Mailbag: Travis Fulton answers your questions

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TourAcademy Director of Education Travis Fulton answers your questions about the game of golf.

In the golf swing, I'm very curious of the hand path in the backswing. Could you please explain this to me? Are there any checkpoints during the backswing where the hands should be? -- Daniel

The hands play a key role in the golf swing. At the TOUR Academies, we encourage our students to educate there hands so they learn to control the clubshaft, clubhead and clubface. The path during the backswing is one that consists of two motions: Up, and back.

This motion is due to the inclined plane angle of the clubshaft. In order to keep the entire club shaft on plane, both the club head and hands would need to work up that plane line. A good checkpoint for you to reference is at the top, when the hands reach just above the back shoulder.

This position is considered "the maximum point of leverage," meaning where you are the strongest to deliver the club head on the downswing. At this point, not only are the hands just above the trail shoulder solidifying the "up" but also just behind the trail shoulder assuring the "back". When done properly, the lead arm will cover the trail shoulder.

Cannon/Getty Images

A 10-finger grip never stopped Beth Daniel from becoming one of the best players in LPGA history.

I am a 23 year old male and I love to play but I just can't see to get my terrible slice out with my driver. Several people I have talked to told me that it was because I've played baseball all my life and can't get my baseball swing out. I was wondering if you have any suggestions to correct this? -- Chris

A slice is caused by the clubface being open at impact. The first step to fixing this is to make sure your grip is first favoring a strong grip. For a right handed golfer, this means the "V" you form between your thumb and first finger is pointing towards your right shoulder.

When doing this your grip will feel much more to the right. With this type of grip, you have the ability to rotate the club face more affectively through the impact zone - this rotation is best felt through the left hand.

To fix that slice, you would need to feel the left hand rotate to the point where the knuckles are facing towards the ground through the impact zone allowing the toe of the club face to move past the heel.

I need help with my short iron shots. I pull almost every shot left of the green with my short irons. I try to aim 10 yards right of the green, and it doesn't seem to help. -- Walter

A pull -- more times then not -- comes from the path of the clubhead coming in too much from the outside during the downswing. The fix is to make the clubhead travel more from the inside.

Take your normal alignment and try to swing the clubhead more towards right field. I would make it your goal to push the ball a bit to fix this issue.

Hi Travis. I was wondering what your opinion is on the 10-finger grip. I am a legit 8-handicapper but I am always told this is a bad grip. Do you know any scratch players who play this way? I have tried other grips and they just don't feel comfortable. -- Don

I find it is beneficial to connect your hands whether it is the overlap or the interlock so your hands can work together maintaining the proper pressure points in the grip. However, there are TOUR players that use a ten-finger grip, including Bob Estes and Beth Daniel -- both great players that have been very successful with the ten finger grip. Anything is possible but with 98 percent of the best players connecting their hands, I would encourage some sort of connection.

My golf swing is too steep with my driver. Any suggestions on how to flatten my swing plane? I am just over six feet tall.

A golf swing that is too steep is a common error in golf. The problem is when the plane is too steep it makes it very difficult to hit the longer clubs -- especially the driver.

Travis Fulton demonstrates a perfect takeaway position with an iron.

First, tee the golf ball up high -- about a full ball above the driver head. Secondly, at address, make sure you tilt your upper body away from the target, positioning your head behind the golf ball. Make sure your shoulders are square to the target, or maybe even a little closed. This will promote a flatter swing plane.

Now, before you take it back, lift the driver head to the equator of the golf ball so it is not on the ground. By hovering the driver head at address, this will help you take a flatter swing where it feels as if the arms and club head are traveling more around the body versus up and down. In doing this, deliver the driver head back to the top of tee where it started. Make sure the driver doesn't hit the ground!

I am a right-handed 13-handicapper that has ballooned to 17 in the last eight rounds because of a straight pull, mostly with driver and long irons. My divot is pointing slightly to the left of target, but not near as much as the line of flight. Can you suggest something I could try? Thank you.

Thanks for the question. Let me start by saying that you have half the equation figured out in that the clubface is square. A pull means that the clubface is square at impact, but the path of the clubhead is too much from the outside coming down. Therefore, we need to get the clubhead moving more from the inside on the downswing and into impact. To do this, make sure you have some tilt away from the target at address -- positioning the head behind the golf ball. Having the trail shoulder lower then the lead is absolutely critical.

