A few driver questions

[Grieve14]

I have struggled with driving in the past, but last week I got a Cobra Fly Z and I am hitting it long and straight every time. This is both a combination of the club and swing changes. There's a few things I have always been told and heard others being told that I decided to have a play with and found better results when not doing what is necessarily the 'done thing'.

1)
I have always been told in lessons, and seen on youtube etc, that the ball should be right up in your stance, opposite your left foot (for R/H golfer). I guess this is to promote an upward angle of attack? But surely this also promotes an out to in swing as the ball is further forward on the swing arc? I have always hit the ball high, and my miss is a high slice. My drives would always launch very high and I believe I lost distance through this. I cranked my driver all the way down to its lowest setting of 9* to try and combat this but it didn't really make that much difference.

I then tried moving the ball back in my stance, to around the middle of halfway and my left foot, maybe even a little more towards center. I am now hitting my drives with a penetrating flight and they either go straight or with a slight draw. Moving the ball back in the stance has promoted a more neutral or even in to out swing plane as the ball is struck earlier on the swing arc.

So why is the ball so commonly instructed to be placed so far forward?

2)
Should your iron and driver grip be the same?

I don't struggle with my irons really, it was only my driver. I have since strengthened my left hand on my driver and also use the 'short thumb' grip which seems to have helped hugely - but I do not, and cant do this when hitting irons - it just doesn't feel right, but I also don't have any need to as my irons go fine. I also have a slightly different grip when hitting my hybrids when compared to my irons and driver (more of a neutral/weakened grip)

Does anyone else grip differently for their irons and woods?


I sort of feel like I am getting good results but in the 'wrong' way for some reason, but then after so long of terrible drives I think I couldn't care less how I get the results as long as they are the right results!

I am interested to know if other play the driver more towards middle of their stance and if they play different clubs with different grips!

 

[Tashyboy]

Re grip, the same for both irons and woods. Seems to work well making sure I don't grip to tight.
re driver. When I bought the Ping G30, when trialing it I shuffled the ball left and right and found a happy medium, and it works. When I hit the SLDR well it went well. When I didn't, the results were awful, but that was all to often. With the Ping the bad shots are more forgiving than the SLDR bad shots.
Having watched all my PP driving, they all do it differently, but we are all differant shapes and sizes. A PP is struggling massively with his driving and it is painful to watch but he is trying to hit the ball 250 yd plus to keep up with two other PP and it just ain't gonna happen.
RE your getting good results, but the "alleged" wrong way, that would not bother me one bit, every golf mag analyses a pros drive every month and they are all differant.

keep knocking it down the middle👍

 

[road2ruin]

RE your getting good results, but the "alleged" wrong way, that would not bother me one bit, every golf mag analyses a pros drive every month and they are all differant.

/\ This. I think people can get too hung up on the 'perfect' swing etc etc when they have a perfectly decent game working with their 'flaws'. I've seen very decent golfers who've had lessons to try and get rid of their faults (that they've played successfully with for years) end up worse golfers because of it. If it ain't broke don't try and fix it!

 

[UlyssesSky]

My grip for irons and driver is mostly the same. If at all, my right hand is a little stronger with my driver, this comes from tilting my spine more away from the target, which brings the right hand more under the club (if that makes any sense..)


Regarding the ball position: putting the ball more to the middle of the stance may be a work around that helps masking your problem. Your high slice could be the result of the ball being too far left and you hitting up too much while the club head is already on the way back from out to in at the end of your downswing... However, I doubt that's the case.


I'm not a teaching pro and have never seen you swing, but I've had similar problems. The out-to-in swing path could have nothing to do with your ball position (remember, most tour players have the ball pretty far left and still hit it from the inside) but with your downswing being too steep. If you come in steep, from the outside and with an open club face the resulting shot will be a high slice. The open club face means you present more loft to the ball and hitting down on it increases spin.

I'm not sure why having the ball further right helps (maybe it tricks your brain into flattening your swing), but I tried the same thing. When I finally went to see a pro one of the first things he did was put the ball back further left. The reason (besides the better / more positive angle of attack) is quite simple - having the ball further left means you have more time to square your club face.

So I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong, but it could be a workaround rather than a solution, which means the problem could return anytime soon, plus I'd guess you might be losing distance with your "penetrating" ball flight with the driver.
If it works, it works, but seeing a pro and checking you've acutally solved the problem may be a good idea nonetheless...

 

[Grieve14]

My grip for irons and driver is mostly the same. If at all, my right hand is a little stronger with my driver, this comes from tilting my spine more away from the target, which brings the right hand more under the club (if that makes any sense..)


Regarding the ball position: putting the ball more to the middle of the stance may be a work around that helps masking your problem. Your high slice could be the result of the ball being too far left and you hitting up too much while the club head is already on the way back from out to in at the end of your downswing... However, I doubt that's the case.


I'm not a teaching pro and have never seen you swing, but I've had similar problems. The out-to-in swing path could have nothing to do with your ball position (remember, most tour players have the ball pretty far left and still hit it from the inside) but with your downswing being too steep. If you come in steep, from the outside and with an open club face the resulting shot will be a high slice. The open club face means you present more loft to the ball and hitting down on it increases spin.

I'm not sure why having the ball further right helps (maybe it tricks your brain into flattening your swing), but I tried the same thing. When I finally went to see a pro one of the first things he did was put the ball back further left. The reason (besides the better / more positive angle of attack) is quite simple - having the ball further left means you have more time to square your club face.

