Editors Note: Each week, we receive hundreds of questions for our PGA Experts. Though we can't answer every one of them, we will take some of the most illuminating and beneficial questions and have one of the top authorities from the PGA of America to answer them for you. We are in the process of finding ways for more experts to answer more of your questions! Thank you for your support and keep the questions coming!

Instruction

I carry a 5 handicap but when I get in trouble it is usually because I pull my driver straight left. Usually my driver goes strait or fades just a little. What do you think happens when I pull it dead left. -- Terry T

Checkpoint #1- Put a club down on the ground 4 feet in front of your practice ball, which will act as a target line. Align another club parallel and opposite the ball which will act as your body line. You may be pulling the ball because you are aligned to the right of the target and must swing left to hit it straight. If you don't stop aiming right, you won't stop swinging left.

Checkpoint #2 - Backswing - Make sure you turn the club to the inside and load your back foot on the backswing.

Checkpoint #3 - Throughswing - Make sure that your arms lengthen, not shorten after impact.

Let me know what works for you.

Bill Forrest - 2006 PGA Teacher of the Year

When I start the down swing do my hips start first or does my hips and hands start at the same time. As of now I'm either pushing my

shots a little right or blocking them out. I'm making solid contact but my shots are about 10 to 15 yards right of the target. I'v checked my stance and i'm lining up correctly. Thanks, Alfred L.

Alfred: Many years ago a noted golf publication contacted me and asked a similar question on how the downswing was started. As I proceeded to give the writer what I thought was an eloquent and brilliant answer, he chuckled. I asked, "What's so funny"? He said, "You're the seventh teacher I have contacted and this is the seventh different answer I have received". If in fact your lower body was starting the downswing well ahead of your upper body your shot pattern would be weak and cutting right. I am thinking that your take away might be a little too far to the inside and this is why you are hitting the hard push.

Alfred, practice hitting some balls with your feet together and feel your hands and arms pass your body on the throughswing. This sensation is the opposite of the one you would feel if your lower half went first.

Keep me posted.

Bill Forrest - 2006 PGA Teacher of the Year

I had always had trouble in the past coming over the top and hitting either a fade or slice but I started practicing holding my right elbow to my side and closed my stance a little by dropping my right foot back and now I draw the ball and hit it much further. That being said where is the perfect position to have my left elbow throughout the swing so that I can practice before our season starts. Thank you. Kurt Havel

Kurt: Stand without a golf club holding your arms in front of you, left palm down, right palm up. Make a half turn to the right, let your arms come with you. Your right elbow should hug your ribcage with a slight fold, and your left arm follows remaining long. Rotate to the left letting your arms follow your body and rotate your forearms. Now your right arm should be longer than your left, your right palm down, your left palm up. You can see that your left arm is now folded with your left palm and left forearm pointed upward. As you can see, your left arm lengthens in the backswing while your right arm folds with the forward swing being a mirror image. To answer your question, the left arm gets wide going back and then folds and rotates coming through.

Drop me a note if confused.

Bill Forrest - 2006 PGA Teacher of the Year

Rules

In stroke play my competitor's ball lands two inches to the side of a sprinkler head. He wanted to know if he could get relief and I said no. I explained that his swing and line of play was not impeded and, that he would have to play the ball as it layed. What's the ruling on this play?

Tony T.

Tony,

It sounds like you were correct based on the information you provided. A sprinkler head is an immovable obstruction and under rule 24-2 a player is entitled to relief without penalty if his ball lies on the obstruction or if the obstruction interferes with his stance or area of intended swing. Other than if the ball lay on the putting green there is no relief from an immovable obstruction for line of play.

Two inches is very close to an obstruction and you want to be very sure the players club would not strike it during his swing. If there is any real possibility the player may strike the obstruction with the swing he would normally use for that shot then he should be given relief. I had a player in a tournament a few years ago who had hit his shot left of the green on the 12th hole into some trees. He was a right handed player but the only swing he had at the ball was left handed. There was a large tree where he would stand for a right handed swing. As it turned out there was an irrigation box (immovable obstruction) in the area of his intended swing so he was entitled to relief. For this situation the left handed swing would be his "normal" swing. After taking his relief he had a clear shot right handed and got the ball up and down in 2 for a par. This was a case where the rules helped a player out. There is however an exception to relief noted at the end of rule 24-2 that says "A player may not take relief under this Rule if (a) it is clearly unreasonable for him to make a stroke because of interference by anything other than an immovable obstruction or (b) interference by an immovable obstruction would occur only through use of an unnecessarily abnormal stance, swing or direction of play.

John Crumbley - PGA Professional, Rules Expert

What happens if my ball hits another ball on the green and goes into the hole. I don't mean a putt. Say a par three when another ball is already on the green. James K

James,

Your ball would be played as it lies and is considered holed and the other ball shall be replaced. There would be no penalties for either player. Rule 18-5 covers a ball at rest moved by another ball and rule 19-5 covers a ball in motion deflected or stopped by another ball.

