Ball Going off to the left

Tony255

Hi,
I am having a problem with my swing that is really annoying me, firstly i'm left handed. When i hit the ball with a 3 iron it veers off to the left (some days it gos off so much that it nearly does a 360) but if i hit it with say a 7 it goes straight as a arrow. Any ideas what i am doing wrong it is driving me mental.

Tony

Gillie

The 3 iron is kind of like a driver in that it should line up with your right heel (left heel for right handed users).
The same thing will happen with a driver if you "start it in the middle of your feet".
Give it a try

J.R.HARTLEY

to be honest you should always ask a pro about any problems, but if you reckon it's a simple thing you're forgetting to do then a few more details might help sort it out,
is the ball alligned properly to your stance? (not too far back in your stance)
is the ball being cut out to the left? (Slice) or is it being pushed left by you?
are you bringing the hands back or are you maybe bringing them around you flatly by mistake?
stuff like that may help indicate if its a simple enough problem. next time your out or on the range ask a mate to stand behind you and watch the swing only, if they pick out something simple like that then a bit of set up practice in the range will drum the proper technique in, if its in the swing, you may be better off taking a lesson.

DIEGO WORST

as JR says it is impossible to say without seeing your swing, and a lesson with a Pro will be the quickest and easiest way to sort out your problems.

but.......A completely wild guess....

Get a friend to look at your swing, paying particular attention to your swingpath. You may be pulling across the ball. With longer clubs this can, and often does, result in a slice, with shorter clubs you'll suffer a pull, or by chance sometimes getting it going straight.
The reasons for this are varied, could be alignment, I suspect grip may be a problem too.....in any case, a good Pro will sort out your trouble.

madds

You say the your 3 iron shots all go viciously left, yet other short iron shots go straight as an arrow? You can rule out a grip issue so, possibly a ball positioning issue, but my guess is that's it's a mental problem. You think because you have a 3-iron in your hand that you've got to beat the cover off the ball.

If you have access to one, take a video camera to the range and record yourself hitting shots with various clubs from behind and side angles.

Use the same tempo when hitting all iron shots. When hitting the 3-iron, attempt what you think is a 3-quarter backswing (you'll actually be close to horizontal in reality), concentrate on the back of the ball, and hit through it.

Review your swing on the video afterwards. You'll be amazed what you see, and how it helps to actually see your swing rather than picturing it.

Tony255

Thanks for all the advice, will try these at the weekend when i get out. Cant wait now

Running Bing

Tony255 wrote:

Thanks for all the advice, will try these at the weekend when i get out. Cant wait now

I'm nowhere near qualified to comment on someones swing problem but I got a handy excercise from a David Leadbetter book that helps with tempo. Whenever your feeling that your getting a bit anxious with the downswing or not swinging with a smooth tempo flip the club around and hold it by the shaft(with the grip taking the place of the club head). Then swing and concentrate on accelerating the grip from the point where it reaches your right pocket to the point where it reaches the left pocket(assuming your right handed). The "swoosh" sound of the grip should be loudest at the point when the clubhead moves thorugh the ball. The lighter weight of the grip means you will naturally swing slower and I find it a great way to regain lost tempo at the range or on the course.

Didnt explain that great but hopefully you got it and I hope it works. Good luck.

madds

How did you get on Tony?

Tony255

found out what i was doing wrong by the way, i was bringing the club back to far and not out in front of me far enough. since i have corrected that all is going ok, Ryder cup here i come