started playing golf about 1 month ago

[Andy24]

I just started playing golf about 1 month ago, and I'm shooting around a 51 score on 9 holes (par 36 course). I don't see it as very good, but I haven't really figured out my swing yet, and I just purchased the medicus 2000 in hopes of straightening it out. I slice baaaaadly with my driver, but shoot straight with almost all my irons.

am I doing good for being a beginner or should I be shooting better?

[g8r]

Thats a decent score for 1 month of playing. You could probably easily score under 50 if you left your driver in the garage and used a 3-wood off the tee, or only irons. Make sure that you keep track of your penalty strokes from the beginning (lost balls, unplayable lies, etc) because when you drop 3 penalty strokes in can equate to up to 5 or 6 strokes off your score.

Good Luck.

[Andy24]

g8r:



thanks for the input, however, I want to learn how to hit with my driver. Since I started so recently I am not too worried about the score, just about learning more. If I could get my drives to go straight, it would be no problem for me to score lower. If I just get close to the green (100 yards) there is no problem from there. I have never 3 putted, since my first put always almost goes in, and if it doesn't, it leaves me 3 feet from the hole.

To conclude: my shortgame is no problem whatsoever, it is the tee shots that screw up my game.

[golfmania]

I slice baaaaadly with my driver, but shoot straight with almost all my irons.

Its odd that your irons go straight, and your driver doesnt. The driver is , in my opinion, slightly harder to hit for a few reasons:
- degree of loft
- hits the ball slightly differently than an iron
- the macho factor.

The macho factor gets into the way more often, for me anyway. Get a giant headed club, long shaft, and now here comes the "try to kill it" swing. Try a more controlled swing at the driving range. Do your half swings slice?

Slicing is caused by an open face or hitting the ball from outside to in (or both). If you arent hitting slices with your irons, I would suggest that you may have the ball too far back in your stance. Try placing the ball near your front foot. If its not that, try a slightly "strong" grip (research what a strong grip is) for your driver. If its not that, swing easier. If its not that, get lessons. If its not that, don't use the driver ever again.

[Andy4Par]

Do yourself a favour, and invest a small amount of money in lessons. They will pay for themselves immediately. Or, if your on a budget buy the book 'Five Fundamentals of Golf' by Ben Hogan. Its a great little book!

[NoBack]

am I doing good for being a beginner or should I be shooting better?

You're doing great.

[Andy24]

golfmania:

I seriously believe that it is most of all the macho factor, and here is why: When I started golfing (4 weeks ago, or 4 times ago, whichever you preffer) I used a driver that was shorter and with a much smaller head than I do now. When I hit the ball with that one, I got it on a straight path about half way, then it faded to the left (Since I shoot left handed, but I am right handed). Now with the oversized driver that is 450cc compared to 300 something cc, I am shooting half circles....it doesn't even start out straight, but starts slicing right away.

I've only shot one round with it, so I will try a few different swings, but I am awaiting my new medicus 2000 which will hopefully ingrain a right swing from the start.

[Hank Hill]

am I doing good for being a beginner or should I be shooting better?

If you are shooting 51 (with no mulligans or footwedges) after 1 month then you are doing really well. It took me a full season to shoot 105 on a par 72. Sounds like you are a really good putter. I would take the advice of g8r and leave the driver at home for now until you can figure it out on the range.

Good luck.

[golfmania]

I seriously believe that it is most of all the macho factor...

Hi again,

Yes I meant to also say you're doing fine and on track. Very few people, usually natural atheletes, start off below 100.

As mentioned above, if your driver is leaving you in the woods, or only 150 out, why not put it in the bag for now. Try the 3 wood or an iron you love hitting for while...see how you score.

Good luck.

[Andy24]

I just got back from the range tonight and I feel I have made great progress! I can now consistantly hit my 5 wood straight and over 200 yards off the tee. My 3 wood is so/so, when I hit it, i crush it. The driver is still in my bag, and I can't seem to figure it out, I might just get a smaller one!

The thing with me is that I can hit a 4 iron around 200 yards off the tee as well, and to me it's much easier than any of the woods.

P/S I was at the range not even a week ago before tonight, and I could NOT make solid contact with the 5 or 3 wood without slicing badly, but tonight my shots went far and straight as a needle. What I started doing was getting my hands farther up on my backswing, and dragging them down on the downswing, and whenever I did that, I either shot it straight or even hooked it!

[golfmania]

I just got back from the range tonight and I feel I have made great progress! I can now consistantly hit my 5 wood straight and over 200 yards off the tee. My 3 wood is so/so, when I hit it, i crush it. The driver is still in my bag, and I can't seem to figure it out, I might just get a smaller one!

The thing with me is that I can hit a 4 iron around 200 yards off the tee as well, and to me it's much easier than any of the woods.

P/S I was at the range not even a week ago before tonight, and I could NOT make solid contact with the 5 or 3 wood without slicing badly, but tonight my shots went far and straight as a needle. What I started doing was getting my hands farther up on my backswing, and dragging them down on the downswing, and whenever I did that, I either shot it straight or even hooked it!

Sounds good. Prepare yourself for days when everything works and others when everything falls apart...the game is frustrating yet delicious. 200 yards with a 4 iron or 5 wood is plenty!

The driver is a tough creature. Maybe its just that specific driver...try a more forgiving one. There are days where I crank it 250 to 300, without thought....and other days where it stays in the bag.

