Ugh, the Driver Swing

[Mugnut]

What to do

So -

shot a 90 at a tough course today, which was okay for me (14.7 index) My swing with my irons is about as good as it has ever been; with a wedge in my hand from 125 in I feel confident that I'll have a solid crack at a one-putt.

But man oh man, the driver! I can't swing it to save my life. And I can't find a swing key to get it right. started off hitting duck hooks, then dropped some looong ones dead right, and then just kind of put it away for the rest of the round and played 4-wood and irons off the tee depending.

Anyone got any suggestions for what to key in when your irons are going real solid but the driver feels like a wild animal in your hands?

[MrBig]

Hit fairway woods or irons, work on your driver after the round. I've been fighting my driver for most of the summer, still too stubborn to take it out off play though. When it matters I'm reaching for my 3iron. Lately, I've been more particular about when I pull the big dog. I choose holes that leave plenty of room for error, particular room to the right, or par 5's where an errant shot isn't as penalizing. Good luck, don't put too much pressure on the driver your short game is more important to your score.

 

G

[cornbred19]

standing too far away from the ball w/the bigdog in your hands?

 

i know i have to watch for that when i get geared up for a big drive...

[Mugnut]

Yeah the lack of positive thoughts could be a problem - and that I haven't found something to key on. I've found with my irons/wedges that "be slow" (which used to work) isn't good now - with the irons I really focus on getting down on it with my chest and staying down through the swing (my shoulders tend to outrace my lower body if I don't) . I let myself hit the ball, and frequently try to hit it pretty hard to nip it (with what have been good results).

 

I get so caught up on swinging "through" instead of "down" with the driver that I get myself all wound up and tend to pull out of it. I haven't tried the "hit down on it" swing thought - but I'm wondering if, even though it's contrary to swinging "up" with the driver, that might be the key to keeping me in the shot with the shoulders and chest. I'll give it a try this weekend.

 

It sure is frustrating when everything else in your game seems to be firing just right. On the tee, I look like an 18, fairway through the hole I feel like an 8 . . .

[unomizuno]

It wasn't until I got my lower body into the downswing as the main engine that I was able to relax and let it all happen without having to think about anything but the target and getting predictable results. I can have a little bit more grip pressure with my irons without getting into too much trouble, but with the driver...grip pressure as light as can be with the big muscles pulling the hands is a major key for me.

[TheBUNKY]

I hit Driver very well for 3/4 of the Summer. However during the first of August, and two weeks after I bought a new G2, I lost it.

 

I had a Cobra 427ss and switched to the G2 but I hit the G2 better before I lost my normal driver ball flight. The difference in the two was that the G2 was about 15 to 20 yards longer than the 427ss.

 

My biggest fault were my hands and grip. I had my hands too high at address, meaning I had my hands and arms almost straight out in front of me instead of down and in close to my body just below my belt. This was causing me to hit everything out there on the toe and everything was going low and right. I was closing the clubface so much that it was choking the ball flight and the ball was hitting the ground about ten yards in front of the tee box.

 

Once I figured that out, I found my old swing again and the rest is history.

[cg460]

If I'm struggling with the driver, I always make sure My swing doesn't get even close to past parralel, short of paralel is best and always always always stay smooth, don't get quick at all because that is the killer of any golf swing.

[slicefixer]

You know, the funny thing is I was as straight a driver as you can imagine until I was 19/20 years old.....then absolutely the worst driver of the ball for a good player that has ever played for about 5 years...(due to some VERY ill advised swing changes)......then once I'd corrected my golf swing errors and become fundamentally sound I've driven the ball well for almost 20 years......this despite not practicing at all since 90'.......

 

The driver MUST be swung with a lil' bit of "reckless abandon".....without fear.....IF your tentative you'll most likely hit crummy drives overall......and the ones you do hit in the fwy won't be much longer, if any longer, than a properly struck 3 wood.......

 

I would make SURE that your grip, posture, ball position, and alignment were sound........the driver should "theoreticallly be an easy club to hit.......the ball is up on a tee.......the tee box is level ( or somewhere close hopefully).....you choose the position and tee height....etc. However, when the golf swing goes "south" the driver exaggerates all of your errors and can be one tough dude to straighten out........9 times out of 10 when I have a student who is struggling with the driver and hitting his irons well its ALWAYS a problem with the driver set-up.....ALWAYS.......check your fundamentals and I'll bet you can find and fix the problem on the range pretty quickly........

 

Then you'll have to get over the "driver demons" on the golf course......which in my own case were about to drive me from the game for several years......NOW the driver is my absolute favorite club to hit and I hit it almost 100% of the time when casually playing (as I have complete confidence in it) and at every opportunity when playing in competition.......

 

IMOP the driver is BY FAR the most important club in the game for good players......it sets up your entire round.......drive it in play and a decent distance and YOU, the player, can CHOOSE when to be aggressive or conservative.......drive it in the crap all day and your on the defensivve all day.......very tough to score under those circumstances.......very, very tough.......better chip and putt brilliantly......

[Jim_0068]

Find a speed stik to take some swings with and just let the natural length/weight of it combined with centrifugal force swing the club. Do it about 10-20 times.

 

Then go hit a driver.

[slicefixer]

Find a speed stik to take some swings with and just let the natural length/weight of it combined with centrifugal force swing the club. Do it about 10-20 times.

 

Then go hit a driver.

57391[/snapback]

 

 

Good advice.....very good advice......do it every day......cannot go wrong...