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Trouble driving the ball


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I have always struggled driving the ball. I am just now getting to the point where i can consistently make solid contact and hit decent iron shots, but I still can't consistently drive the ball straight. My problem is that unless I consciously turn my hands over during my swing, I end up slicing the ball (Only with the driver). This conscious turning of my hands results in a pretty unpredictable flight pattern. I hit it decently part of the time, but I also sometimes slice it because I don't turn my hands over early enough, or hook it because I turn them over to much. I was wondering if it is normal to have to consciously do this, or if a good swing should result in the hands turning over naturally.

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Your hand path is still very much away from your body. Feel like you're maintaining the pressure in your left armpit throughout the entire backswing and downswing - in fact, increase the pressure between your left arm and your chest throughout the backswing. This will send the hands back more inward and allow you to hit more out at the ball and less across the ball.

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It sounds like your swing plane is too steep which is what I have been fighting lately on my driver and woods.  At the range today I made a significant effort to swing the driver and 3w on a shallower plane and it virtually eliminated my slice and greatly increased my rate of solid contact.  If you happen to have the current issue of Golf Digest, turn to page 120 for a series of photos showing an ideal swing plane and alignment.

Always changing:

 

Driver: Cobra S2/Nike VR Pro 10.5º

Irons: Callaway X-20 Tour 4-9i

Hybrid: Titleist 910H 19º & 21º

Wood: TaylorMade R11 3w

Putter: Odyssey White Hot

Wedges: Titleist Vokeys - 48º, 54º, 62º

 

First round: February 2011

 

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Originally Posted by iacas

Your hand path is still very much away from your body. Feel like you're maintaining the pressure in your left armpit throughout the entire backswing and downswing - in fact, increase the pressure between your left arm and your chest throughout the backswing. This will send the hands back more inward and allow you to hit more out at the ball and less across the ball.



This reminds me of what the starter was telling us one day.  He posts these pictures on the outside of the starter's booth many days.  Just things to think about, pretty cool actually.  He had a printout of pictures of Nicklaus, Tiger, and two other golfers (don't remember) showing the moment of impact of their drives.  He asked us what was the same in all the pictures.  I didn't see it at first, but he told us how they all kept their right elbow tucked in during the downswing.  Gives your body a true pivot point to deliver force to the ball instead of just a sweeping roundhouse of a swing.

G15 Driver 10.5° * G10 Draw 4-Wood * G10 Hybrid 18° * i3+ 3-SW Irons

Tour Action 60° LW

SLOTLINE J-Stroke Putter

 

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Swinging driver, and woods requires as a previously player here below mentioned a shallower plane of attack. Remember irons you hit down on the ball with driver especially you hit up so a shallower path into the ball is what is needed. With a shallower plane of attack this means that the driver and longer woods should be swung more around your body not so much up and down. First, a tip for all clubs ensure that the butt of the club is pointing at your belt buckle making sure that the sole of the club is still flat or as close as can be since I am sure like most of us we do not have our clubs fitted for lie angle etc. If from your set up you take the club away slowly and turn and move your arms around your body and your shoulder plane and shaft plane do not change throughout you should be able to turn back on that plane and place driver and woods to ball pretty consistently. Woods may take more practice since you will be hitting off the ground but the same principles apply. One other thing that I mentioned in another reply is watch the back of the ball for driver and wood shots when in the impact zone. This will promote you to stay behind the ball and you will feel leverage as you swing through the ball. Watching the back of the ball through impact with driver and woods will also ensure you do not "peek" and more than likely top the ball or "worm burn" it along the ground. Try this and I am sure that within half a bucket you will be nailing the ball. As far as your hands go through the ball you need to work and practice at what degrees you turn them makes the club do what? That is a "feel" thing and your timing from your swing will determine how much you need to turn them to send the ball straight, fade it or draw the ball.

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Thanks a lot for the help guys, I am going to head to the range either today or tomorrow and use these suggestions and see what progress I can make. I have never really paid to much attention to my swing plane since I was first starting out so that very well may be the problem. I am also almost certain that I don't maintain the pressure between my left armpit and chest throughout my swing so I will be sure to work on that as well.

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  • 3 years later...

I have had every problem anyone who picks up a driver can have... I played without a driver in my bag for two years I was so frustrated. After a lot of work at the range I can crush my drives and they are straight 80 or so percent of the time 200+.

Tools I used... Youtube... A ton of free drills that really helped me.

This Course I found. http://coachtube.com/course/golf/tips-and-drills-for-driving  - You do have to register which sucks, but it is totally free and it helped me more than the youtube videos... The film quality can be a little bad at times but the drills really worked for me.

Hope this helps.

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Note: This thread is 3346 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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