Loss of distance

Question
about a month ago all of a sudden all my distance literally just dissapeared.  I would say about a 2 club length change. I was hitting my driver 240 and now it goes 210.  My 7 iron was my 150 club now its my 135 club.  It gets extremely noticeable with my wedges.  They feel good but just sky up. My sand wedge was my 95 yard club and now i am lucky to get 50 out of it.  I have noticed a much higher ball flight with everything except my woods.  My driver is still a nice piercing ball flight but just does not go anywhere. I am a 5 handicapper and right now am playing to about a 15. My game is in complete ruins and worked with my pro on shoulder turn and lag but did not help at all. PLEASE HELP??? i am this close to quitting the game as a result of frustration. Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hi Robert:

Sorry to hear of your frustrations.  You are adding loft down through impact, incorrectly using your hands.  Picture this.  As you swing into the impact area, the logo on your glove (assuming you wear a glove) hand is turning up towards the sky as your right hand is moving underneath the left.  This means that the clubface is also moving underneath the ball in a scooping type motion.  This is incorrect use of the hands.  This is a flippy, wristy attempt to "release" your hands or the clubhead at the ball.  Instead, as you swing into the impact area, your logo on your glove hand needs to turn down towards the ground and over, so that at waist high in the follow through, the logo would be pointing more down towards the ground.  That would mean that the right hand would be working over the top of the left hand, not underneath it.  This proper "rotation" of the hands is how the clubface squares up and turns over, producing a lower flight, not a higher one like you are getting.  As a clubface is turning over through impact, the loft is decreased, not increased.  Please remember, this is NOT a flippy, wristy thing.  It is your hands rotating througout the entire motion of the swing.  This is how you'll get your distance back and lower the flight of the ball.  Start with small swings.  Start with a 7 or 8 iron.  Learn to use your hands correctly to properly release the clubhead through impact and you'll get back that solid feel and that lost distance.  Any questions, just ask.  Good luck.

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member
www.victorygolfworks.com