So I'm not saying what you're doing is wrong, but it could be a workaround rather than a solution, which means the problem could return anytime soon, plus I'd guess you might be losing distance with your "penetrating" ball flight with the driver.
If it works, it works, but seeing a pro and checking you've acutally solved the problem may be a good idea nonetheless...

Its interesting as in my head i feel the opposite to a lot of that. Like giving the club head more time to close - because it has so much longer to close I either close to much and hook it badly or try to compensate for it and leave it open. It seems having it in a more central position I close the face at the same rate as the other clubs and it seems to work. And also the positive angle of attack - I dont know i need more of this haha my drives when setting up 'as taught' go extremely high and just drop with a steep descent angle causing little roll out, whereas a more middle ball position had the same carry but then had a lot of run out too. I definitely wasn't losing distance with the penetrating flight thats for sure. My previous driving average on Game golf was 219 yards - with these changes I was around 240.

I had a lesson a while back that seemed to help my driving momentarily (setting up with ball in front of left foot) but over time it went back to my high slice again. I guess what I'm saying is: is there more ways than the right way to get the right result?

 

[UlyssesSky]

is there more ways than the right way to get the right result?

There are many right ways, just not THE right way. Whatever works, works.

Mind if I ask what the pro changed in your lesson that helped (momentarily) with your driving?

 

[Grieve14]

There are many right ways, just not THE right way. Whatever works, works.

Mind if I ask what the pro changed in your lesson that helped (momentarily) with your driving?

He had me working on the release, standing a little further from the ball and moving the ball further forward in my stance. I can still drive like this but I just dont seem as consistent.

 

[bobmac]

Do you take divots after the ball with your irons?

 

[Grieve14]

Do you take divots after the ball with your irons?

Not so much. I am working on strike with my irons though

 

[bobmac]

A bit of a guess without seeing your swing but.......
I'd say you have little or no weight transfer into impact with most of your weight between the middle and back foot. That means the bottom of your swing arc is too far back. By moving the ball back in the stance, it matches up with the arc and in this case, two wrongs make a right

With the irons not being teed up as the driver is, the contact is always going to be a bit hit and miss with the weight so far back..........hence no divots

 

[Grieve14]

A bit of a guess without seeing your swing but.......
I'd say you have little or no weight transfer into impact with most of your weight between the middle and back foot. That means the bottom of your swing arc is too far back. By moving the ball back in the stance, it matches up with the arc and in this case, two wrongs make a right

With the irons not being teed up as the driver is, the contact is always going to be a bit hit and miss with the weight so far back..........hence no divots

This makes perfect sense and you are probably spot on. I dont feel like i shift my weight forward at impact, more keeping it about 50/50 so I guess you are right with why that makes my drives seem better with the ball further back in my stance. So as I learn to shift my weight I guess I will probably find i need to move that ball further forward again?

what decent drills are out there to help shift weight into impact?

 

[bobmac]

what decent drills are out there to help shift weight into impact?

Put the ball back where it was

 

[bobmac]

For your irons.....
Place 2 balls on the mat/grass as shown below and try and hit the front ball without hitting the back ball. You could substitute the back ball with something softer/safer........a cap, headcover, rolled up towel etc

[video=youtube;bJ2oBmW37eY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ2oBmW37eY&index=11&list=PL7Uf2W3sfvqYBJ3 OUldKvQT7ZWYEmPOyW[/video]

 

[Grieve14]

Put the ball back where it was

Damn you!! just as I have started hitting it straight!!

For your irons.....
Place 2 balls on the mat/grass as shown below and try and hit the front ball without hitting the back ball. You could substitute the back ball with something softer/safer........a cap, headcover, rolled up towel etc

[video=youtube;bJ2oBmW37eY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ2oBmW37eY&index=11&list=PL7Uf2W3sfvqYBJ3 OUldKvQT7ZWYEmPOyW[/video]

I just came across a variation of this too so will definitely give this a go next time I'm at the range, thanks

 

[UlyssesSky]

He had me working on the release, standing a little further from the ball and moving the ball further forward in my stance. I can still drive like this but I just dont seem as consistent.

Don't mean to be a smart *ss, but if he had you working on your release it sounds like you acutally did have problems squaring the club face...

This all sounds really familiar - working on weight shift, swing path and release are things I get told to do on a regular basis...

 

[Grieve14]

Don't mean to be a smart *ss, but if he had you working on your release it sounds like you acutally did have problems squaring the club face...

This all sounds really familiar - working on weight shift, swing path and release are things I get told to do on a regular basis...

Yes I did have problems squaring the club face - this was about 7 months ago.

 

[UlyssesSky]

He had me working on the release, standing a little further from the ball and moving the ball further forward in my stance. I can still drive like this but I just dont seem as consistent.

Yes I did have problems squaring the club face - this was about 7 months ago.

Sounds like you're a couple of months ahead of me - challenge accepted! :fore:

 

[davemc1]

Sounds like you're a couple of months ahead of me - challenge accepted! :fore:

just pull the ball back a few inches, saved yourself 2 months worth of agony :whoo:

 

[Sweep]

For your irons.....
Place 2 balls on the mat/grass as shown below and try and hit the front ball without hitting the back ball. You could substitute the back ball with something softer/safer........a cap, headcover, rolled up towel

Just don't substitute the back ball with the something important like I did. Very embarrasing when the whole range has to close to allow you to retrieve the car key / alarm fob you just launched down range. Yes, it's true. Yes, they do go further than a golf ball. Yes, it did shatter into a million pieces leaving me stranded at the range and locked out of my car.