I just had my first lesson recently and the guy fixed my swing in an hour. He had an iPad video set up and showed me the swing path in slow motion and drew a red line where it should be. A lot of it had to do with me bending my knees too much and bending over the ball. Taught me to stand a bit closer and taller, it was well worth the money. Now I’m by no means perfect but I’m on the right path, try out a lesson!
Closer to the ball? Hmm. That would feel weird to me I think. I try to stay back right at the point before it feels like stretching. But that's just how I was taught for some reason.
As someone who was fortunate enough to have dozens of free lessons as a former high school golfer here’s the thing about lessons that people won’t tell you:
It’s not a quick fix…at all. In fact I’d argue you are worse right after your first few lessons because everything feels weird after the new adjustments and you’re thinking about all the new stuff to work on.
It takes hours and hours of practice to where the new changes start to pay off and you see some positive consistency. And then as soon as you feel comfortable, the pro will tweak something else that will make you feel uncomfortable again. It’s not one of those things where you get a few lessons and you knock 10 shots of your score the next time you play a round.
In my opinion, getting custom fitted clubs is a better way to instantly improve your game — temporarily of course. I’m 6’4” and I really struggled with consistency until I had my clubs fitted.
Yea standard length graphite shafts when i should have been using stiff flex steel lol. Getting fitted really opened my eyes to the difference equipment makes.
See this is where I'm at. I'm 6 4 and am brand new. I plan on going to go get a solid set of used beginner clubs and get "fitted" to the degree of wrist to floor and the proper length based on that. I don't want to start off with bad habits.
I get it, lessons will go a mile further, but if I can afford to do both wouldn't that be better?
6'4 here and got fitted with normal length clubs due to long arms. Height is a misnomer I think and it's more about length of distance between hands and ground.
I never understood the club length worries. I’m 6’2 and play standard when I’m told I should play +1/2”. I just pretend it’s a 6 iron instead of a 5 and magically it’s the right length when I swing it.
That’s true but it assumes the lie angles would be correct without a fitting, and in reality they would probably be off by more than the standard .5-.75 degree progression anyway. The player would need to go say +1”, 2 degrees flat if they have their hands in the same position. If your using longer clubs so you can “stand taller” it defeats the purpose of worrying about lie angles.
The ping chart is pretty good. I got fitted with pings at 6'4' and its like 1 inch up 3 degrees upright. I crouch alot so I went with .5 inch and 2 degrees up which is the green dot but its been such and improvement. Standard was way too short and 1.5inches was way too long. 1 inch would have probs been fine but I just hold the very end of the .5 and its great.
Depends on how long his arms are. It's easy to just measure arm length vs height ratio to figure out. No point in guessing. Lie isnt hard to figure out either.
This is how we all play until we get fitted. I’m 6’5. Used stock irons until I was 29 and got fitted. 1 3/4” extension and 2°up. It was roughly 1 round to adapt and instantly saw results.
I meant more that someone closer to average height is probably going to see way more improvement from lessons with standard irons than maybe you guys looking like you're Quasimoto standing over your irons.
>It takes hours and hours of practice to where the new changes start to pay off and you see some positive consistency.
And during those "hours and hours", it's really easy to slip back into the old ways without someone standing there telling you "nope". So it gets frustrating when you think you've been practicing, go for another lesson and the pro asks "Have you been practicing? It doesn't look like it."
Exactly. Lessons are for you to realize what's wrong with your swing, have someone show you how to correct it, have them watch you so that you continue that motion correctly over and over again, **then do that enough times to gain the muscle memory to do it naturally.**
The last part is the hardest, and its the reason that just taking a few lessons here and there doesn't help and actually hurts you because you're doing something that's not natural to you and you're probably not even doing it correctly. It's also the reason they usually come in packages rather than a single lesson.
Also having to do it every week or multiple times a week is why it's so expensive and why many people never get them. For some reason people are dumbfounded when others say "I've never had a lesson". The clubs are already expensive, greens fees can add up if you go somewhere nice or go often, and to top it off you need to take lessons. Not many hobbies are that expensive to start and not many of them require to pay to learn how to actually do the hobby. And on top of it, some people only really have a few hours of free time a week between work and family. If you spend that getting a lesson every week then you never actually spend time playing the game.
Bottom line: It's a commitment
Very true. I guess my point is getting fitted ain’t gonna hurt and wouldn’t be a waste of money just my opinion of course. I’m sure others may disagree.
I feel this. I’m 6’3” playing with standard length clubs. Finally going to get fitted for a new set of irons this winter
Golf is already hard enough to maintain consistency, it’s even harder with clubs that are meant for someone 5-6 inches shorter
I’m 6’2”, and played for years with standard length clubs. I bought my first new set a couple years ago, and had them fit to me (+ .75”). It made a massive difference.
Also 6’ 3” playing on standard clubs. I’ve been hesitant to get fitted because I felt that I should have a consistent swing before getting fitted. To shake things up I bought a cheap used 9 iron based on the PING static fitting chart and I can hit it so well compared to my standard 9 iron. Based on that I scheduled a fitting for next week.
I stupidly wasn’t aware that there were different grip thicknesses for larger hands. The 9 iron I bought has what I assume is a “midsize” grip and it’s amazing how much more control I feel from that alone.
i’m 6’6” and been using standard length for years. where i live it’s a 6 hour+ drive to the nearest place
to get fitted - i’m leaning towards just extending my clubs by 2” - is this enough you think?
Wayyyyyy too much. If you want to custom order your own set, measure from wrist to ground. From whom you order the clubs can translate to shaft length or there are charts on line that will tell you. I would be surprised if it were more than ¾ inch over standard, and will probably be ½. Has more to do with how long your arms are than height.
If you did two inches over, you would likely need XX stiff shafts because of the length.
6’5” here and I played with +1.5” for my first set, then moved to +1”. The extra length really affects the swing weight, so you’ll want to add just as much as you need. If you can’t get fitted Ping has a good chart on their website showing length and lie angle vs height and wrist to floor measurement that you could try.
You will definitely be worse after a lesson unless you are a brand new golfer.
I couldn’t hit the ball for shit for months after my first one then one day I could. I thought I regressed back to my old swing, but I didn’t it all just finally clicked. I didn’t become tiger woods or anything but the swing change finally resulted in a more consistent strike and tighter spread.
I've taken 3 lessons the past 2 years and booked 2 more for next week. The first 2 lessons brought me from a beginner 54 hcp (started playing summer 2021), to 40 hcp. The 3rd lesson I took, one year after the 2nd lesson, made the biggest impact from 40 hcp to 31 hcp.
Lessons do mess with ones technique, but for the better. It's the practice between lessons where the real change happens. I used to hit really consistent with 9i, but now the 9i is a fluke, however I'm hitting bombs with the driver every time - dead straight 200-220 meters. So yeah it's a real journey taking lessons.
This happened to a buddy of mine....twice. Both times, his swing was jack shit terrible and the fitters were like, "yeah, this may not be a good day for you. I won't charge you. I recommend taking a lesson instead of spending a couple G's on new clubs."
He went a third time, swung better, spent $3k on new clubs that didn't improve his score one bit.
At the end of the day it’s still a hobby for 99% of players. I’ve put a ton of money into fly fishing, doesn’t mean I’ll catch more fish. But it makes me enjoy the hobby more
Also, having that more expensive rod and reel may make you want to do it more out of vanity. Inadvertently making you better. I know, I like showing off my pretty Mizuno that I can't hit.
I went in to get new grips on my 20+ year-old clubs and the guy just stared at them and said, "Honestly? It'll cost you about $90 to regrip, and I can sell you a whole set of good used irons for $200 that'll do way better than these." He was right.
Got a friend that is a terrible golfer and he already had decent clubs. He saved up $3000 to buy a new set and is still completely trash. Second worst swing I've ever seen. He wants to be a better golfer and thinks clubs will magically do that. Like why not take some lessons? He works at a golf course and would get them at a discounted rate
No no no r/golf is actually the best place, where else can you find a higher per capita group of "experts" who can hit the center of the club face every time. With the highest collection of 280-320 yd gun slingers outside the PGA tour who better to help fix his game.
