Driving woes

Keano

Ever since I took up this game my driving has been poor and despite lessons its still terrible. I've had to work hard on my short game to avoid not scoring on holes. I think my handicap will always be high if I cannot sort it out.

Should I just stick with an iron or my 3 wood off the tee and leave the driver at home?

Leprechaun77

I used to use the 3 iron off the tee when I started out playing as I could not hit a driver for my life. While I was consistent enough, I believe it was a futile exercise as I was alway really pushing it to hit the greens in regulation, even with two well hit shots on most par 4's....I stuck at the driver on the range until I became ok hitting it and my scores were cut drastically. It's a lot easier hitting a 7-9 iron into a green than forcing a 3-5 for your second shot....my advice would be to stick it out with the driver (and maybe change the person you are getting lessons from????)

Finlay Harp

I had the same issues. I took a couple of lessons bought a Ping G20 driver and now drive straight about 220 yards.

GreeBo

What handicap are you?
If you are > 18 then you dont need to worry about hitting any GIR at the moment.

Get lessons to sort out the driving problem but dont use the driver on course until you have it sorted. When you are playing on a course your job is to shoot the lowest score possible, nothing else.

mike12

What is the problem, you should try a high lofted driver at least 12 degrees. It will help if you are slicing or having problems getting it airborne off the tee.

Mike

Keano

GreeBo wrote: »

What handicap are you?
If you are > 18 then you dont need to worry about hitting any GIR at the moment.

Get lessons to sort out the driving problem but dont use the driver on course until you have it sorted. When you are playing on a course your job is to shoot the lowest score possible, nothing else.

I'm currently 16 but that is not a fair reflection. My home course gave me 15.5 as my first handicap despite my cards being on the high side. It's what the do...so I've been told!

Going to get one more lesson and leave the driver at home and after a couple of months practice and no change coming I might have to switch pros.

Keano

mike12 wrote: »

What is the problem, you should try a high lofted driver at least 12 degrees. It will help if you are slicing or having problems getting it airborne off the tee.

Mike

Horrible slice mike.

Ben1977

Keano A Legend wrote: »

mike12 wrote: »

What is the problem, you should try a high lofted driver at least 12 degrees. It will help if you are slicing or having problems getting it airborne off the tee.

Mike

Horrible slice mike.

Suffered the same myself for a long time, still shows its ugly head at least 3 times during a round. Stick yourself on video and check out Mark Crossfield on YouTube. Understand the cause of the slice will enable you to understand the pros lessons.
Stick with it

gman127

Keano A Legend wrote: »

Horrible slice mike.

I had this for alot of last year. And our course has out of bounds right on at least 6 holes so was a real struggle.

I just worked on a long low sweep away with the driver on the inside a bit and then through impact making sure that my hands turned over through the ball properly.

Even try and purposely hook the ball next time your on the range a bit just to get the feel of it. I've developed a nice draw shot after putting in the work on it. Hope this helps maybe.

Keano

gman127 wrote: »

I had this for alot of last year. And our course has out of bounds right on at least 6 holes so was a real struggle..

Ya, my home course is similar and if it is not OOB there are trees so its daunting on the tee box

areidy

Hey lad, beginner myself, hit slice for so long. Got lessons and was told to stay away from driver. Used a rescue off the tee for awhile. Was ok but missed hitting the big shots!!! don't know if this will help or confuse but try keeping your right elbow close to your body and try feeling your right shoulder go down/under your body on the down swing. Takes a bit of practice but I hit 90% of drives down the middle now:) stick with it and as the lads said, get yourself on video, you'll learn a lot.

not yet

Had problems with driver for years, not completing follow trough, not completing takeaway, slice etc etc. About 6 months ago realized I was so scared of slice/hook That I was getting caught up in my drive and had no confidence. I just started to hit the ball with a full smooth swing and it worked wonders.

Biggest tip: keep the inside of your upper left arm close to your chest amd take the club away in one slow long movement. goodluck.

spacecoyote

About a month ago I was in the same boat as u but I've had my lightbulb moment and am driving the ball now better than I've ever been.

I was at a group lesson & I said to the pro that I couldn't hit a draw at all, that my good shots were a fade, and the bad a slice. So she made a suggestion, which was essentially to stop thinking about where each part of my body was while swinging and start thinking about what way the club has to move to hit a draw.

She addressed the ball & then turned 90 degrees and faced straight at the back wall at the range. She then said she was going to hit a draw whilst facing that way & did, then a fade & did.

She suggested doing something similar, ie standing in a slightly off position and trying to work the ball.

Cue my following trip to the range & my breakthrough.

