Draw--->Fade

[jlaesoph]

My driver with a Regular Shaft was recently retired because I just hated how whippy it felt when I swung it. I love my friends Driver with an X-Stiff shaft, but that is beside the point. I started just hitting my three wood off of the tee because my three wood has a stiff shaft. The first three times out golfing with the three wood was wonderful, I was hitting it about 250 with occasional 270 and was hitting fairways with a slight draw. But lately I have been popping the ball up and fading it, going about 220 and not on the fairway (and this is only if I hit the ball, many more topped balls than ever before). I do not understand why this is happening. Maybe from my description, somebody will know what is happening and have a little tip. If I cannot figure it out, I might as well hit driver if I am not going to hit the fairway anyways.

[MSUGolfer]

  jlaesoph said:

My driver with a Regular Shaft was recently retired because I just hated how whippy it felt when I swung it. I love my friends Driver with an X-Stiff shaft, but that is beside the point. I started just hitting my three wood off of the tee because my three wood has a stiff shaft. The first three times out golfing with the three wood was wonderful, I was hitting it about 250 with occasional 270 and was hitting fairways with a slight draw. But lately I have been popping the ball up and fading it, going about 220 and not on the fairway (and this is only if I hit the ball, many more topped balls than ever before). I do not understand why this is happening. Maybe from my description, somebody will know what is happening and have a little tip. If I cannot figure it out, I might as well hit driver if I am not going to hit the fairway anyways.

Before I try and answer your question- people are gonna to question you because it says you are a 20 HCP and you are bombing your 3 wood 250 average.. Most hackers won't even come close to average 250 with a driver.

Odds are your swing is purely timing and your timing is off. With a HCP right around mine- I know before I went and got lessons with the Pro I was a bunch of pieces broken up saved by some decent timing every once in awhile. As Iacas can attest to and probably will every golf swing we make is almost exactly identical- but the small little pieces that have just a slight variation will cause problems. My suggestion go get a lesson and or post a video of your swing up here.

[double_j]

Regardless of how far you're hitting it, that's a fairly common miss for most of us. And no matter how low your index goes, nobody really has an absolutely consistent driver - some days your swing just doesn't want to work that well and other days it's effortless.

Your timing is probably a bit off - it could be that you're starting down with your arms first because you have holdover visions of hitting it long and pure (and are trying to kill the ball). This makes you come in a bit steep and out to in, hence the pop up slice. The other thing you may want look at is your back swing - you could be getting to 'armsy' and aren't coiling fully (again in an effort to rush the swing and generate power).

Keep on tempo but don't rush the swing. Keep the feeling of getting your full backswing and don't really try to put any additional effort into the swing itself with your hands/arms. Swing easier and you'll hit it better.

Depending on what kind of swing thoughts work for you, you could also just think about getting over to your left side (assuming you're a righty) on the downswing. Clear your weight onto a strong left leg with your belt buckle facing the target (but stay in balance).

[he4dhuntr]

I'll agree with the first post. It's going to be very hard for someone to identify what you're doing wrong with only a vague description of your problem. You'll get a few guesses as to the most common causes for it though. A video would for sure help, but a lesson with a good pro is always your best bet.

Cheers,

[JML22]

Probably because its an extra stiff and you're swinging harder than you should thus causing your slice.
AKA you probably hit some worm burners because its an X stiff and you dont swing enough to get the ball in the air
So in your head it goes i have to swing harder, thus you swing harder putting everything out of wack leading to your slice andtopped balls
Get a driver that fits you

[jlaesoph]

Well my handicap is down to a 15 now, and if you take into account my mishit ones my average probably is only 185, but that is having my 30 yard topped balls. The first two replies helped tho, slowing down my swing a little and trying to make a full swing helped a lot. Thanks. I do need to get a lesson though...

[Cornbread]

  MSUGolfer said:

Before I try and answer your question- people are gonna to question you because it says you are a 20 HCP and you are bombing your 3 wood 250 average.. Most hackers won't even come close to average 250 with a driver.

Handicap and distance have nothing in common.

[hero12]

Going from regular shaft to a stiff shaft is enough to go from a draw to a fade. The influence of a golf club shaft is counter intuitive, but it can make a big difference.

[Mattplusness]

I'm in the same boat as you. I feel that if I try to put a draw/fade on it instead of trying to hit it straight, I am far more accurate.

[CalBoomer]

  Mattplusness said:

I'm in the same boat as you. I feel that if I try to put a draw/fade on it instead of trying to hit it straight, I am far more accurate.

Nobody should try to hit a drive "straight." The pros don't, and we shouldn't either. Pros try to play with a drive which favors either the left (draw) or right (fade) so that they can aim to eliminate trouble on one side of the fairway. A truly straight drive is usually just a random accident of perfect timing. Which probably is the basis of Tiger Woods' advice: " Never aim so that you're in trouble if it goes straight." Obviously many pros have the necessary skill to move the ball to the opposite of their standard ball flight if the situation absolutely requires it, but even they will typically switch to a 3-wood when doing that. The pros with the greatest driving accuracy usually try to play a power fade because it is somewhat easier to hit reliably than a draw. Which is hte basis of Trevino's comment: "You can talk to a fade/slice, but a draw/hook won't listen."

[max power]

  Cornbread said:

Handicap and distance have nothing in common.

You're right, the higher the handicap, the lower the distance (frequently).