Ask the Pro
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Here are questions submitted by golfers from all over the world and my responses to them. There are over 590 golf questions and answers here! They are arranged from most recent to least recent (top to bottom) and the archive contains all the questions and answers that have appeared here in the "Ask the Pro" section (which is the tiniest fraction of the total number of questions that have been submitted). The archive index has the questions and answers organized by topic and somewhat alphabetized. You may find it interesting reading to see what others are asking and you can also ask a question yourself. But, be sure to check the Q's & A's here on this page, the FAQ's and the archive first, as your question may already have been answered.
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Answer:
Hi Roy,
That is actually a pretty involved topic, and it is covered in detail in my books "The Full Swing" and "Hitting it Longer." (Click on any of the book pictures here on the sides, or see below for more on my books.)
Generally, "holding it like a bird" (or the long version, "hold it like you would hold a bird if you did not want it to get away but also did not want to hurt it") is an old saying, like keep your head still, that is most likely bad advice, depending on how it is interpreted. You may also have heard the timeworn "hold it like you would hold a tube of toothpaste and try not to squeeze any toothpaste out." Let's face it, these are exaggerations—but, in a way, valid because most people squeeze way too tightly.
If your hands are relaxed enough to function relatively passively—rather than tightly and actively—the club will swing more consistently, and it will be the mass of the body as a whole and the natural location of the bottom of the swing that provides the compression, divot, and follow-through, etc.
Swing technique is covered in detail in my books "The Full Swing," "Beyond the Basics," and "Hitting it Longer." (Get the books.)
If you ever visit the San Francisco bay area you can work on your game with me in person.
Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Question:
April 8, 2013
I have just had my clubs re-gripped and I checked on the Internet on the size of my grip. It said that I required a men's standard + 3 wraps. The shop has told me that they put on 3 wraps but the grips feel very small in the hand. What is men's standard? ...so many wraps then + 3 or is it the size of the grip?...
Mike Black
Jakarta, Java, Indonesia
Answer:
Hi Mike,
My first recommendation is to have your grips fitted in person by a reputable professional with club fitting expertise—especially at a place where you can feel and test a wide variety of grip brands and styles. Next, "standard" may vary between manufacturers and geographical areas (another good reason to be fitted in person).
All else being equal, a "wrap" adds one sixty-fourth of an inch (1/64") to the diameter of the grip. However, shaft butt and grip core sizes factor in as well. See the other posts (below) for more, and also check with a local club repair person or different manufacturers for more detail on specific grips.
Related posts: Shaft butt diameters, grip core diameters, Grip size and its effect on shots, Larger grip sizes terminology, and Getting smaller grips. Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Question:
March 20, 2013
The rules state that a player SHOULD put an identification mark on his ball. What is the ruling if he does not?
Alison Kirk
Denny, United Kingdom
Answer:
Hi Alison,
Maybe nothing, if nobody else in the group is playing the same brand, model and number ball. But if there are two people doing so, and they both hit the ball into the same area and there is a question as to which ball is which, they both have to be declared lost. That's a pretty good reason to put a unique identifying mark on your ball—heh heh heh.(See Rule 12-2 and Decision 27-10, and the rules FAQ.)
Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Question:
March 7, 2013
What is effective bounce?
Dan Challgren
Van Nuys, CA
Answer:
Hi Dan,
That's a bit of a can of worms, but the easiest way to approach it is probably to ask what is the difference between bounce angle and effective bounce? The bounce angle of a club is a static measurement of the angle of the sole relative to the shaft and a level base. (Since soles are not usually perfectly straight, or flat, the bounce angle is really kind of an average of the curve.)
Depending on who you talk to, effective bounce is a static measurement also. As I understand it, it's easiest to think of it as the volume of space between the level base mentioned above and the sole of the club (see top picture). That varies from club to club, not only because of the bounce angle, but also based on how deep the sole is from front to back (leading edge to trailing edge) and the curve of the sole—all affecting how high the leading edge of the club is off the ground and this volume of space I'm talking about.
You can see from the rough image above that as the size of the sole and the bounce angle change so does the volume of the black triangle underneath In the image above you can see the small depression left in the sand by the sole of the wedge just in front of the club
Another way you could see the effective bounce, or this volume of space under the sole, is to find a really smooth level patch of sand in a bunker, turn your wedge square and hold it at its normal lie angle, and then press it straight down into the sand, all the way until the leading edge is level with the top of the sand but no farther, making an impression in the sand. Carefully pull the wedge out of the impression and you will see the cavity. That is the volume of space, or effective bounce (see bottom picture).
Now, to me, since golf clubs are not necessarily delivered to the ground in a swing in the same position that they are measured in loft-lie machines or other devices, I think you can see that we have to consider what actually happens in the swing, too—if we truly want to understand the effective bounce in real time. (This might only be measurable by high speed video, and maybe not even very well then.) In an actual swing the angle of approach, face angle, and shaft angle at impact are also going to affect that volume of space under the sole and how the club reacts with the ground (grass, sand, etc.); so the static measurement still may not really be enough... Like I said, can of worms. But at least you can see the difference between bounce angle and effective bounce… I think.
Determining which clubs work best for you in which situations is part of the whole time and experience aspect of developing your golf game, and personal preference will have more and more to do with that the more skilled you get. But very generally, wedges with a large bounce angle and a deep/big sole are more functional in thick sand or long grass. And vice versa, wedges with small bounce angles and thinner soles are better for more firmly packed, or coarser, sand and shorter grass.
Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
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