The driver... so frustrated... so discouraged... so confused ...

[jcspigler2010]

First time posting on sand trap, I had to vent/pour my soul out somewhere where people maybe able to sympathize, understand and maybe help.  This is fresh from a range session which is also probably why I'm posting.

 I started golfing ~4 years ago and love it.  I became hooked after the first good golf shot I shot I hit.  I'm infatuated by the game now.

I have really worked on my swing from the ground up.  I started with the 5 lessons from Mr Hogan.   After I established the foundation he teaches in the 5 lessons and got a basic idea of how the golf swing works, I started working on smaller but game impacting issues.

For example, I had the club going to far inside on take away.  This cause the club to get trapped behind me and I'd have to chicken wing to save it.  I worked on this by keeping the club out in front of me longer, using alignment rods and a golf tee in the bottom of the club grip.  Tee should follow the belly button the first quarterish of the swing.  

So for almost all my clubs I was able to focus on particular traits in the issue I was experiencing, research what could be causing them, and work on correcting them. If the issue came back, I had an idea of what I was doing wrong.  This applied to all my clubs except one... the driver.

I have not spent more time on any other club than that #$@%! !#%!%! !$@%# ing club!  I have watched numerous videos , I have bought a swing trainer (kind of like the Orange whip but a cheaper version), I have slowed down my swing, I have tried half swings, I have assessed myself in videos, I have seen an instructor and I am more lost than ever.

 For the longest time my miss has been a smother duck hook which i would stave off with a chicken wing.  After seeing an instructor he said I am taking the club too far inside and that at the top of the back swing, my shaft is coming over the target line.  I worked on this for a while with no results.  I loosened my grip to get the maximum hinge and "whipping" effect.  Thought I had something, tried repeating it the next day, nope, back to square one.  I tried combining the previous, results one day, nothing the next.

I recently increased my grip size from standard  to a mid size grip hoping it would stave off my hook.  Welp, I'm going the other direction now.  My miss is a slice.  I am hitting it dead center of the face.  Noticed this today after I put tape on the head.  My "power fade"  is in the middle of the face and goes farrrr.

I tilt the shoulders by angling the torso so they are parallel to the target line, I try and keep my arms together, try and initiate the backswing with my shoulders, I work on starting the down swing with my lower body, keep the head behind the ball, play the ball off arch of my left foot (right handed golfer).  Nothing seemed to stick or at least be a general direction to head in.  When I thought I had something, it would vanish the next day like some magical unicorn.

I am so lost and so frustrated....

I recently started to hit my irons really really well, compresing the ball, and taking divots.  My wedges are my confidence club.   I feel great when im 90 yards out and a 56 degree in my hand.  5 and 3 wood i am getting better and more confident at the more I practice. My putting I've been working on ALOT.  Alignment, rolling it consistently,  follow through etc etc.

 But none of this matters if I can't hit a fairway.  I played at one of my favorite courses the other day and shot an 88 but hit only 2 fairways.  If it wasn't for my irons I would have shot a 108.  If I could have hit a couple more fairways, I think i could have been in the lower 80s if not even have a shot at breaking into the upper 70s.

I have dedicated alot of time to breaking down my driver swing and practicing to get it somewhat consistent and it's affecting my other clubs now.  So not only is my driver crappy,  its indirectly affecting my other clubs!

I post this not necessarily for an instant fix or tip because that doesn't happen in golf, but to see if anyone  (and I'm sure plenty have) has experienced this in their golf life, their story  if they're will to share and how they dealt with it. Don't get me wrong though, a tip or suggestion won't fall on deaf ears.  I'll try and post a video here some time.  I look forward to reading people's responses! 

 

[jcspigler2010]

 

[RandallT]

Welcome!!! Good place to vent.

To talk specifics about your swing, we typically like that to be in a "My Swing" thread, but I can work with you via PM to shift over to that, if you are interested.

Generally though, I'd give yourself time to relax after a bad session. The key to moving forward will be identifying the right causes and then prioritizing the fixes- knocking them out one by one.

This is a good forum for that. Lots of folks who know their stuff. 

