Impact Zone

I was wondering if anyone has had a problem with scooping the ball at impact. My pro diagnosed that I have had quite a shallow swing and that I am lofting the club at impact, it is something that I have always done and not intentionally and having a hell of a time shaking it. I get good distance despite the added height and weakness of the flight, still hit my 7 irons 150 yards but I would like a lower and more penetrating flight. I have been working on getting over the ball at impact and taking a proper divot (which I seldom do), but I cannot seem to lower the flight of the ball although I have hit a couple of shots that are closer to what I am after. Anyone had this problem before and what drills did you practice to cure this. My pro just wants me working on 3/4 shots but I am not seeing any improvement after 3 practice sessions and a round. I was thinking of putting a tee in my glove but the pro warned against that as the hands should be involved. I would welcome any suggestions to go and practice.

As a side note, I have purchased Bobby Clampett's 'The Impact Zone' and I am hoping that I can pull something from that.

A good tip for this is to take an extra club or 2 and hit links type punch shots. Keep your follow through short and lead with your hands into the strike. Because you are taking extra club, you won't feel the need to try to force the hands through impact to generate extra distance.

Hope this helps

drive4show wrote:A good tip for this is to take an extra club or 2 and hit links type punch shots. Keep your follow through short and lead with your hands into the strike. Because you are taking extra club, you won't feel the need to try to force the hands through impact to generate extra distance.

Hope this helps

This is what the pro wants me doing, but I just don't think I am getting very far with it. I will keep trying with it though.

Supposing nobody else responds, this Bobby Clampett book has some really good drills in it. I can't remember which poster reviewed it on the old 606, but I would never have known about it if they hadn't. Cyber pint for them!

Was thinking of getting that for a read but put off a bit by, let's say, Bobby's lack of a record to back him up. All I can remember of him is leading The Open by some way after an opening 65-66 (or similar) and then completely disintegrating.

You could try the tyre drill that tarka was talking about in https://www.606v2.com/t4886-old-tyre-smash-bag-routine

Ben Doyle talks about it in this YouTube video (even if his commentary is hard to follow!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhE_zS0j6fo

There's nothing, a priori wrong with a flat(ish) swing so I'd leave that alone but you can work on not flipping through impact. You don't have to hit huge divots to be good. Watch Tom Watson a bit!

Bobby suggests using a pillow and wedge just like the tyre drill but you don't even have to leave the sitting room.

The book is very good and worth a read imo. I'll take on board what you say about the flat swing. The book advocates a divot that starts 4 inches after the ball, I dunno if I can get to that but I would be happy with 2!

Keep with the drills - I used to be a scooper until a few months ago.

I think the cover of this month's Today's Golfer says perfectly what you need to be doing and how it should feel:

Crunch those irons.

Once you become used to it, you'll be 'crunching' 3 irons off hard-pan lies - very, very satisfying!

Redrage wrote:Bobby suggests using a pillow and wedge just like the tyre drill but you don't even have to leave the sitting room.

The book is very good and worth a read imo. I'll take on board what you say about the flat swing. The book advocates a divot that starts 4 inches after the ball, I dunno if I can get to that but I would be happy with 2!

Hah, I assume Mr. Clampett has a big house? If I swing a wedge in my living room all Hell is going to break (including lots of ) loose. Not sure Her Indoors will like that one!