Jaacob Bowden's Swing Man Golf Blog

Different technique 1W vs 3W?

Question:

I am a new golfer with 28 HC and have started hitting 3 wood nice. I am hesitant to use one wood driver as it goes away. Is there a different technique to use 1 wood?

Jaacob's Answer:

That's wonderful that you have begun hitting the 3-wood nicely.  Have fun and keep up the good work.

Regarding the driver, I would think that it's fairly normal to not be able to hit the driver as well right away, after all it is a longer club.  You can keep using your 3-wood off the tee if you like, but eventually as you progress in golf it will be of value to learn to hit the driver because there will be times where it will be advantageous to hit the ball farther off the tee.  Other than teeing the ball up higher than a 3-wood, the driver swing is much the same as the 3-wood swing.  When you are at the practice range, you might try switching back and forth each swing between 3-wood and driver until you become more comfortable with the driver.

If you have not already done so, I would also recommend getting custom fit for your driver (and for all of your clubs, for that matter).  It's kind of like wearing shoes.  If you are a size-9 but are given a size-6 or size-13 to wear, you won't perform quite as well or as comfortably as you would were you in a size-9.  The same is true for golf clubs.  Those club-fitters that are PCS-certified are all very good at fitting people of all types.  You can find one in your area here.   

Why are my friends outdriving me?

Question:

My swing speed is 110 with ball speed around 180. 305 is a regular drive. I still feel like i have more in me to hit further.  I'm in great shape, and play with guys my size, about 6 feet tall, who are flying me. What is it?

Jaacob's Answer:

Distance comes down to three things:  sweet spot contact, custom-fit equipment, and swing speed training.

If you miss the sweet spot by only an inch, you can lose up to 20 yards on your drive.  Make sure that whatever swing method you are using that you are hitting the center of the club head as consistently as you can.

I've had two similar looking drivers that differed in loft, length, weight, and shaft flex, and literally hit one 50 yards farther than the other one and just as accurately.  Your friends might be hitting their drives farther because they have drivers that are producing more optimal launch conditions for their particular swing style.  Personally, I've found I get the most distance (carry and roll) with a launch angle between 10-15 degrees and a spin rate of 1800-2200.  If you are hitting 7 degrees high you won't be maximizing your carry.  If you have a spin rate of 4200, you won't be getting any roll once the ball lands.  Go get yourself checked out on a launch monitor to see where you are...you can find reputable custom club-fitters here. 

Beyond that, if you are making good contact and are optimized on your equipment, the only thing left that I know if to do to hit it farther is to increase your swing speed.  When I started, my max speed (not cruise) was 115 mph and since then I've been able to max out at 155 mph.  That's an unusually high gain, but the point is that you can make pretty quick improvements on what you've currently got.

Dan Shauger's swing best way?

Question:

Do you still think that Dan's swing is the best way to hit a golf ball? 

Jaacob's Answer:

Hmmm, that's a difficult question to answer.

Personally, I have found the idea of the swing circle center (where the shoulders, neck, and spine intersect) that Dan, Mike Austin, etc teach to be invaluable for ball-striking consistency.  I also heard Johnny Miller talk about this is one of his golf clinics in Laguna Seca, CA.  That is why keeping the head as still as your flexibility allows during the swing is one of my Top 5 Swing Tips inside the Swing Man Golf website.  In general, when the head is still, the swing circle center will be still.

I also like his idea of a counter-rotation with the forearms.  Although, sometimes I do a variation of this, I've found more success in accuracy with any type of counter-rotating hand/forearm motion than the conventional rolling blade method.  This type of move keeps the blade squarer longer through the hitting zone.  It is also one of my Top 5 Swing Tips...keeping the blade square (squarer back to the ball relative to the plane of the backswing and downswing).

If you really like learning as much as you can about the golf swing, check his website out and see for yourself what he has to say.  Many of the things he teaches you will not find anywhere else in the golf industry.

Why Europe? 2008 Plans?

Question: Tell us why you're in Europe and what your golf plans are for 2008.

Jaacob's Answer:

Jen and I moved to Europe because she got accepted in to a prestigious PhD program at ETH-Zurich.  ETH is a prestigious institution in Switzerland likened to MIT in the US.  She's getting a doctorate in Philosophy with an emphasis in Terrorism Studies.  Here is the view out of the window of our flat that we will be living in in January.  It's gorgeous!

I'm in the process of putting together my 2008 golf plans right now, but they will be along the lines of expanding and growing the Swing Man Golf website, doing some clinics in the US and in Europe, playing on the Swiss Pro Golf Tour, competing in the Remax World Long Drive Championships, and going to European PGA Tour Q-School next fall.  Should be a fun time for both of us.  We'll likely be based here for 3-4 years!

how to lower 25 handicap?

Question:  Currently playing golf for 1.5 years hcp 25, investing a lot of time (5-6 times a week) in the game.  What should I work on to quickly lower my handicap?

Jaacob's Answer:

At your level, you can make a significant improvement just by making better contact.  While shifting your weight to your back foot on the back swing and front foot on the downswing, try to keep your head as still as your flexibility allows and make sure you swing freely, smoothly, and with as little tension and conscious thought as possible.  Focus on good contact.

When you are practicing, split up your practice time between your full swing and short game.  If you practice for an hour, work on your full swing for 20 minutes and short game for 40 minutes.  In last year's Masters, Justin Rose only hit 5 greens in regulation and still shot 69.  That goes to show you that as long as you can make good enough contact to get it somewhere near the green, with a solid pitching, chipping, and putting game you can still shoot low scores.

Is a cupped position at impact scooping?

Question:  I got a video lesson and my instructor said I was scooping the ball.  Do I need to get my hands more forward at impact like he said?

Jaacob's Answer:

Some would argue that an impact position with any amount of palmar dorsiflexion (cup) would be scooping, especially if you were to only see a freeze-frame of even a slightly cupped impact position. However, if you are still making a descending blow, taking a divot after the ball, and not trying to "help" the ball in to the air..it is not scooping.

Only change to this hands forward position if you feel like you are hitting the ball too high.  Most amateurs don't have the swing speed to be in this position and still get the ball up in the air (especially with clubs like 3-5 irons).

Swing Speed Chart

Question:

I went to Golf Galaxy and hit several clubs on their monitor. Of course, no one came to help me. What is the normal, or average, swing speeds for a 6-iron (steel shaft), a 3-wood (graphite), and a driver (graphite)? I just have nothing to compare my speeds with. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Jaacob's Answer:

Here's a driver swing speed chart with some averages.