Bit of advice please!

[nmartyn]

hi all - i bought my first driver a month or so back and have had mixed success with it. Basically very inconsistent with frequent high balls and slices.

i went into AG last night to get a new grip fitted and mentioned this to them. he took me out on the range and watched me hit a few balls and said that the club/shaft is not suited to my swing/build etc.

he's suggested coming in for a 30min session with him so he can recommend the perfect setup for me, and to be fair Taylor made were next to me in the range doing a demo and he steered me away from them.

just a bit concerned that having spent £120 on my G5 i could be being lined up for another expensive outlay!!

 

[nmartyn]

not really a question on there i guess - more me wanting some assurances as i hear a lot of negative press about AG!

he tells me its not worth changing the shaft as it will cost as much as £100, the cost of a new club

 

[TonyN]

he's suggested coming in for a 30min session with him so he can recommend the perfect setup for me, and to be fair Taylor made were next to me in the range doing a demo and he steered me away from them.

You obviously view this in some kind of positive light, Why?

Thats exactly what demo days are for, for you to go and try all different setups to see if you can find one to suit you.

I suspect he steered you away from Taylormade because he wants to steer you towards his profits. I have been in this situation, and guess what... I ended up with a £280 FT-I which after a couple of months I couldn't hit for sh....

Is the 30 mins free? Or only if you buy a club?

Why not book your self in for a lesson with your local pro and see if he cant get you hitting that club better, it will cost you what? £15 quid? It may save you a couple of hundred. If your local pro says the same thing then yeah, bite the bullet and go looking.

 

[Herbie]

hi all - i bought my first driver a month or so back and have had mixed success with it. Basically very inconsistent with frequent high balls and slices.

i went into AG last night to get a new grip fitted and mentioned this to them. he took me out on the range and watched me hit a few balls and said that the club/shaft is not suited to my swing/build etc.

he's suggested coming in for a 30min session with him so he can recommend the perfect setup for me, and to be fair Taylor made were next to me in the range doing a demo and he steered me away from them.

just a bit concerned that having spent £120 on my G5 i could be being lined up for another expensive outlay!!

What formula did whoever it was, give you which suggested the shaft on your club is wrong for your swing?

Reshafting is a very popular enterprise these days it seems.
It appears easy to get people to reshaft (in doing so completely change the club you faithfully bought) but more difficult to get you to dump a club thats no good for you and buy a new one. ££££££££££££££ Keep business flowing by shafting you no doubt?

The wrong type of shaft or the right kind of shaft has almost f*** all to do with your golf problem with a driver in my view.Your swing,grip,stance need addressing long before anyone tells you its a shaft type problem.

When I read through here often I think, hang on a minute, if I get these shafts, that club head, these balls , those shoes and glove I will be playing off scratch the next time I play????????Improvements can be made with technology but in very minute ways and many of those improvements rarely benefit most golfers, though they often think they do. If a chap has suggested your problems lie with the wrong type of shaft for you, then you are being shafted. If you do it and correct the probs you listed, it will be because you have changed, not the club.

You have to be aware that re-shafting is more a modern day fashion/trend and very good business. 30 yrs ago I never heard of anyone having clubs re-shafted unless broken, now you will hear people talking about it all the time.

Im not saying this issue has no value, as in the right hands can show noticeable improvement and benefit, what I am saying is that it has little value to most but a significant cost. If you cant sell someone a new driver for 150 quid, at least give them a shafting for 30.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Have to say you missed out. I went to a TM demo day and spent 45 minutes with a the launch monitor equipment. Not only did he look at what I'm playing with but went on to work out what I would need if if I wanted a TM Burner. I thought I'd be standard regular graphite (mid-kick) but turns out I am in the lightest of their stiff range and that their regular was too whippy for me.

He may have been trying to do you a favour by not letting you become influenced by the TM guy and to keep your options open but I'm not convinced. If the session is free then there is nothing to lose particularly if you can make a not of your spin rates, launch angle etc and his recommendation and then take them to a club pro and hit some balls with him and see if he corroborates the findings. If you are unconvinced maybe a lesson or two will help you fall in love with your G5 again.

 

[nmartyn]

well he did give me advice and worked with me there and then on my swing and stance - i've been playing for 6months, had about 5 lessons early on but only ever with my irons - never with a driver/wood. he said i was striking the ball to deeply (i.e. same swing as per my irons) and standing too far away from the ball/swinging too fast.
these changes improved my slice straight away but the ball was still going very high.
my G5 has the standard shaft which (he says) is suited to older players who need the extra whip to generate power. but for me (29yrs old, 16stone) it will flex too much as i generate a lot of power which makes it launch high and makes me inconsistent. which is definately the case as my drives can be perfect... or erratic.
the 30min session is free, he said he has a few clubs in mind with the right setup so i can try them and he can suggest the perfect one for me.
i'm not going to simply go for whatever he says but if i can get an idea of what suits at least i can shop around?