The idea during the swing is you need to feel as if you are swinging more out to the right (assuming you are right handed). When doing this, it will feel as if you are consciously trying to hit a push to the right. Oftentimes, when golfers need to fix a pull, they need to change their aim point on the downswing more to the right of the target in order to get the golf ball to start straight.

Can you tell me what determines whether I need regular shafts or stiff shafts in my irons and/or woods?

The key factor when determining shaft flex is your clubhead speed. I would recommend that you get fitted for your irons and woods with a launch monitor. A launch monitor will not only tell you your clubhead speed is but will also tell you other neat data like ball speed, launch angle, ball spin and more. A good fitter will take this data and be able to not only get the right flex shaft for you but the appropriate type of shaft, kick points, loft and other key factors that will only help you enjoy the game better.

Heathcote/Getty Images

Sergio Garcia chokes down on his clubs for added control.

I noticed in THE PLAYERS that Sergio Garcia choked down on the shaft of all his clubs a couple of inches. What is the reason? -- Robert Wiggins

Gripping down on the golf club is a great way to gain control. When you hit the golf ball as far as Sergio does, accuracy becomes the most important thing.

In addition, it was really windy at THE PLAYERS this year, which usually results into more players gripping down when looking to manage their ball flight with the wind.

Will opening up my stance help me get my hips through to my target? Most of trouble is with the driver. My shots go right due to a push. -- Jim

Opening your stance will encourage you to get your hips through at impact. Also, make sure your front foot is flared out, as this will increase your range of motion in the lead hip.

With that said, the push could be coming from the backswing. Make sure you are not getting the clubhead too far to the inside going back. Make sure the clubhead is staying out in front of you during the backswing so it is in position on the downswing to accept the proper body rotation coming through.

I have been playing golf for about 35 years. I am actually pretty good. I have even played on the PGA TOUR back in 1985. However, I have what my friends (and I) refer to a terrible scoop at impact. It costs me distance off the tee and accuracy with my irons not to mention is not helping my short game at all.

I suppose that when I was a lot younger, my hand-eye coordination was better and I could get away with it. I have tried just about everything, but nothing seems to work. One of my best friends is a PGA instructor. We work all the time to remove the scoop, and nothing. -- Barney

One of the most common errors in golf is to try to help the golf ball in the air by scooping the trail wrist. To avoid this, we must train the trail wrist to stay bent all the way to the low point.

The low point in the swing arc is to the outside of the lead shoulder. For a right-handed golfer, this would be the left shoulder. To train this, start with small swings where the backswing only travels to waist-high going back -- make sure you bend the trail elbow and wrist allowing the clubhead to swing up-and-in.

From here, focus on straightening the trail arm aggressively not to the ball, but past the ball to the low point. It is important that you change your aim point past the golf ball. This will help position the right elbow on the downswing, giving you enough trail arm to get to the low point.

At the TOUR Academies, we call this "pushing down" because it feels as if the trail arm is pushing down with its heel pad. A great feel is the heel pad of the trail hand "pushing" on the lead hand's thumb.

Make sure this pressure is applied on a downward angle and again past the ball to the low point. Finally, when training this keep the finish down where you eliminate any idea of the club head swinging up. Sustain the down to the low point, and you should be good to go.

Travis, I just love your blog. I was hoping that you could give me some advice on hitting downhill lies. They seem to be my Achilles Heel. Every time I approach a ball that is below my feet, I start to panic. With the nature of the shot combined with my nerves, it seems that I am always toeing the ball and slapping it out of bounds to the right. Please help!

Nate -- thanks for the kind words and the question. First off, your panic over these shots is more then likely coming from your previous struggles. To gain confidence with downhill likes, lets make some changes.

First off, the toe shots are more then likely occurring because you are moving the clubhead too steep. This up-and-down motion is forcing you to try to save the shot at impact by slapping at it. To avoid this -- try the following steps:

1. Make sure you are bowed forward at address a bit more then normal on this shot -- knees are bent.
2. Weight is favoring the heels -- not the toes
3. Take only a three-quarter backswing - make sure you turn your shoulders rather then just lifting your arms.
4. At Impact. feel the weight move into the left heel as you strike down through the shot -- make sure you body goes with it all the way to the full finish.

Oftentimes, students have too much body motion on uneven lies causing a poor impact condition. However, it sounds like in this situation you need a little more body with the shoulder turn going back and then a full finish coming through improving your angle of attack into the ball.

