Lost distance

WARNING long post.

The past week or two I've lost loads of distance and it got very frustrating at the range today.

I don't know what I've changed but I can't get the ball to go anywhere.

When I played for a couple of months 5 years ago I was hitting my 7Iron 140 yards and then +/- 10 yards for each club. When I took golf up again 2 months ago I was still hitting those same yardages.

About a month ago I got Jim Hardy's planes book and decided that coz my arm always ended up on the plane of my shoulders at top of my backswing even if I tried to make it go up on a different one that I'd adopt his 1P fundamentals.

I'd been playing 4 weeks and been to a course 8 times before I did this change and I've been playing a further 4 weeks and been 8 times since the change.

The first time on the range with the One Plane Swing fundamentals I was still hitting the same distances as before with a few shots with 7I and 5I going 30 and 40 yards longer respectively. I carried on hitting these same distances on the course and range for a couple of weeks at least.

Now though the last 3-4 times at the range and the last 2 times on a course I've lost huge distance. I can't understand why and it's ruining my striking and accuracy trying to solve it on the range. I even tried to revert to my old swing on the range today and the couple of shots I hit were also not going my usual distances either.

Because of this last fact could it be something simple like my right knee swaying and not building up resistance or something like that? The only thing I've been thinking about during swinging has been keeping contact with my upper left arm and my chest and also pronating my left forearm at top of backswing.

It's frustrating coz my last trip to the course on Friday I was extremely accurate with my irons but they were all falling short of the greens and sometimes even when I'd taken an extra club.

If it was say a loss of 10 yards with each club then I could handle that as I'd just adjust which club to choose when. But unfortunately it's not like that.

Today at the range the ball wasn't going anywhere at all. With the PW it was going like 70 yards with full shot and a couple only went 50!?! My 9,8 and 7I were all going up on a decent trajectory then dropping outta the sky and cratering into the ground around 100 yards. My 6 and 5 were going anywhere between 110 and 140 yards. I didn't bother going any higher I stayed with the 6I trying to sort it out but to no avail. All that happened is that I began miss-hitting it allover the place trying to think of various things during the swing.

I've noticed thought that I can't seem to finish in balance at all now and this has got progressively more so over the last fortnight. If I thought about just staying in balance I either topped it or shank/sliced it. It's like my left foot can't stay still onthe follow-through at all. I think this could be the problem now I think about it.

Before this distance problem I used to sometimes tip forward when I was too much on my toes and lose my footing but often hit perfect shots when I did this. Now though it's more like my foot is turning to point at the target and I either fall allover or my left leg swivels towards the target. Like my left leg does the same motion as the right on the follow through. I did have a damaged metatarsal on the outside of my left foot from soccer last night but I didn't actually feel the injury whilst swinging and this problem started before today.

Maybe it could be my shoes, they're quite old now coz I bought them 5 years ago when I played then. How many rounds or trips to the range should a pair of shoes last?

You should have thrown that Hardy book in the trash, where it belongs. I've said it once and I'll say it again, everyone on earth thinks they have to have a one plane swing or they are not "Cool". Frankly, I don't know which one I have and I don't give a Rat's A*$, because I am hitting really well right now.

I've read his book and I think there is a lot of erroneous information in there. It seems to me, that if you had a dedicated teacher that helped you learn the 1 Plane swing, you might be able to master it, but at the amateur level the differences are much too subtle for us 2-3 time week players.

Now you have really gotten yourself in a pickle. You have doubts about everything you are doing. It is a real quagmire. I know, I've been there.

My advice: forget the 1-plane, 2-plane baloney and go back to the fundamentals. Hit half swings for a while until you can hit them well, then your confidence begins to build, go from there.

So, start now, review the fundamentals and you will be back on the road to hitting better golf shots.

I would say, Buy the AJ Truth about golf DVD's but nobody listens, so I won't mention it

Good luck. Keep at it. Endeavor to persevere....

Chessbum....

MJE, I'll try to offer a few 'checkpoints'.

Check your hips. If you're over-rotating them on the backswing, you're giving up power - especially in the One Plane Swing. Also, watch for a slide - the classic distance robbing move.