 

[Herbie]

well he did give me advice and worked with me there and then on my swing and stance - i've been playing for 6months, had about 5 lessons early on but only ever with my irons - never with a driver/wood. he said i was striking the ball to deeply (i.e. same swing as per my irons) and standing too far away from the ball/swinging too fast.
these changes improved my slice straight away but the ball was still going very high.
my G5 has the standard shaft which (he says) is suited to older players who need the extra whip to generate power. but for me (29yrs old, 16stone) it will flex too much as i generate a lot of power which makes it launch high and makes me inconsistent. which is definately the case as my drives can be perfect... or erratic.
the 30min session is free, he said he has a few clubs in mind with the right setup so i can try them and he can suggest the perfect one for me.
i'm not going to simply go for whatever he says but if i can get an idea of what suits at least i can shop around?

doesnt sound right to me Im afraid.

 

[nmartyn]

why?
my knowledge is limited but i do know that my pro told me to upgrade from my graphite irons asap when i started lessons with him and they improved my game enormously straight away.
so from what he's telling me it does make sense - a lighter shaft will bend more than a stiffer one, so the harder/longer the swing is the more it will bend and the more scope for inconsistent ball striking?

 

[TonyN]

There is only 1 option here worth taking and that is GET LESSONS. You will not improve with out them.

Your local pro will correct everything from the grip, alignment, stance, swing, follow through and finish if any or all of these points need addressing.

If you go and buy a driver with a stiffer flex, sure you might eradicate the slice a little or launch the ball a bit better but there is no miracle club that will do this forever.

Things like tempo and plane adjustments will give you far better results within days than a 'less whippy' club will in weeks. Beleive me.

You could go get a club, it may be fine and then you decide to go and get lessons. You will more than likely find that after the lessons, the club will not suit you anymore, and guess what, your in the same situaion again, £200 worse off.

Go get the lessons, learn the basics, get the swing right,grooved and settled, then go get properly fit for a driver!

 

[markwarne]

I would definitely try a lesson with a pro whose sole focus is not to be selling a club and boosting commission.

My lessons with my pro have suggested that - within reason - I could hit any driver and get a similar result. As a few have said, its all about set up, take away, plane, and follow through.

When you have these sorted out with the club you have, at least then you are in a position to make more of an informed decision on whether to part with your hard earned or not.

As a final note, I have a mate who is on his 3rd driver because his 1st and 2nd were not right for him. I have used all 3 three and hit them all consistently well.

Makes you think!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I have to agree that in the long run a solid repeatable swing will save you from any more expensive heartache. If you get the basics sorted out and can hit 6/10 drives well then you'll be in a position to look again. I think a lot is made about flex etc and whilst I agree that it is an important component there is a lot of rubbish spoken about it (particularly from some sales guys in places like Nevada Bob I have met who have no idea about how a club works).

At the end of the day it is your choice. I guess there is no harm in having the 30 minute session and seeing what comes of it as you will have an idea of clubhead speed, spin rates etc. However if you want my opinion, I'd get lessons before parting with any cash for a shiny new stick

 

[USER1999]

To start with, a whippy shaft will hook, not slice. If you slice, it will be worse with a stiff shaft.

If you're coming down into the back of the ball (like an iron), you need to flatten out your swing, and sweep the ball away. This has nothing to do with the shaft.

Drivers are still one of the hardest clubs to hit, despite the big heads, and all the technology. The lower loft makes them harder to hit straight. You need to accept that if you have only been playing for 6 months, you aren't going to be pinging every drive 250 down the middle with a slight draw. When I learnt golf, it took years before you put a driver in the bag, now everyone wants one straight away.

I would keep the G5 (they are good clubs), the regular flex should be fine (a mate of mine has one, plays off 4, hits it miles) for most swings. Just learn how to hit it properly.

 

[need_my_wedge]

Why not book your self in for a lesson with your local pro and see if he cant get you hitting that club better, it will cost you what? £15 quid? It may save you a couple of hundred. If your local pro says the same thing then yeah, bite the bullet and go looking.

What Tony said.

Seriously, If you've only been playing for 6 months and can't nail that driver yet, I wouldn't worry too much, lessons would be the best way to improve. I've been playing for 27 years (albeit just back after a 10 year hiatus), and still can't nail my driver everytime.

When I started playing again last summer, I sliced my drives horribly. Went and got custom fitted, wound up with a Srixon, but it was horrible, couldn't get on with it, so I changed to a Cobra (after testing one on the range and seeing it do better), but guess what, took it out on the course and it sliced just as badly and just as often as the Srixon. Went to my local pro and asked him to teach me how to use the driver, now hit a lot more fairways (the fairway that I'm supposed to be playing ), and hit it further than I ever hit a driver before. Lessons definately the way to go before shelling out more cash on shiny bits.

