

Position the ball level with your left armpit.

Off the tee I play the ball in about this position, off the deck I have it much more central.
If I ever forget I get a much lower ball flight though distance isnt affected much. (in fact during summer the lower one will probably roll much further than a more lofted flight)