Driver Help Please!

[14ledo81]

I just got back from the range. Hit two large buckets, mostly with the driver. It has been frustrating me to no end lately, so I wanted to try to work it out. My miss is a high ballooning straight fade or push fade. Mostly push fade. Now and then I will heat a straight shot that flys a little lower, but feels really weak and flies very short. I know I need to swing more inside out, but knowing and doing are two different things. I also need to fix the ballooning. The fades are to short to aim left and play them. I have had times when I have gotten into grooves where I am hitting nice push draws. These shots fly on a much nicer trajectory, and fly at least 30 yards farther than the other driver shots. The contact feels so much nicer as well. Two weeks ago I was at the range and found something that was working, so I hit 20 drivers in a row with most of them push drawing nicely. I thought I had it figured out, but next time out I was back to the same old miss. It is so frustrating because I know I have it in me, and the game is so much more fun when I am driving it longer. I would not mind seeing an instructor, but I don't want to see any local ones. I am fairly certain a decent one could straighten me out easily because I have already hit the shots I want to. Maybe I will look into evolvr. For now, if anybody has any ideas to help, that would be great.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

I just got back from the range. Hit two large buckets, mostly with the driver. It has been frustrating me to no end lately, so I wanted to try to work it out. My miss is a high ballooning straight fade or push fade. Mostly push fade. Now and then I will heat a straight shot that flys a little lower, but feels really weak and flies very short. I know I need to swing more inside out, but knowing and doing are two different things. I also need to fix the ballooning. The fades are to short to aim left and play them. I have had times when I have gotten into grooves where I am hitting nice push draws. These shots fly on a much nicer trajectory, and fly at least 30 yards farther than the other driver shots. The contact feels so much nicer as well. Two weeks ago I was at the range and found something that was working, so I hit 20 drivers in a row with most of them push drawing nicely. I thought I had it figured out, but next time out I was back to the same old miss. It is so frustrating because I know I have it in me, and the game is so much more fun when I am driving it longer. I would not mind seeing an instructor, but I don't want to see any local ones. I am fairly certain a decent one could straighten me out easily because I have already hit the shots I want to. Maybe I will look into evolvr. For now, if anybody has any ideas to help, that would be great.

Check these two videos out

To highlight

- Hips pushed a few inches forward at address

- Aim you shoulders and hips right of the target.

- Handle forward, like in the videos

- Handel raised at address, which means the grip end of the club would be aimed somewhere between you belt buckle and belly button

- Feel the handle raising coming into impact and into the followthrough

[14ledo81]

Thanks Mike. I have seen the first video many times, but that is the first time I have seen the second. I will try that drill. I don't think the ballooning is from a steep angle though. I believe it is from flipping. I think the flipping is from my fear of hitting it right. It feels like I flip to try to help square the clubface. I also noticed that my upper center moves forward more than it should on the downswing . What kind of problems could this produce?

[14ledo81]

Just wanted to mention the distances involved with the shots I am hitting.  The high weak push fades carry only 190 yards.  When the fairway is wet, I get zero roll on these.  When I manage to hit the solid push draw, I would say the carry is closer to 220 or 230, and rolling out to close to 250.  I know these are not real long distances, but at my home course I play from the white (6000yds) tees.  If I can hit the more solid drive, it is plenty long enough to play the course.  The shortest par 5 is 470 yards, and plays downhill, so I would have a chance to reach this one.

Again, just wanted to mention that I am not looking to hit the ball 300 (tho it would be nice), but I would like to have a long enough drive to make the course enjoyable.

[saevel25]

A high ballooning shot is were you are hitting down on the ball with the driver. If you have an ascending blow, its very hard to hit a ballooning shot because your emparting very little backspin on the ball. When i do this, if i catch the ball high on the clubface, it will go very high, but it will still go a longer distance (carry), it just wont roll out as far, but it doesn't balloon at all. If i hit down on the ball, it will start off low and rise up, and have a ton of backsping. It might seem like a good trajectory, but you will loose alot more distance this way since your carry will be lower and your roll will be less due to the backspin.

For me i really put the ball forward in my stance, i think its just off the inside of my front foot, i like to feel like its way up. I have a tendency to hink i have the ball correct, but its really farther back than i think. My eye alignment is wierd that way. I use to hit more ballooning shots when the ball was back in my stance.

[keeps21]

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

Thanks Mike. I have seen the first video many times, but that is the first time I have seen the second. I will try that drill. I don't think the ballooning is from a steep angle though. I believe it is from flipping. I think the flipping is from my fear of hitting it right. It feels like I flip to try to help square the clubface. I also noticed that my upper center moves forward more than it should on the downswing . What kind of problems could this produce?

If your upper centre is forward you'll have no choice but to hit down on the ball unless you flip at it - by keeping your upper centre back (ie same position as address) you'll shallow out the swing and be able to hold the flying wedge through impact.

