How can I learn the driver swing? Help a beginner

[late347]

Hi guys.

The one clear thing that I don't know how to do in Golf, is the driver swing.

The other thing in which I suck, is chipping the ball. But I digress... Back to the long hitting LOL!!!

So far, I've managed to do ok, with hybrid off the tee, from the closest tees for beginners.

But, because it's the new golf season, I want to put some effort into learning to drive the ball better.

My current driver is "big bertha something" club. It should be about 10,5deg loft. It was my father's old driver, he's the same height as me but much older. He can hit the ball sometimes really good though. My father hit actually 295-300 yard drive last week, at the course, with his new driver. That was total distance.

I suspecct I will buy a fairway wood, 3-wood in the future, because I used o have that club and I liked it, but I think I've lost it during a housemove or something.

I am about 5foot 8 tall, weigh exactly 220 lbs (working on losing a lot of weight!!!).

23yrs

swing speed was never measured but I could do it sometime in a golf store.

[mvmac]

Good place to start

[The Recreational Golfer]

The driver is a difficult club to hit. Maybe you should not use one until you have developed a reliable swing. Seriously. There are more important skills to learn at the start, and trying to tame a driver could lead you in wrong directions.

[inthehole]

I can boil several years of internet research on this very subject and my own personal experience to the following 4 measures:

1. Keep it simple - there's a swing methodology called Stack & Tilt that helped me tremendously when I first started (watch youtube videos).   Key is to maintain head quiet and centered - don't sway back on the backswing.   Keep your weight slightly forward.

2. Easy smooth tempo.   To clarify, to me this means a SLOW back swing - easier to keep all the moving parts in the right place.    Fast swings for beginners are never good.    You can come through the ball plenty hard, but gotta keep the back swing in good tempo so you're in position for the downswing.

3. Keep your eye on the ball - I'm talking REALLY keep your eye on the ball & do not lift your head.    Resist the temptation to lift your head at impact - this will be your biggest challenge.

4. Keep your eye on the ball.

[GDM0001]

I struggle with the same issue. I believe there is some sort of psychological element with me. I am consciously nervous with a driver as 10/18 I end up either smashing it miles OB or scuff it 10 yds in front of me. I also know I look up too early as I want to see if I have managed to hit it for the aforementioned issues. It's a nightmare.

[late347]

The driver is a difficult club to hit. Maybe you should not use one until you have developed a reliable swing. Seriously. There are more important skills to learn at the start, and trying to tame a driver could lead you in wrong directions.

well this may be true but eventually i'll have to learn how to drive the ball. i suppose i could use some drills and tips for that club. I mean cmon there's got to be a way to learn. It's a golf club for pete's sake.! sent from samsung s4 active

[Hammer 4]

well this may be true but eventually i'll have to learn how to drive the ball.

i suppose i could use some drills and tips for that club. I mean cmon there's got to be a way to learn. It's a golf club for pete's sake.!

sent from samsung s4 active

Find a good PGA pro near you, and take a couple of lessons. Teaching pros can spot flaws in a swing most people can't, and if they did, would possibly not have a good way to correct it.

[vangator]

I find the driver the easiest club to hit. There are a ton of videos out there. Get in an athletic stance and don't move your head (much) during your swing so you can keep behind the ball. Make sure you turn your torso and keep your arms close to your body on the downswing. Especially keep your right arm tucked into your right side. You get your arms away from your body and the ball will go every which way. I hit the ball with a draw. If I hit a bad one it is straight or more of a draw. I missed one fairway last week. Chpping is the solidest part of my game. I don't flop them like Phil unless it is the only shot. Takes a lot of practice. I keep my hands in front of the ball and keep my wrists very quiet. Ball in the middle or slightly back. As Gary Player says, "strike the match". Don't release your wrists after impact. Hit the ball on a slightly descending blow. The left arm is dominant. I regularly show people how to chip this way because I always chip it pretty tight and never chili-dip. I can chip this way with my eyes closed. This will work for most chipping situations. When you think you got the shot, practice for an hour at a time from the worst possible lies. Tw inch divots, huge clump of grass behind the ball, From roots. Buried in pine straw. Severe downhill lies. Wrk on getting the ball on the green to have a chace for par. Master that and then work on the lob shot. My problem is reading greens. 14 GIR last week and only 2 birdies.

[late347]

Thank you guys! I will really have to work on my close game also. I only recently joined this local golf club - they have two quite challenging courses down there. Pitch, lob, and chip I will have to strike better. Last week at another golf round I actually lowered my hcp for first time. I lost quite a bit of strokes because of failed chips. I'm aiming for playing bogey golf for the time being. Bogeys should lower me down to mid level hcp. Unless the hole is a manageable par3 - then I will aim for par definitely. A couple times I chipped further from the hole, than where I had been originally. Most results for holes were double bogey. I made one par and one bogey though, and it was good enough for beginner golfer. Round was played with stableford scoring.

[MissouriHack]

Is it a different swing?

[late347]

I fail so miserably with the driver that it migght just as well be, a different swing.

[tomvk77]

The problem with the driver is, that it has only 10,5 degrees off loft.

The less loft the less backspin on the ball, witch gives more room

for sidespin.

The other thing is, with irons you like to hit down on the ball, with the driver

you will like a more upward movement off the clubface.

So ball position on the left heel. A little wider stands. and maybe at address a little

more weight on the right foot. Swing smoothly and don't try to kill the ball.

[Hardballs]

Head still! Slow back swing, right elbow tucked in a bit, allow the club head to fall on the down swing, swing/release club head keeping head still and hands behind ball at impact, follow straight through the ball, keeping head still and looking at the ball/tee! Do not look up until the club is at least waist height on the through swing!

[mvmac]

My problem is reading greens. 14 GIR last week and only 2 birdies.

Check out AimPoint

Is it a different swing?

Not really, ball position is more forward, hips might be pre-set slightly more forward but swing is the same.

The problem with the driver is, that it has only 10,5 degrees off loft.

The less loft the less backspin on the ball, witch gives more room

for sidespin.

The ball spins around one axis, sometimes people believe there is a combination of backspin and sidespin, but this doesn't happen.

[dchoye]

The driver is a difficult club to hit. Maybe you should not use one until you have developed a reliable swing. Seriously. There are more important skills to learn at the start, and trying to tame a driver could lead you in wrong directions.

I agree too, when I started I was developing bad habits with the driver.

last year i took the driver out for a few rounds and play so much  better without it and then played even better after I put it back in my bag again.

I think I got  all those bad driver swings out of my system.

The less i try to force my driver , the better the driver performs.

My problem is not getting a wide enough arc swing for my driver, I make sure Im loosen up and have good posture and flexability before I take my driver out now.

Also one thing that helps is to remember to take the club as SB as possible to maximize my arc.

YMMV

[late347]

I think I will leave driver out of the bag for now but I keep practising it. On sunday my father and I will go golfing at our club course. Fingers crossed for good strokes hehe... I will play from closest tees and use hybrids. The aim is to gather enough stableford points to lower hcp. Gotta haave some goals, at least, right?

[vangator]

When my driver gets a bit squirrelly, it is usually due to having to fast of a transition at the top of my backswing. I want to pound it and I lose my tempo.