Just how long is a long drive...

yak

Hi Guys,

I'm pretty new to the whole golf scene, I used to play some pitch and putt when I was younger and the VERY odd game of golf over the winter months for the last four or five years but nothing major. Anyway the point i'm trying to find out is - just how long is a long drive?

I've been told I have a big drive and a fast swing, but I'm wondering how big is big and how fast is fast!! I generally slice from the tee, but can still make almost 300 yards, when I'm straight I'm about 310-320 and have a best drive of about 340-345 though thats a rarity

also when i was playing in a (society) competition lately one of the other competitors commented on how long i can hit the ball and how it was 'not-appropriate' for a high handicapper (i play off 28) to be able to hit a drive so long... he neglected to mention my poor accuracy or terrible putting!! (does this matter).

so how long is long and just how long do I actually drive?

btw all distances are in yards, not meters unfortunately

swingking

345 yards:eek:

Jesus I'm lucky if I hit 260 yards; which for me is a long drive.

challengemaster

Been a while since I played, but last time I did I could drive 300 almost consistantly

yak

i should probably also point out that i'm 28 and while i'm only about 5'9" i've a fair amount of upper body strength - which i assume has something to do with it

ShriekingSheet

yak wrote: »

Hi Guys,
I generally slice from the tee, but can still make almost 300 yards, when I'm straight I'm about 310-320 and have a best drive of about 340-345 though thats a rarity

physical strength and a "fast swing" are not characteristics of a big hitter in golf. There's plenty of guys like this who do hit it long but that's more to do with their technique.

As an aside, it's common knowledge that the longest hitters in the game are tall and lean, verging on skinny - college golfers are touted by many top tour pros as hitting it longer than tour players themselves.

A.Partridge

yak wrote: »

Hi Guys,

....just how long is a long drive?

....I generally slice from the tee, but can still make almost 300 yards, when I'm straight I'm about 310-320 and have a best drive of about 340-345 though thats a rarity

.....so how long is long and just how long do I actually drive?

Have just checked the latest stats on europeantour.com and the longest tour player on average is Alvaro Quiroz Garcia who averages 312.61 yards.

That means he comes in ahead of people like Canonica, Carke, Westwood, Karlsson, Cabrera etc. so he is one serious hitter.

I don't wish to be presumptious but are you sure you regularly hit longer than 312?

How long is long?...just be satisfied that you are not short...that is to say you dont struggle to reach greens on long par 4's. It really doesn't matter whether you hit it 280 or 340. Nor does it matter how fast the swoosh is.

Hitting fairways, hitting greens in regulation, lowering the number of putts per round is what should be occupying your thoughts if you want to improve.
Oh, and it might be an idea to see a pro to work that slice out of your game.

C0SM0

I'm presuming all these 320-340 yards drive are in summer on a warm day, from my experience playing golf 9 times out of ten it's a windy day in Ireland and outside of the handful of warm, calm days i'm nearly always playinging in 20 mph and anything upto 40 mph miles an hour winds..
Therefore my drives in Summer are 280-320 and for the majority when hitting into the wind it's 180-220 yards..!!
Anyone else feel the same..?

yak

Cosmo i hear ya man! its true these drives are on 'still days' or days with only a light breeze and 340 drives are straight down the middle of dry parkland fairways.... but I've hit 300+ drives on wet soft fairways too... all be in not in the middle of winter - but who has??

as for how sure i am - i'm as sure as the distance markers on various courses tell me i should be!??! I can only judge on par five holes as on par 4 i'm normally well inside the 100 yard markers... I have never bought out a measuring tape with me, but allowing for everything I'm fairly confident that i'm pretty accurate regarding the distance...

tiptap

well....if you can hit 300 yards consistantly, and you slice the ball ...

that is SOME GOING .....
I used to slice the ball and got about 250 yards, now I can draw it and get about 290

ShriekingSheet

yak wrote: »

Cosmo i hear ya man! its true these drives are on 'still days' or days with only a light breeze and 340 drives are straight down the middle of dry parkland fairways.... but I've hit 300+ drives on wet soft fairways too... all be in not in the middle of winter - but who has??

as for how sure i am - i'm as sure as the distance markers on various courses tell me i should be!??! I can only judge on par five holes as on par 4 i'm normally well inside the 100 yard markers... I have never bought out a measuring tape with me, but allowing for everything I'm fairly confident that i'm pretty accurate regarding the distance...

