I HATE the Driver(rant)

[Titleist Man]

Ok so yesterday i had a match(which i won in a playoff ) and i shot 41 . I came up all square through 3 and on the fourth hole, which is a WIDE open hole i hit an ungodly hideous snap hook OB. So i take double on that and go down 2. Over the next 4 holes i fight my way back to 1 up. So i come up on hole 9(we only play 9 so our final hole) which has 50 yards in either direction to miss. Well i hit an even ungodlier uglier snaphook than on four and snaphooked it at least 70 yards(IT STARTED IN THE FAIRWAY) and ended up across a road . So i hit another and make what would have been a birdie on a par 5 but turned out to be a bogey because of the garbage first tee shot. So this put me at 41. If i could have not lost those it would have been a 37. If you also compound the fact that i missed a 3 foot straight putt and three putted from 20 ft it could have been a 35 . And this isnt just one round iv done this the past 3-4 rounds!!!! It is SOOOOOO iritating!!!!! i think i am going to practice my driver alot more cause the past few weeks i have spent 70% of my time on short game and 25% of time on irons and hybrids and only 2-3% on the driver and the rest on fairway woods. After all it does me no good to have good iron play if im hitting 4 from the fairway The thing is i have 3 out of 4 good drives and the other one is horid.... Any advice on how to get over this 1 or 2 bad drives. I need to get this under control before the club championship in 2 weeks. Thanks for any advice and listening to my rant. I feel a little better now.....


Mods: im not sure what section this should go in so please move it if it shouldnt be in golf talk. Thanks

[clubchamp]

I'm not even sure what to tell you because at a 5 handicap and hitting hooks like that isn't right. I understand your frustration because the driver is my nemesis but a 70 yard hook is massive. Does it feel like you are just putting a bad swing on it? I guess the only thing I could think of is maybe you are trying to take a controlled swing and your wrist are turning over to quick. Try swinging a little harder and maybe it will level out. Plan B is just go buy a new driver!!!



Good Luck

[Titleist Man]

I'm not even sure what to tell you because at a 5 handicap and hitting hooks like that isn't right. I understand your frustration because the driver is my nemesis but a 70 yard hook is massive. Does it feel like you are just putting a bad swing on it? I guess the only thing I could think of is maybe you are trying to take a controlled swing and your wrist are turning over to quick. Try swinging a little harder and maybe it will level out. Plan B is just go buy a new driver!!!

I feel like im putting a HORRIBLE swing on it!!!! But its only 1 out of 4 or 5 cause ill put another down and kill it. And if i swing really hard or try to not turn my wrists at all i hit a massive baloon slice. Its just screwed up......

[Fat Slice]

Go Ben Hogan style and hit 200 balls. Also, make sure your setup is exactly the same every time - don't just take it for granted:

Ball position relative to left foot, feet spacing and angles, direction to target, ball distance from body, tee height. These all need to be the same every time for consistent results with the same swing. You know this, of course, but it's just a reminder. When my drive is out of whack it's usually because something has crept into the setup (in my case, moving the ball toward my body and also toward the center of my stance -- both no-nos for my swing).

[deafheaven]

Even Tiger hits em out of bounds so if you're looking for perfection I think your direction is misguided. Now at a 5 handicap you must be a pretty good golfer and I think you are doing the correct thing by concentrating on the short game. Everybody is going to hit a bad t shot here and there. The trick is to midigate the damages (and not let the bad shot pay with your head).

[clubchamp]

I feel like im putting a HORRIBLE swing on it!!!! But its only 1 out of 4 or 5 cause ill put another down and kill it. And if i swing really hard or try to not turn my wrists at all i hit a massive baloon slice. Its just screwed up......

Yeah I know what you mean because when I'm hitting it poorly I fight a hook and it I try to swing harder I push everything. I would say go to the range and just try to grove your swing.

[Titleist Man]

Even Tiger hits em out of bounds so if you're looking for perfection I think your direction is misguided. Now at a 5 handicap you must be a pretty good golfer and I think you are doing the correct thing by concentrating on the short game. Everybody is going to hit a bad t shot here and there. The trick is to midigate the damages (and not let the bad shot pay with your head).

Im not looking for perfect but i CANT shoot in the 70s if im losing two balls OB every 9 holes!!!! Thats a double on those holes pretty much maybe a bogey or maybe a quad.

Yeah I know what you mean because when I'm hitting it poorly I fight a hook and it I try to swing harder I push everything. I would say go to the range and just try to grove your swing.

Thats exactly what im going to do. If you figure this out let me know what the "cure" is. Thanks for the help everyone keep it coming!!!

[goblue107501]

Go Ben Hogan style and hit 200 balls. Also, make sure your setup is exactly the same every time - don't just take it for granted:

This is pretty close to what I was going to say. My guess would be that if you are capable of hitting good drives, when you don't it is probably more set-up than swing. I am to the point in my game that I can tell if I swung poorly, or if I was set up wrong. Most of the time with the driver I can feel it after contact that I was standing too close to the ball, or it was teed a little low, or it the ball was too far up in my stance. Get to know your good set up when you hit the ball good, and try and duplicate it each time. If you are hooking balls that bad, it is probably a swing thing, but the set up might be causing it.

I also agree with the hitting 200 balls. If you hit that many with the same club, you will hit some good and some bad. Once you get into a good groove, you will be able to recognize what the errors are when you have a bad result.

[shades9323]

Hit your tee shot every 4th hole with a 3 wood?

[jamo]

I feel like im putting a HORRIBLE swing on it!!!! But its only 1 out of 4 or 5 cause ill put another down and kill it. And if i swing really hard or try to not turn my wrists at all i hit a massive baloon slice. Its just screwed up......

This used to happen to me, i took a lesson and i was sliding my hips laterally rather than rotating them. Thus a MASSIVE hook

[Titleist Man]

This used to happen to me, i took a lesson and i was sliding my hips laterally rather than rotating them. Thus a MASSIVE hook

Backswing or downswing????

[enis750]

OMG Titleist Man..i swear this was my post!
hahahah!

i have been struggling off the T EXACLTY like you, but instead of a hook, its a slice..and UUUUGLY
yesterday i shot 78 w the following stats: 5/14 FW, 7GIR's and 32 putts
how freaking ugly is that 78!!!!
i hear your frusteration

i too preactice my putting and wedges like 90% of the time
i only ever hit like 3-4 driver balls on the range
if it wasnt for my short game, I would be a 20hcp right now

i have averaged like 5-7 over on the past 6 rounds or so...but up and down dude, its sick
if i could get off the T, i would be a 2-3hcp for sure

my solution - bought a new driver!! hahahaha~!

lost all the confidence in the 970 D2 (hense why it's for sale) and picked up a new Callaway Fusion FT-3 on ebay
should be here in a week or so (hopefully sooner)

let me know if you figure it out
im trying to get to the range, but im so busy at work i could puke

my rant ...end.!! hahaha!

[imtomtomim]

when the pressure is on, lay up. It works fo the mental game as well as the actual course management.