Beginner

Question
Hi.  I am a beginner golfer.  I have been working mainly with my 7 iron.  Which I have straightend out a little but still tend to push it right.  More of a push than slice.

My main question however is....I tried the driver out the last 2 times at the range and managed to dent the bottom of the club a couple times.  1 dent is even right on the bottom heel where it has the "1"  What in the world am i doing to top the ball in such a motion to dent the bottom?  I also noticed my iron shot was not as good after swinging the driver and switching back.  Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer
Joe,

I am stumped as to why your have two dents on the sole plate of your driver. Topping the ball shouldn't cause dents on a quality golf club. Could you have made contact with a stone or rock where you're hitting balls? This would certainly cause the dents you have described are on the club.

Moving from one club to another is a challenge in this game. Hitting 35 - 50 shots continually with the same club is so much easier than hitting one shot with your 7 iron and one shot with the driver. The less variables, the easier the shot is. This however is a really part of the game.

Here are the three levels that I believe are very simple but something you can strive to achieve.

Step 1 - Each time you take a swing at the ball you make contact with it.

Step 2 - Each time you swing at the ball it becomes airborne.

Step 3 - Each time you swing at the ball it is airborne and it goes toward the target. This step is impossible to attain but it really is the goal.

Hope this helps and continue to practice,

Michael Hoffman
PGA Professional