[Bigdog29]

I have seen this before. Check the flex of the shafts. I found that all of my inconsistency was created from having inconsistent shaft flexes in my clubs. Your driver should be either the same flex as your irons or stiffer. What types of clubs and shafts are you using???

Keep swinging, it will definitely get better.

[Chieflongtee]

Do yourself a favour, and invest a small amount of money in lessons. They will pay for themselves immediately. Or, if your on a budget buy the book 'Five Fundamentals of Golf' by Ben Hogan. Its a great little book!

Great book however the grip taught in there is a slicer's grip. V's towards chin. Hogan early in his career had hooking problems and went to that grip to cure his hooks. Not for everyone.

[Chieflongtee]

I am no golf pro by a long shot. I know a bit about clubs. The lower the loft the more sidespin, it is that simple. Most high handicapers prefer the 3 wood. Why? It will impart more backspin and less sidespin therefore reducing the slice/fade.Even more so with the 5 wood. The 3 wood has 15* of loft. The 5 wood has 18* of loft and the 3 iron depending on the manufacturer is in the 19* range. My guess is you are hitting your irons straight but you are pulling them to the left(if you are right handed). I recently built a 14.5 degree 370cc driver head for a friend at 44.5 inches. He is getting the ball airborne easily, gets more distance than a 3wood(44.5 inches vs 41 inches)and he gets the forgiveness of a larger sized driver without the sidespin.(or less anyway) The reason you are not slicing as much with the old driver is because it is shorter and it is not coming out as hot off the face. Your best bet for now: leave the driver in the bag and do as Andy4par suggested i.e take lessons.

[Chieflongtee]

I have seen this before. Check the flex of the shafts. I found that all of my inconsistency was created from having inconsistent shaft flexes in my clubs. Your driver should be either the same flex as your irons or stiffer. What types of clubs and shafts are you using???

Keep swinging, it will definitely get better.

A softer flex will help a bit but won't cure a swing flaw. If you are a slicer you are doing something wrong. A softer flex will get the ball starting to the left more. A stiffer flex is just the opposite i.e the ball will start more to the right. More consistent clubs will help but if you are coming across the ball you will still come across the ball no matter what clubs you have in your hands. It is the indian not the arrow.

[Andy24]

I am right handed, but I hit lefty. Well what is encouraging to me Andre Cantin is that it only took me a couple of hours going from litterally making a half circle with the ball (that is how badly i used to slice it) with the 5 wood even, to hitting it dead straight down the middle. I can now "feel" when I am right in my swing before the ball even takes off the tee, and I attribute this to dragging my hands instead of trying to HIT the ball (like a baseball player).

We will see how the next driving range/golfouting goes, but I doubt I will be taking any lessons this season. Me and my friend will probably do a clinic early next year (much much cheaper than a lesson) and I don't feel I do require too much attention to my swing.

Certainly the grip has alot to do with the slicing problem. I used to hold the club with both my thumbs pointing straight down the shaft, but I have now shifted to an interlocking grip where the V of my left hand points toward my left shoulder.

On a side note, when I do slice the ball, many times I feel the club twisting in my hands, meaning that the face of the club opens up as I hit the ball. Hopefully my new grip will make this better (plus I realize I need to get a glove, remember I am NEW at this).

Golfmania:
you wrote this in an above thread "200 yards with a 4 iron or 5 wood is plenty".
Now, the ball is airborne for 200 yards, but the driving range back net is right behind it, but I can see the ball bounce quite healthy up against it when it lands, so on the actual golf course it might roll for a few more yards as well (I haven't had a chance to go yet to try it out)

[golfmania]

I am right handed, but I hit lefty. Well what is encouraging to me Andre Cantin is that it only took me a couple of hours going from litterally making a half circle with the ball (that is how badly i used to slice it) with the 5 wood even, to hitting it dead straight down the middle. I can now "feel" when I am right in my swing before the ball even takes off the tee, and I attribute this to dragging my hands instead of trying to HIT the ball (like a baseball player).

We will see how the next driving range/golfouting goes, but I doubt I will be taking any lessons this season. Me and my friend will probably do a clinic early next year (much much cheaper than a lesson) and I don't feel I do require too much attention to my swing.

Certainly the grip has alot to do with the slicing problem. I used to hold the club with both my thumbs pointing straight down the shaft, but I have now shifted to an interlocking grip where the V of my left hand points toward my left shoulder.

On a side note, when I do slice the ball, many times I feel the club twisting in my hands, meaning that the face of the club opens up as I hit the ball. Hopefully my new grip will make this better (plus I realize I need to get a glove, remember I am NEW at this).

Golfmania:
you wrote this in an above thread "200 yards with a 4 iron or 5 wood is plenty".
Now, the ball is airborne for 200 yards, but the driving range back net is right behind it, but I can see the ball bounce quite healthy up against it when it lands, so on the actual golf course it might roll for a few more yards as well (I haven't had a chance to go yet to try it out)

That sounds all cool, I'm glad, but I still strongly recommend lessons: the money you spend will save you $100s in course fees and aggravation. its not a simple game.

[tim70]

well andy, you definitely made a good choice by ordering the medicus 2000. its well worth the money. it will get you on the right track. it is not easy to hit though. it took a while before it sunk in that your swing must be perfect not to break this club. i just got one and i am finally getting better at hitting balls with it. it drove me nuts for the first few buckets, i was actually too chicken to hit any balls if there were any people around.it definitely made me make some critical swing adjustments and i was a skeptic about this club before i bought it.