Crowding the ball

I always seem to want to stand to close to the ball. I see the pro's on TV and it looks like there standing very close to the ball on their iron shots. But when I try I always end up chunking the shot. How far is ideal away from the ball on an iron shot.

I am curious of this as well. I keep watching the pros and it looks like they are really really close and every really good player I see seems to be closer than the average player. I have recently started to move in closer and have seen better results.

If you are chunking it, it means you have just steepened your swing too much in general terms. Move it out an inch at a time. just to make sure though, I would mark a tee in the ground where you are setting up each time or lay down a shaft along your feet line and then gradually move the ball further out. I really think it is better to be closer than too far.

Hope this helps a little.

__________________
Taylor Made 580 Driver
Ping 3 wood
Callaway x-14 2 iron
3-pw TM ICW 11 irons, just can't find something I like better

Alien mallet putter, ugly but makes a ton of putts.

HOOK'EM HORNS
National Champs!!

Attached is a picture of Kirk Triplett and yours truly both hitting a 7 iron.

If you look at Kirk, you will see that he "looks" to be standing closer to the ball. I look to be standing farther from the ball. However, on closer examination, you'll see that I have the stereotypical "high handicapper" error.

I can't figure out how to clear my hips effectively.

Kirk on the other hand, has done so. Because of this, his right arm is directly against his side. Your eye naturally says "Man, there is no room between his body, his arm, and the ball." This is how all the pro make impact. Everyone. No exceptions.

Therefore, by nature of the impact position, they "look" closer.

In reality, Kirk is no closer to the ball than me. However, he has turned his hips.

By the way, the beauty of clearing the hips effectively, and hitting with a straight left arm is that it is the "anti-chunk" medicine. Since your arm is completely stretched, there is no ability to accidently "stretch and inch more" and chunk.

For the life of me, I can't get my hips to clear the way I want. (I'll get it and then lose it.)

After video taping a ton of my high handicap friends, I think this is what you are seeing. Obviously, I'm making assumptions about your stance, and we really can't tell without video.

But see if this might be an explanation.

Theo

Attached Images

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If that is your position at impact then you definitely arent clearing the hips properly.
If you need to practice clearing them, a good drill I have found is to get to the top of the backswing and ask a firend to hold the club there then make sure it is your hips that fire the downswing ie it is them that move first.
Its difficult to change the rythmn that you are used to with your arms coming down at the same speed your body rotates and so its either a case of firing the hips quicker or slowing the arms down - preferably the former.
You'll find you get a lot more distance if the hips clear as there is a lot more coil in your body to be released
hope this is of some use!

The big think I notice in those pictures is your right foot. Your foot is off the ground the whole way and Kirk's is on the ground. This tells me you are losing the leverage of pushing off from your right side. Number of things could cause this.

1) You might have some type of reverse pivot that is not making you have to shift wieght properly

2) You just aren't firing through, I think it is this one. If you really think about a rubber band being tied to a wall behind you and attached to your hips and at the top of the swing the rubber band snaps your hips back this should help. Try to get your right foot/side firing through the shot.

HOpe this makes since.

__________________
Taylor Made 580 Driver
Ping 3 wood
Callaway x-14 2 iron
3-pw TM ICW 11 irons, just can't find something I like better

Alien mallet putter, ugly but makes a ton of putts.

HOOK'EM HORNS
National Champs!!

As to the comments on my postion at impact.

Dudes, you are all correct, and I know it also. The problem is actually getting your body to do it. The 9pm to 3am position on my swing is about 3/10 of a second. Hardly enough time to think it through.

As to "why the lifted right foot?" This is a Leadbetter drill to help clear the hips.

Believe it or not, this is far better than I was a year ago! (I started video taping maybe 4 or 5 months into it. I will tell you, the year old videos are so painful as to be a crime against all golfing mankind.)

I found the ONLY way that I can make progress is to video tape, hit balls while focusing on my hips, then video tape again to see it I am moving forward.

So heres the frustrating part, at the end of a bucket of balls, I finally "got it" and I was hitting clean and beautiful shots. I looked on the video, and sure enough, I looked like all the pro's.

Came back the next day.

It was gone.

Finally--and here is the one that I love--I can beautify clear my hips time, after time, after time on video. I only need to do one thing.

Remove the golf ball.

I am slowly working on this. And I'm very tempted to simply say golf is a stupid sport, but every time I quit, I come back it again.

The whole book on the "golf ball" issue (swing changes do to the brain trying to hit rather than swing). It is called "Extraordinary Golf" by Shoemaker. Shoemaker's observations are mind blowing brilliant. He discovered "Tempo Golf" long before anybody else did. However, he doesn't have a good cure.

One of the nice things, is I know there are a ballizion high handicappers just like me.

Most aren't stupid enough to not give up.

Theo "Muscle Memory My Foot" Logic

Theo

try hitting balls with your eyes closed

This is a funny thought. But, done that also. Pelz suggests it in his short game bible.

If I can do it without a ball, though, I think I'm farther ahead.

Theo "Think About Practicing Today" Logic