Realistic expectations with a driver?

[dkolo]

decent contact with all clubs is one of my main goals in golf, I just love the feeling when it cracks - it is like a different game altogether, the pleasure of the right contact, when it first happened when I was practicing hinge and hold, I was like - is that possible? that's much more fun that I thought, until then I was just trying to hit the balls somehow in the right direction, but with that first perfect contact I was in love with golf on a new level / there are so many pleasure moments in golf for me / the contact when it works out, the precision of the flight when it works out, the final put into the hole, the sunset, the birds singing... but the pure  contact is one of the best things about golf for me

I agree. Sounds like something straight out of Tin Cup, haha.

[ryunin]

If you feel like you have gotten a grip so to speak on the way the upper body works during the swing, and you like your accuracy and other flight characteristics as a real demonstration of what you are doing right, perhaps it is a good time to start thinking about hips and how all the stuff you have learned so far sits on top of them and how a 1 mph increase in hip speed then gets multiplied by the length of the 36" of arms and hands and the 45 inches of driver you are hanging off them. If you are moving in a circle, you might move across say 1ft in 1 second at the base of this 82" length, but obviously the tip of the shaft moves many feet in the same second. Its this multiply effect that you are looking for, and its your hips and larger muscles in your legs that are going to increase the speed of your upper body swing because the upper body sits upon the lower body almost like 2 separate engines. Somebody called my butt a power center one time. I thought to myself "brother you just dont know", but he was referring to my weakness of not sending my wallet rearward because of a bit of vertabrae damage I got playing high school football. Its a little hard to get it coordinated and timed out at first, but it will work out and you will have that swing that looks like you arent swinging hard but the ball flys a mile. You can actually ease off the upper body motions to increase accuracy by letting your lower body carry the swing. The big muscles are also harder to move off line, so it can be quite an accurate method. Do post some video. These swing gurus are really good here.

That's exactly what I want to work on. I am not sure how I work with my hips and I want to do it right. Strange  that when I used to play baseball, I could swing the bat with the hips being the "engine" with my arms following the hips, and I can still do it even today, no problem, and with the driver too / but only, mind you, as long as  I swing horizontally / just like with the baseball bat / but once I want to swing down to the ball, I seem to lose that natural hip feeling and it becomes awkward. I have to make a video soon and post it.

[arturo28mx]

My personal recommendation: use a 3 wood off the tee until you master it and can hit four good shots out of five, then move on to the driver. not before.

[ryunin]

My personal recommendation: use a 3 wood off the tee until you master it and can hit four good shots out of five, then move on to the driver. not before.

I wish I had a three wood, I am going to buy a 5 wood. What would be good shots with the 3 wood off the tee?

Seems like the discussion is about to.... I wish I knew the word, I mean it's getting busy, but here in Central Europe, time to sleep. I can't wait to read more posts tomorrow.

[dkolo]

I wish I had a three wood, I am going to buy a 5 wood. What would be good shots with the 3 wood off the tee?

Seems like the discussion is about to.... I wish I knew the word, I mean it's getting busy, but here in Central Europe, time to sleep. I can't wait to read more posts tomorrow.

One club I had a lot of success with was the Nike Covert Tour 3-wood. It's adjustable from 13° to 17°, so you can let it grow into your set  as you progress. I have mine set to 13° because I use it (or used it, rather, until recently) for driving. You could set it to higher lofts for driving or for hitting it off the ground. Either the 2.0 or the original model can be found online for around $70-$80 if you score a deal.

[trickyputt]

[CONTENTEMBED=/t/79368/realistic-expectations-with-a-driver#post_1096604 layout=inline][SIZE=13px]Quote:[/SIZE][/CONTENTEMBED] [QUOTE name="ryunin" url="/t/79368/realistic-expectations-with-a-driver#post_1096626"]   decent contact with all clubs is one of my main goals in golf, I just love the feeling when it cracks - it is like a different game altogether, the pleasure of the right contact, when it first happened when I was practicing hinge and hold, I was like - is that possible? that's much more fun that I thought, until then I was just trying to hit the balls somehow in the right direction, but with that first perfect contact I was in love with golf on a new level / there are so many pleasure moments in golf for me / the contact when it works out, the precision of the flight when it works out, the final put into the hole, the sunset, the birds singing... but the pure  contact is one of the best things about golf for me   [/QUOTE] I agree. Sounds like something straight out of Tin Cup, haha.

hey- I have a tat of the little mexican fella Jk

[trickyputt]

