Not sure where to go on my driver swing... because it's good??

[jkelley9]

Lol @ my thread title.

But seriously I think I have a strange thing going on: I'm hitting my drives FANTASTIC. Not just one day, not two days, but for 3-4 weeks now, several rounds (10+ rounds). It is absolutely the strongest part of my game. Consistently 250 yards now (maybe 240 carry, sometimes I can roll out to 280+ on a flat landing spot on winter dead bermuda turf). And I'm getting good numbers on that because I'm walking out my ball and I'm playing with low handicappers on the weekends who also drive it ~250 yards and my ball is constantly next to theirs now. 

"So what's weird about that, jkelley?? (you boasting jerk!)"

I'm SERIOUSLY only taking a HALF swing. Not a 3/4 swing. A half swing. I'm not swinging hard, either. My grip is light and loose. I hit anything between a very light draw to a moderate cut but I'm on target very often. 

A talked to a guy in my group (0-5 HC depending on season) that I play with often and he says my swing looks good but he also noticed it's super weird because it's super short. I noticed it myself after coming back from last season, but I honestly don't feel like changing it.

At my best (end of last season) I was shooting low 80's on easier courses. I'm thinking with a 250 yard drive (and having read LSW) that maybe I should just keep this swing for now and focus on other areas of my game? Maybe (BIG "IF") I get my game down to low single digits HC and then look at increasing my driving distance? LSW (if I'm remembering correctly) said something like 250 y drives are average for low single digits? 

I'm 5' 7", 160 lbs, relatively athletic, with a tm R1 @ 10 degrees, stiff, cut down 3/4" from standard.

In summary: Fix my swing now? Fix it later? Ride it out as long as possible?

[phillyk]

Stop over-thinking it.  Jon Rahm, who hits ball a mile, doesn't get close to parallel on back swing.  If that half swing is keeping you relatively long and straight, stop thinking about the length of swing and work on other aspects of the game.

[jkelley9]

1 hour ago, phillyk said:

Stop over-thinking it.  Jon Rahm, who hits ball a mile, doesn't get close to parallel on back swing.  If that half swing is keeping you relatively long and straight, stop thinking about the length of swing and work on other aspects of the game.

Cool I'm glad to hear that. And I just youtube'd Jon Rahm's driver swing. Very interesting :) I'm glad to hear your response because honestly, I'd like to "fuggedaboutit" too.  It feels good, seems consistent, and most importantly I believe it's good for my back. I don't have any major back problems but I don't want to have any in my future so I have always stressed to my instructor that I was an easy swing on my back. My driver swing right now feels effortless.

[Hatchman]

Keep it up.  Doesn't have to long to be strong.   Keep working to get longer though with the help of the better swing doctors here. 

[DaveP043]

1 hour ago, jkelley9 said:

In summary: Fix my swing now? Fix it later? Ride it out as long as possible?

If you're hitting it consistently in play, and 240 carry, I don't see a lot to fix.  If you're working with an instructor, keep doing what he tells you to do.  Its all about priorities, and driving the ball sound like it should be real high on your list of things to fix.

[Hategolf]

I'm done with the good looking swing crap. If it is fundamentally sound and it works I would keep it. But what if a longer swing could give you 270 instead? ...sorry I could not resist. 

 

[jkelley9]

1 hour ago, DaveP043 said:

If you're hitting it consistently in play, and 240 carry, I don't see a lot to fix.  If you're working with an instructor, keep doing what he tells you to do.  Its all about priorities, and driving the ball sound like it should be real high on your list of things to fix.

Do you mean *shouldn't*?

44 minutes ago, Hategolf said:

I'm done with the good looking swing crap. If it is fundamentally sound and it works I would keep it. But what if a longer swing could give you 270 instead? ...sorry I could not resist. 

Of course that's popped into my head. The basic physics of it all. A longer swing should mean I should be able to generate more club head speed and thus, distance. Unfortunately that's just not in my wheelhouse right now. I can't hit NEARLY as far of a drive with a full swing even when I feel like I pure'd it. I must be losing my tempo and the club head is lagging behind my body/arms. And I miss a lot more. 

I think right now I'll just be satisfied with my current swing. It makes a lot of course shorter as is. A lot of low irons and wedges into greens from the mens tees (6,000-6,400 yards) so I think that's gravy.

[DaveP043]

Just now, jkelley9 said:

Do you mean *shouldn't*?

Oops, and its too late to edit.  At least you got my point.

[David in FL]

Ah crap.  You've made the biggest mistake possible in golf.  You expressed, out loud, that you've made a break through and have either figured something out, or fixed something.  The golf gods will now hand you a beat down of epic proportions.  Guaranteed.

[Grinde6]

I would say keep it as is.  Like you said, you are a lower double digit handicap (I presume since you said you were shooting in the low 80s last year at best) hitting low single digit handicap driving yardage...nothing wrong with that at all.  Use the time to work on those shorter irons you have into the greens to tighten up the shot zone and you may just be single digit soon!

Good Luck!

[Hategolf]

2 hours ago, David in FL said:

Ah crap.  You've made the biggest mistake possible in golf.  You expressed, out loud, that you've made a break through and have either figured something out, or fixed something.  The golf gods will now hand you a beat down of epic proportions.  Guaranteed.

That's..so true!...yet I make the same mistake every time..

[Vinsk]

jkelley9, Enjoy it while it lasts.

[Hacker James]

ditto on all the above..."If'n it ain't broke, don't try an fixit".  Often times my game is frustrating in that I can get my driver and fairway metals to work great, but the irons suffer. Other times it is just the opposite and for no apparent reason. I could be going along making pathetic shots, and out of nowhere, I start striping them. As for your half swing, it could also be that you are using other levers such as hand/wrist more efficiently. Obviously, or perhaps not so, you are making good contact.