adjusting to new clubs

[Bsktball55]

Have any of you switched to longer clubs? How long did it take you to adjust your swing to them. I got fitted to an inch longer club. Some of my shots are great, but I am hitting the majority of them FAT. I know it's because I had adjusted my swing to the shorter clubs. Is it just a matter of time until I adjust and figure it out, or does anyone have any tips for adjusting? How long did it take you to adjust? Right now I only have about 350-400 swings with them, I'm not expecting it to happen overnight. I guess I will be spending more time at the range in the next several weeks to figure them out. Funny thing is, when I got fitted, the longer clubs just felt natural to me, I was hitting a lot of thin shots with my old clubs and when I was getting fitted, I was hitting them great, then I bought my set with the suggestions he made and I am hitting them like crap right now.

[assfault]

When you were fitted for them was it on a mat or grass? Mats will mask a lot of problems.

[Bsktball55]

It was on a mat. When I got fitted, I was hitting them pretty pure. First trip to the range with the new clubs, I felt like I hit them ok, but could tell I was hitting quite a few of them fat. went and played a round and I was hitting everything really fat, went back to the range today and I could feel that I was hitting it fat. I'm hitting my longer irons better, but when I get to my 8 iron on up, I'm not hitting them as well. The golf coach at the school I work at went to the range with me the other day and gave me some tips, videoed my swing and I am making some adjustments on it as well. I was coming way to far over the top, going way past parallel and as a result, my head was moving all over the place which is probably part of the reason I was always so inconsistent. I am focusing on keeping my head still which prevents me from going as far back on my backswing. We also switched my grip up a little bit because I started getting a little big of a hook with my new irons. I'm sure with all the changes, I've made it is just a matter of time before things start feeling more natural again. Gotta get the muscle memory down with the new changes and making the small adjustments to make better contact.
As I tell my basketball players, when I change their shot, it's going to feel funny for a while and you may miss some shots for a while, but eventually it is going to make you a better shooter. I have no doubt that the new clubs and changes to my swing are going to eventually work out better, I just hate the process.

[assfault]

When you hit fat on a mat it will allow the club to slide and still make good contact. I always try and practice on grass if I can.

[Bsktball55]

Yeah, I noticed that yesterday when I was hitting, I was still hitting my clubs their usual distance, but I could really tell that it was fat. When I was on the course, those fat shots weren't going anywhere. Unfortunately there aren't any grass ranges close to me to hit off of. I guess as long as I can tell that they are fat, I can make the needed adjustments hitting off of mats.

[cart7]

Yeah, I noticed that yesterday when I was hitting, I was still hitting my clubs their usual distance, but I could really tell that it was fat. When I was on the course, those fat shots weren't going anywhere. Unfortunately there aren't any grass ranges close to me to hit off of. I guess as long as I can tell that they are fat, I can make the needed adjustments hitting off of mats.

Have you tried putting the ball slightly further back in your stance? Granted, doing so could lead to a push.

[Bsktball55]

Have you tried putting the ball slightly further back in your stance? Granted, doing so could lead to a push.

I was going to try that. I haven't had a chance to go and hit them the last couple weeks because school started back up and I am coaching right now. I am planning on going this weekend and hitting and will try that. I did develop a little bit of a hook with these new clubs and had to go to a neutral to weak grip to straighten it out when I've always had a very strong grip in the past.

[bigmarley]

I'm in the same boat as a 6'4 golfer who played standard length clubs most of my competitive life. I think your swing adjusts to clubs that were not right for your body proportions in the first place. I hit my old irons very pure, but my swing was off-balance due to my body adjusting to the clubs. I knew I could not keep the same pace up long term and wanted to be more consistent with a more "natural" posture and swing. I had a tendency to hunch over to hit the standard length clubs. If you hunch over like I did with new, longer, clubs it makes sense that you would hit the ball fat.Try standing up taller and think about the alignment of your spine being straighter over the ball. Look at the posture Adam Scott has over the ball, he stands tall and his back is very straight, his eyes are even behind the ball instead of over the top of it. He's in position to hit shots with his "big muscles" (shoulders and legs) which are much more consistent.



Also, when you hit the new clubs, were you wearing your golf shoes? Seems like an odd question, but shoe soles can make a big difference when getting fitted for clubs.

[Bsktball55]

Played in a charity scramble this weekend and was hitting the clubs a lot more solidly, but I am currently hitting everything right. It's not slicing, it is like I am lined up to the right, sometimes it is 10 yards other times it was 50 yards. I don't think it is an alignment issue, am I just leaving the club face open at impact?

[assfault]

Open clubface = slice ... Most of the time

[Flipping57]

Played in a charity scramble this weekend and was hitting the clubs a lot more solidly, but I am currently hitting everything right. It's not slicing, it is like I am lined up to the right, sometimes it is 10 yards other times it was 50 yards. I don't think it is an alignment issue, am I just leaving the club face open at impact?

If your ball is going right and not slicing your clubpath, and clubface, are both to the right of your target line. If your clubpath is at the target with the clubface open the ball will start right and slice further right.

[JoshKeller]

Open clubface = slice ... Most of the time

not totally true. open face, square path = straight push to the right

open face, outside in path = push slice that starts right and goes more right.

little tip...if youre having alignment problems - when youre in your stance, use your left eye only to verify your shoulder alignment parallel to the target. for some people (myself included), using both or just your right eye will cause some distortion and make you think you are aimed straight,, when in reality you are aiming right.

[200xp]

Well Ryan, I am right there with you now. New irons and wedges came in last night. Took my PW out in the yard tonight for a trial run. I can hit it about 15 yards further than my old club, but good lord, now I have a draw, like 7 yards worth of draw. My old PW I hit dead straight...back to the drawing board.

[assfault]

not totally true. open face, square path = straight push to the right

open face, outside in path = push slice that starts right and goes more right.

little tip...if youre having alignment problems - when youre in your stance, use your left eye only to verify your shoulder alignment parallel to the target. for some people (myself included), using both or just your right eye will cause some distortion and make you think you are aimed straight,, when in reality you are aiming right.

I should have typed open face in relation to your path= slice I don't have any advice for a push since I have a problem pulling

[Bsktball55]

I hate this game. I can hit a softball damn near anywhere I want on the field 95% of the time including putting spin on it, but give me a golfball and there is no telling where that thing will go.

[assfault]

That's because softball is a girls sport

[Bsktball55]

That's because softball is a girls sport

No it's not, softball is for manly men who do steroids and buy $500 bats in order to hit a ball over a 300 ft fence and then gloat about how big of a bad ass they are.

[smoker]

No it's not, softball is for manly men who do steroids and buy $500 bats in order to hit a ball over a 300 ft fence and then gloat about how big of a bad ass they are.

You must've been playing down at sun valley!

[assfault]

No it's not, softball is for manly men who do steroids and buy $500 bats in order to hit a ball over a 300 ft fence and then gloat about how big of a bad ass they are.

I think you just made my point for me.

[Bsktball55]

You must've been playing down at sun valley!

I live two miles from there but never played there. I always played at white trash heaven also known as Wolffs