Trying to improve

[mike4625]

Hello all I am brand new to the site looking for a bit of advice. I am a 24 handicap and I'm trying to lower that this year. My biggest problem is getting off of the tee, I will typically  hit an iron off of the tee and the past 3 years I have been using my hybrid which I hit pretty consistently but occasionally will hit the ground before the ball and hit a grounder. My irons i hit pretty well for the most part with exception to my short game which i am working on. This year I would love to not be afraid to hit my driver. I recently watched a youtube video that said a big problem hes seen is people lining right up with their driver and to set your line up 4 inches behind the ball. I ran to the range after work and used this technique and for the first time ever made good contact with my driver however I was hitting them straight right. I felt that I was lined up for dead center of the range and they were not curving at all  just going well right. This to me was a step in the right direction as before I couldnt even get the ball in the air with a driver I would either hit grounders or hook it straight left and almost kill the people in the cart behind me so i am wondering what I can try next. I do not believe my grip is the problem I know i should probably try to get a video of my swing next and i have been told that i often am seen breaking my wrists to much. Thankful for any advice!

[Piz]

The most common misconception in golf is that the farther you want the ball to go the harder you have to swing.  Longer clubs achieve greater club head speeds all by themselves and do not require additional effort on the part of the operator.  Trying to give it "something extra" nearly always upsets the swing and results in less, not more, distance.  For that reason; most people new to the game will hit a wall, distance wise, along about the 7 iron.  Beyond that; the swing gradually falls apart.  The "trick" is to get your head around the idea that it takes no more effort to hit the ball 100 yards as it does to hit the ball 200 yards...provided you are not attempting both shots with the same club.

[mike4625]

Thank you appreciate the reply, i did notice i was swinging the club harder than i normally do ill try to control that tomorrow when i go. i was just so excited i was getting it in the air for once. I do notice i hit my irons much further if i shorten my swing and not swing as hard so i will try to incorporate that and see what happens. 

[dennyjones]

15 hours ago, mike4625 said:

Hello all I am brand new to the site looking for a bit of advice. I am a 24 handicap and I'm trying to lower that this year. My biggest problem is getting off of the tee, I will typically  hit an iron off of the tee and the past 3 years I have been using my hybrid which I hit pretty consistently but occasionally will hit the ground before the ball and hit a grounder. My irons i hit pretty well for the most part with exception to my short game which i am working on. This year I would love to not be afraid to hit my driver. I recently watched a youtube video that said a big problem hes seen is people lining right up with their driver and to set your line up 4 inches behind the ball. I ran to the range after work and used this technique and for the first time ever made good contact with my driver however I was hitting them straight right. I felt that I was lined up for dead center of the range and they were not curving at all  just going well right. This to me was a step in the right direction as before I couldnt even get the ball in the air with a driver I would either hit grounders or hook it straight left and almost kill the people in the cart behind me so i am wondering what I can try next. I do not believe my grip is the problem I know i should probably try to get a video of my swing next and i have been told that i often am seen breaking my wrists to much. Thankful for any advice!

Welcome to TST.   You've come to the right place to ask questions.   Read the "How to" section and create a swing video.   You'll get plenty of free great help.  

[klineka]

Welcome! I recommend reading some of the articles in the "Swing Thoughts" section of this site. There's a ton of good information in there. 

After that, I recommend going to the "Members Swing" section and create your own thread with videos (please read the section about proper camera angles) so that others can analyze your swing and recommend the areas that you need to improve the most. It's very difficult to give generalized advice without seeing your swing.

Here's a topic about driver specifically from the Swing Thoughts section that should get you started