Incidentally, I went on the range a few weeks back with my son after taking him round the local pitch and putt, didn't have my driver with me, so borrowed a Ping driver from the pro shop, absolutely loved it, straighter and further than my Cobra, at least on the range, would consider buying one once my handicap comes down a bit more. Maybe go for another custom fit next summer ...........

 

[viscount17]

G5 is a good club and unless you are swinging very fast it makes no sense. The G5 had a variety of shafts (TFC, Aldila, Grafalloy) but with any the Regular should be good for a swing speed up to 90/95.

That said I can hit a G5 but not a G10 so I suppose a mismatch is possible.

However go see an independent pro (not at a sales outlet) - it might cost a bit now but also might save you more.

 

[TonyN]

I think the problem with most begginers is they try to hit the ball as hard as they can because they want the drive to go as far as possible. I could stick a stiff flex shaft in a driver, Swing at 110mph and say this is the shaft for me, but I wont be hitting many fairways because my plane, timing and technique would all be out.

What you should really be doing is swinging within your self. Once I learnt to swing slower, and control my actions, I found I could drive pretty well. Not very long but I hit most fairways nowadays and its better to be short in the short stuff than long in the long stuff.

Please, dont be tempted by a new big dog, The lessons will improve your game 10 fold. You will thank us one day if you take the advice.

Think about it, we are not here to make money, the guy at AG is.

 

[Herbie]

why?
my knowledge is limited but i do know that my pro told me to upgrade from my graphite irons asap when i started lessons with him and they improved my game enormously straight away.
so from what he's telling me it does make sense - a lighter shaft will bend more than a stiffer one, so the harder/longer the swing is the more it will bend and the more scope for inconsistent ball striking?

Well a slice and a lofted shot can often come from the same stable. An open face at point of contact can do this as can an out to in swing pattern. Add a whippy shaft to this mix and it all depends on the point you create the flex in the club that will affect the point it strikes the ball. You may be lucky simply through newness, but you may also increase the problem too. The probs you have listed cannot always be sorted overnight, if you change the shaft now without careful trials, then 6 weeks down the line you could be hitting worse than ever. What I always suggest to people with the problems you listed is reduce your back swing a little and move the ball just a couple of CM towards the left foot in the stance(if right handed) to see if it worsens, if it does then move the ball the same distance closer to right foot. Thats all I would say on here for now as I cannot see you.A lot of golf probs can be sorted with the most minute of adjustments, having a club reshafted as a suggested cure is neither minor nor cheap to me. the only time I would suggest a club was wrong, is if it was too long or short for the player and that hasnt been suggested in any analysis format.

As far as your pro and graphite shafts improving your game go, did he say, buy these and your game will improve, or did lessons tips and practice come along with that too? What was your estimated or known h/c before the graphite clubs and what was it after.? Golf is one game where the proof of the pudding is in the eating. I used to play with a chap who spent nearly a £1000 on his clubs and took lesson after lesson with them, he had only heaps of praise for his wonderful pro who sold them to him and praised his lessons too.6 months after buying these graphites his pro told him he was now ready for a nice set of fat shafts, that he dutifully bought and again told me how good his pro was etc. When I pointed out to him that he arrived at the club with a 22 h/c and one year, 30 lessons and 1500 quids worth of clubs later, he is still 22 h/c, he was still adamant that the pro was good and the kit was worth it and improved his game??? Its good to feel good about golf, but I am happy to feel crap about a shot if they lower my h/c

 

[TonyN]

Nmartyn, Just out of curiosity, would it be possible to see how you set up with a driver? Front view. Can you get any pictures up. A video would be even better.

 

[nmartyn]

thanks all - plan of action:
1/ go see the guy tomorrow night, take what is in effect a free lesson as he was giving me pointers on my swing/stance etc last night and will do the same tomorrow.
2/ see what he has to say in terms of the right club for me
3/ DON'T buy one, will leave the credit card at home
4/ when my G5 comes back from having a new grip fitted (the standard one was way too thin for me so hoped this may help things) i'll spend some serious time on the range and see my pro for a lesson
5/ buy a new driver in the sales

cheers all.

 

[nmartyn]

a mate did do one on youtube... one sec, can't access at work but will see if i can get someone to send me the URL.

nigel

 

[TWM]

nmartin,
You say this is your first driver. Well, the driver isn't the easiest club to hit so I suggest you try to get used to it first before changing. The suggestions about more lessons are very good. Your pro. will tell you if you ought to buy another driver and will probably lend you one to try out.