Loss of power in the golf swing....??
445374
If you are going to "get back into playing a lot again this summer" I'll assume you haven't been playing as much recently, right? I'm thinking that just playing more will bring back some yardage.\n\nYou also mentioned that you won the "club championship 2 years ago" but you "have been significantly shorter with all my clubs for about 4 years now." Maybe being shorter is a good thing. Did you win any championships over four years ago when you were longer?\n\nWhen playing golf we do some peculiar things. The main thing better players do is learn is how to score. Scoring comes from putting the ball in good positions to attack pins. However, players that hit it full bore on most shots have to contend with issues of poor accuracy. Even Tiger Woods has learned to back off a little.\n\nI believe that once you start playing (read: practicing) more, then your crisp ball striking will come back. With it will come some (or all) of your lost yardage. \n\nNow, concerning shallowing out your swing...\n\nBen Hogan states on page 79 of "Five Fundamentals..." the following: "HOWEVER, YOU ARE HEADING FOR DISASTER IF YOU THRUST YOUR ARMS UP ABOVE THE PLANE SO THAT THEY WOULD SHATTER THE PLANE OF GLASS. Poor golfers [I'm not saying you're a poor golfer...poor golfers don't win club championships] make this error at any and all stages of the backswing, but it occurs most commonly when they are nearing the top of the backswing. Then, when their hands are about shoulder high, they suddenly lift their arms almost vertically towards the sky--crash goes the glass... and their shot. They conclude the backswing on an entirely different and far more upright plane, ...."\n\nWhen you start trying to get a little of that lost yardage back, you probably try to get a little more backswing. In doing so I would wagger a small bet that you are lifting your hands towards the end of your backswing instead of continuing AROUND in your backswing. Doing so will cause several bad things to happen. The first thing to go will be accuracy. If you played a slight draw before, then the draw will now be more pronounced. To straighten out the shot, you start blocking the shot by hanging on or you weaken your grip. An overly weak grip then causes you to flip at it to square it up. By this time the whole swing has fallen apart. You lost your fundamentals.\n\nAssuming your fundamentals were sound in the past, your fix is probably very simple and very slight. Don't go making any sort of major overhauls. Concentrate on the last part of your backswing. Do not let your hands shoot up towards the sky at the very end. You will need to feel your flaw before you can fix it. Swing very slowly and concentrate on the end of your backswing (the part leading up to the transition from back to forward). This is where you've gone wrong. \n\nOnce you get your swing back on plane, then your ballstriking will return. When you are on plane you don't have to make any compensations. You just drive through the ball without fear of it turning left (for a right-handed  golfer). \n\nOne other note... Driver and ball technology has improved in the last few years. You might consider looking into the latest drivers and balls. Your friends can buy an extra ten yards even with their swings. Why not get a little yourself? But first work out the flaw you developed by not playing lately. \n\nGo practice.
276513
Without getting new equipment, try and widen your stance a couple of inches.  Or you can work on swing speed, a drill you can try would be to grip the golf club on the opposite end (near the head) and swing, but you want to hear the whoosh sound at the bottom portion of the swing (when the shaft is parallel to the ground before impact to the same same spot after impact).  You can also increase strength and flexibility in the muscle groups for the golf swing.
379962
As I got better at golf, basically I switched from a game improvement type iron to a forged cavity back which is less forgiving. When your handicap falls under 10 you should probably demo some blades musceback type irons and see if they work for you. If you are consisitent and rarely have truely bad swing days, aka shanks you are probably ready. If you have a mediocre swing the blades will maximize those faults and your scores will likely suffer.
571925
Without seeing swing it's hard to help you but check these options out\n\n1. Free Golf lesson month from Local PGA Pro's www.playgolfamerica.com\n2. www.pga.com improve your game section\nhow to fix that dreaded slice. Learning to swing your club on an inside-to-out path through impact, Hilts says, is a permanent fix.\nhttp://www.pga.com/improve/tips\n\n\nthree drills you can do to help cure that frustrating slice.\nhttp://www.pga.com/improve/tips/swing
107499
I don't trust any clone golf clubs, they are not made to the exacting specifications and tolerances of major manufacturer models.\n\nYour driver might say 8 degrees of loft, but would actually be 11 degrees! That could really affect your swing!
250940
Mike this is a toughie buddy. Turning a fade into a draw takes a lot of hard work and effort. It certainly will not happen overnight. \n\nSome of what the guy above said is correct. But it will only work depending upon how you hit your fade now. David Duval and Paul Azinger have the strongest grips on the planet but they both hit a fade....so making your grip strong isn't going to do anything if you're hitting a "hold" fade. (Delaying your release through impact and "holding" onto the shot)\n\nI actually have no idea what to tell you except to go see a PGA pro and tell him/her what you're after, that you'd like to try to start drawing the ball, I'm sure they'd be able to point you in the right direction. \n\nOn a side note as far as distance is concerned.....460CC drivers will give you another 10 yards....try to strike the ball one groove above the geometric center of the clubface....that's easy distance right there! \n\nGood luck!
