Beginner mistakes when using the driver

[ZaPPPa]

Any tips on how to slow down?

The last thing I do in my setup is relax my arms. I won't start my backswing until I have released all tension. This helps me slow down and perform a very smooth swing.

I discovered this when I was on the range and hitting badly. I was getting exhausted after having hit 150 balls. So, I decided to take simple 3/4 swings with the PW and and to my amazement they flew 115y-120y without any real effort on my part... Turns out what I thought felt like a 3/4 was actually a relaxed full swing. Felt very rythmic.. kind of a one-and-two feeling.

[gasfreak]

Man you can disagree all you want but anyone on here that can make good ball contact will tell you that they can hit their 3 wood just about as far with better control than their driver,not all but most.I can hit my 3 wood within 20 yards of my driver not a huge difference,but most of the time I like to let the big dog eat

[rstyle]

I have tried exhaling, counting, using a phrase etc.
Still a mental thing. Today I had a 210yrd shot over water to the green. Took my hybrid out and took several deliverate slow swings and the whole time I thought to just hit it nice and slow.
Stood up to the ball and my swing was so hard and fast that my arms almost flew out the sockets. Result.......big hook
Has always been my problem playing golf. For years people and instructors have told me to slow down but...................................
A friend of mine once told me ..........."if you could at least keep one spike on the ground during the swing,maybe you would hit it better"

At the practice range I can slow down and hit well. But on the course I guess the visual aspect, wanting the distance, wanting to cut the corner etc..........................
Has been the nost frustrating part of my game.

[titaniummd]

The biggest mistake in set up is to have bad alignment. With an open stance, the ball will slice.

The next biggest mistakes are too little loft and too stiff of a staff.

[RX Phoenix]

It's a lot easier to square the clubface at the range where you may be hitting a S shaft, 9.5 great, but on the course be blocking it right with some slice.

Why, because there is a tendency to try and steer the ball on the course which prevents the clubhead from squaring up.

Try warming up on the range with a S shaft low loft, then on the course use a R shaft higher loft.

Also, what tees are you playing from? You might consider playing up one set which will cut way down on trying to hit it too hard. A lot of golfers play a bit too much yardage for their game.

[Garthmo]

I dont agree with people saying you shouldnt use your driver. Man you cant blame the club on the bad shot. Typically once someone gets the driver in theit hand they get a sparkle in their eye and want to crush it so change their swing. all clubs same swing, my .02. dont blame the club, fix the swing

[DHarris75]

I dont agree with people saying you shouldnt use your driver. Man you cant blame the club on the bad shot. Typically once someone gets the driver in theit hand they get a sparkle in their eye and want to crush it so change their swing. all clubs same swing, my .02. dont blame the club, fix the swing

I agree to a point. But as a newbie - I play with my 3W because I'm just more consistent with it. I can get it to go straight in the fairway. In the meantime I continue to work on my driver at the range - and until I can tame it, I'll use my 3W on the range.

I try to use the same swing - and either hit the ground first with it - or I'll slice it. When I use my wood, I don't hit the ground or slice. It'll come with more time. And I can't hit for distance for anything yet. I can get my 3W straight to about 180-200 - but that's it. I can hit my 3H about 200...so I got some work to do.

[sonicblue]

Hitting a 3W is a good tip if you're worried about actual scoring, but if you're on the course as sort of a "playing lesson," then go ahead and hit driver (just be ready for the consequences!). The beginner with a driver highlights what I have come to call my "3 cardinal sins":

1) Swing uses too much arms 2) Backswing is too long 3) Downswing is too hard The converse of those is a great way to learn the game: 1) Keep the hands as quiet as possible 2) Keep the backswing as short as possible 3) Swing with natural speed, you cannot force it

Any flaws you have with your swing will be exasipated.

*shudder*

"exacerbated"

At the practice range I can slow down and hit well. But on the course I guess the visual aspect, wanting the distance, wanting to cut the corner etc..........................

The answer is staring you in the face. The problem is NOT your swing, it's your head. You can go to the range all you want and try to "perfect" your swing, but until you figure out - mentally - how to transfer that to the course, no amount of buckets will change the result.

[kehanra99]

My driver and my putter are the only problem clubs left in my bag...since I've been playing about 14 months now that's not too bad. I putt poorly because I haven't been playing long enough to develop any kind of feel yet. I can work on that, and I have started to.

I can hit my irons with a nice arch and a very slight draw with some consistent distances, but I suffer from DRS (Driving Range Syndrome) with my driver. I can bomb the ball at the range, every once in a while pulling one or hitting a weak fade/slice, but mostly nice, semi-straight, landing around 230-260. When I get on the course like I did this last Saturday, I had 3 drives stay in the fairway. Every time it was a bad shot it was a long soft slice. No hard curve, just a shot that starts slightly off to the right and then drifts further on a slow consistent pace. Finally, the 18th hole, I take out my hybrid and hit a 220 yard shot almost right down the middle.