How should the hip turn be initiated to start the down swing? - Harold

The lower body on the downswing should do two things. First, the lower body needs to move laterally towards the target. This is a weight shift from the trail foot through the arches to the lead foot. Once the weight has shifted to the lead foot, the hips then rotate allowing the lower body to open towards the target.

Shift first, then rotate.

Can you give me a practice routine to work on from a 100 yards and in? I also need to know how to practice around the greens and what clubs I need to use for it. - Mike

Glad to see someone out there wants to work on the short game. This is a solid breakdown for a practice plan from 100 yards and in:

• 30 percent putting
• 20 percent chipping
• 30 percent pitching
• 20 percent bunkers

At the TOUR Academies, we encourage players to use different clubs around the green. For example, practice chipping with a pitching wedge, 9-iron, 8-iron, etc.

Putting should occupy a third of your time when working on your short game.

Pitch the golf ball with a lob, sand or pitching wedge. Get a feel for trajectory and distance with each shot and club. Counter this with a repetitive technique and you will create a wonderful imagination around the green.

Is there any one definite reason as to why some players continually hit the sweetspot and others like me (8 handicap) regularly hit shots off the toe or heel? Thanks. -- Michael

This is a good question and could be answered so many ways. Good ballstrikers are very good in the impact zone. They usually understand the dynamics of a good impact condition. To achieve this consistent impact condition you must have "educated hands.". What this means is, your hands are trained to deliver the club shaft, clubhead and clubface properly with each swing.

You'll often see good golf swings that are inconsistent with how they deliver the golf club to impact. If your hands are educated then you will be proficient at the most important moment in the golf swing -- the impact.

Have any help to get used to a new driver? Tee height? Ball position? Driving range tips? -- Kevin

I thought you would never ask.

Driver setup characteristics:

• Tee the ball a half a ball above the clubface
• Ball Position off the lead heel
• Hands set in-line with the driver head or just slightly behind (Don't lean shaft forward at address)
• Tilt the upper body slightly away from the target
• Square Shoulders
• Weight favors trail foot

Boom!

I am a disabled golfer who has been golfing for 14 years. I play with only my left arm and shoot left. My best score is a 93, but on average, I shoot 100 to 105.

My question is: Are there any pro golfers who have perhaps lost the use of one arm and continue to play? I would be interested in getting tips or lessons from someone in the same situation as myself.

It may not be any different in terms of using two arms or one arm when it comes to the fundamental basics of a golf swing, but I would interested in finding out if there are any differences. -- Bob

I don't know of any teaching pros that have lost an arm, but I do know of some amateurs that play with one arm. With you having just your trail arm, you can certainly generate some speed.

What's important about your trail arm is that you bend the wrist and elbow during your practice swings. These two angles are very powerful and when countered with the body on the downswing, it can create a lot of lag in the clubhead, assuring acceleration and a descending angle.

What is the meaning of scrambling? I am new to the sport of golf and a couple of us at work are trying to figure it out. Let us know please. -- Tim

So far in the 2008 season, PGA TOUR players get up and down for par just over 57 percent of the time. Woods ranks first in this statistic, saving par 75 percent of the time he misses the green in regulation. (WireImage)

Scrambling is when a player misses a fairway or green in regulation and saves par. This is an interesting stat and one that is not always completely relative to the outcome. Keep in mind that TOUR players will usually miss fairways or greens in the first cut of rough, where the penalty is really nothing at all.

• Graphic: Woods' scrambling at Bay Hill

I am a 17 handicap golfer who can play better than my handicap. My problem of late is my driving. I tend to pull my tee shots left and if I compensate, I block them right.

I use the new Nike square-faced driver with a Pro Force stiff-flex 47-inch shaft. The shaft was lengthened to see if it would give the head a little more whip because on my previous driver with shorter stiff shaft, I tended to draw the ball too much. Any advice to correct my pull? - Charles

47 inches. Whoa! Remember, the longer the clubshaft, the more likely you are going to be inconsistent. It sounds as if your clubhead speed has increased, but you may want to consider shortening the shaft a bit for more control.

The pull is more then likely from the clubhead coming in too steep from the outside. Make sure at address you have some tilt with the upper body away from the target, placing the head behind the ball.

