Love at first stroke -- but arghh, that slice!

[andicap]

Took the plunge and had some golf lessons while on vacation this past week -- then practised a ton at the driving range. Just woods, driver and irons so far -- no putting or wedge lessons yet.
My iron play has improved to the point where 50% are decent shots, about 15% are slices and 35% grounders or low line drives that go about 80 yards.
But my driving/wood play!! Oy vey. No matter how careful I am on technique -- hitting the ball square and following through -- the ball seems to slice most of the time. Sometimes it travels about 100 yards and then slices off to the right. Sometimes about 20.

Any other answers to what I'm doing wrong?

My cousin plays semi-regularly and shoots around 110 (hasn't been playing a long time) At what point would I be ready to hit with him?

My goal is to play with the guys at the Saratoga PA Week in 07 and not embarrass myself.

:bang:

[Tee]

Andicap,

Do a complete 180 & work on that short game - putting, chipping & pitching.

Find a teacher that will help u with the fundamentals - grip, stance, posture etc. Then start with the short game, from there graduate to small swings - waist high backswing to waist high forward swing. Once that is going good, then you can stretch that swing out.

Main thing is do not ingrain bad habits by practicing the wrong things. This will only lengthen the learning process.

That should be enough to digest for now. :)

[bigmack]

35% grounders or low line drives that go about 80 yards.
But my driving/wood play!! Oy vey. No matter how careful I am on technique -- hitting the ball square and following through -- the ball seems to slice most of the time. Sometimes it travels about 100 yards and then slices off to the right. Sometimes about 20.
The grounders are commonly referred to as "worm burners" and are typically caused by lifting your head out of the shot, keep those eyes fixed on the little dippled fellow. The arc of your stroke is the result of your slice and it would be most beneficial to spend a pinch of time with a pro for their take on your swing.

GL & enjoy your surroundings

[cj]

I like to spend at least 3/4s of my practice time on or around the green. Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time to play or practice much in Belgium. Even so, when I played at Saratoga, being able to chip and putt kept my score from being too bad.

[keilan]

Andi -- do what Tee suggests :ThmbUp:

[Buddha]

\

My goal is to play with the guys at the Saratoga PA Week in 07 and not embarrass myself.

:bang:

If you had seen our shots, I dont think you would have been too embarassed. That is one thing that I need to do is practice more, but where I live, there is only like 1 driving range and limited chipping/green work unless it is before or after a round at the golf course.

[xtb]

Watch the Golf Channel, their instructional segments are pretty good. Keep your driver out of your bag until you fix your slice. Use your 3 or 5 wood off the tee, you'll actually hit farther.

[bigmack]

Remember to always think of the ball as your friend

[Bubbles]

Andy, I have the same problem with the slice. My problem is I don't move my wrists through the ball, no matter how hard I try. If they're flat, the face'll open, and the ball'll go dead right.

[rastajenk]

Another inexpensive piece of advice is to go to the library and get some books about golf. Read Harvey Pennock's easy-reading volumes, Nicklaus' Golf My Way, Woods has a good volume; David Ledbetter dissects Ben Hogan's swing in another good one, Dave Pelz has one focusing on the short game. Don't limit yourself to instructional books, though; immerse yourself in the totality of the game, and pretty soon you'll be thoroughly hooked, regardless of your score on the course. :jump:

[andicap]

Remember to always think of the ball as your friend

LOL!!! :lol:

[andicap]

Thanks, all, appreciate it. The books and Golf Channel sound like a good idea.

I'll take the advice on the short game but there's no place to practice that around here -- I don't belong to any clubs or anything and because of the high value of the land, two of the three local driving ranges have closed. The closest is now 20 minutes away and has no area to practice chipping or putting, etc.

I took two lessons with a pro last week and will pursue some more at local adult ed classes where maybe I can get more info on how to practice the short game and the wedges.

I have NO slice on my iron play BTW, just hitting a driver or wood off the tee.

[Bathless]

The slice is caused primarily by an 'outside-in' swing.

Here's a swing-thought I picked up about 15 years ago which corrected any tendencies I may have had toward an 'outside-in' swing:

Assuming you are right-handed, on your backswing, try to feel your left upper-arm against your chest. As you swing through, try to feel your right upper-arm against your chest. The result should be a correct 'inside-out' swing, which will correct your slice. Also, practice rotating your right forearm over your left on the follow-through. You might find this results in a nice, tight draw shot (my natural shot).

If you wind up with a hook, you're overdoing it and you're on your own....:lol:

BTW, it has been my experience that $$$ spent on lessons will take more strokes off your game than $$$ spent on equipment.