I'm about positive that attempting to get a good distance in my back swing has me starting my hands/arms way too far ahead of my body on the backswing, and I just never catch up.

My recovery shots are good on my bad drives, so it will probably only help me 4 or 5 strokes to start getting my drives in the fairway. My big problem is over-reading breaks on putts, and hitting them too hard.

Gotta love this game. What else can you be so bad at and still want to do every day? (keep it clean...)

[The Golfing Polack]

I still struggle with my driver occasionally. Last round on Friday I hit 1 big tall slice, but other than that I was making solid contact and getting my usual ball flight which is a very slight fade to about 290 yards. I have to control my tempo to accomplish this. To really bomb one on say a par 5 I have to think "slow". Try swinging with a though that you only want to hit this shot 200 yards. You'd be amazed at how smooth you will swing, which will result in good contact and good yardage.

When I try and really torque one it always ends up no-where near the fairway.

[jambalaya]

Experiment with different approaches to slow the swing down. Stop trying to hit at the ball. When you take a practice swing you probably don't swing nearly as hard. But get that ball down there and you really hit at it. Try setting up to the ball and swinging as if the ball isn't there. Basically the ball is just going to get in the way of the clubhead as it swings through. After lining up, don't think much about how far the ball needs to go. The chosen club will determine the distance.

Another approach is to remove the arms as much as possible from the equation. This is just a temporary thing but let the arms completely go limp at the top and swing them around the body with the hip and shoulder turn. Try to keep the arms turned off. Let centrifugal force rotate the club down to the ball. Again, avoid the hit impulse.

Get that tension out of your arms and shoulders. Read this and see if it can help you get those arms and your shoulder relaxed.

http://www.paulwilsongolf.com/golf_tip_16.htm

[mellojoe]

I've been reading here for about a month and I just started playing. I've read and read and have hit a ton of range balls before EVER stepping out onto a course. So far, I played 9 terrible holes and then an 18 hole work tourney with a score of 133 (true score). I'm going again today in about an hour. I expect to do much better today based on what was suggested above.

Use your 3-wood. Leave the driver at home.

Seriously. When I practice with my Driver, I can't predict where it will go. Straight? Hook? Slice? Nowhere? 10-yards forward and 10-yards sideways? So, until I can afford to get a lesson specifically on long woods and Driver, I don't use it. I find my 3-wood to be easier to hit, plus the mental aspect of it is not to KILL IT but to swing smoothly to put the ball in play. I like the tip of calling it the "Play Club" instead of "driver". Makes good sense. Swing easy, put the ball in play. The higher loft of the 3-wood means more backspin, which means less sidespin, which means straighter trajectory. I can hit my 3-wood 200, sometimes 240 yards. I'm happy with that. its not a mile, but as long as it is straight I end up in good shape. Better than hitting my driver 200 yards into the woods. Now, as soon as I can schedule a lesson, I plan on getting advice on the long woods and Driver specifially. Then I'll start using the big-stick again. Another quick beginner tip: If you see a hazard in front of you, go down one club to a higher loft. I find that gives me a little more confidence knowing that I'm going to go up and over the danger, instead of topping it and watching it bee-line straight into the hazard. On one course we play, you tee off directly over a pond. Instead of using my 3-wood "InPlay" club, I switch down to my 5-wood. My brain tells me "I know it is going to fly over the hazard" so I don't get as nervous. Works for me. Good luck! Have fun!

[m11]

my biggest problems were not making a full shoulder turn and tempo being too fast on the backswing.

make sure at address your right elbow is very relaxed. this allows you to make a full turn...your left shoulder should be under your chin. then drop your hands into the slot and swing away. Proper backswing is needed to make a good forward swing

[etk7027]

Just remember, I smoother swing will result in less trouble when mishit and when hit properly will go as far as swinging out of yours shoes many times. When I start driving bad i smooth'n my swing out, keeping my head still and eyes on the ball through impact.

[CosmosMpower]

I have tried exhaling, counting, using a phrase etc.

I'm the exact same way. My buddy tells me my practice swings look great, nice and smooth brushing the ground in front of where the ball would be etc. Then I step up, look at the flag 200 yards away with a 3 hybrid in hand and the mind goes on autopilot and tries to hit it like I'm Hamilton in the home run derby last night.

[tm22721]

Especially with the longer clubs, feel that you are dragging a chain with an attached ball. The trick is to control the momentum, not the clubhead. Learning this lesson can be a long, arduous process.

[Lange]

I find when i swing to light, that my back swing and follow through are all over the place due to being to light on my swing lol, and it looks awful. My driving has been a huge work in progress, think i might even hit the range tonight.

[mike106]

For some reason with my driver the less I take the club back the further I hit it. I can take the club back like a wedge and hit it further than a full back swing. I guess it's specifically the person who's using it. I'm going to get a lesson with my woods soon though, because I really need to be more consistent.