Instruction: Jim Hardy, PGA National Teacher of the Year

Q: I have just returned to playing golf after a six year layoff. I am having issues with pushing my irons left or right of the hole when I feel I am correctly aiming at my target. Is this more of an issue of having the club head to open or closed because I have had someone check my allignment and they say i am correct inthat department. I have also wondered if it is in my ball placement in my stance. I place it just off center on the front side of my stance. Any help would be appreciated.
Matthew Hartwell

A: Pushes and Pulls are different from Hooks and Slices. Hooks and Slices are caused by the clubface not being square to the direction you are swinging in at impact. Pulls and Pushes are caused by an incorrect path at impact, either to much in-to-out or too much out-to-in. Ball position plays a role. The farther back in you stance you play the ball, the more you tend to Push and/or Hook. Conversely, the farther you play the ball forward the greater the tendency to Pull and/or Slice.

Q: Jim, I have been a low handicapper all my life. I practice all the time. For some reason, I recently started shanking every iron I have been hitting. I have tried a lot of things. Nothing is working. first time in my career this has happened. What am I doing? Stu Patton

A: Your hands/arms are coming into the ball too much from the inside-out and are swinging too far out and away from your body towards the target line. Try pulling the handle more in to you (nearer your belt buckle) and more to the left during impact.

Rules: Brad Gregory, Vice-Chairman, PGA Rules Committee

Q: What is the ruling when my caddie passed my ball back to me after cleaning it and I missed catching the ball and it rolled into the water next to the putting green. I had marked my ball on the putting green. Phil

A: Rule 16-2 (The putting Green, General; Lifting and Cleaning Ball) says: "A ball on the putting green may be lifted and, if desired, cleaned. The position of the ball must be marked before it is lifted and the ball must be replaced (see Rule 20-1)." All was well up to the point the ball rolled into the water hazard.

As the Rules, in this case, require that the original ball be replaced, someone must retrieve the ball from the water hazard. This retrieval and replacement must not delay play. If this cannot be done, in match play the player loses the hole. In stroke play the player would substitute another ball and include a two stroke penalty under Rule 16-1b or 20-1 (Lifting, Dropping, Placing; Playing From Wrong Place; Lifting and Marking).

Q: Two questions please.

I hit a mower in the middle of the fairway, the driver said he heard the hit and then the ball vanished. There was no way that the ball could have traveled out of bounds or in a hazard. I played another ball from the tee and took the stroke and distance penalty for a lost ball. What should I have done?

A player hit a goose flying over a pond and the ball dropped into the water hazard. What does the player do?

Sean in Utah

A: Both your questions involve a "rub of the green" and Rule 19-1 (Ball in Motion Deflected or Stopped by Outside Agency). This Rule says in part: "If a player's ball is accidentally deflected or stopped by an outside agency, it is a rub of the green, there is no penalty and the ball must be played as it lies".

The mower and the goose are outside agencies. In the goose question the player may play the ball as it lies in the water hazard or take relief under Rule 26-1 (Water Hazards (Including Lateral Water Hazards); Relief) incurring a penalty of one stroke.

The mower question is a bit more complicated. Rule 19-1a talks about a ball that comes to rest in or on a moving or animate outside agency. This Rule does not specifically cover a ball that is lost. However, along with being an outside agency the mower is a movable obstruction. In order for you to apply Rule 19-1a the first paragraph to Rule 24-3 (Ball in obstruction Not Found) must be satisfied. It must be known or virtually certain that the ball is in the mower. The question should be asked: could the ball be anywhere else? If the ball could have ricocheted into the rough, been run over with a mower tire, etc., this Rule cannot apply. You must proceed, as you did, under Rule 27-1 for a ball lost.

If you have this knowledge or certainty that the ball is in the mower, you may substitute another ball and take relief, without penalty, under Rule 19-1a. In this case, you may drop a ball, as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball came to rest in the mower, but not nearer the hole.

Equipment: Tom Henderson, PGA Professional & Master Club Fitter

Q: Tom, do you have any tips on selecting new grips, how do I select the right size? peter m king

A: Peter, "Size" is probably the most important factor when selecting grips. Here is a simple test to help you determine the correct size for you.

Place your hands on the club the way you normally do at address. Swing the club to waist high in your backswing. Remove the bottom hand off of the grip. Examine the finger tips to thumb pad relationship on the hand that remains on the grip. If the finger tips are digging into the thumb pad, the grip size is probably too small. If there is a gap between the two, the grip is likely to be too big. A properly fitted grip will allow the finger tips to "just touch" the thumb pad.

Experiment with this test until you find the correct "fit".

Q: I want to add lead tape to my irons in order to hit a fade. How do I go about it and what can you tell me about, how much. were etc. I would like to hit the ball high with a 3 yard fade, that would be ideal for the courses I play.
Thank you C.R.S.

A: Chuck - If you are looking to hit that high 3-yard fade with your irons (I think we're all looking for that), putting lead tape on your existing clubs would have a minimal effect.

Assuming that you are a right-handed golfer, look at the following factors:
Lie angle - Too upright - ball flies left, Too flat - ball flies right
Head design - perimeter weighted - ball flies higher, Blade - ball flies lower
Shaft - High flex point - ball flies lower, Low flex point - ball flies higher
Face Progression - Offset - ball flies higher and more to the left, Non-offset- ball flies lower and more to the right

Find a PGA Professional (preferably your instructor) who is experienced in club fitting and uses actual ball flight in the fitting process and you'll be on your way to obtaining your desired ball flight.