How do I achieve solid contact every time

[ffejeff224]

So I have been struggling for a long time with solid contact each and every time. Most of the time I can catch the ball clean with a divot after the ball, but sometimes I get spotty where I usually start to chunk and occasionally thin it. When I swing the club I generally feel a pulling sensation on the left side of my body rather than pushing from the right. I was experimenting today with chipping while using the right side of my body to push the club through and I found that my contact was way better and I could duplicate the results every time. Then I would switch back to pulling and found that my contact was spotty again.

Then I tried "swinging" again with my left side but instead of focusing on the ball I just focused on a low point that was a few inches ahead of the ball and I could get better contact that way, but for some reason it just didn't fell that great.

My question is this: for those of you who do use a left side of the body kind of pulling motion how to you achieve solid contact? I find it really hard to get solid contact by using the right side of my body, and frankly after seeing Mandrin's post about Joe Norwood I am seriously considering changing the way I swing the club to using mostly the right side of my body to put force across the shaft instead of pulling.

What does everyone else do in their own swings. Are most good players putting force across the shaft when they are pitching/chipping, or do they pull? (I am talking about a feeling or sensation of what is going on with the body through the hitting zone here because I know that most golf swings use both forces across the shaft and pulling of the shaft.)

 

[spktho]

I am not a really good player, but I can hit the ball cleanly pretty consistently now. I don't know if it because of my middle infield background, but my golf swing feels a lot like a hard sidearm(maybe submarine) throw with the right arm with the left wrist/forearm squaring the club face.

 

[Kevin Shields]

I personally think there is little left side pulling in good players pitches. Good, tight hand path with right hand feel across the shaft/sweetspot is the ticket for me, at least

 

[softconsult]

Maybe you are chasing the wrong cause. Kevin talked about tight hand path.

I have shared this before. My only Brian lesson was partially aimed at chunking pitches.
The problem was the occasional chunk.

We had about 10 minutes at the end of a two hour lesson to address this issue. After two little pitches, Brian said, "Popout". I knew the terminology, and immediately changed to a more inward hand path. In other words, I was taking the hands back outside the line and
coming in too steep. If I wasn't spot on, the result was a chunk.

I went home an focused on chipping, and pitching for months and months. I am still focusing on that aspect of game, and the practice is paying off.

 

[ffejeff224]

Maybe you are chasing the wrong cause. Kevin talked about tight hand path.

I have shared this before. My only Brian lesson was partially aimed at chunking pitches.
The problem was the occasional chunk.

We had about 10 minutes at the end of a two hour lesson to address this issue. After two little pitches, Brian said, "Popout". I knew the terminology, and immediately changed to a more inward hand path. In other words, I was taking the hands back outside the line and
coming in too steep. If I wasn't spot on, the result was a chunk.

I went home an focused on chipping, and pitching for months and months. I am still focusing on that aspect of game, and the practice is paying off.

I have worked on bringing my hands more inside at the takeaway ala SD and that helps, but I feel like I am gettting a path that is really out to the right... like way out when I do this. How do I bring my hands more inside without popout without getting them too out on the other side of the ball?

 

[rogerdodger]

Make sure the shaft goes up while the hands go in.

 

[Gravedigga]

I have worked on bringing my hands more inside at the takeaway ala SD and that helps, but I feel like I am gettting a path that is really out to the right... like way out when I do this. How do I bring my hands more inside without popout without getting them too out on the other side of the ball?

I've been trying fix a hand path that is more outward than I would like. For me, the thing that helped the most was working with a mirror. When my DS handpath is straight, it FEELS to me that it's actually going to the inside. I use a mirror to confirm what I feel with what is actually happening. For me the BIGGEST cause of this dichotomy is that I'm looking at the ball (perpendicular) while the golf swing is more parallel to the ball. My mind has a terrible time putting the two things together for some reason.

 

[billmckinneygolf]

Consider practicing pitch shots from a bunker. It will hone your attack precision.
And when you hit your driver on the range, use face tape to see exactly where you tend to hit it so you can make adjustments.
Other than that, your question is a bit like the "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" question.

 

[cmartingolf]

Solid contact every time...

Not too many people on the planet utter these words. I think it is more a matter of thinking you are going to have solid contact every time and being mildly shocked when you miss.

Path and AoA are big. If you get too inside out, you are shallow and that generally gives the thin shots. If you are too outside in, the shots may feel more solid, but you're likely steep and taking pelts. Both paths can result in fat shots.

Pulling vs Pushing? I feel like I have FATS that I'm aiming. I don't really feel a "push" or "pull."

 

[islandgolf629]

Don't have any swing thoughts.

 

[proguy747]

Faldo had a great tip for chipping and pitching.. Belly button back and chest buttons through. So many of us stop our pivot and then use hands and arms... During practice you can get it down but under the gun timing is gone and her comes skulls and chubs..

 

[Joe Duffer]

Brian talks about perfecting a true Ernest Jones-type "pure swinging" pitch shot with your sand wedge.

Martin Hall has a similar take... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECbkXlZPPdI[/media]