Andrew

Good day all,

Sadly, I have finally bitten the bullet and become addicted to golf.
From the first few days on the driving range, and my first high
scoring games, I got hooked. Now I am watching the golf network, and I
speak in strange tongues, talking of birdies and missed putts.

That being said, since I am new to the game, and I have a lot to
learn, I want to ask some basic rookie questions.

1. I have a wild slice. Some days it is worse than others,
especially when I get tired. I have tried hand grip position and foot
positions, but something is fundamentally wrong with how I am
swinging. Now, without you all seeing my swing, you can not fix it,
but what are some good tips and tricks you all have used to help with
your slice.

2. My golf buddies have never taken lessons, and they are now pretty
good. they say to spend lots of time with people with golf and they
will fix your problems. That sounds well and good, but I think I
should take some lessons, and not burden those whom I am lucky enough
to golf with. Thoughts?

3. Driver loft: I have been reading that beginners should have higher
degrees of loft on thier clubs, and as you get better, you reduce it.
Currently I have two titanium #1 drivers, both are 450 cc. The 10.5
degree has a steel shaft, and the 12 degree has a graphite shaft. Are
these the correct drivers for a beginner?

Thanks for you help in advance.

Andrew

Rob Davis

Welcome to the game and the newsgroup ... just a couple of thoughts.

I've used a combination of lessons and self-education (mostly books) to
improve my golf game. Seems to have worked pretty well for me, but
everyone learns in a different manner so YMMV. I would always encourage
a beginner to have at least a few lessons (even group lessons if cost is
a concern) to get you started more-or-less correctly. Finding the right
teacher can be tough, so if you don't "click" with the first one you
might try again (just for comparison).

To cure a slice, you first have to understand what causes it (IMHO) ...
typically an out-to-in club path and an open club face (in relation to
the path) at impact. If you don't quite know what that means then you
should take some lessons or read some books 8^). 'Practical Golf' by
John Jacobs is my favorite in explaining this. To cure my slice, I
learned to draw (hook?) the ball ... a bit of a joke, but seriously a
decent golfer will be able to make the ball turn either way on command
(maybe not always in control, but at least be able to do it).

re: drivers. There is no "right" driver for a beginner ... although more
loft should help mitigate your slice (or as someone else suggested, just
use a 3W until you straighten it out a bit). Whatever works for your
(current) swing is best, and if you really want some hard data then you
can get on a launch monitor or simulator at a golf shop and try a few
different ones. The flex of the shaft (stiff/regular) may make as much
difference as the loft, and you probably want regular flex ... but
flexes are notoriously non-standardized, so again just trying them is
really the only way to tell.

Rob


Andrew wrote:
> Good day all,
>
> Sadly, I have finally bitten the bullet and become addicted to golf.
> From the first few days on the driving range, and my first high
> scoring games, I got hooked. Now I am watching the golf network, and I
> speak in strange tongues, talking of birdies and missed putts.
>
> That being said, since I am new to the game, and I have a lot to
> learn, I want to ask some basic rookie questions.
>
> 1. I have a wild slice. Some days it is worse than others,
> especially when I get tired. I have tried hand grip position and foot
> positions, but something is fundamentally wrong with how I am
> swinging. Now, without you all seeing my swing, you can not fix it,
> but what are some good tips and tricks you all have used to help with
> your slice.
>
> 2. My golf buddies have never taken lessons, and they are now pretty
> good. they say to spend lots of time with people with golf and they
> will fix your problems. That sounds well and good, but I think I
> should take some lessons, and not burden those whom I am lucky enough
> to golf with. Thoughts?
>
> 3. Driver loft: I have been reading that beginners should have higher
> degrees of loft on thier clubs, and as you get better, you reduce it.
> Currently I have two titanium #1 drivers, both are 450 cc. The 10.5
> degree has a steel shaft, and the 12 degree has a graphite shaft. Are
> these the correct drivers for a beginner?
>
> Thanks for you help in advance.
>
> Andrew

Andrew

On Jul 21, 12:05 am, Rob Davis <davis....@verizon.net> wrote:
> Andrew wrote:
> > I really appreciate all the tips.  Ok here is what I have for
> > clubs....I am getting confused with what to use when..so what should
> > be in my bag to start off, and what should I leave behind?
>
> > I have:
>
> > Putter - need that
> > X2  #1 woods, 10.5 degree and 12 degree loft
> > #3 wood
> > #5 wood
> > # 3 hybrid 21 degree loft
> > Irons: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
> > Pitching wedge
>
> Except for the two drivers, that's a pretty standard set. See which
> driver you hit best at the range and take the other one out of the bag.
> Also, you're a little shy in the wedge department ... most decent
> golfers carry at least 2 besides the PW ... but which ones is really a
> whole discussion in itself ... you can Google past posts to get some
> ideas. For now, I'd suggest you just pick up a 56* SW (that's a Sand
> Wedge) ... and you're pretty much good-to-go equipment wise.
>
> What to use is mostly a function of distance to start with. If you
> haven't done this already, then you need to figure out (and remember)
> about how far each club goes (assuming you can make something resembling
> consistent contact).
>
> Rob
>
> Rob

I actually found a great site for the driver distances, it is:

http://golf.about.com/od/beginners/l/blclubdistance.htm

Obviously I am not near that, but it gives me an idea.

I am finding I am pretty straight with the irons, so I am putting away
the drivers for now, and I am concentrating on making a solid
connecting with the ball, rather than blasting it down the fairway,
and then towards the woods because of my slice. As a result I took 4
strokes off my last 9 holes and I only lost 2 balls. That is a huge
improvement for me.

I start my lessons on Friday, so hopefully that will make even more of
a difference in my short game. Once I get that down, I will move up
to blasting them out there.

Thanks again for all of your help, it is appreciated.