EXPERT ANSWERS: VOL. 16

Editor's Note: We receive hundreds of questions each week 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!

Equipment: Eric Hogge, PGA - Director of Clubfitting for PGA of America

Question: Is a 3-iron comparable to a 5-wood? Is a 5-iron comparable to a 7-wood? Will these clubs hit the ball approximately the same distance? -- Roy Conner

Answer: Mr. Conner, a 2-iron and a 5-wood are both in the 18-20-degree range and should go roughly the same distance. Each club will have its own "personality" (a 2-iron may be lower with less spin, while a 5-wood may be higher with more spin). There is no industry standard on loft or length of shaft, so each company -- and even lines within the same company -- will differ somewhat. Along the same line, a 3-iron will match the 7-wood in most cases and a 4-iron will match the 9-wood. I think a player can get a long iron, a hybrid and a traditional fairway wood to travel the same distance. However, in most cases, players find the hybrids and fairway woods play more consistently. Thank you.

Which type of golf ball best suits your game? PGA Professional Eric Hogge has the answer. (Getty Images)

Question: I'm aged 66 and an 18-handicap with a swing speed around 85 mph. I have a consistent ball pattern of straight-ish right-to-left. I'm looking for a little more control on short irons but not to sacrifice distance (The Holy Grail I guess!). Would I be better with a two- or three-piece ball? I now play with a two-piece (Pinnacle Exception). -- Geoff Rhodes

Answer: Geoff, two-piece balls generally come with harder covers and a firmer feel. With a three-piece ball you will, in most cases, be able to get a softer cover. You might like the softer feel around the greens and with the shorter irons with this type of ball. However, Pinnacle has a new ball called the Dimension that might be to your liking in the same line as the Exception. Ball-fitting can be an important piece of the equipment puzzle. I recommend spending some time with a PGA Professional who is familiar with your swing and game preferences. Together, you might be able to find that Holy Grail.

Instruction: Martin Hall, 2008 PGA National Teacher of the Year

Question: What is the proper set up for hitting the new hybrid club? Is the angle of approach more like an iron or fairway wood? -- Joseph Cyr

Answer: Hello Joseph! The new hybrid clubs are amazing aren't they? The answer to your question depends on which type of hybrid clubs you are referring to. If you're referring to your more traditional hybrid, like a utility club, then you would play it like a longer iron such as a 3- or 4-iron. If you are referring to these new "Transition" sets where companies are selling entire sets of hybrids, then it would all depend on what club you were hitting. Try to think of a "proper set up" in reference to length of the club and not so much to the number or loft of it. Take advantage of the technology Joseph, it can make a big difference. Best of luck.

Question: I try to steer the ball most of the time and fail to follow through with my swing. How can I break this bad habit? Any drills? -- Joe Wright

Answer: Hi Joe! This may seem difficult to fix, however, I can assure you the process is easy -- it just depends on if you "follow through" with it. Earlier this year my assistant and I spent some time with Hank Haney and his staff in Texas and it was interesting to hear from Hank as to what Tiger does when he's working on a move or trying to hit a certain shot. Are you ready for this, this is the secret... practice swings! My suggestion for you is to find a mirror, get away from hitting golf balls for a bit and take lots of practice swings. Make sure you can get it right or have it look the way you want it to using the mirror, then give it a shot on the driving range. Stick with it and I know you'll find the swing you're looking for. Best of luck.

Fitness: David Donnatucci, PGA Director of Fitness

Question: David, first off, thank you for fielding questions. I play golf for my local high school in Omaha, Neb. I am 16 years old, 5'10" and 140 lbs. I would like to begin a workout regiment to peak out my golfing ability this year. How would you suggest beginning? I have little to no access to a gym set up, as our school's gym is populated by the "real" athletes. I do however have a few dumbbells and a weight bar at my house. Thank you very much. -- Tyler Zimmer

Answer: Tyler, the best way to proceed is to actually get an evaluation by someone who can then set up a program for you based on your weaknesses. The next best thing is to look into joining a gym or facility that you could train yourself at. The current option -- which involves you training at home -- I would encourage you to perform abdominal and low back strengthening exercises, leg exercises (specifically hamstrings and butt) and rotational movements. For speed and power, I would find a local track and perform sprints: 20, 30, 40 and 60 yards in duration. A weekly breakdown would be to train at home two days and train at the track for two days.

