the driver yips,ever had 'em?

[N.V.M.]

i've completely,totally lost all confidence in my driver. have been for over a month. i can go to the range and smack it, no problem. put me on a golf course,dead left,skyball,top it, etc. in fact, i've not used my driver the last few rounds i've hit it so badly. why? know any good shrinks?

the only good news out of this is my scores are as good or even better. on par 5's, my plan is to get to the green on three(a la Zach Johnson-Masters). it works quite well. short to medium par 4's, no problem getting on in two. who needs a driver,right?

anybody ever experience this? did you do anything specific to fix it quick? should i even try to fix it? i do feel like i'm actually golfing more when the drivers put away. man, strange problem.

[polodinks]

wow i haven't used my driver or any driver in a year...... ive gotten so used to hitting my long irons that it works for me...... i hit my 5 iron off the tee very controllable and very confident in it and get 200yds out of it...... i know a driver will help me on par 4's by giving me a 100 yards or less shot to the green compared to a 150 yard or more shot to the green...... i will hit a driver eventually but i really got to work on it......

[Andyonfire]

you must be playign a very short course to be able to hit 5-irons off tees and get there comfortably.

Work on it at the range. perfect the driver like your 5-iron.

[Guest]

I had the yips one time for a whole year. If you've ever seen Charles Barkely stop mid way on his down swing that's exactly how i felt. Or if you've ever seen Tiger Woods stop on his down swing b/c of a camera that's what i was doing. It was horrible and before that I was shooting in the 70s consistantly. I think my problem was I was focusing more on my backswing then worrying about going thru the golf ball.

[jcrew]

Kinda having them now but I think I'm losing confidence in my driver itself. I will have 5 different results with 5 different swings off the tee - I'm so inconsistent right now.
1: Center of the face, long, penetrating flight, slight draw.
2: Toe, dying hook, short.
3: Sky - pull
4: line drive push
5: mid-height big fade

=[.. I'm counting on a new driver fixing this. Definitely not my swing =0

[Franco!]

If you read in Golf Digest, Steve Stricker talked about his hands hurting because he would grip the club so tightly on the tee.
That was me, for a while.

[polodinks]

you must be playign a very short course to be able to hit 5-irons off tees and get there comfortably.

my country club is 6,145 yds..... its not that i am playing it comfortable with my 5 iron..... i know im struggling its just that my local range closed down and ive never had the chance to get out there and fix it..... i will and ill drop my scores

[N.V.M.]

two buckets at the driving range today, the first one driver only. just smacking them long and straight. going again thursday, like i usually do. then try it for real on the weekend.

*please work then*

[ks8829]

The driver is the hardest club to hit because the length of the shaft. Have you tried the following:

1) choke up on the club
2) slow down your swing
3) make a more compact swing
4) play a stinger or punch shot
5) put the 3 wood head cover on the driver
6) turn back with your shoulders and turn back through with only your shoulders keeping the club face slightly closed as long as possible

just my 2 cents

[Anand]

two buckets at the driving range today, the first one driver only. just smacking them long and straight. going again thursday, like i usually do. then try it for real on the weekend.

I know it's easier said than done, but I try to imagine being on the range when I'm on the tee. No small targets, no second shot to worry about, no score to worry about ... Just your "range swing".

I have been struggling with driver a little bit recently - and that's always been a strong part of my game. Of late, I've not hit driver until I have a few holes under my belt and am swinging everything else comfortably. The 'problem' with driver is that we often think we have to cream the ball every time - get it 350 down the middle or bust. This leads to tension in the hands, arms, shoulders and usually a swing that's way too fast and out of control. The result? Well -- you're experiencing them! If you're hitting it great on the range, try to block everything else out on the course and think range!!! //Anand