Can't hit my driver

[Bradderzzzzzzz]

i think that im going going to get lessons. With my other clubs im ok just not very consistent.

[CarlSpackler]

  Bradderzzzzzzz said:

i think that im going going to get lessons. With my other clubs im ok just not very consistent.

An image I like to think of is swinging a bucket of water so that the water does not fall out. If you swing too fast or jerk it from the top, you will get wet.

[jfrankl5]

Personally I would take it slow and not try to kill it. Learn what it feels like to hit it where you want it short distances, then gradually increase how hard you hit it. For me, it's all about where the ball is in my stance. If I'm slicing real bad then I put the ball closer to my front foot, if I'm hooking bad I bring it back in my stance.(gradually of course) The driver can be the best feeling club, or the biggest pain in the butt. Just depends on how careless you are to detail.

[Bradderzzzzzzz]

thanks. any more tips?

[tm22721]

Would you like to get down to a 10 handicap without driver and long irons ? That's what I did to lower my score and increase confidence by leaving them in the bag. Just use 7-8 iron max. Accept bogey score on the long par 4's. The par 5's are relatively easy to par if you don't use long irons or woods. For a 450 yard par 5, use 7 iron 3 times. It's all about playing within your limitations which for me is to use loft (vertical ball spin) to be more accurate. Doesn't mean that I don't use my driver or long irons at all. I just leave them in the bag on days when I want a low score.

[unabowler]

  jcard71 said:

I wasnt trying to insult the guy. I was just making a point as to why a 26 handicap feels a driver is so important to a 30+ handicap.

I'm curious when it was that Nicklaus said that. I remember trying to hit my Dad's persimmon drivers when I was a kid, and I would definitely agree that it was best then to work your way up to a driver. I'm definitely a high, high handicapper but with the drivers I've had recently and how easy they are to hit, they are usually the least of my problems.

[Zeph]

Short swing, easy swing, grab down on the club. The faster and longer you move the club, the harder it is to hit. Most of the power comes from places you don't utilize when trying to kill the ball with the arms.

[ks8829]

think outside the box, if you want to improve your driver then practice your pitch shots. yes, don't practice with your driver, especially since you can't hit the club but practice with your wedges at distances of 20-50 yards.

if you start hitting your wedges consistently solid with the sound and feel for feedback from your wedges you can move up to your PW - 8 irons and slowly move up your clubs until you feel your ready for your driver.

You will find your golf swing and improve your shot game at the same time.
remember for most people the hardest club is the driver because of the length of the shaft.

another tip with the driver is choke up on the shaft until your at a length you are comfortable hitting consistently with even if you are only hitting it 210 yards because its choke up so far. then slowly move back out. try to keep the tempo of your driver swing the same and at 70% while you are searching for your driver swing.

[uppi]

I agree with what a lot of people are saying. If you cant hit your driver right now, leave it in the bag. Earlier this season, my brother who rarely ever plays could not hit his driver at all on the first two holes. struggling to get it in the air. he hit 3 iron off the tee the rest of the round, and beat my by a stroke. I played awful, but still, it shows you that you can still be very effective without hitting your driver every hole.

[NYJetsfan]

I agree with the posters that recommended using a "go-to" club until you get the feel of the driver. Use the range to figure out the driver, not the course. I use my 3 hybrid a ton off the tee because I'm very comfortable hitting it 200-225 and straight down the middle. Sure I can hit my driver 250-275 when I hit it right, but there's a lot more margin for error.

[2xBoGuy]

From many sites (right handed)

Keep your right shoulder down, not as far as you can, but just a comfortable drop. Measure it by putting a club 90 to the ground in the middle of your chest, and tilting a little to the right until it touches the inside of your left leg (grip down).

Loose grip. You don't want the club to fly out of your hands, but if you grip too tight you will likely pull the club toward you as you swing and then you will have lots of slices. (hit off the toe).

Make sure your knees are bent slightly and you are also leaning forward a little (bent at hips). This makes a huge difference for sweeping the ball instead of digging dirt. (I couldn't hit with my fairway for a long time because of this)

Feet parallel to ball line. I don't hear this stressed much, but I think it contributed to a lot of my hard slices. It messes up the angle of the head at impact.

Make sure your feet aren't too far apart. I see people who take a baseball stance and then hit the ground 8 inches behind or in front of the ball. You are powering the ball with your body movement, NOT your arms... in fact if you watch Tiger in slow mo you will see that he starts with his lower body before he starts his upper body. It's too quick to see at normal speed, but it's there. If you try swing with your arms you will also hit the ground alot.

Knuckle trick- stand with the club directly behind the ball, look at your left hand, you should be able to see the index and middle finger knuckles on your left hand. If you don't, turn your left hand to the right until you do. This fixed a LOT of my friend's pulls/hooks. Someone told me the angle of your hand should match the angle of the club face (not loft, but what you see at address)

Don't stretch out, but make sure that your left arm stays straight. The knuckle trick helps this.

Don't Tee too high or you may end up ducking

Don't swing fast on your backswing, just bring it up in place and feel if everything feels right, if not readjust. I like to take 2-3 slow swings to check for anything uncomfortable in my swing (at the ball). Just be careful to:

Keep your eye on the ball.

I'm still a rookie, this is just information I've collected. Let me know if anything is wrong.

[shankapotamus]

  2xBoGuy said:

From many sites (right handed)

You should do that with every full swing you do.

[2xBoGuy]

I think you were agreeing...

Forgot I had this bookmarked, about 11 seconds: