About to give up on my driver..

[bkoguy07]

So, last season I finally got rid of my driver woes(slice like most beginner golfers) and was crushing the ball nice and straight.  Winter came and I took a layoff and now I'm back to swingin the club.. Well my irons are coming along great, pretty much got them back with a few misses(slight pushes.. and my absolute worst miss push fade probably 5-10 yards at most..) anyways I've been STRUGGLING to get my hybrids 3 wood and driver back into the swing of things.  I slice all 3 terribly, obviously the driver the worst.. The hybrid isn't that bad just really inconsistent.  I have an old R5 driver with regular shaft(was given to me).. My swing speed is 100+(was last season not sure what it is now..) i have an itching suspicion that i need a stiff and a new driver BUT i refuse to buy one until my swing flaws are fixed.  My driver misses are huge slices or push slices.  Also my ball flight is HIGHHHH way higher than it used to be.  I would upload a video but I don't have a camera...  basically my irons are great, but anythign with a graphite shaft I'm having problems with.  I'm tired of people telling me to "release" cuz that doesnt work.  I let the club naturally close it self which seems to work well for my irons but for some reason I block my driver?  I just need some advise.  I have a feeling I'm opening the club face and swinging outside to in.  Possibly could use some drills to help.

I've tried moving my right foot back (closing stance) and aiming to the right and not much changes.  Deepening my hands and trying to get more of a turn.  Narrowing my stance... moving the ball forward and back in my stance. Nothing seems to help.  i'm just lost with my driver..Its gonna sit the bench before I break it.  Any advise would be appreciated.

So far I've hit about 5-6 buckets since the season started and things are great. Except things with a graphite shaft.

Thanks for the help

P.S

I was possibly looking to get golf instruction too..

http://www.danarader.com/

anyone live in the carolinas been to her golf school?  I heard its pretty good

[Zeph]

Instruction would be adviced. When it comes to your swing, I'd put a guess on you swinging over the top. It is not easy to fix, but with the proper instruction and dedication it is by far not impossible. You have to start working on something and knowing that it is the right thing.

I suggest you read up on threads discussing ball flight laws, causes for slice and fixes. A camera is useful if you have one.

[limoric]

I wish I had it to do all over again. I used to have a big slice, now it takes every ounce of effort to pull of a slight fade. If I could turn back the clock, (when I played to a 15), I would have put the driver in the garage and hit only 2-iron off the tee; I know the distance would not have been much different...in fact the 2-iron would have been longer a lot of the time. I spent much longer as a mid handicap than I had to as I was to focused on hitting a big straight drive

Get really good with a 2-iron (perhaps a driving iron like 503-h) and then go back to the driver, you'll be amazed. Today, I hit 3 wood or 2 iron more than I hit driver, even though I hit the driver pretty well...

[franky21]

I hit a nasty slice everyonce in a while it goes straight i just hit my hybrid off the tee im losing some distance but im in the fairway. I guess im sacraficing distance for accuracy but at least i have a shot at the green from a good lie. I can give you a tip on how to fix the slice cause im a slicer myself but i just pull out my trusty 3.

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by Zeph

Instruction would be adviced. When it comes to your swing, I'd put a guess on you swinging over the top. It is not easy to fix, but with the proper instruction and dedication it is by far not impossible. You have to start working on something and knowing that it is the right thing.

I suggest you read up on threads discussing ball flight laws, causes for slice and fixes. A camera is useful if you have one.

Yeah thats true, I've possibly been twisting off with my upper body thus forcing me to come over the top.. I feel that might be true because my driver, 3wood and hybrid swing feel sooo much more different than my irons.I might try to do a bump drill or hip slide drill to help me initiate a sliding movement instead of unwinding and coming over the top..

Originally Posted by limoric

I wish I had it to do all over again. I used to have a big slice, now it takes every ounce of effort to pull of a slight fade. If I could turn back the clock, (when I played to a 15), I would have put the driver in the garage and hit only 2-iron off the tee; I know the distance would not have been much different...in fact the 2-iron would have been longer a lot of the time. I spent much longer as a mid handicap than I had to as I was to focused on hitting a big straight drive

Get really good with a 2-iron (perhaps a driving iron like 503-h) and then go back to the driver, you'll be amazed. Today, I hit 3 wood or 2 iron more than I hit driver, even though I hit the driver pretty well...