[QUOTE name="trickyputt" url="/t/79368/realistic-expectations-with-a-driver#post_1096631"] If you feel like you have gotten a grip so to speak on the way the upper body works during the swing, and you like your accuracy and other flight characteristics as a real demonstration of what you are doing right, perhaps it is a good time to start thinking about hips and how all the stuff you have learned so far sits on top of them and how a 1 mph increase in hip speed then gets multiplied by the length of the 36" of arms and hands and the 45 inches of driver you are hanging off them. If you are moving in a circle, you might move across say 1ft in 1 second at the base of this 82" length, but obviously the tip of the shaft moves many feet in the same second. Its this multiply effect that you are looking for, and its your hips and larger muscles in your legs that are going to increase the speed of your upper body swing because the upper body sits upon the lower body almost like 2 separate engines. Somebody called my butt a power center one time. I thought to myself "brother you just dont know", but he was referring to my weakness of not sending my wallet rearward because of a bit of vertabrae damage I got playing high school football. Its a little hard to get it coordinated and timed out at first, but it will work out and you will have that swing that looks like you arent swinging hard but the ball flys a mile. You can actually ease off the upper body motions to increase accuracy by letting your lower body carry the swing. The big muscles are also harder to move off line, so it can be quite an accurate method. Do post some video. These swing gurus are really good here.[/QUOTE] That's exactly what I want to work on. I am not sure how I work with my hips and I want to do it right. Strange  that when I used to play baseball, I could swing the bat with the hips being the "engine" with my arms following the hips, and I can still do it even today, no problem, and with the driver too / but only, mind you, as long as  I swing horizontally / just like with the baseball bat / but once I want to swing down to the ball, I seem to lose that natural hip feeling and it becomes awkward. I have to make a video soon and post it.

I was looking at a statistics post someone put up of a bunch of pro players and Rory had a 43 degree plane. Its not that far down really. But trusting the club to go the rest of the way is a priceless awareness.

[vangator]

I'd like to know how you'd see this. What expectations can I have during my first year learning to shoot a driver ? I have practiced with the driver since last July. At the driving range I shoot 100 balls with the driver a week on average. I remember the first months with the driver I sliced a lot, who hasn't. Then I took a lesson with a teacher who taught me how to get rid of the slice, which has always worked since, except when I forget to move the arms properly. After six months I think I know all the theory about the swing and usually know what mistake I made if  I pull, push or slice. I don't hook the driver. Now I am at a stage when I am not sure what to do next or what to expect. The contact with the ball is almost never clean. That's one concern. The second and more serious thing is I cannot seem to be able to drive further than 170 yards carry. I am 47 years old, but pretty flexible for my age. But the swing I know is too slow, about 70 mph and I don't know what realistic expectations I can have during the first year with the driver. Seems like I it's time I made the swing faster now, or should I rather tune the swing and focus on its quality regardless of speed? Thank you, I am being a bit impatient probably.

No matter how mad or frustrated you get, don't shoot your driver! :-D

[Abu3baid]

I just have a general comment about your swing speed that you mentioned..  It is likely that you are trying to control the club too much, and thus restricting your ability to even swing within yourself.

Do whats called the "Whoosh Drill" just to see your potential speed when you are actually swinging freely.  The best Driver swings are those that are unrestricted.. yes, the ball might start going left / right / up / down but that is because your mechanics need working on.  As you start fixing your mechanics the ball will start straightening out.  Below is the drill:

Forget all the stuff the guy says for now, just turn the club upside down and try to make that woosh sound be as loud as you possible can.. if you are swinging in a restricted manner you won't here much of a woosh, but when you are truly swinging freely you should be able to generate speed.

Start with your normal driver swing, and then try to get the whoosh sound and notice the difference and the speed you generate.

Good luck

[scorpion12]

Ryunin, if you're worried about lack of distance off the tee, consider moving up a set of tees or two. Playing from the yellow senior tees or the red tees will make the course shorter for you, give you a better opportunity to get onto the green in fewer shots, and more importantly, have fun.

My drives average right around 200 yards carry... sometimes more, usually less so I'm right there with you... teeing it up and then heading 180 yards to make my second shot.... teeing it forward from a different tee box can make a difference.

The only thing is the stigma attached to the forward tees... "oh, you're playing from the ladies tees..." and that's something that I've got to get over myself honestly...

Check out the tee it forward program. If you're driving the ball less than 200 yards, you should be playing from the forward tees according to them. Play from them until you're regularly shooting par... then move back a set or two to make the course more challenging.

[mtthwdrn]

I have had the same problem with my driver. In my first season of golf, I was driving about 180 carry distance. Yesterday I was at the range and was just focused on tempo. Just swinging smoothly and and not worrying about anything else. Instant improvement to 200. I also got a free mini lesson from the range owner/pro. He adjusted my grip and had me focus on my weight transfer-getting my lower body into the swing. Another twenty yards. So +1 to what everyone else has said. Good luck to you and have fun.