In addition, you may want to check your shoulder alignment as well and make sure you are square. During the swing, try moving the clubhead more from the inside on the downswing. This will allow the right shoulder to work more down and under, sending the starting direction of the ball more to the right.

Us poor guys who play muni golf courses have to play out of sand traps That may have only a quarter-inch to half-inch sand depth. Worse than that, there is usually hard dirt below the thin sand cover. Any ideas? -- Doug

Sure. Less bounce. Try using a lob wedge with low bounce versus a sand Wedge, which has more bounce. Your point of entry into the sand needs to be closer to the ball versus if you had more sand -- say, one inch.

Set the club shaft at address perpendicular, with no lean in either direction. Dig your feet in and place more weight into the lead foot. Ball position will need to be roughly two balls forward of center.

The motion needs to be V-shaped, so what's key is to hinge the wrists immediately with very little body motion. Keep the upper body over the ball so you don't pivot off the ball. On the downswing, turn through it with the body opening up to the target to support the V-shape angle into what sand you do have.

Hello, I was just wondering if you had any advice for increasing club head speed. I do not know if you would suggest exercise, a swinging device, or something else. - Anthony

Swing harder. Just kidding.

Actually, I do have two swing devices for you. First, try swinging a "Power Hitter" - this is an evenly-weighted club that increases clubhead speed. Swing this club at home as well as hit golf balls with it at the practice facility.

Secondly, you may try a "Swing Fan." Its another great tool that actually has built in blades to slow the clubhead down forcing you to engage your body motion to propel the fan through.

The fan creates a lag effect where the fan (clubhead) is trailing the hands through the hitting area assuring acceleration at the bottom -- and not before.

I would like to know if golf simulators are accurate because I have recently played one, and it didn't seem very realistic. For example, I have a slice problem yet the simulator was telling me that I was hooking the ball. I just wanted to know if they were accurate.

Fulton: Some simulators seem to be more accurate then others. Each simulator is tracking the golf ball in different ways.

In a simulator, data is being collected from the moment of impact to just beyond, where they are taking that data and making a prediction on what is going to happen down range.

High-tech launch monitors that are used outdoors are tracking the ball from impact to the point the ball lands. This isn't a prediction of what the ball might do. This is radar based.

I would think that the indoor simulator should be accurate enough thou to give you club face angle at impact. I have always been a bigger fan of outdoor situations versus indoor when collecting any type of data.

I am really thinking about taking some serious lessons. Translation; I would like to find someone who maybe a number of notches above the local guy at the driving range.

I realize this will cost more, and that is fine. I am looking for someone who can also help determine the type of clubs that I should be hitting. I have played for a long time, and not very well.

I live in El Segundo, Calif. This town is next door to LAX.

Fulton's hands are slightly behind the ball at address.

Fulton: We have two TOUR Academies on the West Coast - one at the TPC Scottsdale and the other at the TPC Las Vegas. I'd also recommend a three-day golf school.

Can you explain the best set-up with your hands when you use the driver? I think I have my hands too far back with the face open instead of square to the target.

Fulton: With a driver, your hands should be in line with the club head or slightly behind. I like to see the butt of the club pointing just left of the belt buckle, with the ball position off the forward heel.

Suddenly, my drives are missing high and right. What does that indicate, and how can I fix?

Fulton: To eliminate a driver that is being missed high and right, lets take a look at two things: Clubface angle, and angle of approach.

1. Clubface angle: Make sure your grip is favoring a strong grip - meaning your hands positioned more to the right on the grip. Remember, the stronger the grip, the more the club face will close.

2. Angle of Approach: At address, tilt your spine slightly away from the target. This will position your head behind the golf ball and allow the golf club to move more around your body versus up and down. This will create a shallower angle of approach eliminating the pop-up.

How can I keep my left wrist from cupping on the back swing at the top of my swing? I'm right-handed.

Fulton: To eliminate a cupped left wrist at the top of the swing - lets focus on two components during the backswing.

1. Make sure the club shaft is on plane. To measure this, stop your backswing when your hands reach shoulder height, or three-quarters. At this point, the butt-of-the club should be pointing towards the target. Oftentimes, the club shaft is pointing to vertically at this point creating a cupped left wrist.

2. Apply pressure with the bottom three fingers of the glove hand. Feel the bottom three fingers roll under towards the palm - this action will flatten the left wrist and should work in conjunction with the club shaft pointing at the target line.