Hitting my driver
 

I am going to go to the range in a bit, Im in a tourney saturday (scramble), and need to figure out some quick tricks to get some consistency with my driver, or should I just use my 3 wood? Any tips I can work on to get some better consistency? I have a bad slice, and try to mimic ben hogans 5 fundamentals, but with a interlocking grip becuase w/ my driver, interlocking makes the ball go straighter (I use overlapping with irons etc)

Re: Hitting my driver
 

There's nothing wrong with changing to a diff grip just for the driver...nothing at all.

Do you hit your 3-wood with consistency? If so, just stick with it for the tourny and get back to working on the driver after.

Otherwise, is your slice consistent? Can you aim sufficiently left for it to go in the fairway, or all you all over the place with it? Are you transferring your weight to your left side as you come through, or hanging back on your right? (That's a common cause of a wicked slice). Do you have enough width in your swing? (Take the club back low and slow, almost on the ground for the first foot...it will 'feel' like you're taking it outside, but you're not).

Re: Hitting my driver
 

[ QUOTE ]
There's nothing wrong with changing to a diff grip just for the driver...nothing at all.

Do you hit your 3-wood with consistency? If so, just stick with it for the tourny and get back to working on the driver after.

Otherwise, is your slice consistent? Can you aim sufficiently left for it to go in the fairway, or all you all over the place with it? Are you transferring your weight to your left side as you come through, or hanging back on your right? (That's a common cause of a wicked slice). Do you have enough width in your swing? (Take the club back low and slow, almost on the ground for the first foot...it will 'feel' like you're taking it outside, but you're not).

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I use to be able to hit my 3 wood more consistently, but since Ive been working on my irons and short game so much, my driver/woods are pretty sucky. And ya, Im pretty much all over the place nowadays becuase I cant get 1 single routine down to hit consistently, and then work on that routine because i havent been working on it.


so far things I will work on:

1. taking the driver back 1 foot, very close to the ground

2. transfering weight to my front foot before I begin the downswing.

Re: Hitting my driver
 

When I was a terrible slicer - this tip worked as an emergency fix/band-aid. I think I read about it in article by Judy Rankin.

Take a couple dozen balls and your favorite iron. Maybe 7-iron. After taking your normal stance, drop your back foot back about 12 inches. So your stance is very closed. Now swing and as you hit the ball try your best to hook it off the range. It can be fun when you are able to start hitting really big hooks.

After a number of these shots move back to a normal stance and go about your business. Now pull out the driver and see how it goes.

Others can weigh in here, but this is a fun drill that will help you learn how to stop cutting across the ball. And how to stay behind the ball into impact.

Good luck!

Re: Hitting my driver
 

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

Re: Hitting my driver
 

[ QUOTE ]
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.

Re: Hitting my driver
 

I just got back, I sucked it up hard again, but its about 100 degrees and sticky as the booth in a porno shop, plus my back is a little sore from working out. I did get into a nice groove though for about 10 balls. 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), I was hitting it pretty straight and about 270ish, but than I lost the groove. I think Ill go back tonight when the sun sets and try to find that grooove and stick with it through a whole bucket.

Re: Hitting my driver
 

Quick fixes?

1. Check your alignment.
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).

One drill I like to do with a 5 iron that helps me get the feeling of turning my hands over at impact (and not keeping the club face open too long) is this:

Address the ball in the middle of your stance just as if you were going to hit a regular shot. Imagine that you are standing infront of a large clock and the ball is resting at 6 O'clock. Take the club back to 9 O'clock like you would on your normal backswing. Then accelerate through the ball and end your swing at 3 O'clock.

You should be able to feel your hands and wrists "turning over" at impact and you should be able to hit the ball straight. If you're not turning your hands over you should see a lot of shots "blocked" out to the right (if you're a righty).

Re: Hitting my driver
 

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

[/ QUOTE ]

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.

[/ QUOTE ]

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.

Re: Hitting my driver
 

[ QUOTE ]
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),

[/ QUOTE ]

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

Re: Hitting my driver
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
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),

[/ QUOTE ]

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
 

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

[/ QUOTE ]

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.

[/ QUOTE ]

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.

[/ QUOTE ]

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
 

[ QUOTE ]
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
 

[ QUOTE ]

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).

[/ QUOTE ]
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
 

[ QUOTE ]
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