Re: Hitting my driver
 

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When I made an effort to slow my downswing and really really slow my upswing (even so much as to pause for a few seconds at the top),

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Slow your downswing? [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

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well, not try to speed it up.

Re: Hitting my driver
 

Do you mean trying not to "rush" your downswing?

Re: Hitting my driver
 

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Don't transfer your weight BEFORE your downswing...do it AS you're making your downswing into your followthrough.

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wrong

The first move "down" is to transfer teh weight back to your left side. That is what "starts" the downswing for any good player.

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The problem is that a lot of weekend golfers will take this advice and start sliding their hips towards the target to "begin" their downswing. Then everything is all out of whack and by the time they get to impact their arms are way behind everything else.

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Right, when they take the image of shifting their weight to initiate the downswing, they overdo it and it causes tonnes of problems...including wicked back problems because they get on their left side too fast so they lose the power from the legs and try to make up for it with the back/arms. So, it's as if they had their weight on their left side the whole time...which is why I said what I said.

Instead, they should feel that they start the downswing with their legs, but the full weight transfer isn't there until at/after impact - which is true. The FEELING of the weight transfer isn't actually there until after impact because the continual power supply from the legs makes it feel that there is still weight on the right side (because there is, in a way).

There's a very big difference between what actually happens, and what it feels like. So, when you're giving advice, it's important to know that difference. Telling people that they should be shifting their weight to start the downswing is a very complicated concept for people who don't know what it feels like...so you have to describe it differently, even if it's not what 'actually' happens.

Re: Hitting my driver
 

this is an interesting topic you are bringing up.

i am an amateur who is struggling with his driver. what should it feel like, if not swinging your hips?

Re: Hitting my driver
 

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The FEELING of the weight transfer isn't actually there until after impact because the continual power supply from the legs makes it feel that there is still weight on the right side (because there is, in a way).


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http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/TigerSlide.jpg

If you need to explain soemthing to someone so they get it, fine. But the weight is on the left side WELL before impact.

Re: Hitting my driver
 

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2. Check your grip (is it too weak?)
3. Take a shorter backswing (for more control)
4. Put the ball more forward in your stance. (I have a wide stance with my diver, toes pointed out, and I put the ball on the heel of my front foot at address).

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Three years ago I went from an 18 hcp to a 12 when a well spent $100 got me 3 lessons with a very good teacher. A big impact was the driver lesson. My drives went from 240 yard slices to 290+ and straight.

Some of the major things he corrected included the three things I quoted above.
Two other items from him that were very helpful included: Addressing the ball with a slightly closed clubface

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/9488/golftopux4.jpg

And impacting the ball at a different angle. Also included in this image is moving the ball forward in the stance and teeeing it up higher.

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/9109/golfsidegi3.jpg
To change the impact angle, there were a number of things he said, but the one that stuck was to imagine hitting fly balls to a center fielder. Just give your shoulders a slight tilt at address and aim high!

Worked great for me and now I can almost outdrive BadBoyBenny. That dude is deceptively long...

Just my $.02...

Re: Hitting my driver
 

guids - you sound like you are in perfect position for a lesson. You seem to be motivated and have the time to practice a lot - which you need to do after your lesson. After a lesson, it's really nice to have an exact "thing" to work on instead of just tinkering. It makes practicing a lot more fun.

Re: Hitting my driver
 

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guids - you sound like you are in perfect position for a lesson. You seem to be motivated and have the time to practice a lot - which you need to do after your lesson. After a lesson, it's really nice to have an exact "thing" to work on instead of just tinkering. It makes practicing a lot more fun.

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ya, I am going to take lessons when the weather cools down, probably mid-sept, I wanted to at least get a base down so I wasnt wasting money. I took pool lessons last year, after having played pool about 3 times my whole life, and not a damn thing stuck, I didn't want to do that again.

Re: Hitting my driver
 

Just a little PSA, Hogans 5 lessons if done correctly make your ball flight lean to fading the ball, and your driver is the hardest to hit straight. Also, its only Wed, a well timed lesson (like tomorrow, to give you Fri to practice it) might help.

tobdog