Slicing 3 Wood?

HI all!

Well i recently go my 3wood shafted to a reg flex, and now i keep slicing it i dont think it is the shaft, and i do not know if im doin any thing wrong in the swing! so if you could please give us a hand Thanks Steve

By slice, do you mean it starts left then curves right and carries on going right?

Explain the ball flight ...

Well it goes, going straigh O NO! its going right , thats what happens?!

It sounds like your swing is on plane, but your clubface is open at impact. Check my clubface alignment drill: http://www.golf-tuition-online.com/v...rticle.php?a=3

It sounds like your swing path into impact is fine if it goes straight first. It won't have anything to do with swing plane, that doesn't affect direction of the ball flight.

Is the contact solid, out of the middle-ish of the club face? You might be swinging on the correct path but you might be heeling it, that will also result in a cut. It's probably an open club face though.

The ball flight higher than normal or its okay? Tell me some more about the swing, the feel and the ball flight. Are you nicely balanced at the finish?

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

Its all ok, balance and stance and normal ball flight, and it sounds / feels good but just flys off down the left :S and im loosing distance of if

Ok, if it all feels "normal" then 1 of 2 things is happening:
1. your alignment is has gone out and you are setting up incorrectly
2. you are holding the release the club face has leaked open at impact.

I'd start with the alignment - check it using clubs on the ground and a mirror or large pane of glass in front of the clubhouse or range.

If the alignment is okay, check the clubface alignment at address. On the way down, try to exaggerate the release and rotation of the wrists (not the uncocking but rotation) and try to close the face completely over the ball. Work on that for a while and then slowly ease off on the rotation until you are hitting the ball a bit better.

One final thought: because you have changed shafts your timing will be out. It's possible the club is lagging and your body has outraced the club, which leaves it open. Give yourself a week or 2 to get the timing into synch as well.

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

Thanks alot, and what to do you how do i rotate to keep the face sqaure?

Well, as you go back, the face turns relative to the ball. While your hands move slowly on the backswing it is easy to make sure it is square.

It's different on the backswing ... your hands are motoring quickly and need to square up at impact or else you will affect the ball flight. Your have to rotate (not cock / uncock) the wrists back to the position they were in at address.

A good drill is to swing without a club and your palms together. Your hands will mimick the club face. Now swing back and through. Your hand position will (roughtly) reflect the club face angle if you were holding a club. You have to rotate them back to square at impact.

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

So in the backswing i rotate my wrists so when the clubface is at impact it is sqaure?

DNA, you havent gone from graphite to steel by any chance?

If so you could be suffering from the increased weight of the shaft. A steel shaft weighs on average 60 grams more than a graphite shaft. Too heavy a shaft can lead to slicing and pushing accompanied by a loss of distance because you arent generating enough clubhead speed.

If not then you do need to have a look at the clubhead at impact. Try hitting it hard as you can and if that flattens the slice out a bit, if it does its probably the weight of the shaft. I assume the problem isnt present through the set, of course.

It's not always a swing fault, folks.......especially if its only happening with one club, which is implied by the Topic title.....

D.

I dono tho, its very strange, i just want to get it sorted as i need my 3wood for the par 5s and cant do anything with it slicing all the time!

Make sure you arent getting ahead of the ball, DNA. Although it does sound very suspicious that this is only happening with a club you have just changed the set up of and no other club in the bag.

Here's a suggestion. Hit a few shots with the three wood with a full swing but trying to hit it only 150 yards, dont deccellerate into the ball, just slow everything down and see if this minimises the problem, if it does the chances are you are overpowering the shaft with a full blooded swing.

Guys, I spoke to DNA yesterday and he mentioned that it was a Grafalloy Powerlite shaft he had had fitted. I looked up the shaft on a couple of websites and everytime I came across the name it was in conjunction with the following words:

seniors, slower swing speed, extra distance, ultra lightweight.

I think the shaft is about 50 grams, which for a young guy like DNA with a reasonably quick and free flowing swing might be a bit light, hence the big slice. In my experience light always meant hook and heavy always meant slice, but i suppose if the shaft is way too light it wont be able to catch up with the body in time leaving the clubhead open at impact. I think this shaft might be suited to slower swinging players with restricted arcs (seniors and ladies for instance).

I would warn against making wholesale swing adjustments if the problem is only happening with one club. You dont want to throw the rest of the bag out of sync. If that happens, not reaching par 5's in two will be the least of your problems.

What is this teenage obsession with distance????? You guys should be learning how to chip and putt like pros while you have the chance. Distance will come when you reach your full height and you fill out muscularly.

Ricky, you are going to rob yourself of distance in the future if you dont get yourself used to the stronger shafts now. Let yourself grow into a driver shaft. Once your body gets stronger you will start having bother with the regular shaft. Try and move onto the next stiffer shaft as soon as you show increased distance. Most players can go from ladies to light regular to regular to firm and then finally to stiff in the space of about 3 years depending how quickly their bodies mature. Dont gain 10 yards now to lose 20 and accuracy when you are fully grown.

D.

Yes D, you did speak to me and im going to try Gords trill today against my 7wood as it has a reg flex and is lite, i can hit that really well, i coundt hit it when i first got it then i got use to it, and and ill try do move the ball was or back or forward? Thanks Steve

I dno were to practise my short game :S and i dont the have people round to help, im just doing it, until i get to the club i can get some help and i putt alot in my room. i do get some practise but not as much as i want.