Why does the driver feel so different from other clubs?

[Ernest Jones]

Ya but the OP said sometimes its a topped shot. Meaning the ball is too far forward in his stance.

Move the ball back some, play the ball with different ball positions and see what happens. Also, don't overswing. Try to shorten your swing. I get out of control sometimes with the driver, and its because the club is past parallel. I try to shorten the swing, and amazingly I get better ball contact.

Ball forward in your stance plus an AGGRESSIVE weight shift should eliminate the tops. My guess, and it is just a guess, is that the OP isn't getting his weight forward enough and/or fast enough. Moving the ball back is often just a "cheat" to hide a bad weight shift. Setting-up with a lot of preset axis tilt (hips pushed forward at address) has helped me quite a bit with this. I play the ball pretty far forward now.

[Ernest Jones]

Also how to you tag people in posts? I don't think i know how.

On the desktop site just type an @ followed by the username, then pick the name from the dropdown box that appears.

like this: @FooFader

On the mobile site you need to use the @ symbol from the editor tools.

Read more here:

[FooFader]

@Ernest Jones it doesn't seem to work, am i being stupid?

EDIT: i've posted in the thread you mentioned so as not to litter this thread with my tagging woes...

Mod: You have to spell his name properly. That means with a space.

[albatross]

I probably could have been a little more clear in my original post.  The main flaw with my driver that's so different from other clubs is how ridiculously over the top I come some times.

[Ernest Jones]

I probably could have been a little more clear in my original post.  The main flaw with my driver that's so different from other clubs is how ridiculously over the top I come some times.

I think that's where the pre-set axis tilt can really make a difference. Push your hips forward significantly at address.

[saevel25]

I probably could have been a little more clear in my original post.  The main flaw with my driver that's so different from other clubs is how ridiculously over the top I come some times.

I recommend posting a video of your driver swing in your my swing thread.

[anthony]

I find choking down 2 inches on my driver makes a world of difference, both in making better contact and avoiding unwanted side spin.

This is pretty good advice, but I would recommend people getting their driver's cut down. I'm 5'11" and cut mine down to 43.5" a few years ago. It feels so much better at this length. I didn't notice any type of distance loss either.

[EverythingGolf]

The driver is no different then any other club when it comes to being confident with your swing. You are setting your self up for failure every time you take it out of your bag. You must be confident in knowing that you can hit it just as well as your pitching wedge. Just as MS256 said with the driver you swing 100% or more because you want it to go a mile. Try swing the driver like you do the 3 wood. Start with slower more controlled swings then increase the speed as you get better at hitting it.

[MikeRanaldo]

The driver is no different then any other club when it comes to being confident with your swing. You are setting your self up for failure every time you take it out of your bag. You must be confident in knowing that you can hit it just as well as your pitching wedge. Just as MS256 said with the driver you swing 100% or more because you want it to go a mile. Try swing the driver like you do the 3 wood. Start with slower more controlled swings then increase the speed as you get better at hitting it.

+1. i've definitely seen that people can't hit it because they're trying to kill it. i've hit balls farther with a nice smooth swing with good tempo than me trying to swing out of my shoes

[maddog0512]

My driver is still a mess, I have pretty much given up on it and will hit 3w until I have the driver more controlled, but I will echo what other people have said.  The driver feels different because when we get it in our hands, our testosterone kicks in and tells us to swing for the fences.  That's about the last thing you should be feeling during the golf swing.  Also, I think the length of the shaft makes the timing of the swing more difficult and harder to hit the center of the face.

[FooFader]

I think it also feels different because it's the only club you tee up more than a 1/4 inch. And with no other club do you want to be hitting 3 or 4 degrees up on the ball

[albatross]

I think it also feels different because it's the only club you tee up more than a 1/4 inch.

And with no other club do you want to be hitting 3 or 4 degrees up on the ball

Obvious, but you make a good point.  That certainly changes the feel.

[14ledo81]

I think it also feels different because it's the only club you tee up more than a 1/4 inch.

And with no other club do you want to be hitting 3 or 4 degrees up on the ball

This raises a question.  If you are teeing with a 3 wood or hybrid, would/could it be beneficial to hit up on the ball slightly?

[FooFader]

Obvious, but you make a good point.  That certainly changes the feel.

I find sometimes the answers people look for are more obvious that they think....

This raises a question.  If you are teeing with a 3 wood or hybrid, would/could it be beneficial to hit up on the ball slightly?

If you mean would it be beneficial is teed up >1/4inch i cannot say, maybe yes if your goal was solely maximizing distance... maybe someone can give a better answer.

But if you're talking about hitting up when teed normally (for me not really off the grass more than 1mm, but enough to give a perfect lie) then no, i believe you're looking for the same launch conditions as off the turf because it's pretty much the same just a "perfect lie" rather than significantly "teed up". At least thats my take

[14ledo81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 14ledo81

This raises a question.  If you are teeing with a 3 wood or hybrid, would/could it be beneficial to hit up on the ball slightly?

If you mean would it be beneficial is teed up >1/4inch i cannot say, maybe yes if your goal was solely maximizing distance... maybe someone can give a better answer.

But if you're talking about hitting up when teed normally (for me not really off the grass more than 1mm, but enough to give a perfect lie) then no, i believe you're looking for the same launch conditions as off the turf because it's pretty much the same just a "perfect lie" rather than significantly "teed up". At least thats my take

I agreee with this part, but I was thinking more along the lines of teeing up a 3 wood maybe and 1'' or so.  In that case would it be beneficial to hit up?  It would be interesting to hear some other opinions on this.