I was actually  thinking about gettin a 2 or 3 iron..  Kinda worried I wouldn't be able to hit it though lol

[kennay92]

Kinda like what someone said above me. I used to tell myself not to use my driver at all during a round, but of course my ego would get in the way and id eventually use it. So for about a month i forced myself to leave my driver at home and only use 3 wood or less off the tee and shot my best rounds doing that. Give it a whirl.

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by kennay92

Kinda like what someone said above me. I used to tell myself not to use my driver at all during a round, but of course my ego would get in the way and id eventually use it. So for about a month i forced myself to leave my driver at home and only use 3 wood or less off the tee and shot my best rounds doing that. Give it a whirl.

Yeah thats what I'm going to have to do, except with a 4 iron lol..

What are some good over the top drills?

OTT is probably the only thing I have not made an effort to eliminate, and I think it is THE reason why I am slicing the ball

[kennay92]

Originally Posted by bkoguy07

Yeah thats what I'm going to have to do, except with a 4 iron lol..

What are some good over the top drills?

OTT is probably the only thing I have not made an effort to eliminate, and I think it is THE reason why I am slicing the ball

take your driver headcover, and (for a right handed player) place it about an inch or two on the outside of the ball,take a normal swing, and from there just dont hit the headcover.If you hit it you know your coming ott. You can increase/decrese the distance the headcover away is from the ball for more or less difficulty obviously being if the headcover is closer it will be harder to come otp. Hope that all made since.

You can also do something along the lines hank haney did with barkley. Try and create somewhat of a looping swing. Take the club away to the outside and just make a looping motion to the inside on the downswing.

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by kennay92

take your driver headcover, and (for a right handed player) place it about an inch or two on the outside of the ball,take a normal swing, and from there just dont hit the headcover.If you hit it you know your coming ott. You can increase/decrese the distance the headcover away is from the ball for more or less difficulty obviously being if the headcover is closer it will be harder to come otp. Hope that all made since.

You can also do something along the lines hank haney did with barkley. Try and create somewhat of a looping swing. Take the club away to the outside and just make a looping motion to the inside on the downswing.

Yeah just place the headcover 1-3" to the right of the ball, if I strike the head cover I'll be coming over the top.. 1" being really hard 3" not so bad, but if i hit it at 3" away I got a serious over the top.. correct? lol

[kennay92]

Originally Posted by bkoguy07

Yeah just place the headcover 1-3" to the right of the ball, if I strike the head cover I'll be coming over the top.. 1" being really hard 3" not so bad, but if i hit it at 3" away I got a serious over the top.. correct? lol

Exactly! (to the right of the ball if you were looking at it from the back)

And if your doing this drill with a driver, you might be better off using a shoe box for the drill as you still might be able to come ott with a driver and miss the headcover depending on the height of the tee.

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by kennay92

Exactly! (to the right of the ball if you were looking at it from the back)

And if your doing this drill with a driver, you might be better off using a shoe box for the drill as you still might be able to come ott with a driver and miss the headcover depending on the height of the tee.

Yeah I dont tee it up super high(about 1/4th to 1/2 of the ball over top the driver at address) so this should work.. Thanks for the advise

[limoric]

Originally Posted by bkoguy07

I was actually  thinking about gettin a 2 or 3 iron..  Kinda worried I wouldn't be able to hit it though lol

That's the Idea, you will not be able to hit the 2 iron as well and you'll find it will be really hard to do it with a driver swing (or what a 15 handicap perceives is a driver swing; I was in the same boat once), so you're swing will change. Bring the ball back in your stance and learn to clear you hips at impact. Use a strong grip and be left hand dominate. This will feel really unnatural at first (it did for me). You'll find that you'll hit some low bullets and you'll pull some shots to the left. You'll then compensate for this by aiming right and all of a sudden you'll be hitting draws and a light bulb will go off in your head. Do it long enough and you'll eventually forget how to slice or fade the ball. Bring the driver out once you're proficient and your game will be different forever. All that I think about nowadays is impact position. When I sliced the ball, I was only thinking about not going right...