760727
More then likely you are simply hitting the ball with an open clubface.\n\nNow there are several other reasons for this but you indicate that you are hitting straight right and not slicing. One of the reasons are a poor weight shift, meaning your body is getting to far ahead of your arms causing a push to the right.\n\nA quick fix would be to assure not to lean or sway back in the backswing, make a turn as if you were standing in a barrell.\n\nLeon
714439
No, they are not held to the same strict tolerances as OEM clubs. You might have 5 clubs out of your set that do not have consistent lofts and lie....you might notice over a period of time that you always hit your 8 and 9 iron good and your 7 and 6 iron bad...\n\nJust for my piece of mind, I would spend the extra couple hundred and not have to worry about equipment being the culprit behind bad shots. \n\nGood Luck!
752594
Hi.\n\nI'm 14 years old with a 12 handicap and two weeks ago I hit that kind of a shot. I'm used to hitting perfect shots as I am a pretty good and consistent golfer. But the other day was the best. On the 155 yard Par-3 at my course, I hit a 6-iron. It was so perfect that it didn't kame any noise as I struck it and I didn't feel anything at all in my hands at contact. It went high and dead straight. It stopped dead, 3 feet away from the hole. I then proceeded to make the birdie putt.
341397
Asked and answered many times my man....see here:\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/search/search_result;_ylt=AlyceLVF1Z0Z0kyra7w9MWLzy6IX?p=golf+fore
326619
heres my two cents, if your hitting it out on the toe of the club, your more than likely topping the ball the other half of the time, 99 out of 100 your clubs are too short, inshort not allowing you to get back to the ball at impact, not that you cant play with shorter clubs, just makes it alittle harder to do it consistantly, go to your local repair shop, have them measure you for the length of golf clubs you should be playing with, i believe the standard length 5 iron is still 37 1/2", goes 1/2" increments from wedges to 1 iron, ie., 6 iron is 37, 7 iron is 36 1/2, you get the point, what they should do is measure you to get the length of club that is best for you, ask if they have a club you can go hit thats your length, go hit a small bucket, that should do the trick, if that helps your ball flight, you have a couple of options, 1 get the guy to put extensions in your clubs and cut to your length, should be about 5 or 6 bucks plus cost of grip, have him measure you for your proper grip size while your at it, just try doing your favorite clubs you use most often first, if that helps do the rest of your set, 2 reshaft your clubs, get ready to pull out your wallet here, can get pricey, then take the advise of the guy above and go thru the full blown fitting process and consider buying new clubs custom built to your golf game. length, shaft flex, lie, grip size, set make-up, if you go and do all this and your still hitting it out on the toe, take advantage of the free deal of the month thing on lessons, and thank god your not at the dam office, grip it and rip it.
454678
on your through swing, stay back on your right foot(left if your lefthanded)this will keep your hips from coming out which will make the ball squirt out to the right\n\nalso, make sure when your hands get to the ball that your hands are turning over. that will make a world of a difference...somethin i forget ALOT
1002692
following these three guidelines can lead to a smooth and sound takeaway.\n\nhttp://www.pga.com/improve/tips/swing/improve_krause083104.cfm
625262
Here is a link to some good tips \nthree guidelines can lead to a smooth and sound takeaway.\nhttp://www.pga.com/improve/tips/swing/improve_krause083104.cfm\nYou can also go to www.playgolfamerica.com and sign up for a free golf lesson from a local PGA Pro
502472
Your moving towards the ball maybe bending over to much.  I suggest taking a Free lesson from a local PGA pro.  Go to www.playgolfamerica.com to sign up.  Here is a link to an article that may help you.\n\n\n  Most everyone has shanked a shot -- hit the ball off the hosel of the club -- in his or her lifetime. http://www.pga.com/improve/tips/swing/improve_elliott121404.cfm\n\ngood luck
194870
You need to be able to hit all the clubs.  There are plenty of golf holes that require a longer drive.  If you only drive the ball 210 yards, you will never have a chance to reach a par five in two for example.  For me, I'm most happy with a slight draw because I know that when the ball hits the ground it is going to run.  \nMaybe what you need is a new driver with a little more loft to get the ball flying through the air a little longer?  Or perhaps try teeing the Calloway up a little higher and playing it more toward your left foot?  Not sure what you are doing now but just a couple things to think about.  With a 200 yard 5-wood, you should expect more out of your driver.
1172287
Most people would be better off to take the club head back on the same track as the desired downswing path.  Likewise a shorter backswing (less than parallel) could help.  \n\nDon't be so upright  You must take the club back flatter.  That is more around your  body.  That would be a good start.  Then make sure that just before impact you start releasing the club head sooner than before.  Visualize the club head traveling on an inside to out path at impact.  There are of course a lot of other things that need to take place in order to duplicate and become effective and repetitive.  Make sure weight is transferred to left side before impact.  End up with all of your weight on that left foot and be up on right toe in balance.\n\nThen there's always the procedure adopted by Jim Furyk.  Take the club back outside and drop it inside on the downswing.