Different swing for Driver and Irons

[RussUK]

Does anyone else seem to have a completely different swing for irons and drivers?

Reason i ask is that i had my 1st outdoor practice session of the year last Saturday working on my Rod Pampling "style" swing which was great for irons and wedges but, for me at least, a pile of poo for the driver,  and woods. So i started to experiment and ended up as follows:

Setup was weight biased to rear foot, hands in line with clubhead (shaft with slight rearward lean), ball in usual driver position. Backswing was kind of in then up so more of a vertical swing, The result was decent drives for the 1st time since taking up the sport. Slight fade but carried to the catch net at the end of the range (250 yds). I have never hit over 220 before and usually sliced it into the next county so i can finally understand the appeal of hitting the driver!

Does anyone else swing a completely different way with various clubs?

[taxgolf]

I feel I can relate. I used to put a bit more weight on the left side. No I feel I am putting more weight in the middle or at the inside of my right foot. I sometimes (when I practise on the range), lift the toes in my right shoe to prevent me from swaying. Take it in and up and than fire from the right foot to the left. I would like to say I do not swing completely different as well as that there is  a difference. First I would fight the feeling, but apparently it is something my brain/body doesn't accept. Instead of fighting, I embrace it and I feel I became more steady with the driver. 

 

Hope it helps.

[rehmwa]

I do.  Just talking full swing clubs.

1 - noted elsewhere - for (Graphite shafted clubs) vs irons (metal) - the graphites:I have a slight difference in tempo, and I need to actively think about keeping the face open.  (most likely I could get fit for a graphite shaft that might help me match up my swings a bit more, I'm thinking slightly stiffer for the tempo thing, and something down near the kick point for the release that's making me focus on open face more.  I don't know, I'm not a fitter.  But I think these differences are likely not necessary, but driven due to equipment)

2 - Driver vs all the others (I drive pretty well).  I preload on setup more to my rear leg.  Quite a bit.  Of course setup and follow thru based on the forward ball position and achieving a positive attack angle.   (most is just exaggerating the pressure move from rear to front feet)

I think these make sense for me and I'm getting decent results. 

None of this has me thinking different swing plane stuff or the like - that way lies madness. Shaping, de/up lofting, etc all have the same swing thoughts.

 

Quote

"Backswing was kind of in then up so more of a vertical swing,"

This is kinda of worrisome to me.  I don't see driver being more vertical than the other clubs - seems a recipe for future slicing.  Hard to tell without video though.  YMMV

[RussUK]

44 minutes ago, rehmwa said:

I do.  Just talking full swing clubs.

1 - noted elsewhere - for (Graphite shafted clubs) vs irons (metal) - the graphites:I have a slight difference in tempo, and I need to actively think about keeping the face open.  (most likely I could get fit for a graphite shaft that might help me match up my swings a bit more, I'm thinking slightly stiffer for the tempo thing, and something down near the kick point for the release that's making me focus on open face more.  I don't know, I'm not a fitter.  But I think these differences are likely not necessary, but driven due to equipment)

2 - Driver vs all the others (I drive pretty well).  I preload on setup more to my rear leg.  Quite a bit.  Of course setup and follow thru based on the forward ball position and achieving a positive attack angle.   (most is just exaggerating the pressure move from rear to front feet)

I think these make sense for me and I'm getting decent results. 

None of this has me thinking different swing plane stuff or the like - that way lies madness. Shaping, de/up lofting, etc all have the same swing thoughts.

 

This is kinda of worrisome to me.  I don't see driver being more vertical than the other clubs - seems a recipe for future slicing.  Hard to tell without video though.  YMMV

Its not massively vertical, just slight, just feels natural as a fully rotational swing aggrivates a shoulder issue

[DrvFrShow]

The driver seems to be easier for me to get my weight shift from center to right on the backswing, then move it forward to the left side at impact for some reason. It might be the length of the club. I hit a slight fade. It's hard to tell exactly what I'm doing without a video.

[rehmwa]

1 hour ago, RussUK said:

Its not massively vertical, just slight, just feels natural as a fully rotational swing aggrivates a shoulder issue

You certainly have to listen to your body.

My thought was more that a driver swing would be slightly more shallower than the shorter clubs, though.  Not slightly more vertical.

In any case, glad you are getting to hit some better shots.  Hope you found a good feel that works for you.

[dak4n6]

Heck, I have a (slightly) different swing for every club in the bag. Especially considering the multitude of different shots you may be attempting. I never ever believed in that one swing theory. Can anyone really say that a punch 7i swing is the same as a full driver swing? What would Seve or Lee say?