You should just buy a jigger and duff it in the direction of the green everytime you're inside the 100 stakes. You'd make all pars and bogeys and even the odd birdie.

In fairness, 23 is a ridiculous h'cap for one of the longest hitters in european golf to be playing off.

Mister Sifter

I hit a 320 yard + drive at the weekend... it bounced three times down the tarmac path at the side of the fairway and into the rough at the front of the green.

Stuff this fairway nonsense, i'm aiming for the paths from now on.

WHIP IT!

Graeme1982 wrote: »

I hit a 320 yard + drive at the weekend... it bounced three times down the tarmac path at the side of the fairway and into the rough at the front of the green.

Stuff this fairway nonsense, i'm aiming for the paths from now on.

If I can't hit a flippin 30-yard fairway I've no chance hitting a four-yard path! :pac:

Mister Sifter

WHIP IT! wrote: »

If I can't hit a flippin 30-yard fairway I've no chance hitting a four-yard path! :pac:

The fairways at Elmgreen are about the same size as the 4-yard pathway these days!

ShriekingSheet

yak would be driving the par 5's with a 5 wood if he hit the paths

Stealdo

I once caught a fish <<<<<<<<<<<<this>>>>>>>>>>>>> big*


*Joke

copacetic

it's a well know fact that 80% of amateurs overestimate their distance by a long way. However quoting the tour stats doesn't disprove anything, the 'average' driving distance could include any hole, including one that they don't hit a driver on. It is good for comparing pro to pro but not 'long hitter' to 'long hitter'

On yaks stats I'm sure we are all doubtful, however who knows. Yak, I generally find that people who think they hit is as far as you, don't! Maybe one drive a round they do, but they don't 'average' the 10 other off centre hits that only go 200.

On the one big one, normally the discrepancy is that they are playing off the middle tees and taking the hole length minus the distance to the green as their drive length.

So for instance 420 yard whole, and I have 100 left to the green, so I hit a 320 yard drive.

No! I was on the middle tee, 30 yards up and the hole distance is to middle of green while fairway markers are to the front. So I actually have 120 to the middle. My drive was actually 270 max.

Which funnily enough is about right.

BrianD3

i've a fair amount of upper body strength - which i assume has something to do with it

It plays a big part although you must also have decent technique. Lower body strength helps too.

But anyone who says that long driving is only about technique and that athletic ability plays little or no part is deluding themselves. Heavy weight training is a major part of the preparation for many on the long drive tour and increasingly, those on regular tour as well. Strength, power and muscle mass all play a part and there are some huge guys in long drive, 6 foot 5 and 250+ pounds. IIRC there was talk of having separate weight categories to cater for different body types - just like the way there are weight categories in boxing and weightlifting.

copacetic

BrianD3 wrote: »

It plays a big part although you must also have decent technique. Lower body strength helps too.

But anyone who says that long driving is only about technique and that athletic ability plays little or no part is deluding themselves. Heavy weight training is a major part of the preparation for many on the long drive tour and increasingly, those on regular tour as well. Strength, power and muscle mass all play a part and there are some huge guys in long drive, 6 foot 5 and 250+ pounds. IIRC there was talk of having separate weight categories to cater for different body types - just like the way there are weight categories in boxing and weightlifting.

but technique goes a long way, look at sergio and charles howell, two of the longest hitters on tour and it is nearly all technique.

fullstop

The OP...http://xs217.xs.to/xs217/07284/CaptainHyperbole!.jpg

C0SM0

There's always one.!!! And fullstop you're it today.!!!

fullstop

C0SM0 wrote: »

There's always one.!!! And fullstop you're it today.!!!

well it's true. The guy plays off 28 for god's sake and he says he can hit it 345 yards. I play of 3, am the second longest hitter in my club, possibly the longest on my day and I probably average about 285-290. So I'M sorry but it just isn't believable.

