8-10 handicap with zero driving consistency

A little background: I'm about an 8 cap at the moment. Was near scratch as a junior/high school golfer. My whole game was solid. Dropped golf for years and am back playing now. Every part of my game is back with the exception of my drive. Although I've never clocked it, I have a high swing speed, am a big guy (6'2" - 250) and have always played with stiff or x-stiff shafts throughout.

3-wood off the deck all the way to flop shots...I have a consistent, solid game. My driver, however, is laughable. I guess the post title is misleading, b/c I'm consistently TERRIBLE off the tee.
- 90% of my drives fly too low. I know I could probably go to a 10.5 instead of current 9 deg, but I've played an 8 deg in the past w/ no problem, so I think it's swing related
-25% of my drives are straight pulls, low and left.
-70% push slice
-5 % straight with slight draw but NO punch to them. With the rest of my game, and my size and background, I figure I should be hitting it about 260-290 yrds most of the time. These drives are in the 250 realm.

I've checked alignment and it seems to be ok, although I haven't gotten a second opinion. I have a strong suspicion that this could be shaft flex related, but part of me feels like that's just a cop-out.

I have an inside-outside swing path, and I think this is at least partly to blame, since I think it is possibly due to no proper release. I feel like I'm hitting AT the ball if that makes any sense.

I know this is rambling and probably hard if not impossible to diagnose without a look, but wanted to see if this rings a bell with anyone.

Side notes: a terrible quick-fix I've discovered, or patch of sorts, is to close the clubface before I grip. This is the only thing that minimizes the push, but as you might imagine also maximizes the low pull.

Swinging slower helps, but the pace I have to swing at isn't sustainable in real play. I just can't make myself swing that slow!

Could it be the shaft?

I'm at a loss! If I were hitting fairways and not playing behind trees I guarantee I'd be a 2 or 3 cap instead of an 8-10.

Thanks for reading...

Yeah, it definitely could be the shaft. But it also could be you swinging out of your shoes as well. If hitting fairways would make you a scratch player, then why not practice a slower smoother tempo swing with the driver? Or tee off with a 3 wood? You don't need to try to kill the ball, you really don't. Although it may not feel like it, your slow swing and your fast swing are probably only a few mph difference but your slow swing will generally get more distance because it will fly straighter and you'll catch the center of the clubface more often.

If you're straight pulling drives, you do not have an inside-out swing path. It's not possible (on those particular swings).

If you're push-slicing drives you have an inside-out swingpath with an open clubface relative to that path.

Your straight drives have a punch to them, just not the punch you think you should have. Just because your'e a big guy, doesn't mean you should be able to hit it a long way. Just doesn't work like that and the scorecard doesn't know your distances anyway.

Hitting it 250 and straight is nothing to laugh at either. People really don't realize how far a 250 yard shot is; and most don't have any idea just how far a 300 yard drive is. 250 is a damn good drive but the problem is that people see the pros hitting it 290 and think that there's something wrong with them if they're not hitting it 290. These guys are "pros" and do this for a living.

Anytime I (or anyone else I see) has problems with a driver it's because they're swinging too hard trying to hit it as far as possible when 250 straight will beat 290 in the trees, OB, water or lost every time.

All excellent points, deron.

It's frustrating because I'm enough of a student of the game to right just about every other wrong, but this one doesn't seem to be cooperating.

Mentally, putting the driver away is tougher for me b/c of the wind we deal with down here. I should add that I have similar problems with the 3wd though, anyway. Something about teeing it up seems to set everything off.

If we assume everything else is reasonably correct (setup/etc.), what effect should a little stiffer shaft have? I was always fit with the stiffest shafts available when I was 15-20 years old, through an uncle that was a mini-tour pro. I have tried a few other shafts through the Titleist, etc fitting programs, but they never have the X shafts available to try.

you and i MIGHT be the exact same golfer... its amazing how much my issues lately mirror yours.

My conclusion is that I'm swinging from the inside too much, and that if i let the club come a bit more (sounds odd) from the outside i will get some more consistency. This is especially frustrating because I have had stints of hitting the ball so consistently with my driver and i can't get back to it.

Yeah, something about teeing the ball up really can play head games with you. You see it sitting there on the tee ripe for the picking and just can't help but swing hard at it.

Assuming everything else is good, you'll likely have a little lower ball flight and your in theory your misses should be straighter. But, keep in mind if a stiffer shaft isn't what you need, you'll see a really low ball flight and probably hit a lot of shots to the right as it's generally more difficult to close the clubface. You could always go the reverse psychology route here and get a soft shaft. I've heard of people going with a softer shaft so that they essentially MAKE themselves swing slower or else they know they'll hit it all over the place. It really just depends on what type of swing you have as far as what shaft you need. My swing speed is 112 mph but I have a stiff shaft even though every swing speed chart says at that speed I need x-stiff. To me, they just feel too stiff and I don't like to feel like I have to overswing to get the ball out there. If your swing more of a Nick Price fast tempo swing, x-stiff may suit you fine. I'd go to the course or range that has demo clubs and just try different things. Get the stiffest shaft you can find and see what happens.

My theory is that the dimple pattern on the golf ball closely resembles the skin of one of our ancient ancestral enemies and we want revenge, so we swing as hard as we can.

Lately, I have been setting up the camcorder at the range and recording my swing and comparing it to what I think I am doing. I am reaching back way to far of course, but each session gets a bit better and my distance is improving the less I rare back (go figure).

