'Sweep' the ball

Q: I'm a 14 year old golfer. I play everyday that I can, so I am pretty accustomed to my tendencies. With almost every club (even my three wood), I take a rather large divot. I've tried many different things, but I can never seem to sweep the ball off the ground with my long irons or take a nice clean divot with my short-mid irons. What can i do to help this?

A: It seems as though you are suffering from a case of the "Steepnism!" Not to worry, it is curable. I don't condone you driving so please have one of your parents drive you to the local hardware store and pick-up a painters extension pole, approxiamate 6ft in length and should be under $15.00. I want you to practice swinging the painters extension just like a normal golf club without hitting the ground. This will help flatten out your swing and allow you to "sweep" the ball off the ground.