Use the other drills mentioned above along with you're 2 iron (driving iron would be better $20-$40 on ebay), strong grip and concentrate on impact position!!

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by limoric

That's the Idea, you will not be able to hit the 2 iron as well and you'll find it will be really hard to do it with a driver swing (or what a 15 handicap perceives is a driver swing; I was in the same boat once), so you're swing will change. Bring the ball back in your stance and learn to clear you hips at impact. Use a strong grip and be left hand dominate. This will feel really unnatural at first (it did for me). You'll find that you'll hit some low bullets and you'll pull some shots to the left. You'll then compensate for this by aiming right and all of a sudden you'll be hitting draws and a light bulb will go off in your head. Do it long enough and you'll eventually forget how to slice or fade the ball. Bring the driver out once you're proficient and your game will be different forever. All that I think about nowadays is impact position. When I sliced the ball, I was only thinking about not going right...

Use the other drills mentioned above along with you're 2 iron (driving iron would be better $20-$40 on ebay), strong grip and concentrate on impact position!!

Interesting.  I actually have an old driving iron in my closet lol.  Why should i use a stronger grip?  Also, i should do this off the tee? or off the ground.. off the ground would be really hard

also is my driving iron too short?  Its only about a quarter of an inch longer than my 4 iron?

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by bkoguy07

I've tried moving my right foot back (closing stance) and aiming to the right and not much changes.  Deepening my hands and trying to get more of a turn.  Narrowing my stance... moving the ball forward and back in my stance. Nothing seems to help.  i'm just lost with my driver..Its gonna sit the bench before I break it.  Any advise would be appreciated.

Last year I had similar problems and it might well be you have actually the same problems with your 4i, but the problems are multiplied by the driver.

If not ....... if the rest of you game is solid ....... there is ZERO need for a driver at hc. 15 !

[limoric]

Originally Posted by bkoguy07

Interesting.  I actually have an old driving iron in my closet lol.  Why should i use a stronger grip?  Also, i should do this off the tee? or off the ground.. off the ground would be really hard

also is my driving iron too short?  Its only about a quarter of an inch longer than my 4 iron?

By strong grip I'm talking about hand position on your grip. With a weak grip, the seam between your right thumb and index finger is pointing at your left shoulder; with a strong grip it's pointing at your right shoulder our outside of it. I had a weak grip when I sliced the ball. When Pros want to fade the ball, they will weaken their grip. A weak grip limits your ability to release the club at impact (at least for amateurs) and prevents the hands from turning over (which closes or squares off the club face). Weak grips tend to produce fades whereas strong grips produce draws (in general). You'll also get more distance with a strong grip.

Use your driving iron off the tee, tee'd up (remember, even long irons require descending blows; very hard to do with the ball up in your stance; you want to compress the ball) .If it's only slightly longer than your 4-iron...cool it will be that much easier to hit. You'll probably find you hit a lot of balls low at first, but eventually your timing will correct this and that's when you'll get a feeling of impact position. When you get really good with it and start hitting draws, lengthen the shaft, work your way up through to 3 wood and then put the driver back in play. When i was slicing 3 years ago (an 8-10 handicap at the time) my average driver distance was around 240; now I hit my 3 wood at least that far, so on most par 4's it's either a 2 iron or 3 wood. Driver is for long par 4's and par 5's... (and of course wide open holes, but even then, I'll likely still not hit it...)

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by Gerald

Last year I had similar problems and it might well be you have actually the same problems with your 4i, but the problems are multiplied by the driver.

If not ....... if the rest of you game is solid ....... there is ZERO need for a driver at hc. 15 !

Well thats what is weird.  I hit my 4 and 5 pretty well.  Driver is just a mess, but you're probably right.  It's gonna sit the bench till I work everything out lol.