To give an example....anyone who was at the walker cup last year probably noticed Dustin Johnson. He hits the ball like nothing i've ever seen off the tee, and I've seen Tiger in the flesh a couple of times. He is currently 3rd on US tour distance average with 307.1 yards behind Bubba Watson and J.B. Holmes.The OP is in the same league as these guys? I think not.

RedorDead

Graeme1982 wrote: »

The fairways at Elmgreen are about the same size as the 4-yard pathway these days!

The fairways on the par fives there are a bloody joke!! They must be only 20 yards wide in places!!

Drove two par fours there last week! :cool:

Mister Sifter

Ain't got nothing on this old boy...

http://www.travelandleisure.com/tlgolf/articles/mighty-mike-austin-and-the-515-yard-drive

copacetic

RedorDead wrote: »

The fairways on the par fives there are a bloody joke!! They must be only 20 yards wide in places!!

Drove two par fours there last week! :cool:

1st and 9th? they should both be par3s in fairness. Having to hit an iron off the par 4 first in case you fly the green is not a proper start to the round imo. I like emlgreen as a practise round and it was great when I was starting out, but my best score ever was there by a long way, it is too easy.

The 1st, 6th, 9th, 10th, 14th and 15th are all way too short and straight, the 3rd and 11th are too easy even for par 3s imo.
The par 5s are all too reachable with a decent drive.

I may have got some of the hole numbers wrong above, I know they have been changing it around and not sure what the order is at the moment.

fullstop

Graeme1982 wrote: »

Ain't got nothing on this old boy...

http://www.travelandleisure.com/tlgolf/articles/mighty-mike-austin-and-the-515-yard-drive

BrianD3

I knew as soon as I saw this thread that people would start saying the OP is mistaken, talking bull etc. Maybe he has hit it 345, maybe he hasn't nobody really knows. I'd imagine his AVERAGE is way, way under 300 but he never claimed anything about his average so I don't know why the statistical averages of the pros are being brought up

He said his good straight drives went around 310-320 with the very best ones going 345. I can believe that.

Handicap doesn't really come into it either - I know many low handicappers in the 0-3 range who are not long, they are very accurate and consistent which is more important. It is wrong to assume that because a 3 handicapper hits it x distance that a 28 handicapper must only be able to hit it y distance.

Now having said all that it is sometimes difficult to say how far you hit your drives as all sorts of variables come into it. This has been touched on in the thread - wind, elevation of tees, cutting doglegs, slopes, hard fairways, roll, yardages to centre of green or front, tee markers moved about etc. For those reason its easier to compare say 5 or 7 iron distance or even better ask "what club do you hit from the 150 and 200 yard marker" etc.

fullstop

Well I've seen a lot of 28 handicap players over the years, and the one thing they all have in common is that they strike the ball poorly. If the OP was maybe a 12 handicap I may have believed him as a lot of people around that range can hit the ball as far as low handicap players but lack a bit of consistency and their short game is usually poor.

The OP also said he slices the ball. Who on earth can slice the ball that distance?

OilBeefHooked2

Christ another longdrive thread!:pac:
It's called a fade OP, if you were slicing the ball you'd struggle to hit 180/200 yards.
I once hit a drive 355 yards on the 18th in Waterville, does this mean I average 355 yards? absoltuely not, what I failed to take into consideration was, I was playing from an elavated tee (+25/30 yards), it was downwind +35/40 mph again add about 25/30 yards and most importantly it was summer time and the fairways were like concrete (add 70/80 yards of roll) and the pegs were forward, so you see when you take all those factors into consideration I really only carried the ball about 210/230 which is about average for your club golfer, while on the tour the ball carries about 250/270on average, so op if you can hit the ball 310/320 yards on a consistent basis, then you should try out for the long drive championships or at the very least join the tour!;)

Mister Sifter

copacetic wrote: »

1st and 9th? they should both be par3s in fairness. Having to hit an iron off the par 4 first in case you fly the green is not a proper start to the round imo. I like emlgreen as a practise round and it was great when I was starting out, but my best score ever was there by a long way, it is too easy.

