Some Questions

Question
QUESTION: Hello Stanley, I just got some questions I would like to have answered.

First thing first, I am a member of the golf team at my school.  i am at a christian school, so our teams arent that good.  i am shooting high 50's, low 60's on nine holes, and I am on the traveling team.  i have only been playing since the summer, but I have been working SOOOOOO hard to get better.  These are just some things bugging me that I want to have answered.  

I was at the driving range the other day, and some guys from the public school golf team were there.  They were hitting with every club, and on every club, they were hitting it extremely high.  my shots are normally low line drives, even when I take a divot.  Hitting low line drives won't get the ball on the green, because it will just roll off the other side.  How do I hit the ball higher?

Today in our match, halfway through, I switched to a 3 wood off of the tee. I did this because I can't hit my driver well.  I keep hitting these low shots with alot of topspin, and they hook.  When I open the face a bit, they fly very far and straight, but I always push them into the woods.  How do i hit higher, straighter shots with my driver that go where I want?

When i am around the green chipping, i also have some issues.  We had fast greens today, so the ball kept rolling off of the other side, because I can't put ANY spin on my chips.  When I switch to more lofted clubs and try to land it close, i cant control my distance well, and mess up.  How can I put some decent spin on my chips to slow them down?

Heres a big one.  say I am about.....50 yards out.  I have a   sand wedge at about half power to get to the green.  Either three things always happen. 1. I hit it thin and it rolls way by.  2. I chunk it  3.  I hit a perfect shot,  but it rolls off anyway.  Even on my perfect shots, the ball doesnt go very high.  I know that opening my stance and swinging along my foot line wont help, because I have seen guys hit much higher straight on with 6 irons.  How can I get more height and spin on my wedges?

I have a great grip, I know because a local pro taught it to me.  Single-overlap grip.  My swing is pretty good, I have had two golf lessons.  So pleeeeeeeeeeease give me some tips on these subjects when you get a chance.  I would greatly appreciate it Stanley.

Thanks
ANSWER: hello and thank you for the question.  i will do my very best to work and help you out.  let me start off by saying that i exactly what your problem is.  and also, i am glad that you are playing high school golf like i did.  its a great way to play more golf and gain some experience in competitive environment.  the problem is simple.  you are not catching the ball solidly and you are probably not taking a solid divot.  after you hit the ball, you should take a divot that is the size of the dollar bill.  it shouldn't be so deep but shallow.  it should be like peeling the skin from an organge.  i am glad that you have a good, solid, grip as grip can be very crucial to having a good swing.  and i am sure that you have a good looking swing as you are young and flexible.  but my guess is that your swing is a little bit too big, wide, slow and weak.  did you see a video of yourself hitting the ball?  try to see it and i am very much sure that your swing will appear to be long, slow and weak.  lets try to have a shorter backswing and REALLY swing through.  make sure you accelerate even after you hit the shot.  be aggresive.  one of the common reasons why golfers don't hit the shot solidly is that they have too much dipping motion going on througout their swing.  make sure you don't dip up and down as you swing.  instead, make sure that your body stays still and it ONLY rotates.  and also, very importantly, when you swing through, make sure that your body doesn't lift up.  make sure it stays at the same positon and really extend your arm.  try to take a nice, clean divot after you hit your iron shot.  i REALLY recommend getting one month lesson.  i REALLY DO.  i can give you advice, but you need aid executing these advices.  i can generally pinpoint your troubles but i obviosly can't fix it for you.  a club house pro who is certifed teaching professional should really help you out a lot.  and if you can';t get a lesson because of financial issue, then get lesson from you golf coach and maybe even from your number one player.  but make sure they know what they are talking about.  you don't want to get false info.  now lets talk about 50 yards shot.  i exactly know your frustrations as i have been there before.  NUMBER ONE.  grip down on your club.  about halfway of your grip should be good.  then put the ball back in your stance.  and just swing.  and make sure you don't raise your body up as you hit the ball. STAY DOWN and make the divot.  this is the best advice.  STAY DOWN AND SWING TRHOUGH AND TAKE A DIVOT.  try this by yourself for a week or so.  taking divot adds spin to the golf ball and when there is spin, it goes higher and when it lands on the green, it will land softly and roll back couple of feet.  this will take a long time to achieve.  perhaps several years.  i hope i was able to help you.  if you have any other questions, feel free to ask away.  rememer, stay down and accelerate through. extend that arm.

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QUESTION: Thanks Stanley.  I will work on these things at the range.  Do you have any tips on chipping though, and putting more spin on chips?
ANSWER: in order to chip well, it is the same concept by hitting the ball and taking a little divot.  but in order to achieve this, you must have a good set-up.  put your feet relatively close together, put the ball back in your stance, and hit down on the ball.  you can take a little divot.  make sure that you don't make a big backswing.  narrow it down a little and accelerate through.  this is very important as many people don't do this well.  if you want to hit it solid, you always have to chip through and accelerate.  the ball will go higher and more spin will be produced.  just hit down and accelerate to finish and you will see the difference.  any further questions?  u can update me with your progress if you would like.  and please don't forget to rate me.

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QUESTION: Thanks again Stanley.  Will the things you talked about in your first answer help with driving also, or are there different things to do?
ANSWER: driving is takes a sligtly bit of a different swing than hitting irons.  what is your problem with the driving?  do you keep on hitting the shots thin?

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QUESTION: I haven't tried driving yet, but I will do so after school today.  We have practice so I will be at the driving range.  Normally I will hit the shots to where they are low, with alot of topspin and they hook.

Answer
well.  its a good thing that you will be in the range.  its a good place to hone your swing.  work hard and put every effort you got to hit the ball.  don't worry so much about hitting the high.  just stay down and swing through and try to take a divot.  good luck