will this driver correction work?

[cirem22]

Okay so quick background on my driver i have a bad slice and i have too much loft (ballooning i think they call it) so when i do it it strait, the ball floats in the air and drifts in the direction i would normally slice it. Club is a 10.5 regular flex cleveland xls. My irons are doing fine.

So yesterday at the range i was working with tips taken from all over and nothing seemed to help. Then i decided to work with weight distribution at address and during the backswing. I found that when i have my weight shifted slightly to the front foot at address I am able to keep the ball strait and much less loft. However i noticed when the shot didn't take off like a rocket it had too much top spin, nothing i have encountered before (note: these range balls were just short of bald) I have not used it out on the course yet but plan to this weekend.

so the question is, have any of you used a forward weight shift at address to help "ballooning" or a slice? do you think this may be a bad habit to get into with my driver? any thoughts would be appreciated

[KimboSlice]

Sounds like you've got a little Stack & Tilt in your swing.

I'll tell you what my instructor told me.

I used to have a massive slice (hence, the username), but with the help of my instructor, I managed to cut down on the slice and managed to straighten it out.

First he told me to take a stronger grip. Not a tighter grip, but rotating my top hand (right hand since I'm a lefty). You should be able to see more than 2 knuckles when you look down at your hands. He said most hackers should do this since most of us slice.

Next he said to position the ball just off my leading heel at address. Next he told me to stand taller with my hands hanging below my eyes (this gives the sensation that you're reaching for the ball, but it's not). Still have a knee bend and spine tilt, but you're not standing over the ball. Last he said to tee the ball higher - 1/2 the ball above a grounded driver. All this hopefully promotes a shallower swing plane and prevents coming over the top.

Hope this makes sense and helps you out!

[negative330]

Sounds like you've got a little Stack & Tilt in your swing.

These are all great tips. The stronger grip really help me in the beginning.

Recently, I was told I was standing too far away from the ball. Not that my hands were too far away, but like you said I was leaning over too much causing me to push it, resulting in a slice. They told me to set the driver head behind the ball and just let it rest on my left thigh and then set up from there. It felt incredibly akward at first, but the ball went straight and long everytime. I don't think that the weight shift to the front is the answer. It will be a bad habit that you might transfer to your irons.

[turkey]

I keep most of my weight forward during my backswing at the advice of my instructor. When I don't I have a tendency to lean almost fall back during the swing causing a very high slice.

The thing I'm working on now is the inside out swing path it's pretty difficult but when you get it right it's impossible to hit a slice. When I revert back to the out side in I come a cross and slice it.

[cirem22]

Thanks for the Tips guys. I will be sure to try out anything i can.

the weight on the front foot did help the slice a bit but cut down on distance. Over the weekend I was using my 3-hybrid to tee off and I was putting it up to 260 yards nice and strait. After that I figured 'whats the point of using my driver if i can hit the 3-hybrid futher and under control?'

So at the range I was working with different things. I did find one thing that helped but gave me much too much loft. I placed the ball alot further up at address. It was just in line with the front side of my front foot. I was able to put it a little farther than my 3 but just floated in the air much more than i wanted, not allowing proper distance and i know given any amount a wind that ball will float.

So based on what has helped I think i have narrowed it down to a couple possibilities:

-release of the club being out oh whack
-swing plane (i try "inside out" but im not sure if im doing it right)

the fact that moving the ball far up helped makes me think it is my release of the club being too late with the larger club. Any tips to help me release better? perhaps the stronger grip mentioned above will help

[BigBoy]

bald range balls will take a dive (making it look like they have top spin) even on well struck shots in my experience -

an interesting side note, way back when, they played with golf balls with no dimples, they were smooth - soon players found that the more the ball had been used the better they flew, as they had dents and scratches etc - someone finally caught on and started making golf balls that weren't smooth - (I think the first mass produced ones were the Vardon Fliers or something like that)

[umpiremark]

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread; I believe what I'm saying is relavent to the OP ...

I agree with the poster that you've got a bit of a stack and tilt going, but that's not a bad thing. I learned a valuable lesson this year ... on pretty much the same thing. That's why I think I'm sticking to the theme of this thread.