John Crumbley - PGA Professional, Rules Expert

Let's say I hit my drive into some nasty stuff. I hit my provisional great and have an easy putt for par on a driveable par 4. My fellow competitors insist that I look for my first ball. I say no. They go and find the ball. Do I have to identify the ball? At what point can I declare my provisional in play and my first tee shot lost? thanks

Regan T

You do not have to look for your ball but you can not stop your fellow competitors from looking for it. A ball is not "declared" lost. According to the USGA Rules of Golf a ball is deemed lost if (a) It is not found or identified as his by the player within five minutes after the player's side or his or their caddies have begun to search for it; or (b) The player has made a stroke at a substituted ball; or (c) The player has made a stroke at a provisional ball from the place where the original ball is likely to be or from a point nearer the hole than that place.

Once your fellow competitors found your ball you would have to play it and abandon the provisional ball unless you had played a stoke at the provisional ball from where the original ball was likely to be or a point closer to the hole than that. In your case if you had gone up to the green and putted the provisional ball before they found the original ball then the original ball would have been "lost" even if it was found shortly thereafter.

John Crumbley - PGA Professional, Rules Expert

At the Accenture Matchplay today, at the 24th hole between Steenson and Ogilvy, Steenson took a penalty after driving his ball under a tree and into an unplayable lie. The option he took was to take a two club lenght drop from where his ball came to rest.

My question is, why was he allowed to take two clubs lenghts and leave his headcover on when measuring out the two club lengths. I was always of the opinion that the hardcover had to be removed to avoid getting an inaccurate 2 club length measure. I would be interested to get your interpretation.

Stephen W.

Stephen,

The headcover would not be considered part of the length of a club for measuring but it would not necessarily be problem if the player left the headcover on during measuring. The ball must first strike the ground within the two club lengths when dropped. I'm sure there was a rules official right there for the drop and he must have felt the ball was dropped within the two club lengths even if Steenson measured slightly further than two club lengths. There is no penalty for miss measuring, only for dropping in a wrong place and not correcting it.

John Crumbley - PGA Professional, Rules Expert

Equipment

What determines if you should be using steel or graphite shafts in your irons? Thank you.

Mitch

Mitch:

There are a couple of factors to consider when selecting shafts for your irons.

Weight - If you are sensitive to weight, graphite shafts are generally lighter than steel. Graphite may even help you increase clubhead speed slightly.

Shock Absorption - If you have some aches and pains (tendonitis, golfer's elbow, etc.), graphite might be the way to go. Graphite shafts have a "dampening" quality that lessens vibration on off-center hits.

Length - If you require longer clubs (length), graphite will allow you to get that extra length you need, without making the club feel too heavy.

Regardless of what type of material you fit into, I would strongly suggest that you get your shafts gram-sorted and SST Pured by an authorized facility. This will give you the best chance to succeed in your quest for the best equipment.

Tom Henderson - PGA Professional, Master Club Fitter

I was fitted at a "retail outlet" and was told my ball speed was about 115-120 mph with a 6 iron. I was also told that would translate to a swing speed of about 80-85 mph and should consider senior shafts. I'm 59 and in pretty good shape.....5 iron length is about 160 off long muni fairways. What would be your guess??

Thanks, Roger

Roger:

It sounds like you move the #6 iron along at a pretty healthy pace. With that said, I would guess that you would probably fit into a regular shaft. However, I would suggest that you sample both senior and regular flexes, in graphite and in steel. Again, the key is to watch the ball flight. Make sure you get the trajectory you are looking for and a tight ball dispersion.

A qualified PGA Professional can assist you in making the right choice in shaft selection.

Tom Henderson - PGA Professional, Master Club Fitter

What is the diference in the clubs the pro's use and what we can buy, is it the head or the shaft.

Norm L

Norm:

In the "old days", I would say it was both! However, things are different today. Most manufacturers have narrowed the gap between equipment the touring pro uses and the equipment that is available to you. Heads and shafts (components) are gram-weighted. Almost every manufacturer has a custom fitting program in place. Fitters are trained to properly fit the customer, observing ball flight and matching equipment to the player. The days of "one size fits all" and "off the rack" are all but gone. If your in the market to upgrade your equipment, seek out the advice of a qualified PGA Professional.

Tom Henderson - PGA Professional, Master Club Fitter

Fitness

If I only have 20 minutes a day, what stretches do you believe I should concentrate the most on. Also, what weight lifting movements do you believe would help the most as well. Thank you for you insight.

kurthavel

It is different for everyone depending on their physical make up, however the hips and shoulders are the two that I would work on. If the hips are tight they will recruit the lower back and this could lead to injury. It the shoulders are tight this could lead to swing issues like a loss of posture on the backswing. In terms of weight lifting I would consult your golf fitness professional and get an evaluation. You can find a golf fitness professional on www.mytpi.com. That being said anything for the core and the glutes will always help a golf swing.

Dave Phillips - PGA Professional, Titleist Performance Institute

I am 45 yrs.old and walk about 4 times a week. I have taken up golf and love it; what should I do to prepare myself to get in shape?

Bobby L. South

You need to get a physical assesment and exercise program specific to golf and your swing. On our website at www.mytpi.com you can go to the find a golf fitness professional tab and search for one in your area. Everyone needs different exercises based on their individual flexibility and strength. I like the fact that you are walking as it helps build leg strength and stamina.

Dave Phillips - PGA Professional, Titleist Performance Institute