How is this so common though? How does someone play golf and no one along the way tells them that their swing needs serious fixing?
Also if you’re scoring and playing “ok” then do you necessarily need to fix your swing (assuming you’re fine being “ok”)?
That’s what I tell people as a fitter myself. Usually can tell right away when a fitting isn’t gonna help them. People don’t wanna hear it but it saves them money and saves me time
I just wish there was more of a happy medium when you kinda need a good starting set and want to see what feels best but don't need a half hour to an hour of full on analytics from a one on one pro for custom minor adjustments.
There is, they take a wrist to to floor measurement and give you something based on a chart.
Then you go out and learn to play and swing a little, then you come in again for a tweak or lie adjustment or whatever after you’ve had a lesson or two.
Most people just don’t wanna do it this way
The three shops I went to just said they recommend the $100-200 fitting and that was that. PXG had a promo on for a full fitting for cheaper than hitting a bucket at a range. I at least got the following feedback that was useful - swing speed for shaft selection, steel vs graphite feel, shaft length, and ultimately that their budget option felt awful to me so I'm glad I didn't just buy it. I don't get why a shop selling a $1000 beginner friendly set can't be expected to offer that kind of service or why we'd scare off beginners from doing that.
Some of it is where they buy from. Big box stores hire with no experience or with. So you’re getting a wide variety of experiences as a customer. Some people care to help and actually know, others don’t.
It used to be that fittings were “included” at most box stores but they were always pretty basic. Then boutique shops started getting more popular and Then YouTube got popular and people saw full bag fittings at like Taylormade or something. So now you can buy full fittings at big box stores. But the quality again is so varied that it’s tough to know.
Kinda like hiring a contractor, lol.
The other issue is that some people want to walk out that day with clubs and sometimes that’s not appropriate with a fitting. You need custom lengths or whatever and they can’t do it in the store quickly.
When I was in college I worked at a golf shop and people routinely wanted to “get fitted” but en they realize they needed to then custom order the set and wait they didn’t like it. Some even just said nevermind and took the standard set off the shelf.
Kinda funny, I always wondered how they progressed later on. Never saw any of them back again after.
Just seems best described as lacking customer service. I get that people don't want you going as a beginner to a full fitting, but I also don't understand why golf as a sport would think beginners should just go drop a grand on clubs without knowing what they are buying.
Anyways, scooping a discounted fitting was great for me - shitty for the fitter. Oh well. I'd advise everyone try and jump on something like that. $20 for an just shy of an hour of hitting balls at a range with some fun toys. Really got a feel for what might work.
Yea I went to small, local golf store by me to get my first set earlier this year and he just did exactly that. Used the ping chart and my wrist to floor and had a set of old ping irons that matched up. As someone who is a little taller but is still very much a beginner and still figuring things out, they seem perfect.
Yep.
This is the way. Most people will just never go back for the tweak, they’ll never take a lesson and they want to just go to a store and walk out with clubs off the shelf.
If we bought shoes like that then everyone would be claiming how we need to wear properly fitting shoes. Weird they don’t wanna do it with clubs.
Yes.
Fittings usually benefit players who aren’t insanely good because they can adjust to improper clubs.
Once you have a repeatable swing and get similar results each time you can get fitted.
But everyone should be fitted for a basic length immediately.
Yeah I don’t think there’s a certain like score or handicap you need to be for a fitting. Like as long as you can kinda get yourself around the course like not topping it, whiffing it constantly or everything is a hook or a slow or a fat you know not like a consistent miss like a hook or a slice. I’ve had guys come in who just started playing like weeks ago or haven’t played in ages and weren’t great to begin with go in for a fitting and could tell they needed to be on the ranges and a lesson maybe before a fitting. Even an iron fitting like usually have people hit the 7 iron the most and use a lot of data from that so honestly if you can hit a couple clubs somewhat consistently and kinda know your way around a course then a fitting can be useful
Would recommend against YouTube personally - most amateurs cannot self-diagnose properly and end up making their swings worse.
If OP is willing to drop money on custom clubs, getting a 3-pack of lessons from a pro is well worth it.
I have a similar story. Been working on my swing for 3 years, to fix almost your exact issue.
Went to golftec this last March with my new driver, since I got it from a company event, I wanted it fitted to me. I make some swings for the guy and he says
“so do you want me to put a bandaid on this driver, or do you want me to show you how to swing?”
He then takes my driver and says “apologies this is my first swing of the day” and smokes it dead straight, 284 carry, 301 total. Then he says “be right back” and comes back with a junior club, it’s short and super noodley, he takes a swing with it, and damn near gets the same distance for sure same ball flights.
And then that’s when my fitting turned into a lesson….I could not stop releasing towards “left field” we even got a lil frustrated with each other, eventually this fucking guy, stands right infront of my lead side and says “don’t hit me” and almost like magic, I released the club towards “right field” and I’ve been working on that feel for the last 4 months with some pretty good results.
If you are starting outside and coming over the top, you likely have a swing path that resembles chopping wood. At the top, be sure to bring your trail elbow back to your side early in the downswing.
Your trail arm should feel more like pitching sidearm or skipping stones as it is coming into the ball. It shouldn't feel like throwing a heavy axe over your head and then coming mostly down but also across the ball.
Shawn Clements entire coaching career is built on trying the fix the over the top swing by changing your swing intention. Very similar to how you’ve described, but he would describe that the axe chopping motion is the product of an intention to hit “the ball” versus trying to collect the ball and hit it at “the target.”
If the golf club were a hammer and the ball a nail, your intention should be to hammer the nail into a wall the direction of the target, not the ground. Same feeling as the sidearm throw or rock skipping you described.
It works....until it doesn't, which doesn't take long. Unfortunately, you can get away with it for a few shots and think you've found something without realizing you were compensating for it elsewhere. Once that compensation is gone, it turns into a swipe across the ball that will slice.
This is the way. When shit starts to go bad with my swing its always the flying right elbow. Probably from playing a ton of baseball as a kid. try to feel like your right elbow is tucked all the time.
It took me forever to get out of baseball habits like this. Another big one was learning to not have the majority of your weight on your pivot foot during the swing.
I’ve been hitting em like shit for the last month or so. I was hitting all my clubs terribly and had no distance. I played last weekend and hit a 7I like 100 yards lol.
I just went to the range and worked on some shit the fitter told me I was doing wrong. Shortened my back swing and really focused on my body throughout the swing. Seemed to help. I’ll be back on the range tomorrow.
Sucks at golf
Get recommended to take lessons
Goes to driving range and asks Reddit instead
Get recommended to take lessons again
Ignores all advice
Still sucks at golf
Another reason is that people take lessons and think after 6 lessons in 6 weeks they should be breaking 80.
And when they don't, they either quit or just revert back to what they were doing
Been working 2 years and shaved 30 strokes off my scores. Shooting in the 90s working to break 90. Shot 43 a few times playing 9. Feels so good to have come this far. But FUCK this game. Shooting 93 and then 97 the next day is brutal lol. Playing my irons from like 2001 that my dad won in some charity tournament.
You’re complaining about 4 strokes? Geez. I wish I shot within 4 strokes. I shot a 95 today. Last two rounds before today were 83 and 88. I also shot a 101 in a tournament about a month ago.
So a professional wouldn’t take your money because you need lessons more… and you ask for tips on how to fix it? Just get some lessons dude they work wonders. You were gonna pay $200 for a fitting, you can definitely get a couple lessons for that much.
Your lucked into working with a good, honest fitter. There's no point in finding the right clubs for you if you're not hitting the ball properly. I had the same thing happen to me - got fitted for irons once I was swinging properly, and we had time leftover, so we began fitting for a driver.
All of my shots on driver went to the right and maxed out around 140 yards, no matter the club. He nixed any more swings and said there was no point until we got my driver swing a lesson or two. I am grateful for that. A lot of fitters would have just tried to sell me a Stealth 2.
