Hey all, I’m new to the site but I am a huge fan of the SagutoGolf school and program thus far. I’ve been using Tom’s swing program the the past 3 weeks and I’m already seeing great results at the range. One area that I’m still struggling with in terms of consistency at this early stage is distance and consistency with my longer clubs. I’m hitting my shorter irons and wedges (GW-7 iron) pretty solid and straight with good distance but I’m struggling a bit with my 5 and 6 irons and 3 hybrid. Shots are fat, thin, right, right, left, etc. Not sure how best to diagnose the issues and videotaping my swing is my next strategy. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that I feel more over the ball with my weight more on my left side from beginning to end with the shorter irons so therefore I’m getting more consistent contact but it’s a bit of a mystery thus far. Any insights would be appreciated. Thx
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Welcome to the Forum, @kipheeg!
Oftentimes when golfers are hitting everything well except for the longer clubs it can be attributed to one of the following:
1) They don't start with - or maintain - enough weight on the front side. In general with the longer clubs we should add a little more front weight load at address - more like 60/40 instead of the 55/45 prescribed for the other clubs. This forward weight should gradually increase to the top of the backswing (70/30) and build further on the downswing - approximately 80/20 halfway down, 90/10 impact, and 95/5 finish. Here is a recently added drill to the Ball Flight Fixes section of the school that is designed to really get you feeling the weight forward component while also emphasizing "straight arms" to keep the club moving on the proper in-to-out downswing path.
2) Their hips are not continuing their lateral slide through impact. This is common with the longer clubs as the wider stance means that the hips have a greater distance to travel. If the hips stop moving laterally towards the target on the downswing then their rotation takes over, changing the low point and rerouting the club. This can produce a variety of undesirable results including fat and thin contact, topped shots and popups, straight pulls, and “banana” slices. Here is a drill from the Fixing Common Swing Problems section of the school addresses this issue.
3) They are not allowing the length of the club to dictate the backswing path and are getting too steep as a result. The shaft length of the longer clubs encourages more of an around the body backswing as established by the shaft plane at address. It may "feel" flat as you take it back along the shaft plane for the first few feet, but as long as you maintain the "weight forward, shoulder down, and hands in" components while allowing the club to work around you, it should put you in the proper position at the top so you can attack the ball from the inside.
This is a common issue that I am regularly asked to fix, so if yours doesn't relate to any of the above causes - or if it does and you are experiencing difficulty resolving it - we can always arrange for an online lesson or a V1 swing video analysis to pinpoint the culprit and offer an appropriate solution.
Keep up the great work!
Tom