"Drive the spike" -- What's the supposed to mean?

[scotth]

While warming up on the range yesterday a father was teaching his young son, around 11 I would guess, and kept telling him to "drive the spike" and not "chop wood".

Of course, because I am goofy that way, I spent most of my round trying to figure out what drive the spike meant, do I do that, or should I be doing that.  Which is exactly why I try not to listen to golf tips while playing because they get stuck in my head. 

So, does anybody know what the heck "drive the spike" is supposed to mean?

[mcanadiens]

The idea is that a spike (or nail as I heard it) is sticking out of the back of the ball and you want to hammer it in flush. Funny when you think about the number of nails people fold over when using an actual hammer. 

Sort of a nice sounding thing, but of limited practical use. 

[Eric C]

I'd bet money that the kid didn't know what his dad meant, and there's a really good chance the father didn't either.  It's like telling someone "keep your head down".  Nonsensical advice.

FWIW, the variation I always used to hear is "hammer the nail" and generally I think it refers to hitting down on the ball as opposed to sweeping it.

[Lihu]

I remember giving stupid advice to my kids, and it was generally from their kiddy golf “instructors”... 

[Piz]

How is "driving the spike" any different than "chopping wood"?  In both examples the motion resolves/ends with contact.  The poor kid would be better off forgetting about the spike and slinging the hammer down range.  

[billchao]

1 hour ago, Eric C said:

I'd bet money that the kid didn't know what his dad meant, and there's a really good chance the father didn't either.  It's like telling someone "keep your head down".  Nonsensical advice.

I'm going with this.

[nevets88]

Swing your body, don't body your swing.

[millsan1]

1 hour ago, Piz said:

How is "driving the spike" any different than "chopping wood"?  In both examples the motion resolves/ends with contact.  The poor kid would be better off forgetting about the spike and slinging the hammer down range.  

Chopping wood is an all shoulder motion.

Driving a nail is a shoulder and elbow motion.

So driving a nail is more like a golf swing.

 

Or I could be totally wrong.  Either one.

[Patch]

As I recall, the phrase "drive the nail" was made popular by a few swing instructors way back when. It had to do with adding power to one's swing by driving the club into the back of the ball. Had something to do with getting extra power from the forearms. 

Shawn Clement is one name I remember promoting it. Another was that guy who had small baseball bat attached to the end of a practice club. Forgot his name. There were a few more. 

As with most of these "new swing" concepts we hear in golf, it was a short lived term, that was probably replaced by another one. This thread is the first I have heard the term in several years. 

Now that I think about it, someone came up with a putter that resembled a hammer, and they used the same term I believe. It was a short lived idea too. 

[Piz]

I respectfully disagree @millsan1.  After spending my working life in the construction trade I can say, without hesitation, that using a sledge, an ax, a pick, a mattock, or any two-handed implement such as a hard rake, a hoe, or shovel, is much more akin to swinging a golf club than driving nails.  The more work the legs do...the better.  

 

 

 

 

[Missouri Swede]

10 hours ago, nevets88 said:

Swing your body, don't body your swing.

Wow. That’s seems like such a malleable phrase, that I don’t even want to know what it’s supposed to mean. 

I think I’ll put that into the “kryptonite” bin, right next to “do you inhale or exhale during your swing.” 😏

[nevets88]

9 minutes ago, Missouri Swede said:

Wow. That’s seems like such a malleable phrase, that I don’t even want to know what it’s supposed to mean. 

I think I’ll put that into the “kryptonite” bin, right next to “do you inhale or exhale during your swing.” 😏

Source:

 

[dennyjones]

32 minutes ago, nevets88 said:

Source:

 

Welllllll there you go....Another ID 10 T commentator!   

[Missouri Swede]

1 hour ago, nevets88 said:

Source:

 

Not even gonna listen. LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA 

[Buckeyebowman]

12 hours ago, Piz said:

How is "driving the spike" any different than "chopping wood"?  In both examples the motion resolves/ends with contact.  The poor kid would be better off forgetting about the spike and slinging the hammer down range.  

This is great quote! Bob Toski, one of the greatest instructors golf has ever known, used to have a gigantic garbage bin full of old clubs. To teach release, he would have his students swing, with no ball in front of them, and just fling the club down range! If you could fling it on the target line, you were getting close.

Amazing how many of them flung it out to the right!

And Tom Watson used to have a saying, "kill the pig!" I never figured out what that meant either.

[iacas]

4 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

This is great quote! Bob Toski, one of the greatest instructors golf has ever known, used to have a gigantic garbage bin full of old clubs. To teach release, he would have his students swing, with no ball in front of them, and just fling the club down range! If you could fling it on the target line, you were getting close.

Amazing how many of them flung it out to the right!

Ugh.

[billchao]

14 minutes ago, Buckeyebowman said:

This is great quote! Bob Toski, one of the greatest instructors golf has ever known, used to have a gigantic garbage bin full of old clubs. To teach release, he would have his students swing, with no ball in front of them, and just fling the club down range! If you could fling it on the target line, you were getting close.

Amazing how many of them flung it out to the right!

And Tom Watson used to have a saying, "kill the pig!" I never figured out what that meant either.

I've seen that drill. This video is full of good drills like that.

 

[GolfLug]

I believe it is a poor attempt to describe a feel to keep one from scooping. I have heard Breed say it on one of his shows. He even had a footlong block of 4X2 to demonstrate.