Making Contact With The Ball

Question
Hi There,

This is my second year in golf.  I absolutely love the game, but I抦 beginning to become so frustrated with myself.  I know golf is all about patience and practice as well.  Basically, I practice as much as I can by going to the driving range or doing a round of golf by myself.  I start to think I抦 beginning to learn how to swing properly when I hit beautiful shots with my driver and irons.  The problem is, when I go to the next hole, my shots are horrible.  I have no consistency.

I played in a fun tournament last week.  I was so digested with myself because I didn't have one decent shot.  

With my driver - I kept hitting the ball low and it would skid along the ground maybe 30 feet in front of me.  I could not lift the ball at all.  Anytime the ball would get in the air, it would only stay low and curve to the right about 30-50 feet.

With my irons - I kept hitting the ground before the ball.  When I would make contact, I would top the ball and it would only go a few feet in front of me.  Sometimes i would swing my iron and NOT EVEN hit the ball!!  I basically have no idea how to come down on a ball on the fairway.  I'm not sure if I should sweep the ball up or come down on it.  Some people tell me to "imagine a ball in front of mine and sweep it" others say, "Pinch the ball between the ground to make it go high".  Others tell me my problem is not keeping my head down.

Obviously I have a lot of problems with my swing and making contact.  I'm not looking to become a pro but I would like to go to the golf course with my friends and be able to hit the ball the same way they do.  It really becomes embarrassing for me after a few holes.  

The strange thing is, I have become addicted to the game.  I could have all those bad shots all day long, but if I end up having one good one, I can't wait to go back.  Please help!!

Answer
hello and thank you for your question.  i absolutely love you question as its something that i can definitley halp you with.  i see that you realize some of the important apsects of golf.  its normal that you don't have consistency.  two years is not much time and don't be so hard on yourself when you are not swinging well.  lets just narrow it all down to making good contact.  all the things that your friends told you to do is true.  keep you hard down, swing through, etc.  but there is one, very important way that you should apply when swinging.  its about keeping your body still throughout your swing.  you see, if you completely miss hitting the ball, then it can only mean that you have too much dipping movement in you body.  you see, when you swing, you rotate your back and not move your body up and down.  keep your body where it is at setup.  and just rotate your shoulders.  DON'T move up and down. at the top of your backswing, you should feel as if your body is staying low to the ground.  from there, just swing through still WITHOUT lifting your body up.  sweep the ball from there.  the point is, eliminate dipping motion with your ball.  also, check for basic set-up problems.  get a friend or two to look at your set-up.  you may be surprised to find out what a basic, fundamental set-up can do to your swing.  this is the same for your driver.  make sure that you set-up your ball just slightly inside of your right feet.  and don't move your body so much.  work on your tempo too.  don't be tempted to swing hard and get the ball airborne.  but most importantly, let time and practice take care of it.  believe it or not, you will eventually be able to hit the ball high, long and straight if you just keep on working at it.  good luck.  and if you have further questions, just let me know.