I can relate to the frustration though and my answer turned out to be good instruction.  Hunting around online for me was fruitless, as I did not diagnose properly. Nor did I focus correctly on my practice habits. 

So my advice: get good advice on your priority. Then use proven practice techniques to make substantial changes. Some great threads here on how to practice and "change the picture."  See the Instructional Content under the Info drop down menu above. 

Good luck!

[jcspigler2010]

Thanks for the response RandallT!

 

I noticed I posted in the wrong category after I already posted, didn't know how to change it :(  woops

If could get help with that, that would be great!

I am seeking a better instructor to help me.  The guy i went to relied soley on video to analyze and diagnose my swing.  He would then point to tiger and say, we want to be like this...

So you're saying i need to swing like one of the if not the greatest golfers in the world?  

Would you suggest stopping to YouTube video hunting?  Sounds like it causes more confusion than solution.

Thanks again RandellT!

[Vinsk]

@jcspigler2010 Ah yes my friend, yes. Your frustration is well shared. First the good news, you have found an enormously useful place to battle the golf demons. Not to jump to any conclusions, but I certainly learned that improper instruction can actually be worse than going at it alone. These guys here have done their homework. You can absolutely trust in what they advise. I'm lucky when it comes to the driver. Sure I have periods where I'm just not hitting it well, but by far it's the easiest club in my bag to hit. 

You mentioned loosening your grip. But did you keep your forearms relaxed? Did you maintain the 'loose grip' or did it just FEEL like you did. I started smashing my drives solidly once I intensely focused on staying relaxed in my upper body. But I digress. You will find excellent assistance here...especially in the 'My Swing Thread' area.

Welcome!

[RandallT]

I can PM you tmw to sort out the threads and how we can shift to a "My Swing" thread. That's a great starting point. It has definitely helped in my journey. 

Some use it with their own instructor and just log their efforts. Some use it to get pointers/advice. Whatever makes sense for you- and we each take ownership of it to best be of use.

And yes, if you stick around long enough and dig into various threads, you'll see lots of support for the idea that youtube hunting is likely not going to help you break through to be as good as you can be. Some may benefit, but the trick is diagnosing which piece is most important for your swing. That needs an expert. I know I couldn't do it. 

Trick is finding a good instructor that guides you correctly!

From this, I'd suggest a couple things:

1. reading up on the correct camera angles when you post videos.

2. Check if you are cupping your wrists. I believe the club is a tad more open here than it should be at this point in the swing, and cupping the wrists can contribute to that.

(I could be wrong- and you should treat my advice like you would a YouTube video!  Some of the challenge in a "my swing" thread is to filter the tips you get, so this is just practice for you!)

[Buckeyebowman]

Don't feel too bad, jcs. The club you're having the most trouble with is the hardest club in the bag to hit straight! It has the least loft, which introduces the added benefit of producing more side spin than any other club!

When I started out I had a slice that would cross 2 fairways! My Dad and I would watch my drive sail over the trees into oblivion and he would ask me, "What on earth are you doing?" I had no idea. I was just trying to hit the ball!

Eventually I figured it out, and you can too. I might suggest that you throttle back on the YouTube stuff. There are a million guys out there, all with different ideas and it's easy to get confused. Find one instructor, or set of instructions that you like and go with that for a while until you decide whether it works or not. These changes don't happen overnight. This is a great place to do that.

[Jack Watson]

Post in member swings from decent angles!

Root cause of where you get to at top which is difficult to recover from is your WAY inside takeaway direction.

It starts in the takeaway imo.

the instructor you had was probably right.

 

Edited March 25, 2017 by Jack Watson

[HitAndGiggle]

The driver is an adventure for most. For me, utilizing a very good instructor helped a lot. Your swing looks pretty good. You, however, have the same little glitch I do - a bit over the top, and your takeaway plane appears a little flat. I did away with the flat takeaway this winter but am still over the top a bit. My answer is to do what you already do - drop the back foot back a couple inches. You're really close. But, understand that the driver is a conundrum for most of us mortals. 