I stood & addressed the ball as per normal. Then brought my feet tight together rather than shoulder width apart & tried to swing. What I find when I do that that I can really only draw the ball as it forces me to swing around to keep balance.

The best way I can describe it is that I swing the club flatter this way. If I take a practice swing with my feet together it let's me get the feel of how I want to swing. Then take a smooth swing and a low draw flies off.

This worked wonders for me, it seems a bit overly simplistic maybe, but I think some people can become too obsessed with what their bodies are doing when swinging.

If I want to hit a fade I just go back to a steeper take away & my swing path just does the rest for me

Best of luck with it & don't give up

GreeBo

my 2c would be to avoid trying any fixes until a recognised pro gives them to you. lots of swing faults cause a slice, you don't wasn't to waste time trying to incorporate the wrong thing.
i would ad d that IMO space coyote gives great advice for working the ball. understand the physics of it and then feel it, don't think about specific body movements. working the ball is not an exact science.

FixdePitchmark

spacecoyote wrote: »

About a month ago I was in the same boat as u but I've had my lightbulb moment and am driving the ball now better than I've ever been.

I was at a group lesson & I said to the pro that I couldn't hit a draw at all, that my good shots were a fade, and the bad a slice. So she made a suggestion, which was essentially to stop thinking about where each part of my body was while swinging and start thinking about what way the club has to move to hit a draw.

She addressed the ball & then turned 90 degrees and faced straight at the back wall at the range. She then said she was going to hit a draw whilst facing that way & did, then a fade & did.

She suggested doing something similar, ie standing in a slightly off position and trying to work the ball.

Cue my following trip to the range & my breakthrough.

I stood & addressed the ball as per normal. Then brought my feet tight together rather than shoulder width apart & tried to swing. What I find when I do that that I can really only draw the ball as it forces me to swing around to keep balance.

The best way I can describe it is that I swing the club flatter this way. If I take a practice swing with my feet together it let's me get the feel of how I want to swing. Then take a smooth swing and a low draw flies off.

This worked wonders for me, it seems a bit overly simplistic maybe, but I think some people can become too obsessed with what their bodies are doing when swinging.

If I want to hit a fade I just go back to a steeper take away & my swing path just does the rest for me

Best of luck with it & don't give up

I know Spacecoyote you have tried to guide me on this (thanks Man). It is very interesting. But, I was somebody who was all clubhead control and no connection to body, this created a swing that was - lets say unique. (J Daly, E Darcy like). The first time I went to a pro he made me change to more connected and less hands and timing.

Whilst what you say is accurate, a guy who is totally disconnected needs years of practice and great hand eye co-ordination and timing to pull that off.

Most guys won't have the time to put into that. So most pros seem to teach a method that uses the body as an anchor for the swing, it will get a more consistent outcome for most.

I have spent very little time in this area , but my observations over the last year is all I have to go by.

What has happened to me is summed up here, went from one extreme to another.

From disconnected to too connected.

So sorry OP, I think it is a good idea to try stay connected on downswing with right elbow, just to try hook it, again go to pro.

But what i found with my pro is that he put me into another extreme and now i need to work back .

A bit wacky, but this is how i got out of slice and ended up with hook.

FixdePitchmark

Jesus this game would drive you nuts and to drink .

Senna

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Jesus this game would drive you nuts and to drink .

Its no coincident that there's always a bar after the 18th hole:D

spacecoyote

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Jesus this game would drive you nuts and to drink .

Yep, fair enough fixed alright. I'd imagine its a bit of an over simplification on my part as I had a few lessons earlier in the year that probably got my swing mechanics sorted out, and that combined with the recent work is what us having the desired effect in my swing.

And speaking if drink...off to stuttgart tomorrow to sample some of Germanys finest!!

No golf this weekend

alxmorgan

Lot of advice in here but as stated a pro is the best way to go.
Out of interest what has the pro got you doing to solve it ?

From my experience as a slicer I would say two things:
1) Do not aim more left to compensate as it will make it worse (aiming left if you have a controllable fade is fine of course)

2) Trust is a huge issue. You have to believe you can hit a straight shot. If it means a slower tempo or even half drives at the range to start hitting it straight then so be it. You can work from there but stopping a slice means believing you can stop it and building confidence over time

charlieIRL

After seeing you use that 3 wood the few rounds we played together I'm suprised you go for the driver at all Keano, look at the last day for example - you were only 5 - 10 yards behind us on most holes with it and the ball was in play.


If I see you take the driver out saturday I'll wrap it around yer neck!!!