It's nice to know that I am not alone. Currently at 11.2 and can't find any kind of swing with the driver. My scrambling has been really good this year (guess I've had lots of practice LOL). I think I could be a good player if I could hit a driver. Use the 3w a lot, but really need the driver on certain holes (long par 4's).

I just come over the top with it, it's a problem with my swing in general but gets magnified by the driver. Been working to ingrain an inside appoach to the ball.

Geez, this is exactly what's been plaguing my game as well. I'll stripe every single club in my bag except my driver. There's no telling where I'll hit that club.

My problem is also coming over the top and a swing plane that's much too steep. I've been spending my time at the range working on flattening the swing plane, coming at the ball from the inside, and slowing things down. So far it's working okay, and I've been hitting more fairways.

Wow ,you're in the same boat as me. I'm currently at 11 and up from an 8 since we moved to Corpus Christi in 2007. The wind, along with my driver swing is killing me. I scatter them from pull hooks, tops, whatever. When it goes with my driver, it can impact my 3w, really gets in my head.

This is actually kind of a newer problem, especially the last 3-4 months. I've shot as low as 80 and as high as 94 (at Newport Dunes), the 94 I didn't hit a single fairway and 3 from the tee several time. Good news is that the rest of my game is getting better.

I think the comment from above might be helpful to you and me, try a more flat/slower swing.

By the way, where do you normally play? I'm in Corpus as well.

follow through and finish with your hands behind your head and your shaft over your shoulder. make sure your right hip at the finish is going straight forward into the fairway. slow your swing speed down enough to where you can consistently hit it straight, then speed up. and always remember to keep your right elbow down and in and your left one straight. and no, it's not the shaft... the shaft won't keep you from hitting the fairway.

try choking up the grip to almost the shaft and swing the club.

work on fundamental and pertend its an iron

Make sure you pause at the top of your backswing. A common (and helpful) thought is to count one-and-two, with the and representing the pause at the top of your swing. This will help your tempo greatly, especially since it sounds like your main dilemma is purely tempo-related, with your hands trying (and often failing) to catch up with your body's rotation on the downswing. This combined with a consistently tall and complete finish should straighten that driver out.

Travisc - I play 99% of my rounds at CC Country Club. If they can get Oso back in shape I'll play there a little bit too...I love that place for some reason. Where do you normally play? Still haven't played Newport, although I hear it's great...

All great suggestions! Was reading somewhere that a steep swing will produce the same push/pull scenario. That makes the most sense...I can picture my hands (usually with iron swings and moreso when I'm tired) coming back too steep and too inside. I think I'll give that (plus 80% tempo) a legit try on the range this afternoon and report back.

Newport Dunes is fantastic. There are no courses within a 100 miles that compare to the condition it is in, almost perfect. I really like the layout as well, I hope they can afford to keep in this condition, but I have my doubts considering the recession and the lack of development of the neighborhood.

I've played the CC Country Club several times, but haven't become a member so I play when I can. Most of my rounds are either at Northshore or I travel to Victoria where I have a customer I take golfing. Recently I'll take the kids to Kings Crossing, just to get out. That place is in terrible shape, but it's close, cheap and almost empty every time I go. Since I'm new to the area I really don't have a regular group to play with, so its random where I play. Most of my practicing is at the goat farm on Cimmaron. Good luck with your driver swing, I'll be working on mine as well. Nice to meet someone from Corpus on here, I haven't found many avid golfers in the area. Lots of hunters & fishermen though. Travis

My driving was horrendous part of my game earlier this season but my iron striking was great. Now its the other way around. Hitting 2/3 fairways but lately my GIR's are down from 40% to 20%. So in the end, I'd rather have your game in having a good 3wood and down game.

Driving range update:

Although not 100% confirmed, at least part of the problem was not having the ball far enough up in my stance. Between that and trying to flatten out the angle/catch on the upswing, things are looking better.

I tried a little flatter swing overall and I'm not sure that is the ticket. I did hit my irons a little better that way for some reason, so who knows.

Will see how this translates on the course. I can straighten out the driver on the range sometimes and somehow it just won't make the journey to the first tee...

You can put me in this party as well. I have determined it is pure mental as I can go to the driving range and just rope drives and cannot take it to the course at all.

I don't recall ever being scared of the driver when I was younger, today its frightening. The ball can go absolutely anywhere, but the shot that scares me the most is the violent pull hook. Unfortunately, the fear of that shot usually results in an equally violent push slice. I can literally hit my driver 100 yards off line in either direction and still get about 260+ yards on it. When I hit my driver like I should, its 295-310. Very very frustrating to know that I do so many things properly to generate that type of club head speed, but people don't understand how extraordinarily awful misses can be with that much club head speed.....until they see them. It can be incredibly embarassing.

I know exactly what you mean, some of my fears with the pull hook result in an absolutely massive push. I Literally can crush the push 300+ about 60-70 yards right. That push, doesn't slice, is probably 50 yards longer than my straight drive (when I hit it straight).

Glad to know I'm not the only one with some weird driver issues. Another thing, usually these issues cause me to use my 3w. Some days my 3w is within 15-20 yards of my good driver swing. I think its the lower draw flight, but the 3w is always 240-260, but my good straight drives seem to only go ~250-270 and do not seem to roll. Anybody else have that significant difference in ball flight from the 3w to driver?