Hovering the driver?

[m10johnson]

Noticed a couple of tour players hover their driver above the ground level with the ball.

Anyone actually tried this? Think I might give it a go because I do sometimes catch quite high on the clubface.

 

[wolfie]

I also have seen this and the commentator said they do that to keep the ball down in the air.

 

[CrapHacker]

I used to do it because I thought it helped keep the takeaway smoother.

I was told by the pro that for most golfers it's more trouble than it's worth and to ground the club, just make sure you have the tee at the right height.

Nowadays I think he's right. There is a possibility that hovering puts more tension into the arms at address.

 

[garyinderry]

wouldnt recommend it myself. as mentioned you have to tense up the arms to hover the club plus i think it would throw my balance out. anyway. give it a bash, if it works so be it. golfs like that. if it works for you go for it!

 

[MadAdey]

I tried it before but really did not get on with it. I was told it was for creating a smoother takeaway as it is meant to force you to sweep the club back on a wider arc. When it worked yes I did hit the ball really sweet and it really smacked it out there. But on the other hand the ones that did not work could go anywhere. I did it for about a month and will never try it again. But it does work for some and you can see that by hte tour players that do it.

 

[patricks148]

I do it works for me, smoother takaway and lower spin.

 

[sona]

I do it because I tend to dip down on the shot hitting the ground hard. Lessons have not cured the problem so hover the club an inch above ground to get a good strike.

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Always do this find I get the ball too high on the club if i ground the driver off the tee and I find if I catch the ground on the start of the backswing it really puts me off.

 

[FairwayDodger]

I started it recently after reading the tip in a mag. Seems to help.

 

[One Planer]

I started it recently after reading the tip in a mag. Seems to help.

What was the tip FD?

 

[FairwayDodger]

What was the tip FD?

Errm... to hover the driver. :lol:

Might still have the mag, will try to dig it out for a more specific answer!

 

[FairwayDodger]

OK, it was a tip from Kevin Craggs in Bunkered #112

At risk of violating copyright (but with the best of intentions).....

Hover for better tempo
A golf swing is made up of various moving parts but the glue that keeps everything held together is the tempo. It is very difficult to make a smooth move away from the ball when your arms are tense and you've locked yourself into a fixed position. When using the driver, I would always recommend that you slightly "hover" the cub off the ground, which naturally softens the arms and grip pressure, allowing you to make a much smoother takeaway in the first three feet of the swing. This is the key area as it generally sets the tone for the overall temp throughout the swing.

 

[goldenbare]

Now this thread has made me think about it I realise that I hover the club on every shot.

Usual routine is, ground the club and set up for alignment and then the backswing is started from a hovered position.....Never actually thought about it till now.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I think there is a difference between hovering consciously which can induce tension, hovering where the club is barely resting on the ground (which I think most people do) and resting the driver fully on the ground with slight downward pressure (which can lead lead to fat shots).

I know I barely rest mine, to someone who lets the club rest fully on the ground that would feel like hovering.

 

[dave]

i do hover the driver, find it gives me good muscle tension, each to their own tho

 

[Tab373]

Only try it if you dont own a Taylormade R11 or R11s as the red triangle or hexagon thingy on the bottom would not be grounded so no point in owning one .

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I did go through a phase of trying it when the driver was in one of its real misbehaving moods and I was getting desperate. It didn't make a jot of difference and was just one more thing to be worrying about

 

[pbrown7582]

Just has been tried on and off for years Greg Norman used to do it in his pomp a personal thing works for some and not others

 

[dave]

Only try it if you dont own a Taylormade R11 or R11s as the red triangle or hexagon thingy on the bottom would not be grounded so no point in owning one .

I tend to ground the club take my grip so everyhtings in place then when im getting set to hit i bring it to hover

 

[Karl102]

I don't like it to be fair! As mentioned it created tension in my arm and I started to come right over the top of it! Cue even bigger and horrible slice than usual!