The 1st, 6th, 9th, 10th, 14th and 15th are all way too short and straight, the 3rd and 11th are too easy even for par 3s imo.
The par 5s are all too reachable with a decent drive.

I may have got some of the hole numbers wrong above, I know they have been changing it around and not sure what the order is at the moment.

The first is indeed a very mediocre starting hole. I think Elmgreen is a completely difference course from the medal tees. Mon - Sat the tees are generally bang at the front, but on Sundays they stick them right back as far as they'll go. It's far from easy. Particularly with the three new holes.

The members scores prove that too i think. There's never a stupid score on it and my best scores by some distance came when i'm playing away.

Off the front tees you can drive a good few of the par fours and it's very short, but with the tees back it's pretty tough. Not least because the fairways are pencil thin and the greenkeepers have a penchant for sticking pins on slopes!

copacetic

Graeme1982 wrote: »

The first is indeed a very mediocre starting hole. I think Elmgreen is a completely difference course from the medal tees. Mon - Sat the tees are generally bang at the front, but on Sundays they stick them right back as far as they'll go. It's far from easy. Particularly with the three new holes.

The members scores prove that too i think. There's never a stupid score on it and my best scores by some distance came when i'm playing away.

Off the front tees you can drive a good few of the par fours and it's very short, but with the tees back it's pretty tough. Not least because the fairways are pencil thin and the greenkeepers have a penchant for sticking pins on slopes!

well good to hear than they are narrowing the fairways, are the growing the rough too? It used to be it didn't matter where you were as long as you weren't in the trees, you were only wedging it out of rough onto green anyway.

The three new holes are proper golf holes alright, will give you that Graeme.

Of course maybe I am just bitter when people ask me my best score and I have to say 75 (at elmgreen)

Mister Sifter

copacetic wrote: »

well good to hear than they are narrowing the fairways, are the growing the rough too? It used to be it didn't matter where you were as long as you weren't in the trees, you were only wedging it out of rough onto green anyway.

The three new holes are proper golf holes alright, will give you that Graeme.

Of course maybe I am just bitter when people ask me my best score and I have to say 75 (at elmgreen)

I've only managed one better than that in a competitive round up there so don't worry!:) Have hit in the 60s quite a few times in practice there though.

The rough has been grown quite a bit . Can absolutely kill you on some holes as it's really cloggy stuff.

The three new holes are in play all the time now. They've also added a ditch to the tenth (downhill between the two big trees) which means battering a driver is often out of the question.

I don't know if you found the same, but it's a course you can get fed up playing fairly quickly.

yak

alright guys time for some perspective!!! seems like the dude at my society had something to quib about though... not may feel that hitting drives of 300+ and a handicap of 28 go well together thats for certain!!!

anyway as someone mentioned earlier - i never said i average over 300 yards, i wish on a normal round i'll probably hit 3 or 4 crackers down the middle of the fairway the rest... not quite so good!

I played Millicent last week with my work society last weekend and shot 23 on the front with whopping 3 points on the back 9... not exactly an even score - Q bandit implications... !!

not sure how many of ye many of ye know the course but heres how a couple of shots panned out

1st hole (545) - par 5, straight down the middle of the fairway and up to the top of the hill... about mid point of second bunker on the left hand side - (I scuffed the 3 Iron second shot for what its worth).

8th hole (334) - par 4, hole is slight dog left left and up hill. i was about 5 yards short of the green.

and yes measurements are to the center of the green, and markers were slightly ahead of the marked 'stake' but I'm only using these as a guide...

I'm not trying to lay claim to driving a ball as good (or better) than the pro's like i said at the start - i want to know how long is long. I've heard utterances of disbelief etc but no-one has put a number on long drives...

By the sounds on it 250 - 270 yards is about average and 290 yards plus is long.. would ye agree?

copacetic

yak wrote: »

alright guys time for some perspective!!! seems like the dude at my society had something to quib about though... not may feel that hitting drives of 300+ and a handicap of 28 go well together thats for certain!!!

anyway as someone mentioned earlier - i never said i average over 300 yards, i wish on a normal round i'll probably hit 3 or 4 crackers down the middle of the fairway the rest... not quite so good!

