What is wrong with my driver swing?

[Jonnyy8699]

I use a MacGregor NVG2 draw 9.5 degree driver, and I am pretty new to golf, been playing for about a year and a half. With my new driver, which is definitely the nicest club I've ever owned, my drive went up to about 200 yards consistently. Now I still have pretty consistent slice, which isn't nearly as bad as it was before I had this driver. Sometimes it is pretty bad, but usually it's just slight. Id say about 55% are slight slices, 15% are bad slices, and 30% are actually straight. Anyway, I have about a 100 mph swing speed, according to a tracker at Golfsmith, and I have no idea why my drive is only about 200 yards. I also saw that my backspin was unusually high, would that effect the ball flight and  distance? I know it effects the roll, but that't not what I'm worried about. Are there any other factors that may be reducing my distance? And maybe some tips for my slice? Thanks guys!

[Nole77]

What kind of trajectory are you getting? Low?  High?  Does it seem to just balloon up?  If you have a lot of spin on it, it's probably ballooning on you causing you to lose distance.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by Jonnyy8699

I use a MacGregor NVG2 draw 9.5 degree driver, and I am pretty new to golf, been playing for about a year and a half. With my new driver, which is definitely the nicest club I've ever owned, my drive went up to about 200 yards consistently. Now I still have pretty consistent slice, which isn't nearly as bad as it was before I had this driver. Sometimes it is pretty bad, but usually it's just slight. Id say about 55% are slight slices, 15% are bad slices, and 30% are actually straight. Anyway, I have about a 100 mph swing speed, according to a tracker at Golfsmith, and I have no idea why my drive is only about 200 yards. I also saw that my backspin was unusually high, would that effect the ball flight and  distance? I know it effects the roll, but that't not what I'm worried about. Are there any other factors that may be reducing my distance? And maybe some tips for my slice? Thanks guys!

If you're slicing it and spin is too high, you're probably hitting down too much.  To start getting a positive aoa or hit down less, I'd recommend setting up with the hips forward, hands forward and make sure the shoulder aren't aimed left (for a righty).  Check this video out,

[saevel25]

First thing first, find out were your aiming. Go to the driving range. Lay down a club parallel to the target line, so that your target line goes over the 100 yard flag, or something in that range. Make sure your line up square to that club, so that your shoulders, hips, knees are parallel to that club. Then hit drives, and see were your ball starts at. Does it start left or right off that flag.

If it starts left of that flag, and you are slicing the ball, then you have an over the top swing with an open clubface

If it starts right of that flag, and slices, you might have an OK swing path, but a very open clubface.

In both cases, you want to improve on the swing path, in the 2nd case just to give yourself more leeway to close that clubface a bit with out hooking the ball. To do this i would find a professional who does video analysis of your golf swing. Get your golf swing to the correct plain.

You may think your slicing, but if your not checking your alignment, then your have no clue. I played with a guy who thinks he's aiming straight, but he aimes 30 yards right and hits pull to pull draws all day. It works for him, but if i was going to correct his swing, first he has to know he's aiming right. It changes the whole perception of what you might think you need to work on.

[Jonnyy8699]

Yes I would say it is ballooning, because I see these guys hit these drives that are just really hard, upward line drives, and they seem to get great distance and roll on them, but I don't think I've ever hit one of those in my life. So maybe the key is to hit it with a more sweeping motion across the ground?

[mvmac]

Just want to clear up some things, clubface is a tool of projection and the ball curves away from the path.  So, to hit a draw, clubface needs to be aimed right of the intended target with the path even further out.  Let's say 1-2* open at impact and 4* path right.  To get that outward path the hips need to push forward and weight needs to be forward.  Ballooning comes from the angle of decent being too steep, weight too far back.

[saevel25]

True, but some golfers can play a pull draw, its not unheard off, as with a push fade as well. But yes, the draw that majority of pro's play are a push draw.