Question:
A LONG time ago, when I was a grad student and about a 6 handicap at the local course, I was told to flatten my swing by an instructor. I tried it, and it was the worst move that I have ever made in golf. I have NEVER been able to get back to where I was before I made this great "improvement". Rob – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have been playing a set of Tommy Armour’s 845’s graphite shaft 1" longer. I purchased the clubs from my pro who used the clubs for 1 season prior. His left arm is about 1 foot shorter than his right so this is why he has longer shafts. His clubs were upright as the come from the factory( T.A. has the markings on the hosel of the club head to indicate the lie). I had to bump the lie upright even more. I have had the clubs for about 10 years but want to purchase new ones. The main reason for the decision to purchase new ones results from my boys loosing a club here and there which has resulted in me replacing with new ones with different shafts, lengths, and lies. I no longer have a three iron which I truly loved hitting. I have been told by very good players that I have a very upright swing and that I should try and flatten it out. This leaves me in a state of quandary for I don’t know if I should purchase upright and stay with my swing or try a switch to flatter or lower lie club. Ping will re-bend clubs to fit so I’m leaning to the Ping i3 blade so if I change my mind about swing plane I could re-fit my clubs to suit. I would like to try a forged blade for fun but am a little hesitant. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks Stuart.
Response:
mentioned his upright stance/swing and the suggestions of others that he change. Stu, I’m just a guy that enjoys the fresh air and the occasional "great" shot during my round. I’d give my eye teeth to be a 5 handicap. Prolly never will be. But my question is why even consider changing your personal style/swing to conform to someone else’s ideas? Like others have written in different threads, do you enjoy the game? Do you make enough of those good or great shots during a round to please yourself? IMO, if you answer yes to these two questions, then find a club you like and can be made to fit your style/swing and enjoy the game for another 10 years. And then do what I had to do, buy the kids their own set of clubs so they leave your’s alone!. Best regards, Leo
Response:
I have been playing a set of Tommy Armour’s 845’s graphite shaft 1" longer. I purchased the clubs from my pro who used the clubs for 1 season prior. His left arm is about 1 foot shorter than his right so this is why he has longer shafts. His clubs were upright as the come from the factory( T.A. has the markings on the hosel of the club head to indicate the lie). I had to bump the lie upright even more. I have had the clubs for about 10 years but want to purchase new ones. The main reason for the decision to purchase new ones results from my boys loosing a club here and there which has resulted in me replacing with new ones with different shafts, lengths, and lies. I no longer have a three iron which I truly loved hitting. I have been told by very good players that I have a very upright swing and that I should try and flatten it out. This leaves me in a state of quandary for I don’t know if I should purchase upright and stay with my swing or try a switch to flatter or lower lie club. Ping will re-bend clubs to fit so I’m leaning to the Ping i3 blade so if I change my mind about swing plane I could re-fit my clubs to suit. I would like to try a forged blade for fun but am a little hesitant. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks Stuart.
Response:
I don’t know if I should purchase upright and stay with my swing or try a switch to flatter or lower lie club. Ping will re-bend clubs to fit so I’m leaning to the Ping i3 blade so if I change my mind about swing plane I could re-fit my clubs to suit. I would like to try a forged blade for fun but am a little hesitant. Any suggestions would be welcomed. Thanks
Well…Hmmm…how about best of both worlds…? Maltby’s golfworks has a new FORGED cavity back intended for Low and Mid HC players who want to blend the advantages of a forged and cavity back clubs…They have a demo 5I available for around $40 (steel) or $55 (graphite)… It’s called the *Logic Pro Forged*. Like PING they have a great service dept and will rebend to suit you…(for a reasonable price.) You might experiment a bit before you start spending money on a new set. Their # is 1-800-848-8358. WARNING…their website sucks. ]]]Z[[[
Response:
His left arm is about 1 foot shorter than his right so this is why he has longer shafts.
Grief!
Response:
I have been playing a set of Tommy Armour’s 845’s graphite shaft 1" longer. I purchased the clubs from my pro who used the clubs for 1 season prior. His left arm is about 1 foot shorter than his right so this is why he has longer shafts.
Stuart, Your pro has also had to make some compensations in his own golf swing. Orthodox teaching stresses the importance of a dominant leading left arm and side. I believe both Ed Furgol and Calvin Peete had to rely more on their right sides. Gene Littler, after having much of the muscle tissue surrounding his upper left arm and shoulder removed during cancer surgery, remarked that he was surprised at how little the loss of strength affected his golf swing. Would you happen to know what compensations your pro had to adopt and whether he teaches the dominant left side concept? I can’t help being curious. – John
Response:
A LONG time ago, when I was a grad student and about a 6 handicap at the local course, I was told to flatten my swing by an instructor. I tried it, and it was the worst move that I have ever made in golf. I have NEVER been able to get back to where I was before I made this great "improvement". What on earth does your flattening experience have to do with his? Nothing more than likely. If someone is hitting the ball consistently under varying conditions with the trajectory he wants, who cares if he has a goofy swing plane. Perhaps you were consistent and had a goofy looking swing but shouldn’t have changed it.
The original poster stated that his friends were advising him to flatten his swing. Rob
Response:
A LONG time ago, when I was a grad student and about a 6 handicap at the local course, I was told to flatten my swing by an instructor. I tried it, and it was the worst move that I have ever made in golf. I have NEVER been able to get back to where I was before I made this great "improvement".
What on earth does your flattening experience have to do with his? Nothing more than likely. If someone is hitting the ball consistently under varying conditions with the trajectory he wants, who cares if he has a goofy swing plane. Perhaps you were consistent and had a goofy looking swing but shouldn’t have changed it. As for the original poster, I wonder where he plans to lose his strokes. There are really three ways to be a 5 handicap. One is to putt or chip poorly. Another is to drive the ball poorly. Another is to hit a lot of loose approach shots. If the poster is hitting most of his approaches to within 45 feet his 5 handicap isn’t coming from his approaches, because anyone with a tidy short game will come out roughly even given a steady diet of approaches distributed within 45 feet. Most low handicaps have a good enough iron game to be scratch, but waste a stroke or three with the driver and the rest around the green. And of course by course "mis"management. My most recent equipment change sucked. Thank god I wasn’t trying to change my swing too. -joseph