A few troubles

Question
Hi Eddie,

I've been doing pretty well lately, shooting around the low 80s. I have a few tournaments and tryouts for the team coming up soon. There's a few things that are kind of screwing me up.

1. Driver (sometimes). The ball is solid but goes medium-low and pulls to the left a lot.

My ideas:
Perhaps I'm going to far upwards and coming across the ball. I'm teeing it up on the left side and moving the ball back in my stance (more on the inside of my left foot). Helps me stay on the path.

2. Pitching (apprx. 30-50 yards): Just today, I just started to hit behind the ball a bit and not chunking but going under the ball sort of. It goes low and not far. This only happened today, and I did like 10 shots from the same place and it turned out ok.

Ideas:
Just wanted to know how to fix this if it ever comes back...

3. Long Irons: Sometimes, I'm hitting it off to the right (not making a divot)

Ideas:
Focus on hitting a divot and rotating my wrists so that it goes straight.

Thanks for reading all that :] I just wanted to know if my ideas were good and if you could comment and anything you see. Thanks alot!

Answer
Hi Jeffrey:

1.  Driver.  Make sure you get set up correctly.  Your shoulders, forearms and feet should be parallel left of your target line (line the ball is on).  Clubface should be aimed at your target (perpendicular to the target line).  Focus on the target more and swing the club towards the target.  Sounds simple, but I bet you are not doing that.  Sounds like you are swinging to the left through impact.

2.  If you hit behind the ball, you are using your right hand incorrectly in an attempt to get under the ball and lift it up.  In reality, the leading edge of the clubface (at bottom of face) needs to brush the grass or take a small divot.  In order to do this, the shaft angle MUST be angled forward towards the target at impact.  In order to do that, you MUST use your arms more instead of your hands.  If you try to do something with the clubhead, like get under the ball, you'll tend to hit the ground behind the ball and/or scull it.  Use your arms more to swing the club more forward, keeping the handle of the club and the shaft moving forward to the finish.  Stop trying to lift it up.  

3.  With your long irons, you are correct.  You must use your HANDS better and let them rotate the clubface square through impact.  You CANNOT MOVE YOUR WRIST, SO STOP TRYING.  Your wrist allows your hands to move and hinge.  So start making some swings and allow your right hand to turn over the top of your left hand.  Sense the clubface closing through the strike zone.  Leading edge must brush the turf to hit it solid, don't worry about a divot, keep swinging it towards your target.  Clubface squares up, brush the turf.  

Good luck this year.  

Eddie Kilthau
PGA Member