Will hitting my driver or woods on the ground damage them?

[KarissaT]

I'm new to golf and started about four months ago. I'm getting better at not missing my driver shots or 3 wood shot and hitting the ground but I still do once in a while. Is it possible to break my club by doing this? An example was the other day at the driving range I messed up my 3 wood shot and hit the club directly into the ground. A couple weeks ago when I was playing a couple holes I also hit my driver on the ground because I was trying a different swing and messed up. Give me your thoughts on this and thanks!

[joekelly]

Sure, it's possible.  If you are a woman, as your name suggests, i rather doubt that you could hit the ground hard enough to break the shaft or head. The easiest thing to do wrong is to hit the dirt and find a hidden rock, or root. Then could damage, or dent, some clubs.  If root struck hard enough, wrist damage possible, but rare.

A still head will help you to hit the golf ball first.

[KarissaT]

@joekelly thank you! You gave me some peace in my mind. I was so worried because I love my clubs and didn't want them to be damaged because of wrong use by me.

[GolfMaineiac26]

Yay 19 handicapper thread! Unless you plan on killing a tree with your driver or fairway wood you should be all set, hitting the ground hard and at a sharp angle (hitting it in front of the ball) and dragging it can cause a lot of stress on the shaft but you'd have to be really bad for that to happen.

[zalj]

HOWEVER if you club shafts are made of graphite, after hitting the ground a lot it is possible that the lower part of the shaft may crack, and if not treated early on, could result in your shaft snapping

[jsgolfer]

One of the better players at my course, actually takes a divot with the driver when he wants to hit a controlled low fade off the tee.  And he hammers it when he does it.  Usually when I see golfers take a divot with a driver, their results aren't very good.  But this guy smoked it.  This was the first time  played with him, but he says he hits it frequently when he's just trying to keep the ball in play and not going for maximum distance.