The key to Straighter driver shot?

[ronaldkuntoro]

I just got a Golf Tip saying for straighter shot off the tee, slow down your swing. Don't swing at 100%.

Has anyone benefited from that tip so far?

[mrprovisional]

During my round yesterday, I noticed that if I didnt overswing as well as slowing down my swing really improved my driving. I also noticed that my distance improved as well because i utilized my body throughout the swing instead of using my arms.

[The Recreational Golfer]

I just got a Golf Tip saying for straighter shot off the tee, slow down your swing. Don't swing at 100%.

If that means to maintain good tempo and rhythm, the tip sounds OK. But just slowing down for that sake alone means only that it will take a few more tenths of a second for your usual swing flaws to emerge, IMO.

[golfro]

If that means to maintain good tempo and rhythm, the tip sounds OK. But just slowing down for that sake alone means only that it will take a few more tenths of a second for your usual swing flaws to emerge, IMO.

Agreed.

"Slow down your swing" is a rather very simplified way of saying, think through with your swing and maintain good rhythm, etc. Doesn't mean swing slower with a shitty swing. That does nothing.

[KEEPITSIMPLE]

Well, I kind of remind myself to slow down on the backswing so I could time the top of my back swing better, but personally I don't like swinging slow on the driver, When I am aggressive and accelerate with the lower body and when I get like a rebounding action on the follow though, I almost never hit a bad shot.

Personally I think most people's plane are too steep and that is why they hit the driver bad. My backswing is relatively short and my hands are a good distance away from my body and my first move with my lower body move also shallows out the club further.Most people don't get the extension and their hands are closer to the body, which means their natural move down is much steeper and some even complicated the problem because they don't know shallow out the club with the first move with the lower body, and they drive the whole body foward which makes the plane even steeper.A flat bottom with the club ascending is really the key to hitting the driver well.

[iacas]

I'd add a close second thing to this one: shorten your swing.

Lots of amateurs tend to overflex the right elbow and then the first thing they do on the downswing is to release that angle. If you under-flex it (or feel like you do), you can ADD to the flex on the downswing.

[KEEPITSIMPLE]

I'd add a close second thing to this one: shorten your swing.

Amen!! BUT so hard for most folks to understand or do but boy when they do,it takes their game to a different level.

[jl923]

Could you guys explain in a little more detail the tip about the flexing of the right elbow?

[MSUGolfer]

Could you guys explain in a little more detail the tip about the flexing of the right elbow?

What Iacas is saying is try and feel like your right arm stays straight as you start your backswing and start to rotate your body. Obviously, you can't really do this, but if you have the sensation that you are keeping your right arm straight you won't have an overly long backswing and instead of immediately losing that flex when you start your downswing causing all sorts of bad things (tops, fats, etc) you'll maintain a better flex in that elbow and a better flying wedge through impact.

I hope I explained that ok Iacas.

[clam fist]

The best advice I ever got was to straighten my right elbow as soon as possible on the down swing.

[KEEPITSIMPLE]

The best advice I ever got was to straighten my right elbow as soon as possible on the down swing.

Whatever works for you but I truly don't think it is a good idea for most people.

[wizzwizz]

This tip helped me mostly with my balance with tee shots. My tempo was too fast causing the timing of my swing to go awry, and I noticed I was always off balance. I decided to slow down to make sure I became set at the top before going into the downswing and voila, I became more balanced, and started making better contact.

[KEEPITSIMPLE]

Could you guys explain in a little more detail the tip about the flexing of the right elbow?

I'll give it a shot. ideally the flex of the right elbow is suppose to be about 90 degrees from top of the backswing until you get to slot and the generally the more advance player will rotate their elbow as a release from there.

In general the folks who overflex will have a less than 90 degree right elbow bend at top of the backswing and they will drop their elbow almost immediately on the downswing and at slot where the club is accelerating, they will have greater than 90 degee bend of the right elbow,or a straight right arm.They will have a very weak position when the club is suppose to accelerate. What many advance players are able to do is to have a a tiny backswing and a pretty straight right arm or one where the right elbow is greater than 90 degree,or a weak position at top of backswing but at some point later on in the downswing,before slot be able to create the 90 degree bend of the right elbow. How?? Basically it reguires like a pulling in action of the elbows kind of inside out action toward the hip. Doesn't mean you have to pull in your elbow itself, but ideally you want to use some part of your core or lower torso so that it translate to that action so that you have a 90 degree elbow bend at slot. I kind of have my own theories and I arrived at those conclusions pretty much without conventional golf wisdom, and yet I am pretty sure they are accurate and close to the conventional wisdom but maybe the difference being in semantics.You know like I hear Iacas say something and I go hey you know that is how I feel and I think I understand that and I am pretty sure that is what he means. Maybe one day, I 'll post a video and bore you guys with my long and boring theories on the golf swing.

[Stretch]

Maybe a visual reference would be useful. Note how JB Holmes's transition from backswing to downswing adds both right elbow bend (look at the difference between frames two and four) and wrist cock. This is known as "float loading."



(Sequence comes from a very good golf blog here .)

[No1CeltsFan]

100% i have.

[JetFan1983]

I have been doing flying wedge, slow tempo chip-type drills with my driver. I tee up a ball every time at a constant lowish height and do this with 20-30 balls. I feel like it helps me get the proper sequence/into the proper positions. I stop the club when the right arm is straight and parallel to the ground. I just starting doing driver practice again (it's been a while) so hopefully I will see results on my full swing sometime in the near future.

[jl923]

very interesting idea. I will try the chipping drills with the driver also.

[ks8829]

point the toe of the club down the line or slightly inside and up