DULLAHAN2

This Might Help

Keano

charlieIRL wrote: »

After seeing you use that 3 wood the few rounds we played together I'm suprised you go for the driver at all Keano, look at the last day for example - you were only 5 - 10 yards behind us on most holes with it and the ball was in play.


If I see you take the driver out saturday I'll wrap it around yer neck!!!

It'll stay in the bag on Saturday :pac:

Long term though I need to be able to use the driver as when the days my 3 wood lets me down I'd be relying on my hybrid off the tee!

ssbob

Driving Woe's, where do I start? :rolleyes:

The most frustrating thing for me is I have been to 3 different pro's trying to sort it and all 3 of them have told me that I am very close to being a very good golfer............whatever that means.

My bad shot is the banana hook as most of ye know and to get rid of that i am trying to hit a "Power Fade" off the tee but if that goes wrong then I have a huge slice that invariably ends up Out of Bounds!

My plan is to sort the driver for the winter as I don't have a go to club off the tee, I don't carry a 3 wood and tend not to use my hybrid when things are going bad with the driver.

I dunno if you find this but some days I just step up to the ball and feel comfortable and other days not so comfrotable!

FixdePitchmark

ssbob wrote: »

Driving Woe's, where do I start? :rolleyes:

The most frustrating thing for me is I have been to 3 different pro's trying to sort it and all 3 of them have told me that I am very close to being a very good golfer............whatever that means.
!

Very funny man - laughed at that.

Very close, 100 yrds to left or right.

mafc

Jaysus lads the way ye are describing yere driving , technodub & his mates must be rubbing their hands at the thought of Saturday's competition.

Alrite Chief

Keano A Legend wrote: »

It'll stay in the bag on Saturday :pac:

Long term though I need to be able to use the driver as when the days my 3 wood lets me down I'd be relying on my hybrid off the tee!

We are all guilty of this. Even for an extra 10 yards!!!

onlyfinewine

ssbob wrote: »

Driving Woe's, where do I start? :rolleyes:

The most frustrating thing for me is I have been to 3 different pro's trying to sort it and all 3 of them have told me that I am very close to being a very good golfer............whatever that means.

My bad shot is the banana hook as most of ye know and to get rid of that i am trying to hit a "Power Fade" off the tee but if that goes wrong then I have a huge slice that invariably ends up Out of Bounds!

My plan is to sort the driver for the winter as I don't have a go to club off the tee, I don't carry a 3 wood and tend not to use my hybrid when things are going bad with the driver.

I dunno if you find this but some days I just step up to the ball and feel comfortable and other days not so comfortable!

A high lofted driver or a three wood or low lofted rescue will keep you in play for the moment while you perfect your power fade or whatever shape shot you want to achieve over the winter.
Actually you will most probably score better overall, as you will be playing from the short grass more often and have fewer re-loads.

The new prescription for long driving is more loft and less spin, but more backspin means less effective side-spin to affect the flight direction if you need more accuracy, which is why the higher loft is recommended. Pro's have used this formula for a long time with success.

PARlance

ssbob wrote: »

The most frustrating thing for me is I have been to 3 different pro's trying to sort it and all 3 of them have told me that I am very close to being a very good golfer............whatever that means.

You misheard them ssbob, they said you are standing very close to a very good golfer

charlieIRL

mafc wrote: »

Jaysus lads the way ye are describing yere driving , technodub & his mates must be rubbing their hands at the thought of Saturday's competition.

Schhhhhhh, trying to lure them into a flase sense of security!!!:D

PARlance

Keano A Legend wrote: »

Ever since I took up this game my driving has been poor and despite lessons its still terrible. I've had to work hard on my short game to avoid not scoring on holes. I think my handicap will always be high if I cannot sort it out.

Should I just stick with an iron or my 3 wood off the tee and leave the driver at home?

Keano, just went for a lesson last night as I was in the same situation.

It's great that everyone is offering advice, but imo, the only job is to go to see a good pro for a few sessions.
I committed to myself to taking 4-5 regular lessons with him between now and Feb next.

I told the pro this and also explained the situation above.

As a bonus, he said that I could check in with him once a week when I was at the range and that he'd give me 5 mins to make sure I was doing the right things.

I went in with the idea of focusing on my driver and came out from it realising that I need to change my set up and the driver will sort itself out after that. I have been compensating for my flaws with most clubs but there's no hiding it with the driver.

