Pushing my driver :(

[carpediem4300]

Guys,

Ive spent weeks at the ranging sorting out my ball striking from the floor and my chipping and wedge shots as these have always been my downfall, with shanks and slices, tops and fats etc, im now hitting them really nicely

but my driver used to be my game changer,.....dog leg? whatever ill take it on etc, i used to be able to rip as hard as i wanted and it would go straight or draw

now i just push, and push it hard out right,............and yet my irons fly straight/draw

any ideas what i can do to fix this? i dont want to go messing to much with my swing as ive worked so hard to get the irons going i cant go back to shanking them, ill have a melt down!

[umpiremark]

My two cents without seeing your swing ...

1) Make sure both feet are on the ground though the backswing to start of the downswing;

2) Make sure the takeway, your club head is outside (in front of) your hands

3) Rotate with your shoulders to the top, don't "swing" the club behind you (over the top move is next).

4) Slow down your backswing (sounds like you might be rushing)

5) Smooth swing through the ball rotating your hips and shoulders to the "PGA finish" position.

You can hit the ball farther by slowing down, but you cannot hit the ball straighter by swinging faster. Some coach told me that once. I liked it.

Good luck.

[carpediem4300]

Thanks Mark,

ins response to your points:

1) my feet stay rooted, always have, video of swing shows and buddies watching

2) my buddies say my takeaway is always very inside - Could i be blocking myself? i always worry that if i steepen my driver swing ill just downright slice it - i believe my irons to be much steeper though as i take excellent striaght divots

3) as above, probably linked?

4) my backswing has always been slow as i am a tentative golfer, its what i have learnt to combat bad chip shots, slow backswing and accelerate through

5) i probably swing the downswing a little to fast, but it feels no different to my iron shots, yet i dont push/push slice them?

Originally Posted by umpiremark

My two cents without seeing your swing ...

1) Make sure both feet are on the ground though the backswing to start of the downswing;

2) Make sure the takeway, your club head is outside (in front of) your hands

3) Rotate with your shoulders to the top, don't "swing" the club behind you (over the top move is next).

4) Slow down your backswing (sounds like you might be rushing)

5) Smooth swing through the ball rotating your hips and shoulders to the "PGA finish" position.

You can hit the ball farther by slowing down, but you cannot hit the ball straighter by swinging faster. Some coach told me that once. I liked it.

Good luck.

[umpiremark]

From my slice experiences ... if I take the club inside, my next move down is over the top. If I get quick, and I get inside, my over the top move comes out to say hello and push-slice is my reward. I just know that from what I do incorrectly, when I do it.

If I get too quick on the downswing, the club gets there faster than my hands and the face is open (push).

"now i just push, and push it hard out right"

Obviously the face is open at impact. Fix that first.

[bunkerputt]

Originally Posted by carpediem4300

but my driver used to be my game changer,.....dog leg? whatever ill take it on etc, i used to be able to rip as hard as i wanted and it would go straight or draw

No offense here, but 24 handicap and you could really rip driver straight hitting as hard as you want consistently?  I'd say getting honest about your actual performance, i.e. fairway % is a first big step.  Simply straight push means draw/hook swing with a bad grip or clubface manipulation on the backswing.  Check your grip and see if it's too weak.  Then check your hinge on the backswing and see if it rotates the clubface drastically open.  The clubface will tend to open slightly on the downswing, so if you are leaving your arms suspended in the air instead of pulling them down in concert with your transition it will exacerbate the problem.  You can't close the clubface if your arms are trailing way behind your torso on the downswing.  There are a number of causes of this, but a big one is too much rotation combined with a swing plane that's too flat and a grip that's too weak, the grip likely a compensation for the poor body mechanics.  That's all wild guesses without a swing to see though.

[carpediem4300]

cross my heart and hope to die, the only thing since taking up the game i could do well and consistently was my driver, i rarely missed fairways,...............it was the shank/top/slice,....followed by a guaranteed 4 putt that always destroyed me.

A big thing of my game now is to be as honest as possible with myself, shoot what i should shoot and dont shave anything, or delude myself with fake stats or distances, my game has improved alot for that.

infact my main golfing buddy is infactuated with my driving (prior to a week ago) that he asked me to teach him?!?!?!?!?! i declined as i feared i would screw his game being a 24 capper and not knowing the mechanics

grip is certainly not weak, had lessons a few weeks ago and the pro asked "where did you learn that grip?, its excellent!".........id actually learnt it two years prior from the pro this person had replaced lol

you have come back to the same conclusion my buddy keeps banging on about, flat swing...........

PS: no offence regarding the 24 capper comment,

Originally Posted by bunkerputt

No offense here, but 24 handicap and you could really rip driver straight hitting as hard as you want consistently?  I'd say getting honest about your actual performance, i.e. fairway % is a first big step.  Simply straight push means draw/hook swing with a bad grip or clubface manipulation on the backswing.  Check your grip and see if it's too weak.  Then check your hinge on the backswing and see if it rotates the clubface drastically open.  The clubface will tend to open slightly on the downswing, so if you are leaving your arms suspended in the air instead of pulling them down in concert with your transition it will exacerbate the problem.  You can't close the clubface if your arms are trailing way behind your torso on the downswing.  There are a number of causes of this, but a big one is too much rotation combined with a swing plane that's too flat and a grip that's too weak, the grip likely a compensation for the poor body mechanics.  That's all wild guesses without a swing to see though.