[Yukari]

Set up (e.g., ball position and distance from the ball) is certainly different as you would expect, but the swing itself is the same for me. 

[Dave325]

Not too much different here... other than the driver is hit more up on and standing a bit further away due to the club length, where the irons are hit more down with a descending blow. 

[dbuck]

This is what I think I do; what I really do could be entirely different.

I think I try to swing basically the same for all full shots. The ball position is similar relative to my left (forward) foot, but my right (trailing) foot is farther away from the ball progressively as the club gets longer. The ball position for the driver or a teed 3 wood might be just a fraction forward. This and my feet being further apart will make the clubhead  approach to the ball a little more shallow. I try to keep my weight centered between the balls of my feet on all shots, so this means the center of gravity moves slightly further back with progressively longer clubs. The swing with longer clubs is longer, but the motion I make is the same, and try to make the plane consistent.

[stealthhwk]

I thought so for the longest time! But turns out for me I was missing a crucial part of the setup. Swing is the same, but the balls position in the arc is different and for me it was the spine angle. I tilted my spine gently away from the target and position the ball so it is struck right as the driver starts its upward track back up the arc and thats got me hitting driver 260 when my previous best was around 190. Best of luck with it!

[dak4n6]

10 hours ago, Dave325 said:

Not too much different here... other than the driver is hit more up on and standing a bit further away due to the club length, where the irons are hit more down with a descending blow. 

Wait, so that means that irons and driver are different swings!

I guess it depends on what we mean by different. To me, anything with a long shaft is way different from a short shaft club. Ball position, AoA, tempo. Those three things are enough to call them 'different'. Then, add in different shots - what about the 'difference' between a punch 5i into the wind vs. a high floating SW? Are those swings even remotely similar?

[Dave325]

1 hour ago, dak4n6 said:

Wait, so that means that irons and driver are different swings!

I guess it depends on what we mean by different. To me, anything with a long shaft is way different from a short shaft club. Ball position, AoA, tempo. Those three things are enough to call them 'different'. Then, add in different shots - what about the 'difference' between a punch 5i into the wind vs. a high floating SW? Are those swings even remotely similar?

Very true with the meaning of the word... different. Then, based on what you're asking, there may be some minor differences like the stance or where the ball is in a stance. My short pitch/chip is different than a full wedge.... True. However, some of basic items are still there (hopefully)... Like the five keys, for example. But then again, I am not an expert or anywhere close to one, so I'll let others chime in here. I too.... Am still "building" my swing.

[dak4n6]

17 minutes ago, Dave325 said:

Very true with the meaning of the word... different. Then, based on what you're asking, there may be some minor differences like the stance or where the ball is in a stance. My short pitch/chip is different than a full wedge.... True. However, some of basic items are still there (hopefully)... Like the five keys, for example. But then again, I am not an expert or anywhere close to one, so I'll let others chime in here. I too.... Am still "building" my swing.

Good point - some things do remain constant no matter what the situation. Eg, sequencing, and certain positions. Still, an open face splash wedge is very different from a driver swing, although there are certain aspects in common.

[vangator]

My driver swing is very different from my irons.  The driver, being much longer, is a flatter swing, while the irons are more upright.  Except for ball position, I try to basically have the same setup and takeaway (other than plane).  I also do not get as much weight on my left side for the driver as the irons probably due to staying behind the ball more and swinging more up.  The irons are a descending blow.

[mvmac]

On 1/27/2016 at 6:06 AM, RussUK said:

Does anyone else seem to have a completely different swing for irons and drivers?

I try to make the same swing, only the set-up is different.

 

 

[Mr. Desmond]

I set up differently between irons and driver.

With the short game, setup is different and no lag.

[dchoye]

Had not swung for a while and when I was practicing at indoor range today it seem like fairway woods and iron were more similar than iron and driver 

the setup with iron and fairway wood was similar . Ball position off the left shoulder . With the fairway wood I address the ball further away and created a more swallow path .  The ball position for the iron was closer to me and slightly more toward the middle of the stance. The plane was more steep relative to fairway wood 

The driver feels completely different. The last 5 years I been working on having positive AoA so that the low point of my swing is before the ball and at tee level . The funny thing is that the driver swing felt more like I was pitching with a wedge  

That is the feeling like I was hitting up on the ball . Ball position is off the lower body

Edited February 11, 2016 by dchoye