I played Millicent last week with my work society last weekend and shot 23 on the front with whopping 3 points on the back 9... not exactly an even score - Q bandit implications... !!

not sure how many of ye many of ye know the course but heres how a couple of shots panned out

1st hole (545) - par 5, straight down the middle of the fairway and up to the top of the hill... about mid point of second bunker on the left hand side - (I scuffed the 3 Iron second shot for what its worth).

8th hole (334) - par 4, hole is slight dog left left and up hill. i was about 5 yards short of the green.

and yes measurements are to the center of the green, and markers were slightly ahead of the marked 'stake' but I'm only using these as a guide...

I'm not trying to lay claim to driving a ball as good (or better) than the pro's like i said at the start - i want to know how long is long. I've heard utterances of disbelief etc but no-one has put a number on long drives...

By the sounds on it 250 - 270 yards is about average and 290 yards plus is long.. would ye agree?

for average driving distance for amateurs.
average is more like 220-250, long 250-280.

remember most golfers are older and may not hit is as far as people who post on the net.


The 1st in millicent is a nice hole, but sounds like you hit it about the normal distance, have been beside that bunker myself. In general if you are near the fairway bunkers then you aren't massively long, they are there to catch drives after all..

JMB88

I've played Millicent loads, I'd say my average drive is between 240 - 250 with a decent one going a tad bit futher. I've reached the first green many a time with driver and a 3 wood. The eighth hole is a big dogleg which if you take it over the corner it plays about 300. All you need to do is knock it over the hay and you're up green high .... By the sounds of it you do not hit the ball unbelivably far at all.

If you want to know how big a big drive is watch the long drive programmes on Setanta Golf, them guys are jumping out of their shoes (hitting a hook) and most are struggling on 350 but you can potentially hit a cut 330 - 345?!

yak

copacetic wrote: »

for average driving distance for amateurs.
average is more like 220-250, long 250-280.

thats more like what I'm looking for... I don't really care about how long I hit - Just want to get hitting it straight sorted!

RedorDead

copacetic wrote: »

1st and 9th? they should both be par3s in fairness. Having to hit an iron off the par 4 first in case you fly the green is not a proper start to the round imo. I like emlgreen as a practise round and it was great when I was starting out, but my best score ever was there by a long way, it is too easy.

The 1st, 6th, 9th, 10th, 14th and 15th are all way too short and straight, the 3rd and 11th are too easy even for par 3s imo.
The par 5s are all too reachable with a decent drive.

I may have got some of the hole numbers wrong above, I know they have been changing it around and not sure what the order is at the moment.

The ninth aint no driving hole!! Its index one. It was a smashing drive and seven iron last weekend.

Think my holes were the 1st and 14th.

copacetic

RedorDead wrote: »

The ninth aint no driving hole!! Its index one. It was a smashing drive and seven iron last weekend.

Think my holes were the 1st and 14th.

I think the one I meant is playing as the 10th now..

Plus 10

Agree there has beena few similiar posts - maybe with the wind/downhill but calm/level - 320 is a bit of a stretch (especially with a slice)

Tiptap (or anyone else) - any suggestions for trying to get rid of the slice - killing me also at the moment!

Kimbot

Plus 10 wrote: »

Agree there has beena few similiar posts - maybe with the wind/downhill but calm/level - 320 is a bit of a stretch (especially with a slice)

Tiptap (or anyone else) - any suggestions for trying to get rid of the slice - killing me also at the moment!

Whats your stance with the ball like??

Is the ball centered in your body, bit to the front or back??
Also are you trying to force extra power into the drive??

One Cold Hand

yak wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I'm pretty new to the whole golf scene, I used to play some pitch and putt when I was younger and the VERY odd game of golf over the winter months for the last four or five years but nothing major. Anyway the point i'm trying to find out is - just how long is a long drive?