[RayG]

I just have a general comment about your swing speed that you mentioned..  It is likely that you are trying to control the club too much, and thus restricting your ability to even swing within yourself. Do whats called the "Whoosh Drill" just to see your potential speed when you are actually swinging freely.  The best Driver swings are those that are unrestricted.. yes, the ball might start going left / right / up / down but that is because your mechanics need working on.  As you start fixing your mechanics the ball will start straightening out.  Below is the drill: Forget all the stuff the guy says for now, just turn the club upside down and try to make that woosh sound be as loud as you possible can.. if you are swinging in a restricted manner you won't here much of a woosh, but when you are truly swinging freely you should be able to generate speed. Start with your normal driver swing, and then try to get the whoosh sound and notice the difference and the speed you generate. Good luck

I was JUST getting ready to poke my 2 cents about the "whoosh" at the bottom of the swing. If you don't hear it, you're losing power by being too "arms-y". Don't strangle the club, but don't let it flap around like "your holding a bird". That business of holding the club as tight as 'shaking a ladies hand' is rubbish. Any pro generating 110-115 mph clubhead speed has to hold on a *bit* tighter than that. You have to find that median point for a less restrictive swing without losing control of the club.

[ryunin]

No matter how mad or frustrated you get, don't shoot your driver!

OK, I won't. I got it. You kill your driver!

[ryunin]

I was JUST getting ready to poke my 2 cents about the "whoosh" at the bottom of the swing. If you don't hear it, you're losing power by being too "arms-y". Don't strangle the club, but don't let it flap around like "your holding a bird". That business of holding the club as tight as 'shaking a ladies hand' is rubbish. Any pro generating 110-115 mph clubhead speed has to hold on a *bit* tighter than that. You have to find that median point for a less restrictive swing without losing control of the club.

The thing is, I can swing much faster without a ball. I feel completely free and relaxed and I guess the swingspeed can reach 100 mph when I don't have to hit the ball. Once the ball is there waitin for me, the cool, relaxed swing is gone. This is probably a mental problem, not technical so much. I can hear the swoosh which changes the sound with the increasing speed, it is clearly there and I know the sound of my usual swing with the driver. These are very different sounds, one low and slow, one higher and quicker.

[ryunin]

Ryunin, if you're worried about lack of distance off the tee, consider moving up a set of tees or two. Playing from the yellow senior tees or the red tees will make the course shorter for you, give you a better opportunity to get onto the green in fewer shots, and more importantly, have fun.

My drives average right around 200 yards carry... sometimes more, usually less so I'm right there with you... teeing it up and then heading 180 yards to make my second shot.... teeing it forward from a different tee box can make a difference.

The only thing is the stigma attached to the forward tees... "oh, you're playing from the ladies tees..." and that's something that I've got to get over myself honestly...

Check out the tee it forward program. If you're driving the ball less than 200 yards, you should be playing from the forward tees according to them. Play from them until you're regularly shooting par... then move back a set or two to make the course more challenging.

I do this at big, standard golf courses, but don't do it where par 4 is maximum and I get the ball in between the tee and the hole with my driver on par 4. I would be frustrated at these standard golf courses so so far I have mostly chosen smaller, easier ones.

[cipher]

The thing is, I can swing much faster without a ball. I feel completely free and relaxed and I guess the swingspeed can reach 100 mph when I don't have to hit the ball. Once the ball is there waitin for me, the cool, relaxed swing is gone. This is probably a mental problem, not technical so much. I can hear the swoosh which changes the sound with the increasing speed, it is clearly there and I know the sound of my usual swing with the driver. These are very different sounds, one low and slow, one higher and quicker.

So you are saying without a ball there you can swing 100mph? You have verified this? Call me a skeptic on that one when you say you swing 70mph when it is there. I highly doubt your problem is as much mental as it is technical. Do yourself a favor and get that out of your mind. Improve your swing, improve your distance and accuracy.

[ryunin]

So you are saying without a ball there you can swing 100mph? You have verified this? Call me a skeptic on that one when you say you swing 70mph when it is there. I highly doubt your problem is as much mental as it is technical. Do yourself a favor and get that out of your mind. Improve your swing, improve your distance and accuracy.

I didn't want to brag or anything. I just know when I swing at my normal swing, the TrackMan or whatever it was recorded 75 mph or so. When I practice without a ball and decide to swing faster, I can hear and feel I swing much, much faster, but maybe you'r right, it may be just 10 mph difference.

[cipher]

I didn't want to brag or anything. I just know when I swing at my normal swing, the TrackMan or whatever it was recorded 75 mph or so. When I practice without a ball and decide to swing faster, I can hear and feel I swing much, much faster, but maybe you'r right, it may be just 10 mph difference.

Yeah, I could see a slight difference, but a 30mph difference would be a lot.