Differences Between Driver Swing and Iron Swing (Driver Swing vs. Iron Swing Master Thread)

[threejack]

ill post a video of my driver later in my swing thread but i definitely set up right for a driver. ball off my left heel and weight more back and wider stance. i think i have an OTT swing and i don't know what to do..

[threejack]

oh and your handicap says -2.1, do you mean +2.1 (which is insanely impressive btw)

[Stewie007]

The same swing for all clubs is a well accepted methodology. I remember my Jack Nicklaus Golf My Way tapes talking about it. One swing for every club. It basically involved aligning the ball inside the left heel, and swinging with one swing with only the stance and overall setup being different. It works quite nicely for me when I get it right. Recently I've regressed, myself. LOL

P.S. My Handicap is largely due to a horrible short game...

[Sai-Jin]

I think it feels that we have different swings for iron and wood because specially with the driver, our spine angle is more tilted, when infact the swing is the same...

at least that's for me. Another thing I noticed is that for the driver and 3W, I need to lean my head back just a little to align it with the spine, otherwise, I can't even tee off...

[GJBenn85]

Technically we should all have ONE swing for ALL clubs.  Usually when we're hitting on particular club well, such as an iron, and hitting everything else poorly (driver, woods, hybrids), it is because we have developed different swings for different clubs.  I certainly fight it but at the same time, I do have to think the swing is a little different.  The swing plane alone is different, and it is confirmed by watching professionals...their swings with their woods and drivers are on a much flatter plane.  IMO, if you have a different attack angle for a driver compared to irons, then it is a different swing.  Woods and drivers are a sweeping motion whereas irons and hybrids have a much steeper angle of attack...I fail to see how that is actually the "same" swing.

BTW, concerning your slice, where is the grip end of your club pointing at address?  Above, at, or below your zipper (assuming you wear your pants at your proper waist)?

[Stewie007]

Well, the professionals swings are tailored and they train extensively to develop it as winnings and endorsements fund their life styles. I find that my swing doesn't vary at all regarding what club I'm using. The position at address changes, and this will alter certain angles but the swing generally remains the same. The ideal of one swing is generally meant for your average golfer, as it is a good starting point for game improvement.

Tailoring swings is for the advanced golfer.

[namkrats]

Lately I've been having an issue with my long irons and woods. I know I'm coming outside to in and hitting fades and i havnt been able to find the fairway all year with my driver any ideas on how to fix this. Any suggestions on how to come square across the ball

[GJBenn85]

Originally Posted by namkrats

Lately I've been having an issue with my long irons and woods. I know I'm coming outside to in and hitting fades and i havnt been able to find the fairway all year with my driver any ideas on how to fix this. Any suggestions on how to come square across the ball

Leave the driver in the bag until you improve other aspects of your game.  I'm not a great golfer but it just drives me up a wall seeing amateurs worse than me playing a driver they simply cannot hit (I always get comments from these people when I hit my 2 or 3 hybrid further than they can with their drivers).  Play within your limitations for now and as your skills improve, you can learn to incorporate more difficult clubs.

Are you keeping your left arm as straight as possible on your backswing and downswing?

[threejack]

a lot of good stuff here. i appreciate all the thoughts. the grip end of my club points at my zipper at address

[jcollins120]

The two swings are the same, but with different goals. When driving, you want to sweep the ball. With your irons you want to compress the ball, otherwise known as hitting down on it. Hitting down on the ball requires a divot whereas a driver swing does not. The setups are both different, but the swing plane is still similar. It can be complicated, but understanding those two concepts it makes it a lot clearer. As far as speed goes your driver will naturally be faster so trying to make it slow or trying to make it lightning fast does not help. You want to take a smooth, controlled swing where it is quick, but you still maintain balance. That goes for both clubs. So, taking me for example, I swing my driver 107 mph and my 6 iron 89 mph. I try to use the same acceleration for both and as you can see the results are different. So, yes they are the same, but at the same time they're not. Same swing plane, just different setup and impact positions.

[threejack]

Yes, thats reinforcing what I was thought. I understand the swings are the same but the setups and goals are different and it always drives me a little crazy because in my mind thats not the same swing haha. Thanks for the thought though, its exactly how I have always understood it

[jcollins120]

The driver setup, you want the ball playing parallel with just inside your left heel with your stance wider than your irons. Long irons you want to play the ball not as far forward, but still closer to your left foot. Middle Irons should be played in the middle and short irons are to be played more towards the back of your stance with maybe a little forward shaft lean.

Your left shoulder will be higher than your right mainly in your driver swing to help get the ball in the air. Other than those things it's basically the same. If you understand those things and don't overthink it, things should be less confusing. Just work on those during practice and make it repetitive and it won't be confusing for you anymore.

[iacas]

Originally Posted by BIGTRUFFLE

The swing should always stay the same no matter what the club is. The only change you need to make between the woods and irons is in the set-up.

The change in setup alone dictates that there's a "difference" between the swings. Setup changes change the golf swing.

Additionally, even if setup looked exactly the same, the goals are entirely different. A ball teed up an inch or two in the air can have low point anywhere from four inches target-side of the golf ball to eight inches behind it. The target goals are different as well.

The swings are "similar" but the swings aren't "the same" in my opinion.

Originally Posted by BIGTRUFFLE

I don't want to jump to conclusions but the slice may be caused by having the wrong set up for a wood.

In my experience the wrong setup is rarely the cause for a slice. In other words, something's happening dynamically in the swing to cause a slice. We've got major champions with all kinds of setups - if "setup" had the impact a lot of people think it does (it has some impact, but not a lot), then we could crown champions on the first tee by seeing how well they set up to the golf ball.

[DFerlmann]

obvi you want to hit the ball first then make a divot when hitting irons. And with Drivers there is no divot unless you come in steep, which would lead to you chunking the shot and making the hole longer and much harder. so be sure to keep your head down untill u make contact with the ball, if u look up to soon it will lead to you topping the ball.

[threejack]

thanks DFerlmann, that would be a nice tip for someone who doesn't understand that concept yet. however, that doesn't have to do so much with the swing as much as the ball position and when the club actually hits the ball so I would say the swing is definitely still the same, although I gotta admit my driver swing is getting pretty different feeling now because I am trying to swing a lot more in to out

[Zeph]

Even though the swings are not that different, I set up differently and got different focus points on the two swings. They're not "different", but they're not the same either. There is difference from a PW to a long iron too, but not as much as to the driver.

[threejack]

yea i would definitely agree with you there. as far as I'm concerned changing the plane or sweeping and stuff in my mind i feel like it is different

[Stewie007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4smKIu2uARU

I don't care how old it is, its still relevant. :)

Personally, I think Jack said it nicely.