Drive and putt for dough

After quite a few months of trying to find my driver swing - by swinging easily and steering - I've realised that there is no value in this kind of attempted control. In my last round, I realised that I actually hit the ball better when I put some oomph (effort) into my driver swings. Not to go overboard, of course, but by generating some extra clubhead speed, I hit the ball with the shape I prefer - a slight draw - and obviously a little further. There's a lot to be said for controlled aggression in golf - steering and any kind of deceleration is anathema.

But I have also been having trouble with my irons, mainly I believe because I have been doing the same thing - steering and being overly careful. The consequence has been that I've been failing to get my weight through the ball (i.e. onto the front foot) with inconsistent (often thin) ball striking. I will just have to be a bit more aggressive, call it assertive, with my irons and see what happens.

The good news is that my putting seems to be on the improve, mainly thanks to some Dave Stockton putting tips. He has good advice re pre-shot routine and set up, but I found his comments about keeping the putter low, back and though, to be the most helpful. I've incorporated his routine, at least in part, and am making sure I follow through as low as possible on all putts, aided by a small forward press. The benefits include not only better routine, but a more stable club face through impact, so important with the shorter putts. I'm keen to see how this goes as well, but it's all good fun.