I toyed with the S & T last year with excellent early results. But as the summer faded away, so did the honeymoon with the S&T.; I started slicing the crap out of anything higher than 4-iron; driver especially. Now take 6 months off for Wisconsin winter ... fast forward to this spring (which here is May or June HAHAHA).

I had nothing; my S&T; was bad and my slices were farther and farther right. I took a few lessons, read a few books and practiced and practiced in my back yard net. Here's what I found ... I do hope this is helpful to all:

With "my" S&T; I found I was making "room" for the longer clubs by leaning away from the ball at impact. Stupid, but undetected until video, that's what I was doing: pushing/slicing everything right. I also learned that weight shift does not mean rocking right then left like a swingset. So I developed a swing where my weight is on my right side on backswing, but maybe more like 40/60. My legs are now quiet and my heels stay planted and my "PGA finish" is a much better transition to the finish line.

I know I haven't been descriptive or helpful, but my point is this: you don't need to place all your weight left, right, left like you were standing on one foot each time. My swing is slower (tempo), controlled and more centered. And I'm still hitting the ball without loss of distance, but straight now. 225 straight beats 280 OB any day, any time!!!

Sorry for the long "book" here gang; I hope this helps a little.

[cirem22]

maybe you guys can explain the stack and tilt a little more. Im not sure i fully understand it.

I am headed to the range tonight, one with better range balls, so i will try the weight inside my front foot again and try a few other things also. Going to try and work an inside out swing and going to work with my weight more on my heals (was on a video i watched). I will let you know how it goes.

[umpiremark]

Golf Digest article on the stack and tilt methodology ...

http://www.golfdigest.com/instruction/stackandtilt

.

[sdped1]

maybe you guys can explain the stack and tilt a little more. Im not sure i fully understand it.

Don't over think your weight distribution of your feet. Think more of balance, when you take your back swing the weight should naturally go to the right foot. Think of it like this. at the 3 o'clock position if some one was to pull on the end of your club you would have the weight on the inside of the right foot counter the pull. When you initiate your down swing the weight should naturally transition to your left foot. I'd look at my grip first then my swing path. My instructor once told me to get on the inside path I was to feel like I'm hitting the ball to the left on my down swing, this gets you on the inside path. I don't know how to explain this well but here goes. As your looking at the ball at address let's say your attempting to hit the very back of the ball, lets call that the 6 o'clock spot, and call the part of the ball that's closest to you 9 o'clock. Ttry hitting the ball at the seven o'clock spot. This might be to much and you might even get to big of a draw. If you do then back it up a dimple or so untill you are coming on the inside the right amount. When you get good at this you can even fade the ball by going the other way, this will "feel" like your hitting the ball to the right but actually you will be cutting across the ball slightly and it will go out and to the right. Hope this helps- Steve

[cirem22]

Golf Digest article on the stack and tilt methodology ...

thanks! that seems to be what i was trying. I will try to work more with it tonight, Im off to the range!

[cirem22]

okay, I think weight distribution is playing the biggest part in my slice. After trying so many things tonight and being so back and forth with slices and hooks I grabbed an empty ball bucket and put it between my knees. I swung my 3 wood without letting that bucked drop, very first one went perfectly strait and had great distance. From that point on the focus went to my balance and weight distribution. It helped a bunch as i focused my weight being put on the inside of BOTH my feet with a small emphasis on the front foot. Obviously it needs work but the ball flight was much better.

[umpiremark]

Keep up the practice and good analysis ... keep it simple though ... changing too many things at once will create other "ills."

Focus now on your balance and weight shift, don't sway. Work on getting the club inside (try to touch your left hip with the grip end on the way down, maintaining that 90-degree hinge). Then work on tempo, smooth back, right knee towards ball, down.

Work on little things slowly until it's muscle memory, then fix the next thing that pops up. A golf swing is an evolving, changing journey - for always. Sometimes it's frustrating. But the best golfer in the world (Tiger) wouldn't have re-tooled his swing 3 times in his career if there wasn't something that didn't fixing!

Keep at it, a little at a time ... and good luck!