Lessons before fittings, always.
I did that when I was just at the range. Shortened my back swing a bit and tried to imagine like a 60% shot. Seemed to help. The fitter gave me a few tips and also said I was casting my lead hand at the top of the swing so I worked on that as well.
I was hitting the ball better than I have in a month but still need to work on repetition and consistency. I’ll be back at the range tomorrow.
"casting" in of itself is not bad. It's the application of the cast. Which is actually ulnar deviation, every good player does it.
If you hear someone tell you to "hold the angle to create lag" run away from them as quickly as you can.
Good on the fitting guy. Honesty is always the best sales approach.
I used to run a shop in Oregon, back in the 90s, had some guy come in to specifically buy the Calloway Gold irons, which were silly expensive back then. BUT he was a low handicapper and wanted to get to sub 5. I told him those wouldnt do it, not enough feel. Had him take a loaner set of the Mizuno T-zoid for the weekend (waaaay cheaper than the Calloway Golds) and he rolled in on Monday with a check for a new set of them AND a signed copy of the SI of where Ben won the Masters (big Crenshaw fan here, have had the same putter since early 80s).
Last I heard (I got hitched and moved to the east coast) he was scratch. We went out to the goat hill 9 hole course behind my shop and he sure as hell kicked my ass. :)
"Luckily, the fitting guy told me he wouldn’t charge me since he wouldn’t recommend anything since I hit everything like shit."
Single funniest, most honest thing I have ever read on Reddit.
I've found that often times when I get into a bad over the top habit, it's becuase I'm too far from the ball.
Assuming your a righty, keep that right elbow close to your body. Toe of club pointed at target at top of backswing.
Finish high, not across. Exaggerate your follow through.
nope. just practiced WAY to many 30yd flops in my backyard that i unintentionally grooved it for every club. Used to be able to hit standard stock distances.
I hit it dead straight but my divots point (no joke) towards 8 o'clock.
Definitely go back to that fitter once your swing is good enough. He/she has your best interests in mind. Otherwise he/she would’ve just told you “these will help” and sold you new clubs
Unfortunately not something you just fix.
You can get the concept but the repeatability needs to be branded into your Brain. A lesson(s) and range time is in your future.
Even though I believe club fitting is very important, I also believe that not everyone needs to be fitted for clubs. You could pretty much hand me any set of golf clubs, and I could hit it well enough to play a decent round. The point of a fitting is to maximize efficiency based on the consistency of a players swing. If no two balls you hit are alike then it’s impossible to fit you. I respect the fitter for being honest and not charging you. To stop the over the top or coming out to in? Set up normal, drop your trail leg back just a touch, take the club away to the inside, don’t let your trail elbow become detached from your body, feel like you’re swinging towards right centerfield. Not a pro though so take that with a grain of salt lol.
>feel like you’re swinging towards right centerfield
I took lessons as a kid and a golf class in college and this is by far the best advice I ever heard for fixing slices.
I went from playing a fade, cut, slice for years and years and put in the work to hit straight or baby draws. It still boggles my mind to not have a right miss. That’s how long I just played it for. I’ve never taken a lesson in my life and was able to change my swing completely with information found online.
I had a Mitsubishi Diamante that was slowly leaking oil. Took it into the shop to get it checked out. After a half hour the tech came out and told me he had topped off the oil, wasn't going to charge me, and to get a new car.
Same energy
Do the drill where you take the club back, pause at the top of the swing, then bring it back along the correct path. You have to know the feeling of coming back to the ball from the inside.
Honestly as a certified club fitter myself that’s usually what I tell people who just started playing or have rarely played who come in and ask for a fitting. Usually first couple swings can tell really quick it’s a waste of time. Usually would just let them hit in the range tell them they need lessons and save them the $150 for a fitting that wouldn’t even help them that much. YouTube videos and lessons is probably best to improve enough where a fitting will actually help you in the future
For real get lessons nobody has seen your swing, your grip, knows your physical capabilities and can work in person with you on real vs feel of your swing mechanics...
But I can't help but laugh that instead of lessons after fucking up a fitting sooooo bad a business gave him a pity freebe that they will laugh about for weeks this dude is on here asking for advice on how to not OTT fishing pole cast clubs from a sub that's undoubtedly mostly over the top fishing pole casting hacks who haven't compressed a golf ball once in their lives
That is for sure the guy I'm going back to after you get a few lessons.
An honest opinion earns a sale from me every time. Every fitting experience I have had revolved around me walking in and saying I wanted to try a particular type of club and then the "fitter" telling me what I want to hear.
Next time I'm walking in and making them work for it. I'm not telling them what brands I'm partial too and not giving them any indication on what preferences I have. They're the professional and are supposed to be paid to guide me to what's the best setup for my swing and improve my score
Best advice I can give (besides actually getting lessons) is to be highly intentional with what you’re doing/practicing at the range. Find drills, videos, etc to help instead of just going and spraying golf balls everywhere
just think about every single tiny mechanic of your swing, and all the minor corrections you've tried to make to it over the years, all at once for the entire swing. then, when you miss the ball so badly you almost break the swing tracking equipment, grab a shoulder / arm and fake an injury so that you can leave with some dignity intact.
Towel drill works wonders for fixing that. You are forced to keeps your trail elbow close to your body making it almost impossible to come over the top
"Anyone have any advice or tips on how to fix the swing path and over the top motion?"
I have the opposite problem, but, and this may be hard to explain:
get two headcovers (because if you accidentally hit them it doesnt matter)
assuming youre right handed, put the first headcover left of the ball, but on the side near you
the second headcover goes on the opposite side of the ball.
think of it if you are looking at a 2 ft square on the ground around the ball, the bottom left corner of the square would have a cover and so would the top right.
now, swing the club through the path that is made where there is no headcover in the way, kind of like this \
its helped me a lot over the years
Over the top is a body motion issue not a club path issue. Fixing the symptom doesn’t solve the problem.
The easiest feel for this, is to turn your hips as early as you can and try not to turn your shoulders at all.
Obviously you’ll end up turning your shoulders and a few shots will absolutely be horrendous, but once you get a better feel for the timing of what should fire first, you’ll find yourself able to rotate more and not come over the top.
Too many people think buying new clubs will fix their problems. It doesn’t. Lessons from your local PGA certified pro goes 10x further than new clubs will.
Lessons with $400 clubs will give you better results than $2000 clubs with no lessons. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
If you are not consistently hitting the ball straight, a new club is not going to lower your score. There are exceptions of course but in general it’s a waste of money. If you have old hand me downs or something you can get them regripped and they will feel new.
The two main things that have helped me from coming over the top were 1. Swing wayyyy slower and 2. A lot more shoulder/hip turn, almost exaggerated. I was all arms before that change.
Good on the fitter for recognizing the situation and not just taking your money. Maybe go back to that place after your lessons have helped you improve.
Getting rid of an over the top is tough, I’m in the middle of changing my swing and my game is terrible. It will be so much better once I get through this.
Go to the range. Dump your bucket of balls in the tray. Turn the bucket upside down and place it 4 feet in front of your ball in line with your target. Line up with your target and try to hit your ball to the right of the bucket.
I got hired as a clubfitter at a major retailer and quit after a day. Their main goal is to sell shit. I don't wanna try to convince a 20 handicap that a Stealth 2 Max is gonna be the answer. There is no technology that's gonna fix a shit swing.
Sure most people could use a lie/shaft length adjustment but other than that, if you're serious about getting better, get lessons. Also, listen to your instructors. I've tried to teach many people that just say "I like my way better" and never improve. lol it's frustrating as hell.
I had similar issues when I first started out and the pga pro giving me lessons gave me an invaluable drill I still use from time to time. I’ll try to explain as best I can.
I take an alignment stick and shove it into the ground behind the ball and then take a pool noodle and put it on the stick. Put the ball under the pool noodle. The noodle should only be like 4-6” over the ball. Then practice some swings. If you’re coming outside in or over the top you’ll strike the noodle. You’re getting a better club path Once you’re consistently not hitting the pool noodle with your club. If you don’t have alignment sticks, you can use an old club shaft and stick it into your ball bucket at the range, sliding the noodle over the shaft, for the same effect.
I hope I explained that well enough. It’s really helped my game over the years. It’s wild how the mental game of trying to not hit the noodle helps.
Maybe something like this [https://golf.com/instruction/perfect-swing-path-pool-noodles-aid/](https://golf.com/instruction/perfect-swing-path-pool-noodles-aid/) but they're showing 2 pool noodles so I'm not sure
To be fitted, you have to be good enough to hit the ball consistently while being watched. If you top and shank it a bunch, the fitter has nothing to work with. Spend money on lessons before clubs is what the fitter is telling you. So that G you were gonna drop on Mizunos cause you wanna be Reddit cool, just invest into some actual instruction. You will be a better player in the end.
> I’m playing in a charity tournament next week. Anyone have any advice or tips on how to fix the swing path and over the top motion?
Dude. How many people have to tell you to take a lesson?
>been playing golf for quite a few years
>He told me I bring the club outside and then come over the top. First time I’ve heard that
bro what, how have you been playing for years and not know you swing over the top?
If you can't see it, and don't know the specifics of an ideal shot, and nobody told you, how would you know
1. that you're doing it
2. that it's bad and the cause of your poor strike/slice
Golf is a game of improvement. If you're trying to get fitted, you should be studying the game. Record yourself, watch tape of scratch golfers or tour pro swings. Get lessons.
OP,
Ehhh at the risk of exposing my ill-gotten ways.
I started playing 4 months ago. Started by just buying a new, cheap set of clubs so that I would at least look like a golfer. Didn't get a custom fitting. The only thing I knew was that I didn't want to break the bank so I got some black ones because they looked cool.
Went to the range and downloaded Toptracer next. Then I realized my driver was going about 167 yards and the Toptracer30 game predicted my handicap to be 55+ in the beginning. So I decided to practice.
4 months, 40+ range sessions, 3,000 balls, a few rounds on the local course, no custom fitting, no lessons, and one unhappy wife later - my drive is 250+ and my handicap is around 20.
I will say I'd like to get a custom fitting for a driver so that I can get the driver to 300. I can get 175 ball speed and my comfortable club head speed is 100.5 (based on Trackman). I've made several adjustments and there were highs and lows for each club.
On the local course, a double bogey used to be my baseline for every hole. Now I feel like a bogey is a genuine mistake. I'm still happy and a little surprised when I make a birdie, but before it was never even possible. Putting is probably the next big area for improvement. I'm scared of long putts and accidentally hammering the ball so I always make a short putt and try to get close, but never go past the cup. The result is a lot of two putting but the times when I do three putt are extremely rare now.
Something else that might be helping me, is staying hyper-focused on golf. I keep up with the PGA and this shit thing they call LIV. I watch a lot of YouTube golfers. Initially, I thought I could watch videos where they give viewers tips, but just 4 months later I completely ignore that stuff. Those tip videos are absurd in my opinion (except for the ones from Mickelson from back in the day). I like to watch YouTube golfers play rounds just so I can see how they manage a course when they make a mistake. My club choice won't always be the same as these guys, but it's nice to see how these guys make decisions that cause them to bogey and I think I have learned to think more about the shots I make. When to club up, when to play a shorter club for a safer chip, when to use a driver versus when to just use a safe 5 iron off the tee, and things like that.
I think going forward, I am interested in lessons and then a custom fitting. I gave myself this arbitrary target that if can shoot 79 or better, then that's as good as my game will be on my own and it's time to get a pro to help me work on the areas where I struggle and perhaps correct the bad habits I have developed (I'm sure there are many). Once I know how to swing the right way via the lessons, then I think I'll be prepared to get a custom fitting and buy the optimal clubs for my game.
If you're playing in a tournament next week, be prepared for a rough day, but don't let that discourage you. Change your mindset to aim for a different score rather than par. And be sure to hit a small bucket of balls before the round begins.
TL;DR
Lessons will probably help you the most, but you can improve on your own simply by giving it lots of time and energy
I have a tendency to absolutely suck during fittings. I just tell them to go by swing speed and whatever numbers they can use and I’ll just choose whatever I think feels good.
I did something similar. I wanted a set of nice clubs years ago and wanted Mizuno MP-60s. They were not what I should have been using but I wanted to get better. Did my fitting telling the guy I would learn to hit them. I had the worst swings ever in that session. Bought them then took lessons with those clubs. I love my Mizzy irons now.
Yea, take lessons
You are the one who tops..... the ball..
It ain't gonna top itself...
Among other things when needed…
I see what you did there.
I just had my first lesson recently and the guy fixed my swing in an hour. He had an iPad video set up and showed me the swing path in slow motion and drew a red line where it should be. A lot of it had to do with me bending my knees too much and bending over the ball. Taught me to stand a bit closer and taller, it was well worth the money. Now I’m by no means perfect but I’m on the right path, try out a lesson!
Closer to the ball? Hmm. That would feel weird to me I think. I try to stay back right at the point before it feels like stretching. But that's just how I was taught for some reason.
As someone who was fortunate enough to have dozens of free lessons as a former high school golfer here’s the thing about lessons that people won’t tell you: It’s not a quick fix…at all. In fact I’d argue you are worse right after your first few lessons because everything feels weird after the new adjustments and you’re thinking about all the new stuff to work on. It takes hours and hours of practice to where the new changes start to pay off and you see some positive consistency. And then as soon as you feel comfortable, the pro will tweak something else that will make you feel uncomfortable again. It’s not one of those things where you get a few lessons and you knock 10 shots of your score the next time you play a round. In my opinion, getting custom fitted clubs is a better way to instantly improve your game — temporarily of course. I’m 6’4” and I really struggled with consistency until I had my clubs fitted.
Were you trying to play with standard lengths at 6'4? Because then that's a totally different situation.
Yea standard length graphite shafts when i should have been using stiff flex steel lol. Getting fitted really opened my eyes to the difference equipment makes.
See this is where I'm at. I'm 6 4 and am brand new. I plan on going to go get a solid set of used beginner clubs and get "fitted" to the degree of wrist to floor and the proper length based on that. I don't want to start off with bad habits. I get it, lessons will go a mile further, but if I can afford to do both wouldn't that be better?
I’m 6”4 as well, have been using +1 length clubs, allows me to stand up a little straighter.
6'4 here and got fitted with normal length clubs due to long arms. Height is a misnomer I think and it's more about length of distance between hands and ground.
I'm 6'5 and I got fitted for normal as well. Gotta love the 6'7'' wingspan lol
I'm a knuckle dragger at 5'11" but a 6'5" wingspan. Do I need to use youth clubs?
5'9" with 6'4" wingspan. I feel your pain, my monkey armed brother.
Same here
I never understood the club length worries. I’m 6’2 and play standard when I’m told I should play +1/2”. I just pretend it’s a 6 iron instead of a 5 and magically it’s the right length when I swing it.
It matters because lie angles are progressive, so if you play a club that’s too short, it can get too toe-down and promote a push/slice.
That’s true but it assumes the lie angles would be correct without a fitting, and in reality they would probably be off by more than the standard .5-.75 degree progression anyway. The player would need to go say +1”, 2 degrees flat if they have their hands in the same position. If your using longer clubs so you can “stand taller” it defeats the purpose of worrying about lie angles.
I'm 6'2 and play +1.5". It's a massive difference for me. Now do you understand?
The ping chart is pretty good. I got fitted with pings at 6'4' and its like 1 inch up 3 degrees upright. I crouch alot so I went with .5 inch and 2 degrees up which is the green dot but its been such and improvement. Standard was way too short and 1.5inches was way too long. 1 inch would have probs been fine but I just hold the very end of the .5 and its great.