[jcspigler2010]

Thank you everyone for your responses!  I'm pumped to be part of this community!

Yes, I still fight a too far inside take away.  Something i work on every day. One thing i notice though, it seems if I try to keep the club out in front of me longer,  my swing becomes disconnected from the rest of my body and I end up coming over the top.  Any suggestions on how to overcome or work on this would be awesome! 

Vinsk,  I actually do keep my forearms a bit rigid,  especially my left one.  In my mind I'm trying to keep this perfectly straight left arm to prevent the dreaded chicken wing.  I'll work on relaxing not only my hands but also my forearms. 

Oh and find a decent instructor that can not only show me what I'm doing wrong but ways to work to solving if :)

[Patch]

As many have posted above, the driver is tough club to use for all, but the better players. 

I carry a driver, but use it sparingly. Only time I use it is when I have ample room to land the ball in. My problem is, because it feels more "bulky", I tend to try and swing it faster, than I normally do with my other clubs. I also tend to grip down on the shaft  for a feel of better control when swinging it. If not for the cool looking "Big Dog" head cover I have on it, I'd probably remove it from my bag altogether. 

My 3 wood gets much more use than my driver. It's not that much shorter in distance, and it is easier to swing. Gives me more confidence on those narrow fairways I tend to see a lot of. 

[Typhoon92]

First off..u sound like mostly self taught and that video, man u did a great job teaching yourself.  You look to be maybe athletic anyway.

A face on angle would be great to see ball position which  could have something to do with the chicken wing.  Set up looks great, might be a bit flat going back since the butt of the shaft points outside the ball in one of the thread photos.  

For now, maybe stick with 3 wood off the tee.  Some instructors are good with video only, some are not.  Tell us where u live, maybe someone here knows someone for u.  

[Pete F]

I'd try 2 things first is a can of dr scholl aerosol foot powder spray, spray it on the face of your driver and make sure you're hitting the sweet spot.

second is try hitting your driver only 50 yards with a slow full swing adjust till you get face and path right then go for a hundred then 150 etc

both of these are from the little red book by Harvey Penick the powder one has a modern touch?

[JonMA1]

I agree with what others have said. The issues showing up on video and the description of your iron play indicates you will be fine once you get some quality, focused instruction. The only advice I can give is to not try too many fixes at once and to be patient. Get a priority piece to work on and give it a lot of focus and time before moving on to another. There is rarely a quick fix IMO.

Welcome to the site @jcspigler2010 and good luck!

[nevets88]

Is that some kind of wide angle lens? Maybe that's why the distortion?

[jcspigler2010]

@Typhoon92

My friend suggested his instructor.   Says she did wonders for his swing. Tiffany Faucette at 1757 golf club.  She was the lead lpga instructor in 2014.  Thanks For the compliments!   I have been digging it out of the dirt for a while.   Still A long way to go.

@nevets88

Nope . Cell phone propped up on a bag clip

 

[Jack Watson]

Good call on in person pro instruction.

[mvmac]

@jcspigler2010, the takeaway is going to look more inside than it actually is because of the camera angle. Good article to check out. Also try to post a face-on if you can.

https://thesandtrap.com/b/playing_tips/filming_your_swing

With your swing your head moves down and towards the ball quite a bit on the backswing and it looks like the arms get too far "behind you". So when you change your distance to the ball you're going to have the chicken wing in order to avoid hit the ground. There will also be path consequences if your weight is falling forward. You can see on the followthrough how you're trying to balance yourself.

Here's how I'd start to go about changing things, can do this at home. Set-up facing a wall with your forehead an inch or so away. Make practice backswings with your hands on your shoulders. Feel what you need to do to make sure the head doesn't contact the wall. Then film yourself practicing that feel with a club in your hands and see if/how that changes the picture. Use that feel when you're hitting balls.

On the range I would do the drill, hit a couple balls, do the drill, hit a couple balls, etc.

Start a swing thread a post yourself doing the drill or working on the feel with a club.

I'd be happy to share some possible "feels" but want to see a face-on swing first (swing thread would be best).