I'm a bunter with my driver - Tips?

[MrSandman]

I'm not one of those neanderthals that thinks hitting the ball long off the tee is a must. I much prefer keep it controlled and in the fairway. But at times I can't believe how short I am with my driver. I pound the drive, absent any wind or downhill, 270 yards is deep. But most of my drives are carrying about 220-240'ish. Occassionally I will play a course from the tips and won't be able to reach the landing area.

My distance with other clubs is pretty solid. I am 150 with an 8 iron, 160 with 7 iron, 170 with 6 iron, 180 with 5 iron (and it is not unusual for me to get another 10 yards out of each of those clubs).

Like I said, I am not overly concerned with hitting long balls. But I would like to add a few more yards, specifically with the carry.

Any tips?
Maximus swing training aid?
Hip positions?
Larger shoulder turn?

[Sherpat]

Lesson...?

Lol, j/k.

Sorta. Seriously, since you're in the City, why don't you pop over to the west side this Friday or Saturday and check out Cheslsea Pier's Golf Fest ? You can grab not only a new club to try, but swing tips from pros at the same time. I suspect a pro who's actually watching you swing might have more helpful insights than most.

[MrSandman]

I'm at Chelsea Piers all the time. I'm a member there.

I'm not looking for a new club, but some swing tips would be nice. I'm a little wary of having a pro look at my swing right now as I am implementing the stack and tilt into my swing and I don't want to spend a half hour with somebody debating whether that is a good idea (and I haven't exactly learned how to do it with a driver yet).

I'm looking more for advice like X-Factor, more separation between shoulder/hips type tips. Something that I can use as a slight swing thought while I'm working the kinks out of my knew swing.

[Sherpat]

I'm not looking for a new club, but some swing tips would be nice.

Understood, and that's why I think this event coming up might help you out.

From their web site (previously linked): "... learn helpful swing tips from the Golf Academy's top pros ...." But there are a lot of knowlegable, experienced golfers here who might be able to give you advice sight unseen of course. I just wish I was one of them! Best of luck to you

[MrSandman]

I appreciate the help and will likely be over there on Friday.

[Sherpat]

If you see me, say 'hi'. I'll be the fat middle aged guy in the ball cap and sneakers.

On second thought, that doesn't really eliminate too many other suspects, does it....



Have fun! I'm jealous you're a member there.

[MrSandman]

Even members have to pay $0.25 per ball (I don't have the $1,500 membership). I go in the morning these days. $25 for all you can hit balls from 6 am to 9:30 am.

I just get to reserve stalls, which is huge on weekends or if I go after work.

[Sherpat]

You're right, a reserved stall is priceless around here. But WOOOF! Four balls for a buck is out of my league.

Ah well, work's over and I've gotta scoot. No game today in this rain!

Have a good one

[donkba]

i would say that is quite long for each club. are they usually straight? i am about the same as you, although when i was angry on the 2nd hole at my home course, after a few bad shots, i decided to hit the ball as hard as i could and was 160yards out, slightly uphill. i hit a 9 iron as hard as i could - my arms almost fell off! and i got it on the green and made the putt for bogey. i also got a pw off the back of a 137 yard par 3. these however were not my usual distances (9i - 135 pw - 120)

[MrSandman]

I try to hit them straight. Like I said above, I've incorporated the Stack & Tilt into my swing, and the improvement has been drastic. I'm staying ahead of the ball and really doing a good job creating compression on iron shots, without the drastic hooks that I used to hit in the past. I used to be a solid player in college and such (5'ish handicap), but didn't play for a couple years after college (went to lawschool in a city). I picked the game up again late 2006/early 2007, started out around a 17 handicap, and was floating in the 10-12 range by the end of the summer (mostly due to improved short game, Pelz style). Iron play being the major weakness (tons of fat shots, big hooks, few greens in reg hit). Ever since Stackin' and Tiltin', I have 6 rounds in a row that register single digits in the handicap, and my GIR's have greatly improved. My distance on irons is much longer (due to the more solid contact of the hit and increased compression). It is not unusual for me to put a 6I to the back of a green from 175, or to get the 5I to reach 190. Stack and Tilt isn't for everybody, but I love the results I have seen.

But my driver just isn't going anywhere. 240 carry is a solid strike for me.

I'm wondering if I should focus on a more pronounced shoulder turn. Maybe it is a stronger hip turn. I don't know the answer, but any new swing thoughts for the range are appreciated.

[twotacosfor99cents]

How far are your hands from your hips at address? Are your arms hanging vertically downwards?

[MrSandman]

How far are your hands from your hips at address? Are your arms hanging vertically downwards?

I try to let my arms hang naturally, but they are not at a 90 degree angle to the ground. They definitely do not hang straight down.

[twotacosfor99cents]

I try to let my arms hang naturally, but they are not at a 90 degree angle to the ground. They definitely do not hang straight down.

OK - I see some big guys really stretch their arms far out to get some more speed in their swing. However, when you do that, your muscles aren't fully utilized in an outstretched position so you lose swing speed.

Just a thought. Doesn't seem like your problem. Maybe you need to add a bit of lag to your swing?

[dkglf98]

Hands and arms don't hit it as far as hips and shoulders, when I want to bomb, I make sure I try to turn my hips and shoulders on the downswing almost at the same time and kinda let the arms go for the ride. Just make sure you complete your shoulder turn going back, I see so many fakes shoulder turns and it becomes and all arms swing which is very weak.

You just cant think turn one thing, ie just think hips and you will blow it way right and just think turn shoulders and you most likely will come over the top. When it all gets in sych it goes a long way, but you probably know that already.

[MrSandman]

Maybe you need to add a bit of lag to your swing?

Can you go into that more?

If I lag too far behind my body, I tend to block the ball and push it. Thanks for the tip, dkglf98. I will work on that on the range. I'm intermpreting that tip as simultaneous shoulder/hip turn, (correct me if I'm wrong).

[Left Is Right]

I dont have a lot of swing speed but this tip i used from my travel team in baseball which helps me get 260 yards of carry at 15

I swing 3 or 4 short irons before each one of my drives

In baseball a batter warming up will swing 3 or 4 bats to give him a temporary boost in swing speed it helps try it, also i hit a draw which gives me a about 10 extra yards

also put 60% of your wieght on your left side(for leftys) on 40% on your right do as little hip turn as possible and as much shoulder turn as possible that will give you more carry and swing speed

[Three Putt]

from what I've read about the stack and tilt it doesn't lend itself to swing speed. It is sort of a classic slice sequence, but reserved better players for tighter shot dispersion.

So...it's not a power swing, right?

240 isn't bad as long as it's straight. Is you current driver agreeing with the stack and tilt method? Might be as simple as different loft and/or shaft flex, kick point, etc...

Or work on a different swing for driver only, closed stance, flatter swing plane, hit on the upswing .... and launch a low spin missle.

[MrSandman]

The Stack & Tilt is not a power swing. I think my increased distance in iron play is a result of better ball contact. I am hitting crisper, more compressed shots. Instead of occassionally hitting my 7 iron 160, but usually mishitting it (catching a little fat, or off the toe) and hitting it 150'ish, the hits are more consistent and I am now more confident with those clubs from those distances.