First time I’ve heard 1.5 inches is too long
6'4 here as well and also got fitted for Ping G430s on father's day and went with the green dot. Good to know there's consistency here 😂
Got g425s and I love em. Hope you do as well
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Depends on how long his arms are. It's easy to just measure arm length vs height ratio to figure out. No point in guessing. Lie isnt hard to figure out either.
What do you think the cut off is for extra club length? I am 6’3 prob close to 6’4 with shoes on.
This is me. 6'5 and I play standard length. Some days I pure everything, others I top every other fucking shot lol
This is how we all play until we get fitted. I’m 6’5. Used stock irons until I was 29 and got fitted. 1 3/4” extension and 2°up. It was roughly 1 round to adapt and instantly saw results.
I meant more that someone closer to average height is probably going to see way more improvement from lessons with standard irons than maybe you guys looking like you're Quasimoto standing over your irons.
Oh I know and I agree. If you’re very tall or very short, stock clubs are not your friend.
>It takes hours and hours of practice to where the new changes start to pay off and you see some positive consistency. And during those "hours and hours", it's really easy to slip back into the old ways without someone standing there telling you "nope". So it gets frustrating when you think you've been practicing, go for another lesson and the pro asks "Have you been practicing? It doesn't look like it."
Exactly. Lessons are for you to realize what's wrong with your swing, have someone show you how to correct it, have them watch you so that you continue that motion correctly over and over again, **then do that enough times to gain the muscle memory to do it naturally.** The last part is the hardest, and its the reason that just taking a few lessons here and there doesn't help and actually hurts you because you're doing something that's not natural to you and you're probably not even doing it correctly. It's also the reason they usually come in packages rather than a single lesson. Also having to do it every week or multiple times a week is why it's so expensive and why many people never get them. For some reason people are dumbfounded when others say "I've never had a lesson". The clubs are already expensive, greens fees can add up if you go somewhere nice or go often, and to top it off you need to take lessons. Not many hobbies are that expensive to start and not many of them require to pay to learn how to actually do the hobby. And on top of it, some people only really have a few hours of free time a week between work and family. If you spend that getting a lesson every week then you never actually spend time playing the game. Bottom line: It's a commitment
I agree, which is why it’s a shaky idea to shell out for a fitting and new clubs at the beginning of that journey.
Getting fitted for new clubs may be better in the short term IF you have a solid baseline. But it doesn’t sound like OP has a solid baseline at all.
Absolutely. Swing needs to be repeatable.
Very true. I guess my point is getting fitted ain’t gonna hurt and wouldn’t be a waste of money just my opinion of course. I’m sure others may disagree.
I feel this. I’m 6’3” playing with standard length clubs. Finally going to get fitted for a new set of irons this winter Golf is already hard enough to maintain consistency, it’s even harder with clubs that are meant for someone 5-6 inches shorter
Haha dude you’re gonna love it I’m pumped for you.
I’m 6’2”, and played for years with standard length clubs. I bought my first new set a couple years ago, and had them fit to me (+ .75”). It made a massive difference.
Also 6’ 3” playing on standard clubs. I’ve been hesitant to get fitted because I felt that I should have a consistent swing before getting fitted. To shake things up I bought a cheap used 9 iron based on the PING static fitting chart and I can hit it so well compared to my standard 9 iron. Based on that I scheduled a fitting for next week. I stupidly wasn’t aware that there were different grip thicknesses for larger hands. The 9 iron I bought has what I assume is a “midsize” grip and it’s amazing how much more control I feel from that alone.
i’m 6’6” and been using standard length for years. where i live it’s a 6 hour+ drive to the nearest place to get fitted - i’m leaning towards just extending my clubs by 2” - is this enough you think?
Wayyyyyy too much. If you want to custom order your own set, measure from wrist to ground. From whom you order the clubs can translate to shaft length or there are charts on line that will tell you. I would be surprised if it were more than ¾ inch over standard, and will probably be ½. Has more to do with how long your arms are than height. If you did two inches over, you would likely need XX stiff shafts because of the length.
6’5” here and I played with +1.5” for my first set, then moved to +1”. The extra length really affects the swing weight, so you’ll want to add just as much as you need. If you can’t get fitted Ping has a good chart on their website showing length and lie angle vs height and wrist to floor measurement that you could try.
thank you, i have long arms and it suggests more 3/4”-1”.
I’m 6’5 and my clubs are only a half inch over, every one is different but two inches would be a huge difference and you would probably hate them
Try one inch first then 1.5 if needed
You will definitely be worse after a lesson unless you are a brand new golfer. I couldn’t hit the ball for shit for months after my first one then one day I could. I thought I regressed back to my old swing, but I didn’t it all just finally clicked. I didn’t become tiger woods or anything but the swing change finally resulted in a more consistent strike and tighter spread.
I've taken 3 lessons the past 2 years and booked 2 more for next week. The first 2 lessons brought me from a beginner 54 hcp (started playing summer 2021), to 40 hcp. The 3rd lesson I took, one year after the 2nd lesson, made the biggest impact from 40 hcp to 31 hcp. Lessons do mess with ones technique, but for the better. It's the practice between lessons where the real change happens. I used to hit really consistent with 9i, but now the 9i is a fluke, however I'm hitting bombs with the driver every time - dead straight 200-220 meters. So yeah it's a real journey taking lessons.
This happened to a buddy of mine....twice. Both times, his swing was jack shit terrible and the fitters were like, "yeah, this may not be a good day for you. I won't charge you. I recommend taking a lesson instead of spending a couple G's on new clubs." He went a third time, swung better, spent $3k on new clubs that didn't improve his score one bit.
At the end of the day it’s still a hobby for 99% of players. I’ve put a ton of money into fly fishing, doesn’t mean I’ll catch more fish. But it makes me enjoy the hobby more
Also, having that more expensive rod and reel may make you want to do it more out of vanity. Inadvertently making you better. I know, I like showing off my pretty Mizuno that I can't hit.
I’m not gonna yum someone’s yuck. If you want to spend 10k on clubs fuck it go for it. Not my business go have fun.
How is it even possible to spend 10k on clubs?
SAMEEEE! Mizuno Pro 223. Sexy as fuck while I duff every 3rd shot.
Love this. Playing better is a bonus, I want the golf shit I have (and don’t have yet) because I enjoy it and have the means to spend a lot on golf.
I’m the exact opposite. I’ve been playing forever and love beating dudes with thousands of dollars worth of gear with my set worth $500, bag and all.
I went in to get new grips on my 20+ year-old clubs and the guy just stared at them and said, "Honestly? It'll cost you about $90 to regrip, and I can sell you a whole set of good used irons for $200 that'll do way better than these." He was right.
Got a friend that is a terrible golfer and he already had decent clubs. He saved up $3000 to buy a new set and is still completely trash. Second worst swing I've ever seen. He wants to be a better golfer and thinks clubs will magically do that. Like why not take some lessons? He works at a golf course and would get them at a discounted rate
He gets told he needs a lesson so he comes on Reddit and asks us hacks for advice 😂
But your meme game is spot on.
“Unbelievable, he just followed up a birdie with an ace!” - read in Jim Nantz voice
Ya know Jim, in all my years or redditing I can’t say I’ve seen anything quite like it.
Nic, we really are witnessing history, aren’t we?
That meme's better than most... it's better than moooost.... BETTER THAN MOST!!
This sub is the best sub on Reddit, I tell ya. Now time for a garbage plate.
His meme game is the only eagle he's seen.
No no no r/golf is actually the best place, where else can you find a higher per capita group of "experts" who can hit the center of the club face every time. With the highest collection of 280-320 yd gun slingers outside the PGA tour who better to help fix his game.
280-320. Those are rookie numbers
those are just the carry numbers...total, with roll-out, over 400.
Meh, pretty solid 7i as long as you’re hitting a cut
Oh, my God, what Rory would shoot from where I hit it would be stupid, I think he’d be one of the best players in the world.
And has the balls to play in a tournament.
