First, I’m a golf beginner. So far I’ve been pretty good about avoiding the vast numbers of things you can spend money on in golf. I’ve bought what I feel I need and put the rest into lessons. The only real “training aid” I’ve bought is a weighted club. Those commercials for the hinged clubs are so tempting, though. I mean, I feel like the big problem in my swing is that I can’t tell when I’m doing it right - I whack the ball, it either goes somewhere or not and I can’t tell why it works sometimes because it doesn’t feel any different from all the other times.
In other words, has anybody tried a Medicus or other hinged club? Did it live up to the hype? It’s pretty expensive, but there are a few of us who’d be practicing with it, so that could be spread out. Are the other hinged clubs comparable?
How about getting someone to tape you to see what your doing wrong?
I’ve never tried the hinged club but I’ve been a little tempted myself. My husband said they aren’t any good but he knows how to play and I don’t pay attention to him.
Because “what I’m doing wrong” is “everything”? I went out with the BF last Tuesday and he got all frustrated because everything about my swing is awful and screwed up and I still hit better shots than he does, even though I have to drive with my 5 iron because I can’t hit the woods. (I mean can’t hit, not can’t hit and control. I miss the ball.)
You’ll be 100x better off if you spend the money on lessons with a golf professional. Split the cost with your friends and get a group lesson. If you’re a beginner, no gimmick is going to help your swing because it is not a natural action.
I agree with the Lamar, spend the money on a few lessons first. Get the basics down so that you know** what your suppose to be doing, not just if your doing it right or not.
I too am a novice, and for the most part, I fumbled around in the dark, without proper direction. The first time I went to see a pro, he told me to get my lower body into my swing and presto, within 1 week, I had made huge improvements. Just the other day I asked the pro at the local driving range to take a look at my driver because it had a loose part inside. He took one look, saw there was some wear on the top portion of the club, and said " You sky your drives alot don’t you"? He was right. He told me to place the ball further ahead in my stance, I did, and now I hit my drives about 40 yards further. If he hadn’t told me I could have struggled with that for a very long time.
As for the OP, the only person I’ve met that used a medicus, was oddly enough, in South Carolina. He seemed to like it enough, although it didn’t seem to help his game much
Oh, I’m taking lessons too. I guess my big problem so far is that I understand that I’m having problems shifting my weight, keeping my spine angle, etc., but I can’t get my brain to clue my body in on that.
Practice, practice, practice. You’ve got to keep going to the driving range and work on fundamentals. There are a lot of perfectly good self-help golf books out there that will help you with your swing and stance. But you’ve really got to do it over, and over, and over, and over to train your muscles to repeat the same movement. Golf is a very exacting game. A slight change in stance, ball placement, or swing means total chaos. First tip, make sure your back swing is slow and pull the club head back from the ball as far as you can without lifting it first. In other words don’t be tempted to start the back swing by lifting the club head. Draw it straight back from the ball along the ground as far as possible. There’s no power in your back swing. Take it slow and easy.
If you can’t hit woods yet, don’t worry. Use your 5 iron off the tee and you should get something like 130 to 160 yards; that’s plenty for a beginner. Especially if you can get another 130 to 150 on your next shot.
Keep practicing with the woods at the range though. I’m sort of opposite! I have an easier time hitting woods than long irons. Well, except for my driver which I typically leave at home now. It’s either 240 yards and into the woods, or 200 yards and straight. So, no more driver for me.
Lots of good advice already.
Weight shift and spine angle might be important, but don’t let too many thoughts of mechanics interrupt with your making a smooth athletic swing and making contact with the ball.
Nothing wrong with stowing away the woods for a while. Without getting bogged down in specifics, swinging a wood requires a much different swing than irons. As a beginner, the main thing to be concerned with is making contact. Once you start making contact, you can straighten it out.
As a beginner, it can be frustrating how long it takes to get good. And since you are focussed on being good, you might overlook that for a while progress simply means you aren’t as crappy as you were before!
It might help if you kept track of your progress in some way that would show your progress. Just thinking off the top of my head, but maybe each time at the range take 10-20 balls, and count how many you make decent contact with using your favorite club. Write it down on a scorecard you keep in your bag. Then see if that improves next time. As it does, gradually add additional clubs.
And keep track of how you are missing most of your shots. Are you hitting it thin (topping the ball or whiffing) or fat (hitting the ground behind the ball)? Knowing what you are doing wrong makes it easier to correct.
Also, don’t overlook the short game. Inside of 25 yards can be easier to the extent that you don’t need so many variables of a full swing such as weight transfer. Just concentrate on hitting down on the ball so that it goes up in the air. Chipping and putting can make up for a heck of a lot of hqcks off the tee and fairways.
But most importantly - have fun. It’s a game. A nice walk in a park. And you have just started on something you can play and enjoy all of your life!
That’s a great idea. I was able to really improve my swimming after being videotaped so I’m sure it would help my golf. Much easier to figure out what your elbows/knees etc. are doing as an observer. I think I’ll give it a try.
The sooner you say “no” to ALL gadgets, the happier you’ll be.
I know you think you’ll stop at one, then that thing with the sliding grips looks like it will stop one problem, and the elbow wrap will stop another, and before you know it, you’re wearing a football helmet with a crotch-hook attached to it to keep your head down.
Practice what your coach teaches you. It will come.
Honey, if I could hit ANY club 100 yards I’d pee myself.
I usually hit it thin. In fact, I’ve never taken a divot except on a miss. I’m working on that but I’m afraid if I try too hard “not to hit thin” I’ll have even more of a problem than I already do of trying to whack it with my hands.
I went out with the BF last Tuesday and he got all frustrated because everything about my swing is awful and screwed up and I still hit better shots than he does, even though I have to drive with my 5 iron because I can’t hit the woods. (I mean can’t hit, not can’t hit and control. I miss the ball.)