Ask the PGA Professional

This is your opportunity to have questions about golf in general or your golf game in particular answered by a PGA Professional.

Having swing trouble? Still fighting that slice? Missing short putts? Ask the PGA Pro!

Approximately once a week, your questions will be answered here by one of the participating PGA Professionals from Golf in the SouthWest.

This week, Kim Brown, PGA Master Professional at Keeton Park in Dallas, Texas will be answering your questions. Brown is also President of the Northern Texas PGA.

Simply go to this form, to ask the PGA Pro your question.
Thanks for your participation!

Q & A

Last Updated: Jan 23rd

Kim Brown:
The best formula here is instruction, range, and then blend it into playing. There needs to be both technical practice and then a mindset for "playing" practice. Playing swing thoughts should be minimal but fundamentally correct with something that enhances swing "feel" for you personally.

Kim Brown:
No. That IS the way to work the ball. Read "golf my way" by big Jack!

Kim Brown:
Always a good idea to train all muscles for general muscle tone. However, key muscles would be legs, lower back exercise, wrists, and stomach muscles to support the role they play in the golf swing.

Kim Brown:
Good visibility, relatively easy to make.

Kim Brown:
Not an easy answer to that one, but anything that produces a still upper torso, good balance, and a full "finish" in the swing will help!

Kim Brown:
Titleist Professional 100 compression
Ping ISI Nickel Irons
Fred Couples is the most natural player I had ever seen until Tiger Woods came along. Who knows who is the best?

Kim Brown:
The nature of "face progression" on woods will tend to not allow you to get away with the same mistake that you may or may not get away with when using your irons. A slice is caused by the path of the swing heading to the left of the target line at the moment of impact with an open club face (or the clubface pointing to the right). Probably, the longer length of the driver tends to make your slice "show up" more. Try to make sure your shoulders are not open or pointed to the left of the target at address, take a bigger shoulder turn, and then feel like you keep your elbows close together throughout the swing. Swing to a full finish position . Good luck.

Kim Brown:
I love Ballston Spa ! I had family in the Saratoga area for a while and have actually played at the State Park course there several times when I was young. But anyway, I like the feeling that the right hand and wrist return to the address position at the moment of impact.

Kim Brown:
1. Practice by alternating shots with your 4 wood, then your driver, 4 wood, then your driver, etc.
2. Develop a "vanilla" shot. This means knowing each day that on every tee your ball will either go straight OR WHAT? You should have more of a tendency towards fade or draw. When you set up on a hole, if your "vanilla" shot is a fade, for example, then you should double check your setup fundamentals to insure that you always line up on the left side or the left center part of the fairway. Then your "mistake" swings should still result with a ball on the course somewhere decent. If you cannot accomplish a "vanilla" shot, then you need professional on site help to check your alignment, posture, and the rest of your setup fundamentals.

Kim Brown:
Not sure, but you can really spin a Titleist Balata!
Big Bertha irons seem to be enjoyed by all that have played them. They look "big" to me, but are forgiving.

Kim Brown:
Depends on a lot of factors, but if you hit a 7 iron 140 yards, for example, the a 3 wood should be going around 200 yards.

Kim Brown:
Delane, as you live in Rowlett, why don't you call and set up an appointment for a lesson at 214-670-8784. My kids all go to school in Rockwall. In the meantime, hitting the shot "fat" is usually a result of having over active hands. If you "cast" the club from the top like a fishing casting motion, you have "released" too soon and will tend to hit the ground before the ball. Try a more full shoulder turn on the backswing and feel like your hands simply drop off the table on the downswing. Focus on swinging to a full finish position that you then hold for a 3 count. This focus on the finish instead of hitting "at the ball", should help quite a bit. What you are trying to accomplish is to "delay the hands in order to make the "angle of attack" on the downswing less steep. Good luck.

Kim Brown:
Tough combination of desires. You might try a lot of swings in front of a mirror if you have time and room to do that at home or at the office. You may not have time to go to a range, but you should look into getting some "cayman" balls that you can hit out behind the house. They are better than whiffle balls and go about 1/2 the normal distance. They are not as effective as real range balls, but better than traveling to a range!

Kim Brown:
The following are key elements to maximum clubhead speed:
* Full shoulder turn on backswing
* 90% of your weight on the back (right usually) foot at the top of your backswing. You should coil to this position, not just slide your hips laterally.
* Feel like your elbows stay close together throughout the entire swing
* Swing to a full finish position with your belt buckle pointing to the target and being on balance on the target side foot. Hold the finish when practicing.
* Don't force the swing with the hands. Focus on finishing the swing.

Kim Brown:
You are trying to "lift" the ball off the ground too much. Simply swing to a good, full finish and allow the loft of the club to send it up into the air.

Kim Brown:
Picking the club up too much with your hands on the backswing. Turn your shoulders back and through and allow the hands to lightly hold the club without manipulating the club off the appropriate path. Swing to a full finish.

Kim Brown:
A significant improvement is in the area of woods. The oversize woods are exceptional. I have not noticed that much difference in irons, to be frank.

Kim Brown:
This depends on the clubhead speed you generate, the type of trajectory that you produce on your shots, etc. My guess is that an "in between" type ball- not a soft balata, not a total "rock" two piece ball, but one like the Titleist HP2 that spins pretty good but still get s you some extra distance.

Kim Brown:
Hitting the shot "fat" is usually a result of having over active hands. If you "cast" the club from the top like a fishing casting motion, you have "released" too soon and will tend to hit the ground before the ball. Try a more full shoulder turn on the backswing and feel like your hands simply drop off the table on the downswing. Focus on swinging to a full finish position that you then hold for a 3 count. This focus on the finish instead of hitting "at the ball", should help quite a bit. What you are trying to accomplish is to "delay the hands in order to make the "angle of attack" on the downswing less steep. Good luck.

Kim Brown:
1) slicing is the result of the clubhead swinging on a path to the left of the intended target but the clubface pointing to the right at the moment of impact.
2) Topping is usually a matter of balance and over using the hands which causes the player to fall back on the back foot. Then the arms break down and are "too short" at contact. Try to swing to a full finish and maintain the length of your left arm until 3/4 of the way done with your follow through.

Kim Brown:
Tie (loosely) a belt around your two upper arms or get one of these practice devices that tend to make you keep your elbows close together throughout the entire swing. Take a fuller shoulder turn on the way back to get yourself in a stronger backswing position.

Thanks to Kim Brown, PGA Master Professional for answering these questions.

Simply go to this form, to ask Kim your question.

Northern Texas PGA

Golf in the SouthWest