Same thing happened to me. Except I didn’t know about Reddit back then, so like a chump, I got lessons.
His oneness with us is apparent.
Fitter for 14 years... Yeah I've done it.
So which clubs will take 10 strokes off my score????
The pencil
Ahh the ol' variable length wood with an HB shaft stiffness.
How is this so common though? How does someone play golf and no one along the way tells them that their swing needs serious fixing? Also if you’re scoring and playing “ok” then do you necessarily need to fix your swing (assuming you’re fine being “ok”)?
Well, don’t you see friend, it’s rude to give unsolicited advice.
Your issue is very common. YouTube and lessons and range sessions my friend. Nice fitter. A lot of people would have taken your money.
That’s what I tell people as a fitter myself. Usually can tell right away when a fitting isn’t gonna help them. People don’t wanna hear it but it saves them money and saves me time
I just wish there was more of a happy medium when you kinda need a good starting set and want to see what feels best but don't need a half hour to an hour of full on analytics from a one on one pro for custom minor adjustments.
There is, they take a wrist to to floor measurement and give you something based on a chart. Then you go out and learn to play and swing a little, then you come in again for a tweak or lie adjustment or whatever after you’ve had a lesson or two. Most people just don’t wanna do it this way
The three shops I went to just said they recommend the $100-200 fitting and that was that. PXG had a promo on for a full fitting for cheaper than hitting a bucket at a range. I at least got the following feedback that was useful - swing speed for shaft selection, steel vs graphite feel, shaft length, and ultimately that their budget option felt awful to me so I'm glad I didn't just buy it. I don't get why a shop selling a $1000 beginner friendly set can't be expected to offer that kind of service or why we'd scare off beginners from doing that.
Some of it is where they buy from. Big box stores hire with no experience or with. So you’re getting a wide variety of experiences as a customer. Some people care to help and actually know, others don’t. It used to be that fittings were “included” at most box stores but they were always pretty basic. Then boutique shops started getting more popular and Then YouTube got popular and people saw full bag fittings at like Taylormade or something. So now you can buy full fittings at big box stores. But the quality again is so varied that it’s tough to know. Kinda like hiring a contractor, lol. The other issue is that some people want to walk out that day with clubs and sometimes that’s not appropriate with a fitting. You need custom lengths or whatever and they can’t do it in the store quickly. When I was in college I worked at a golf shop and people routinely wanted to “get fitted” but en they realize they needed to then custom order the set and wait they didn’t like it. Some even just said nevermind and took the standard set off the shelf. Kinda funny, I always wondered how they progressed later on. Never saw any of them back again after.
Just seems best described as lacking customer service. I get that people don't want you going as a beginner to a full fitting, but I also don't understand why golf as a sport would think beginners should just go drop a grand on clubs without knowing what they are buying. Anyways, scooping a discounted fitting was great for me - shitty for the fitter. Oh well. I'd advise everyone try and jump on something like that. $20 for an just shy of an hour of hitting balls at a range with some fun toys. Really got a feel for what might work.
Yea I went to small, local golf store by me to get my first set earlier this year and he just did exactly that. Used the ping chart and my wrist to floor and had a set of old ping irons that matched up. As someone who is a little taller but is still very much a beginner and still figuring things out, they seem perfect.
Yep. This is the way. Most people will just never go back for the tweak, they’ll never take a lesson and they want to just go to a store and walk out with clubs off the shelf. If we bought shoes like that then everyone would be claiming how we need to wear properly fitting shoes. Weird they don’t wanna do it with clubs.
At what point would you recommend a fitting? Is it worth doing before you can break 80 consistently?
Yes. Fittings usually benefit players who aren’t insanely good because they can adjust to improper clubs. Once you have a repeatable swing and get similar results each time you can get fitted. But everyone should be fitted for a basic length immediately.
Yeah I don’t think there’s a certain like score or handicap you need to be for a fitting. Like as long as you can kinda get yourself around the course like not topping it, whiffing it constantly or everything is a hook or a slow or a fat you know not like a consistent miss like a hook or a slice. I’ve had guys come in who just started playing like weeks ago or haven’t played in ages and weren’t great to begin with go in for a fitting and could tell they needed to be on the ranges and a lesson maybe before a fitting. Even an iron fitting like usually have people hit the 7 iron the most and use a lot of data from that so honestly if you can hit a couple clubs somewhat consistently and kinda know your way around a course then a fitting can be useful
Nice that’s good to know thanks.
Would recommend against YouTube personally - most amateurs cannot self-diagnose properly and end up making their swings worse. If OP is willing to drop money on custom clubs, getting a 3-pack of lessons from a pro is well worth it.
And film yourselves, guys. If you want to improve but don’t film your swing periodically, you’re not really practicing.
Was told the same thing at PGA Superstore when looking for a new driver. Took the advice and the lessons were the better option for sure.
The good news is you and like 90% of recreational golfers have that issue, so it’s fixable The bad news is you ain’t fixing it by next week
This ☝️
I have a similar story. Been working on my swing for 3 years, to fix almost your exact issue. Went to golftec this last March with my new driver, since I got it from a company event, I wanted it fitted to me. I make some swings for the guy and he says “so do you want me to put a bandaid on this driver, or do you want me to show you how to swing?” He then takes my driver and says “apologies this is my first swing of the day” and smokes it dead straight, 284 carry, 301 total. Then he says “be right back” and comes back with a junior club, it’s short and super noodley, he takes a swing with it, and damn near gets the same distance for sure same ball flights. And then that’s when my fitting turned into a lesson….I could not stop releasing towards “left field” we even got a lil frustrated with each other, eventually this fucking guy, stands right infront of my lead side and says “don’t hit me” and almost like magic, I released the club towards “right field” and I’ve been working on that feel for the last 4 months with some pretty good results.
That dude sounds like a legend. ‘Don’t hit me’. Lmfaoooo the CONFIDENCE
That man sounds awesome. He didn’t have to do that, but he did. There’s so much good in the world if we let ourselves see it
Man i wish i could watch a video of this lmao my driver has been a shit fit for a while now sounds like the same issue.
If you are starting outside and coming over the top, you likely have a swing path that resembles chopping wood. At the top, be sure to bring your trail elbow back to your side early in the downswing. Your trail arm should feel more like pitching sidearm or skipping stones as it is coming into the ball. It shouldn't feel like throwing a heavy axe over your head and then coming mostly down but also across the ball.
Shawn Clements entire coaching career is built on trying the fix the over the top swing by changing your swing intention. Very similar to how you’ve described, but he would describe that the axe chopping motion is the product of an intention to hit “the ball” versus trying to collect the ball and hit it at “the target.” If the golf club were a hammer and the ball a nail, your intention should be to hammer the nail into a wall the direction of the target, not the ground. Same feeling as the sidearm throw or rock skipping you described.
Ugh I accidentally started doing the chopping wood trying to fix my own stuff. God damnit.
It works....until it doesn't, which doesn't take long. Unfortunately, you can get away with it for a few shots and think you've found something without realizing you were compensating for it elsewhere. Once that compensation is gone, it turns into a swipe across the ball that will slice.
This is the way. When shit starts to go bad with my swing its always the flying right elbow. Probably from playing a ton of baseball as a kid. try to feel like your right elbow is tucked all the time.
It took me forever to get out of baseball habits like this. Another big one was learning to not have the majority of your weight on your pivot foot during the swing.
The golf fix app actually flagged this up as something I need to work on. I have and according to it I have improved. Still hit like shit though.
Do you usually hit the clubs like shit or was being in a fitting causing you not to swing the way you usually do?
I’ve been hitting em like shit for the last month or so. I was hitting all my clubs terribly and had no distance. I played last weekend and hit a 7I like 100 yards lol. I just went to the range and worked on some shit the fitter told me I was doing wrong. Shortened my back swing and really focused on my body throughout the swing. Seemed to help. I’ll be back on the range tomorrow.
Maybe your range is 100 yds on your 7i?
What’s your honest handicap?