I've spent the last 6 months improving my swing, it's come on a lot and both Pro and I were happy enough with it in general.
The benefit of seeing the pro is that he seen within minutes flaws that I didn't know I had, or if I knew, I didn't realise they were that bad.
Going back to him every month for a few months in a row will ensure you're keeping a check on your improvements and hopefully it'll be worth it in the end.

ssbob

onlyfinewine wrote: »

A high lofted driver or a three wood or low lofted rescue will keep you in play for the moment while you perfect your power fade or whatever shape shot you want to achieve over the winter.
Actually you will most probably score better overall, as you will be playing from the short grass more often and have fewer re-loads.

The new prescription for long driving is more loft and less spin, but more backspin means less effective side-spin to affect the flight direction if you need more accuracy, which is why the higher loft is recommended. Pro's have used this formula for a long time with success.

Personally not looking to drive the ball longer but need to take spin off the ball, anyone on here who has played with me see's that I get a big carry with no run and even in some cases back spin with the driver because I hit it so high, my irons are all hit higher than anyone I play with aswell, this helps of course with the longer irons but in the wind is a big hinderance.

Might see if I can pick up a cheap 12.5 degree driver!

Ben1977

ssbob wrote: »

onlyfinewine wrote: »

A high lofted driver or a three wood or low lofted rescue will keep you in play for the moment while you perfect your power fade or whatever shape shot you want to achieve over the winter.
Actually you will most probably score better overall, as you will be playing from the short grass more often and have fewer re-loads.

The new prescription for long driving is more loft and less spin, but more backspin means less effective side-spin to affect the flight direction if you need more accuracy, which is why the higher loft is recommended. Pro's have used this formula for a long time with success.

Personally not looking to drive the ball longer but need to take spin off the ball, anyone on here who has played with me see's that I get a big carry with no run and even in some cases back spin with the driver because I hit it so high, my irons are all hit higher than anyone I play with aswell, this helps of course with the longer irons but in the wind is a big hinderance.

Might see if I can pick up a cheap 12.5 degree driver!

I would not bother, go get fitted, don't forget the shaft has a huge impact on spin and launch. There are too many variables, my advise would be not to waste money on clubs until you get fitted. Pro's understand these things way better that us.

PARlance

ssbob wrote: »

Personally not looking to drive the ball longer but need to take spin off the ball, anyone on here who has played with me see's that I get a big carry with no run and even in some cases back spin with the driver because I hit it so high, my irons are all hit higher than anyone I play with aswell, this helps of course with the longer irons but in the wind is a big hinderance.

Might see if I can pick up a cheap 12.5 degree driver!

PM sent ssbob.

ssbob

Ben1977 wrote: »

I would not bother, go get fitted, don't forget the shaft has a huge impact on spin and launch. There are too many variables, my advise would be not to waste money on clubs until you get fitted. Pro's understand these things way better that us.

Would you steer away from the major multiples then for fitting and go to a Pro shop?

PARlance

ssbob wrote: »

Would you steer away from the major multiples then for fitting and go to a Pro shop?

Don't mind that Ben fella, buy that 11.5 off me, it'll solve all your problems

onlyfinewine

ajcurry123 wrote: »

Don't mind that Ben fella, buy that 11.5 off me, it'll solve all your problems

I love it when a plan comes together!!;)

onlyfinewine

I got some great advice from a pro free of charge last week who absolutely guarantees that if I do just two things right I will never again slice, top or hook my shots.













He wants me to "Take a rest from golf for 6 weeks, then give it up altogether":D

spacecoyote

Ben1977 wrote: »

I would not bother, go get fitted, don't forget the shaft has a huge impact on spin and launch. There are too many variables, my advise would be not to waste money on clubs until you get fitted. Pro's understand these things way better that us.

Just to note on this, theres a Ping Fitting night on in the Spa Well range on 18th October.

So if you're not keen on spending money for a custom fitting session you could get it done for free by making an appointment there.

Think its on 4-8pm. It'll only be Ping clubs obviously, but it'll give you a good idea on set up if you are going to change driver.

And, from what I can gather, you usually can't go too far wrong with the Ping woods anyway!!

Ben1977

ssbob wrote: »

Ben1977 wrote: »

I would not bother, go get fitted, don't forget the shaft has a huge impact on spin and launch. There are too many variables, my advise would be not to waste money on clubs until you get fitted. Pro's understand these things way better that us.

Would you steer away from the major multiples then for fitting and go to a Pro shop?

Lets put it this way, I sliced every club in the bag. Get fitted went from regular to X stiff on driver and stiff on all other clubs. Swing speed was to high for regular shaft which left the club face opened to club path.
More club loft does reduce side spin.
Pal of mine is off 4. His drive is a 12.5 degree with a x stiff shaft. Hits the ball really low and about 20 yards longer that me.
The moral of the story is get fitted everyone has a unique swing.