I've been told I have a big drive and a fast swing, but I'm wondering how big is big and how fast is fast!! I generally slice from the tee, but can still make almost 300 yards, when I'm straight I'm about 310-320 and have a best drive of about 340-345 though thats a rarity

also when i was playing in a (society) competition lately one of the other competitors commented on how long i can hit the ball and how it was 'not-appropriate' for a high handicapper (i play off 28) to be able to hit a drive so long... he neglected to mention my poor accuracy or terrible putting!! (does this matter).

so how long is long and just how long do I actually drive?

btw all distances are in yards, not meters unfortunately

What do you want us to day to this? Oh wow you're great you hit it 300+ yards? You're about 70 yds longer than the average drive?
Who are we to argue? If you say you can hit it 310-320 and have hit it 345 how would we know better? You know what the average drive is, surely you've played with other golfers? It's the average of whatever they hit.

However, I don't personally believe the distances you're quoting. People get excited about big drives, but as stated earlier they're generally from an elevated tee, downhill, downwind, on a hard dry fairway. And then they measure the distance wrong, as highlighted earlier. I'm not saying your bullsh1tting, I just think you've got it wrong.
I don't understand how a person can hit the ball 300, then duff their next iron shot. Is this a regular occurance? To hit your drives 300 yds, then you must be able to hit your irons at least okay. If you can hit it 300 yards, with a slice, and still be off 28 then the rest of your game must be terrible. And I mean really terrible (no offence, I'm just trying to work this out in my head). If you're really interested in you're distances, go to the flat part of a practice area on a calm day, and take a measuring wheel. Hit 20drives and measure them precisely. Take the average, including the terribly slice and duffed drives. This is your average.
But my tip for the day is forget about the distance you hit the bloody thing and practice chipping and putting for a few months.

One Cold Hand

yak wrote: »

i should probably also point out that i'm 28 and while i'm only about 5'9" i've a fair amount of upper body strength - which i assume has something to do with it

Upper body strength hand pretty much nothing to do with hitting the ball far. It's nearly all technique. And swinging fast also has nothing to do with it. Again it's technique and timing. Ever seen Ernie swing?

One Cold Hand

BrianD3 wrote: »

He said his good straight drives went around 310-320 with the very best ones going 345. I can believe that.

Handicap doesn't really come into it either - I know many low handicappers in the 0-3 range who are not long, they are very accurate and consistent which is more important. It is wrong to assume that because a 3 handicapper hits it x distance that a 28 handicapper must only be able to hit it y distance.

Well he said he hits it 300+ when he slices it. And 310+ when he's straight. So I would assume his average is 300+.

Handicap does come into it. To hit it 300+ you've got to be able to strike the ball pretty well. Better than a most 28 handicapper strikes it.

One Cold Hand

JMB88 wrote: »

I've played Millicent loads, I'd say my average drive is between 240 - 250 with a decent one going a tad bit futher. I've reached the first green many a time with driver and a 3 wood. The eighth hole is a big dogleg which if you take it over the corner it plays about 300. All you need to do is knock it over the hay and you're up green high .... By the sounds of it you do not hit the ball unbelivably far at all.

If you want to know how big a big drive is watch the long drive programmes on Setanta Golf, them guys are jumping out of their shoes (hitting a hook) and most are struggling on 350 but you can potentially hit a cut 330 - 345?!

Thank you. See OP? It plays as a 300 yds hole. To the centre of the green. And you were 5 yds short of that. thats 275 yds. Not 329. See how mistakes can be made.

I'm not annoyed about this. But there's been so much discussion on here where people come on a start saying that they hit massive drives etc, etc.

WHIP IT!

Graeme1982 wrote: »

The first is indeed a very mediocre starting hole. I think Elmgreen is a completely difference course from the medal tees. Mon - Sat the tees are generally bang at the front, but on Sundays they stick them right back as far as they'll go. It's far from easy. Particularly with the three new holes.

The members scores prove that too i think. There's never a stupid score on it and my best scores by some distance came when i'm playing away.

Off the front tees you can drive a good few of the par fours and it's very short, but with the tees back it's pretty tough. Not least because the fairways are pencil thin and the greenkeepers have a penchant for sticking pins on slopes!

I always felt the greens there did a good job of protecting the course from silly scores. Some of them are quite tricky and hard to read. Not perfect putting surfaces or anything, just tricky with some funny pin places.