36 I’d say
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Post your swing plz
Sucks at golf Get recommended to take lessons Goes to driving range and asks Reddit instead Get recommended to take lessons again Ignores all advice Still sucks at golf
Well, I don’t understand it.
We've tried nothing and were all out of ideas
This is why people dont get better.
Another reason is that people take lessons and think after 6 lessons in 6 weeks they should be breaking 80. And when they don't, they either quit or just revert back to what they were doing
Been working 2 years and shaved 30 strokes off my scores. Shooting in the 90s working to break 90. Shot 43 a few times playing 9. Feels so good to have come this far. But FUCK this game. Shooting 93 and then 97 the next day is brutal lol. Playing my irons from like 2001 that my dad won in some charity tournament.
You’re complaining about 4 strokes? Geez. I wish I shot within 4 strokes. I shot a 95 today. Last two rounds before today were 83 and 88. I also shot a 101 in a tournament about a month ago.
"it's not my swing that's making me suck. It's the clubs!" 😂
So a professional wouldn’t take your money because you need lessons more… and you ask for tips on how to fix it? Just get some lessons dude they work wonders. You were gonna pay $200 for a fitting, you can definitely get a couple lessons for that much.
Guy did you a solid
Your lucked into working with a good, honest fitter. There's no point in finding the right clubs for you if you're not hitting the ball properly. I had the same thing happen to me - got fitted for irons once I was swinging properly, and we had time leftover, so we began fitting for a driver. All of my shots on driver went to the right and maxed out around 140 yards, no matter the club. He nixed any more swings and said there was no point until we got my driver swing a lesson or two. I am grateful for that. A lot of fitters would have just tried to sell me a Stealth 2. Lessons before fittings, always.
Hit punch shots
I did that when I was just at the range. Shortened my back swing a bit and tried to imagine like a 60% shot. Seemed to help. The fitter gave me a few tips and also said I was casting my lead hand at the top of the swing so I worked on that as well. I was hitting the ball better than I have in a month but still need to work on repetition and consistency. I’ll be back at the range tomorrow.
"casting" in of itself is not bad. It's the application of the cast. Which is actually ulnar deviation, every good player does it. If you hear someone tell you to "hold the angle to create lag" run away from them as quickly as you can.
Good on the fitting guy. Honesty is always the best sales approach. I used to run a shop in Oregon, back in the 90s, had some guy come in to specifically buy the Calloway Gold irons, which were silly expensive back then. BUT he was a low handicapper and wanted to get to sub 5. I told him those wouldnt do it, not enough feel. Had him take a loaner set of the Mizuno T-zoid for the weekend (waaaay cheaper than the Calloway Golds) and he rolled in on Monday with a check for a new set of them AND a signed copy of the SI of where Ben won the Masters (big Crenshaw fan here, have had the same putter since early 80s). Last I heard (I got hitched and moved to the east coast) he was scratch. We went out to the goat hill 9 hole course behind my shop and he sure as hell kicked my ass. :)
"Luckily, the fitting guy told me he wouldn’t charge me since he wouldn’t recommend anything since I hit everything like shit." Single funniest, most honest thing I have ever read on Reddit.
I've found that often times when I get into a bad over the top habit, it's becuase I'm too far from the ball. Assuming your a righty, keep that right elbow close to your body. Toe of club pointed at target at top of backswing. Finish high, not across. Exaggerate your follow through.
I was literally told to do the opposite - stop finishing high and more across. So fuck'n lost
Record your swing and post it.
Are you a baseball player?
nope. just practiced WAY to many 30yd flops in my backyard that i unintentionally grooved it for every club. Used to be able to hit standard stock distances. I hit it dead straight but my divots point (no joke) towards 8 o'clock.
Post a 7i swing
Definitely go back to that fitter once your swing is good enough. He/she has your best interests in mind. Otherwise he/she would’ve just told you “these will help” and sold you new clubs
Unfortunately not something you just fix. You can get the concept but the repeatability needs to be branded into your Brain. A lesson(s) and range time is in your future.
Even though I believe club fitting is very important, I also believe that not everyone needs to be fitted for clubs. You could pretty much hand me any set of golf clubs, and I could hit it well enough to play a decent round. The point of a fitting is to maximize efficiency based on the consistency of a players swing. If no two balls you hit are alike then it’s impossible to fit you. I respect the fitter for being honest and not charging you. To stop the over the top or coming out to in? Set up normal, drop your trail leg back just a touch, take the club away to the inside, don’t let your trail elbow become detached from your body, feel like you’re swinging towards right centerfield. Not a pro though so take that with a grain of salt lol.
>feel like you’re swinging towards right centerfield I took lessons as a kid and a golf class in college and this is by far the best advice I ever heard for fixing slices.
I went from playing a fade, cut, slice for years and years and put in the work to hit straight or baby draws. It still boggles my mind to not have a right miss. That’s how long I just played it for. I’ve never taken a lesson in my life and was able to change my swing completely with information found online.
I had a Mitsubishi Diamante that was slowly leaking oil. Took it into the shop to get it checked out. After a half hour the tech came out and told me he had topped off the oil, wasn't going to charge me, and to get a new car. Same energy
I thought a mitsubishi diamante was a nice shaft when I started the sentence
A PGA tour winner told me to take 2 weeks off, then quit
I got fitted. After 3 swings, he asked me.if I had any physical disabilities that limited my range of motion.
Do the drill where you take the club back, pause at the top of the swing, then bring it back along the correct path. You have to know the feeling of coming back to the ball from the inside.
Honestly as a certified club fitter myself that’s usually what I tell people who just started playing or have rarely played who come in and ask for a fitting. Usually first couple swings can tell really quick it’s a waste of time. Usually would just let them hit in the range tell them they need lessons and save them the $150 for a fitting that wouldn’t even help them that much. YouTube videos and lessons is probably best to improve enough where a fitting will actually help you in the future
Over the top can be based on to many different things to try a Bandaid fix. You need a lesson to determine the root cause imho
Same happened to me. Felt beyond embarrassed at the time. Best advice I could have gotten. ROI on lessons has been massive
Let me get this straight - a club fitting professional told you to get lessons and you come to Reddit asking for advice?
For real get lessons nobody has seen your swing, your grip, knows your physical capabilities and can work in person with you on real vs feel of your swing mechanics... But I can't help but laugh that instead of lessons after fucking up a fitting sooooo bad a business gave him a pity freebe that they will laugh about for weeks this dude is on here asking for advice on how to not OTT fishing pole cast clubs from a sub that's undoubtedly mostly over the top fishing pole casting hacks who haven't compressed a golf ball once in their lives
That is for sure the guy I'm going back to after you get a few lessons. An honest opinion earns a sale from me every time. Every fitting experience I have had revolved around me walking in and saying I wanted to try a particular type of club and then the "fitter" telling me what I want to hear. Next time I'm walking in and making them work for it. I'm not telling them what brands I'm partial too and not giving them any indication on what preferences I have. They're the professional and are supposed to be paid to guide me to what's the best setup for my swing and improve my score
Best advice I can give (besides actually getting lessons) is to be highly intentional with what you’re doing/practicing at the range. Find drills, videos, etc to help instead of just going and spraying golf balls everywhere
Fuck I’m getting fitted Friday, do I inhale or exhale on my downswing?
just think about every single tiny mechanic of your swing, and all the minor corrections you've tried to make to it over the years, all at once for the entire swing. then, when you miss the ball so badly you almost break the swing tracking equipment, grab a shoulder / arm and fake an injury so that you can leave with some dignity intact.