[mvmac]

Originally Posted by keeps21

If your upper centre is forward you'll have no choice but to hit down on the ball unless you flip at it - by keeping your upper centre back (ie same position as address) you'll shallow out the swing and be able to hold the flying wedge through impact.

Agree, if that upper center moves forward the club will come crashing down, have to flex the elbows, which dumps all your wrist angles too early and the club swipes across the ball.  Just want to point out that we're not really "holding" the flying wedge into impact or after.  That right wrist is gradually coming out.  Obviously not flipping, want to still have a flat left wrist at impact but I don't think it's good to actively hold the right wrist bend.  I'm sure you understand this I just want to clarify for others :-)

[14ledo81]

Originally Posted by saevel25

A high ballooning shot is were you are hitting down on the ball with the driver. If you have an ascending blow, its very hard to hit a ballooning shot because your emparting very little backspin on the ball. When i do this, if i catch the ball high on the clubface, it will go very high, but it will still go a longer distance (carry), it just wont roll out as far, but it doesn't balloon at all. If i hit down on the ball, it will start off low and rise up, and have a ton of backsping. It might seem like a good trajectory, but you will loose alot more distance this way since your carry will be lower and your roll will be less due to the backspin.

For me i really put the ball forward in my stance, i think its just off the inside of my front foot, i like to feel like its way up. I have a tendency to hink i have the ball correct, but its really farther back than i think. My eye alignment is wierd that way. I use to hit more ballooning shots when the ball was back in my stance.

I am fairly certain I am not hitting down on it.  I know feel is not real, but I have taken video and I definitely flip at the ball.  Is it possible to flip and still hit down on it? When the ball is played off of my left heel?

[14ledo81]

I am still struggling with this. I am fairly certain it is a swing path issue. Yesterday I was hitting balls at home. Most of them were starting straight or a bit right and then slicing more. I placed a piece of foam outside my ball on a inside out path. First shot was a nice push draw. I hit a few more, then started slicing again. To slice and not hit the piece of foam, I had to hit it towards the toe, and that is what I started doing. I have tried to manipulate my swing path with my hands, but this does not seem to work. Trying to swing to right field or one o'clock does not work for me either. It would be nice to put my body in a position to hit from the inside without conciously trying to force it. Does anybody have any good drills for grooving an inside out path? When I make practice swings it is easy to swing inside out. I can plainly track the club with my eyes, something happens when I put a ball down though. It is very frustrating because I know the problem and the fix. I just can't seem to make my body do it with a ball in the way. Am I the only one with issues like this?

[14ledo81]

Anybody?  This is killing me!!  Also, to the evolvr guys:  Do you think this is something that could be fixed through video analysis?  Like I stated before, I know the problem and the fix.  I just can't seem to make my body do what it needs to do.

[Rocket Man]

I know that in my swing that if I'm hitting push fades (however not ballooning like you mention) Its because my hips are closed to the target line while the rest of my body is parallel .Now in my swing I push back with my left shoulder and having my hips closed while the rest of my body is parallel will make it impossible for me to complete my backswing and I will end up in a laid off club position at the top.This makes it hard to hit down the line and I usually hit a shot that starts off right of my target line and then fades to the right with a feeling that I did not "Get everything into it" This is very easy to do if you are wearing lose baggy shorts that cover your knees. As far as ballooning the ball check that you are not tilting to much in the backswing as this can cause hitting the ball kind of fat.For what its worth it sounds like you have two issues in your swing that you need to fix independently of each other.

[14ledo81]

I know that in my swing that if I'm hitting push fades (however not ballooning like you mention) Its because my hips are closed to the target line while the rest of my body is parallel .Now in my swing I push back with my left shoulder and having my hips closed while the rest of my body is parallel will make it impossible for me to complete my backswing and I will end up in a laid off club position at the top.This makes it hard to hit down the line and I usually hit a shot that starts off right of my target line and then fades to the right with a feeling that I did not "Get everything into it" This is very easy to do if you are wearing lose baggy shorts that cover your knees. As far as ballooning the ball check that you are not tilting to much in the backswing as this can cause hitting the ball kind of fat.For what its worth it sounds like you have two issues in your swing that you need to fix independently of each other.

I agree that there is two issues. The interesting thing is when I hit the solid push draw, the trajectory is good. It seems like I am hitting either ballooning straight and push fades or a push draw with a nice trajectory. I am serious when I say the push draw goes at least thirty to forty yards longer the weak fade shot. It is really bothering me. I have no desire to play a round or work on any other aspect of my game until I figure this out. When I say I am hitting one of the two shots, I mean mostly weak fades. Probably ninety percent.

[Rocket Man]

I agree that this would be a very frustrating experience and I have had times that all I could hit with my driver was a low smothered hook and it drove me crazy.I finally just took some time off from golf for a while (about 3 weeks) and this helped me to bust out of that driver rut that I was in.For what it was worth when I came back to it I found out that it was a variety of set up errors (along with a tendency to swing to flat) that was causing all of the smothered hooks and having a fresh mind after the break helped me figure this out.You will find the problem to your swing but maybe a little time off will do you some good.