Originally Posted by limoric

By strong grip I'm talking about hand position on your grip. With a weak grip, the seam between your right thumb and index finger is pointing at your left shoulder; with a strong grip it's pointing at your right shoulder our outside of it. I had a weak grip when I sliced the ball. When Pros want to fade the ball, they will weaken their grip. A weak grip limits your ability to release the club at impact (at least for amateurs) and prevents the hands from turning over (which closes or squares off the club face). Weak grips tend to produce fades whereas strong grips produce draws (in general). You'll also get more distance with a strong grip.

Use your driving iron off the tee, tee'd up (remember, even long irons require descending blows; very hard to do with the ball up in your stance; you want to compress the ball) .If it's only slightly longer than your 4-iron...cool it will be that much easier to hit. You'll probably find you hit a lot of balls low at first, but eventually your timing will correct this and that's when you'll get a feeling of impact position. When you get really good with it and start hitting draws, lengthen the shaft, work your way up through to 3 wood and then put the driver back in play. When i was slicing 3 years ago (an 8-10 handicap at the time) my average driver distance was around 240; now I hit my 3 wood at least that far, so on most par 4's it's either a 2 iron or 3 wood. Driver is for long par 4's and par 5's... (and of course wide open holes, but even then, I'll likely still not hit it...)

I see, I was under the impression the grip would just help determine the initial flight of the ball (weak grip  - push, strong grip - pull)  But yeah I'll work with the driving iron and see where it goes from there. I'm going to try to eliminate this over the top movement first though, I really feel this is the biggest reason I am slicing the golf ball currently.  When I think about my driver swing and my irons swings it definitely feels as though I'm "spinning" out from my driver swing, where as my irons I feel like i get a good transition from my lower body.

[limoric]

Originally Posted by bkoguy07

I see, I was under the impression the grip would just help determine the initial flight of the ball (weak grip  - push, strong grip - pull)  But yeah I'll work with the driving iron and see where it goes from there. I'm going to try to eliminate this over the top movement first though, I really feel this is the biggest reason I am slicing the golf ball currently.  When I think about my driver swing and my irons swings it definitely feels as though I'm "spinning" out from my driver swing, where as my irons I feel like i get a good transition from my lower body.

I was just generalizing the flight path of a particular grip; a slicer is going to have a real hard time drawing the ball with a weak grip (though it is possible), especially since you're coming over the top. At least with a strong grip, you can learn to release the club head at impact. A strong grip will also help you to make your left hand more dominate. Because you're coming over the top, your right hand is in a position dominance. Once you learn to be left hand dominate, you'll ask yourself how you would have have expected to loose the slice.

I would buy a momentus 5 iron (I have the short version which is not meant to hit balls), it has a one of those training grips which puts your hands in the right position. I really have to say that it did a lot for me in terms of learning the golf swing. It's pretty hard to come over the top with it as it weighs so much. After swinging it a bunch, you'll know what it feels like to use the body's momentum rather than generating speed with your arms (classic over the top movement). You can't swing with it with your arms, you have to use your body. I swung it over the course of 4 winters and really, I think it's rewired my brain. I find it very difficult to replicate on over the top movement today; I can do it in a practice swing, but when it comes to hitting the ball, the brain takes over...

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by limoric

I was just generalizing the flight path of a particular grip; a slicer is going to have a real hard time drawing the ball with a weak grip (though it is possible), especially since you're coming over the top. At least with a strong grip, you can learn to release the club head at impact. A strong grip will also help you to make your left hand more dominate. Because you're coming over the top, your right hand is in a position dominance. Once you learn to be left hand dominate, you'll ask yourself how you would have have expected to loose the slice.

I would buy a momentus 5 iron (I have the short version which is not meant to hit balls), it has a one of those training grips which puts your hands in the right position. I really have to say that it did a lot for me in terms of learning the golf swing. It's pretty hard to come over the top with it as it weighs so much. After swinging it a bunch, you'll know what it feels like to use the body's momentum rather than generating speed with your arms (classic over the top movement). You can't swing with it with your arms, you have to use your body. I swung it over the course of 4 winters and really, I think it's rewired my brain. I find it very difficult to replicate on over the top movement today; I can do it in a practice swing, but when it comes to hitting the ball, the brain takes over...

Cool, that looks good! Thanks