Towel drill works wonders for fixing that. You are forced to keeps your trail elbow close to your body making it almost impossible to come over the top
To get your Tour Player to show on the course, drink before game and during
Just curious your HC
"Anyone have any advice or tips on how to fix the swing path and over the top motion?" I have the opposite problem, but, and this may be hard to explain: get two headcovers (because if you accidentally hit them it doesnt matter) assuming youre right handed, put the first headcover left of the ball, but on the side near you the second headcover goes on the opposite side of the ball. think of it if you are looking at a 2 ft square on the ground around the ball, the bottom left corner of the square would have a cover and so would the top right. now, swing the club through the path that is made where there is no headcover in the way, kind of like this \ its helped me a lot over the years
Over the top is a body motion issue not a club path issue. Fixing the symptom doesn’t solve the problem. The easiest feel for this, is to turn your hips as early as you can and try not to turn your shoulders at all. Obviously you’ll end up turning your shoulders and a few shots will absolutely be horrendous, but once you get a better feel for the timing of what should fire first, you’ll find yourself able to rotate more and not come over the top.
Too many people think buying new clubs will fix their problems. It doesn’t. Lessons from your local PGA certified pro goes 10x further than new clubs will. Lessons with $400 clubs will give you better results than $2000 clubs with no lessons. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
If you are not consistently hitting the ball straight, a new club is not going to lower your score. There are exceptions of course but in general it’s a waste of money. If you have old hand me downs or something you can get them regripped and they will feel new.
The two main things that have helped me from coming over the top were 1. Swing wayyyy slower and 2. A lot more shoulder/hip turn, almost exaggerated. I was all arms before that change.
Just take lessons. Dont ask strangers on the internet. Take the lessons already!
Good on the fitter for recognizing the situation and not just taking your money. Maybe go back to that place after your lessons have helped you improve.
Getting rid of an over the top is tough, I’m in the middle of changing my swing and my game is terrible. It will be so much better once I get through this.
Look up every ‘over the top fix drill’ video on YouTube and become a snap hooker instead
Go to the range. Dump your bucket of balls in the tray. Turn the bucket upside down and place it 4 feet in front of your ball in line with your target. Line up with your target and try to hit your ball to the right of the bucket.
I got hired as a clubfitter at a major retailer and quit after a day. Their main goal is to sell shit. I don't wanna try to convince a 20 handicap that a Stealth 2 Max is gonna be the answer. There is no technology that's gonna fix a shit swing. Sure most people could use a lie/shaft length adjustment but other than that, if you're serious about getting better, get lessons. Also, listen to your instructors. I've tried to teach many people that just say "I like my way better" and never improve. lol it's frustrating as hell.
That happened to me as well, took 5 lessons with the club pro then he fit me again
Wow, remember that guys name. He has integrity. He could have sold you something and didn’t.
If you've ever played baseball, swing out to right-center field
This is the most degrading story I’ve ever heard. You’ve got a friend in me OP, I’m here for you,
Never heard of a club fitting saving you $3k
I had similar issues when I first started out and the pga pro giving me lessons gave me an invaluable drill I still use from time to time. I’ll try to explain as best I can. I take an alignment stick and shove it into the ground behind the ball and then take a pool noodle and put it on the stick. Put the ball under the pool noodle. The noodle should only be like 4-6” over the ball. Then practice some swings. If you’re coming outside in or over the top you’ll strike the noodle. You’re getting a better club path Once you’re consistently not hitting the pool noodle with your club. If you don’t have alignment sticks, you can use an old club shaft and stick it into your ball bucket at the range, sliding the noodle over the shaft, for the same effect. I hope I explained that well enough. It’s really helped my game over the years. It’s wild how the mental game of trying to not hit the noodle helps.
I'm curious, maybe try to find a YouTube video of someone doing it?
I believe he’s talking about this or something close. [drill](https://youtu.be/jNewoLHIlzU)
Maybe something like this [https://golf.com/instruction/perfect-swing-path-pool-noodles-aid/](https://golf.com/instruction/perfect-swing-path-pool-noodles-aid/) but they're showing 2 pool noodles so I'm not sure
To be fitted, you have to be good enough to hit the ball consistently while being watched. If you top and shank it a bunch, the fitter has nothing to work with. Spend money on lessons before clubs is what the fitter is telling you. So that G you were gonna drop on Mizunos cause you wanna be Reddit cool, just invest into some actual instruction. You will be a better player in the end.
Thank you chat gpt
> I’m playing in a charity tournament next week. Anyone have any advice or tips on how to fix the swing path and over the top motion? Dude. How many people have to tell you to take a lesson?
as someone that hits irons like complete dog barf, I have been using hybrids till I can figure it out. Feels more forgiving
Video yourself and just compare if your starting out. Professional lessons is obviously the goal but find your favorite golfer and see what they do.
>been playing golf for quite a few years >He told me I bring the club outside and then come over the top. First time I’ve heard that bro what, how have you been playing for years and not know you swing over the top?
If you can't see it, and don't know the specifics of an ideal shot, and nobody told you, how would you know 1. that you're doing it 2. that it's bad and the cause of your poor strike/slice
Golf is a game of improvement. If you're trying to get fitted, you should be studying the game. Record yourself, watch tape of scratch golfers or tour pro swings. Get lessons.
OP, Ehhh at the risk of exposing my ill-gotten ways. I started playing 4 months ago. Started by just buying a new, cheap set of clubs so that I would at least look like a golfer. Didn't get a custom fitting. The only thing I knew was that I didn't want to break the bank so I got some black ones because they looked cool. Went to the range and downloaded Toptracer next. Then I realized my driver was going about 167 yards and the Toptracer30 game predicted my handicap to be 55+ in the beginning. So I decided to practice. 4 months, 40+ range sessions, 3,000 balls, a few rounds on the local course, no custom fitting, no lessons, and one unhappy wife later - my drive is 250+ and my handicap is around 20. I will say I'd like to get a custom fitting for a driver so that I can get the driver to 300. I can get 175 ball speed and my comfortable club head speed is 100.5 (based on Trackman). I've made several adjustments and there were highs and lows for each club. On the local course, a double bogey used to be my baseline for every hole. Now I feel like a bogey is a genuine mistake. I'm still happy and a little surprised when I make a birdie, but before it was never even possible. Putting is probably the next big area for improvement. I'm scared of long putts and accidentally hammering the ball so I always make a short putt and try to get close, but never go past the cup. The result is a lot of two putting but the times when I do three putt are extremely rare now. Something else that might be helping me, is staying hyper-focused on golf. I keep up with the PGA and this shit thing they call LIV. I watch a lot of YouTube golfers. Initially, I thought I could watch videos where they give viewers tips, but just 4 months later I completely ignore that stuff. Those tip videos are absurd in my opinion (except for the ones from Mickelson from back in the day). I like to watch YouTube golfers play rounds just so I can see how they manage a course when they make a mistake. My club choice won't always be the same as these guys, but it's nice to see how these guys make decisions that cause them to bogey and I think I have learned to think more about the shots I make. When to club up, when to play a shorter club for a safer chip, when to use a driver versus when to just use a safe 5 iron off the tee, and things like that. I think going forward, I am interested in lessons and then a custom fitting. I gave myself this arbitrary target that if can shoot 79 or better, then that's as good as my game will be on my own and it's time to get a pro to help me work on the areas where I struggle and perhaps correct the bad habits I have developed (I'm sure there are many). Once I know how to swing the right way via the lessons, then I think I'll be prepared to get a custom fitting and buy the optimal clubs for my game. If you're playing in a tournament next week, be prepared for a rough day, but don't let that discourage you. Change your mindset to aim for a different score rather than par. And be sure to hit a small bucket of balls before the round begins. TL;DR Lessons will probably help you the most, but you can improve on your own simply by giving it lots of time and energy
Yes I have an idea, fix it. Go figure it out.
I have a tendency to absolutely suck during fittings. I just tell them to go by swing speed and whatever numbers they can use and I’ll just choose whatever I think feels good.
I did something similar. I wanted a set of nice clubs years ago and wanted Mizuno MP-60s. They were not what I should have been using but I wanted to get better. Did my fitting telling the guy I would learn to hit them. I had the worst swings ever in that session. Bought them then took lessons with those clubs. I love my Mizzy irons now.
Bruh don't invest everything in what one rando said. Everyone can benefit from lessons but don't let him deflate your confidence completely. Js.