Would agree about the back tees, it's a much better golf course from there. Still, it's fun to have a few driveable par-fours in a round.

MisterAnarchy

Graeme1982 wrote: »

Ain't got nothing on this old boy...

http://www.travelandleisure.com/tlgolf/articles/mighty-mike-austin-and-the-515-yard-drive

I have a video tape of Mike Austin explaining how he generated his power.
Interesting stuff but quite old.

Plus 10

jonny24ie wrote: »

Whats your stance with the ball like??

Is the ball centered in your body, bit to the front or back??
Also are you trying to force extra power into the drive??

Stance : End up aiming left to compensate for the slice - tends to make the slice worse!

Ball centered: Bit to the front

Yes : definetely the harder I try to hit it the more the slice

Guess I need a lesson!!

OilBeefHooked2

Plus 10 wrote: »

Stance : End up aiming left to compensate for the slice - tends to make the slice worse!

Ball centered: Bit to the front

Yes : definetely the harder I try to hit it the more the slice

Guess I need a lesson!!

You answered your own question here, do the opposite of all of the above and you'll soon be driving straight or with a nice draw.
The stance isn't really that important, it's more important to have you shoulders in line with your hips at address.
The ball should be in line with the inside of your left foot.
Take a few deep breaths and feel like there is no tension atall in your arms/body, also bear in mind that the driver is the lightest club in your bag!

Plus 10

Cheers

Kimbot

Plus 10 wrote: »

Stance : End up aiming left to compensate for the slice - tends to make the slice worse!

Ball centered: Bit to the front

Yes : definetely the harder I try to hit it the more the slice

Guess I need a lesson!!

Only seeing this now. I am teaching myself some tips of golf via videos etc and a few things I have come up with for slicers (3 of us that play every week).

1. Let the club do the work and don't try force longer, remember its better to hit shorter than to have to fetch from the heavy rough.

2: (Myself personally) Ball marginally left to the centre of your body.

3: How you tee up a ball can also have an effect, try this at the driving range or on a course: Hit a 3 wood off the tee exactly as you would a driver, tee it up the same aswell. If you hit that straight then you can correct your driver shot by putting your tee up another bit.

Now these are tips I have used myself from analyising my game and the lads I play with have used them(slightly modified tho when I see them swing) aswell and found them to be okay and have helped a good few slices go straight.
They may or may not help you but all you can do is try.


Pro lessons would be good aswell, I have to start mine soon, only playing 2 months now, got my game down from 150 odd on a very forgiving course to 108 on this one: http://www.countylongfordgolfclub.com/ and my score is just dropping by the week. I would be considered a big hitter by the lads I play golf with but my swing has been dropped down to about 65% until I can eliminate the slice completely from my game with lessons.

stockdam

I don't know any long hitters who struggle with a slice........some will fade the ball as they feel it safer but nearly all will be able to hit a draw......I can't think of anyone who is a slicer and who regularly hits the ball beyond 250 yards.


To hit a draw.....for a right hander......

Check that your grip is correct.....if it's weak then you will find it hard to hit a draw.

Aim the clubhead where you want the ball to end up.

Aim your shoulders and hips to the right of where the club is aiming....this is the line that the ball will start on. The clubface will be closed relative to your shoulder aim.

Take your grip - it's better to have a slightly strong grip for a draw.

Looking at the ball with your right eye will tend to open your shoulders so be careful that you don't end up standing open.

Now try to swing at a moderate but not rushed pace and try to hit the ball out to the right.....if you slice you will have been starting the ball to the left to curve back but now you must be brave and hit out to the right.

Stay behind the ball as you hit it........don't be letting your body open up......feel as if you are hitting past your head.

Think of the shot curving from right to left and imagine your hands tracing this arc as you hit the ball. You want your forearms to roll a bit through the ball but yet hit it out to the right. Timing needs to be nice and relaxed........there's no big effort to through the body into the ball.

Once you can hit a draw then the game gets so much more fun.

A draw is now my natural shot and I have to try hard to fade the ball.........some changes in the setup are all that I need but I have to deliberately do it.

Slaanesh

My 5W generally goes longer than my driver Damned slice ... mumble mumble.