Question: I swim about 1,000 yards each week. I am 73 and have no major ailments. Does this type of exercise help or hurt my game? Somewhere I read there are types of exercises that can hurt your game. How does swimming rate? -- William Bernardi

Answer: William, yes, in some instances swimming can hurt your game, depending on which stroke you are performing. If you are varying your strokes in the pool you really should not have a problem. This also does depend on your goal. Do you want to be a great golfer or stay in shape? If it is the latter keep swimming, you are doing great to be active at 73. If it is to be a great golfer and play competitively then you may need to find an alternative activity to swimming. My advice: keep swimming. It is more than likely helping you more than hurting you. Too much is made on activities that could cause a problem with your golf game. Increase some rotational stretches as well as chest and shoulder stretches and the swimming should not hinder your golf game.

Rules: Ron Hickman, Vice Chairman PGA Rules Committee

Question: I had a player whose ball was believed to have gone into a French drain that was declared a free drop before the tournament started. Another coach and player said they believed the ball to have gone into the French drain. The coach called the rules official of the tournament and told him the situation. He advised that the player would get a free drop. The player took the free drop and hit onto the green and marked his ball. At this point, the rules official changed it and said he needed to go back and re-tee, so the player did and drove his ball, hit to the green. At this time, a coach found the player's ball just past the French drain, in a hazard. So now the rules official told the boy that he had to go and play that ball. My thoughts were that once the rules official said to take the free drop and it had been done and played that the other ball was no longer playable. Thank you for your time. -- Coach Denny Young

Answer: Dear Coach Young, when a rules official or the committee becomes involved with a ruling their first course of action is to determine the facts of the event. In most cases, the gathering of fact will be based on second hand information. In your example, the first thing that the committee must determine is the ball's position on the course.

When a ball has a known or virtually certain location on the course such as lost in a water hazard (including lateral water hazard), lost in a relief condition covered under Rule 25-1 (abnormal ground condition, or ground under repair), or lost as a result of an outside agency, the player may proceed under the appropriate relief option. Read Decision 26-1/1: Meaning of Known or Virtually Certain.

When determining the facts, the Committee must consider the general condition of the area where the ball presumably came to rest, the proximity of all witnesses (players, coaches or others) to the search area. The summary of events which you presented in your question does not provide me with enough information to give you a definitive answer. The answers below are based on the assumption that the action of playing another ball was taken before the five-minute of searching had expired.

Answer 1: If the facts support the conclusion that the ball was lost in the obstruction. Read Decision 26-1/3 -- when the player played under Rule 24-3 (Ball lost in obstruction not found) that became his ball in play even if the ball was found outside of the obstruction as was your case.

Answer 2: If the facts do not support that the ball was lost in the obstruction and the ball could be lost in tall rough, out of bounds, embedded in soft ground or some other location then read Decision 26-1/4 -- when the player dropped and played under Rule 24-3 and he substituted a ball into play, and, therefore, that ball was incorrectly substituted under an inapplicable rule. The original ball was lost. In stroke play, he incurred the stroke and distance penalty prescribed by Rule 27-1 (Lost Ball) and an additional penalty of two strokes for a breach of Rule 20-7c (playing from a wrong place).

This might be as clear as mud, but with if you look up the decisions and examples which they contain this will make sense.

Note: Searching for rules of golf and decisions can be found at www.usga.org.

Question: We have a game that plays hole by hole with the team with the best score receiving one point and the team with the best total receiving one point. One day, one of the players teed his ball outside the normal teeing area and the other team complained, after the shot was made, but would not let the player play the shot over. What is the penalty for teeing outside the box during match play? -- Tony Sapp

Answer: Dear Tony, your question regarding what penalty, if any, does a player incur in match play when he plays from outside the teeing ground is this -- there is no penalty, but the rules do provide his opponent with an unusual option to immediately cancel and recall the stroke just played from outside the teeing ground. There are no penalty strokes for this breach. Visit www.usga.org and read Rule 11-4a.