Check your arms. If you've been keeping them nice and relaxed, you'll be giving up distance if you're actively trying to hit with them. When I'm not paying attention, I'll start 'getting short' with my clubs, 'all of a sudden', and it's usually due to either choking the club with my hands, or trying to hit with my hands/arms (rather than letting them be 'flung' by my turning body). When I let my arms go along for the ride, I hit great shots.

Finally, don't forget the one thing Hardy says: If you're not showing immediate improvement, either you're not executing the instruction, you didn't understand the instruction, or the instruction wasn't properly conveyed.

__________________
True Length Technology Fitter - www.truelengthtechnology.com
It's live! - www.ShipShapeClubs.com
PCS Class 'A' Clubfitter

A new highlight: Golfing the home course on Christmas Day.

I say it too often: If it's golf club shaped, you can play with it.

For the record, I'm a club doctor, not a swing doctor.

For the sake of completeness, there is a fourth possibility: the instruction was wrong.

Then I have to add : the instruction is not suitable for particular individual.

Another thought is that you've got way too mechanical in your thinking and that's stopping you from releasing the club through the shot. As the other guys are saying, the next time you go to the range concentrate on getting the fundamentals (grip, alignment, stance and posture) right at the address position and then just swing the club freely. If you need a swing thought just think about tempo and let it flow. You might find that you spray the ball a little because you're releasing some of the "over-control" you've introduced into your swing but you should hit the ball sweeter and further.

Analysis by paralysis can be the death of a good swing.

Both excellent points. However, Hardy was making the point that one should immediately start hitting the ball better after a fix is implemented.

And I do personally believe that instruction type needs to fit a swing. Telling a one planer to get his hands higher will totally screw up his swing! (sorry Chessbum, but instruction is NOT universal).

I have the same problem, terrible distance with my irons with a full swing, 3/4 swing goes same if not further than 100% swing.
I end up on my toes a lot which causes my forward leg to rotate (assuming I havent had to take a step to regain my balance)
Im going to the pro (hopefully this weekend) and will see what he says, its very annoying though because I am driving very well, short game is good, but Im having to rely on my 3 iron from 160M rather than a 5 or so so Im not getting many GIR...

I'll let you know what he says...

Well, I was very tired from two early shifts on the trot at the range yesterday and I always play bad when I'm tired.

I usually then go on a day off and hit it mint again like what happened last week only last week I still had the loss of distance on the good day.

I think I'm just gonna concentrate on my hips and keeping my left foot in place on the follow-thru and see if that does it.

The thing is, when I first read the planes book and tried a couple of things I did see an instant improvement and beat my best scores the next two times on the course.

I didn't actually do everything he said though. What I mean is that I adjusted my posture/address for a One Plane Swing, kept my left arm in contact with the chest on the way back and pronated my left forearm at the top to err on the laid-off side, stopped consciously trying to move my weight about and that was doing the trick.

I haven't yet got into checking my shoulders and hips and all that. They seemed to be okay without any mind at first. I guess I need to go back and delve more into the instruction coz I agree that you should see improvement if the instruction is correct like I did originally. I just feel that one of the other things I haven't yet focussed on like my shoulders for example could be the problem.

I'm confident there is nothing wrong with the instruction in the book as I read it one night, went to the range the next day and instantly hit it fantastic and was in disbelief as to how easy it was and had only implemented half the stuff (coulda been doing the other half alright already at the time).

I've found that a great deal depends on being in a good physical state. I've noticed when I'm tired the swing seems to be harder to control like things start moving about when before you weren't even thinking about them and they were smooth and stayed kinda in the right place.

I've been informed that this sudden lack of distance could be from the cold weather as the balls don't compress enough. I'll have to ask others at range or tever on a day when I haven't any distance if they are having the same problem to see if it could be this cold thing.

Depending on the severity of your cold, it could very well be. Once the temperatures dip into the teens here, I switch over to a low compression ball (Volvik Crystal, Precept Lady). This helps restore some lost yardage.

After a session at the range yesterday I've realised my loss of distance is from hitting it fat everytime.

I don't know why I'm hitting it fat though :'(

Could having a too upright lie on your clubs cause you to hit it fat?

Too upright a lie could cause your shots to go left, but isn't the reason why you're hitting fat, no.

also, if this is a new problem and you havent changed clubs then it must be something you are doing, unless the pixies have been at your clubs
Damn Pixies!

Yeah, thought so, was just checking to eliminate as many possibilities.