Tee of with driver

[s1john]

Ok when I tee off with my driver 8 / 10 drives arc to the right and go about 150 yards the odd ones that do go straight are usually about 220 yards, my friend that I go golfing with alot says that I need a driver with a draw rather than the neutral one that I have??? As i say i am very new to the game and this means nothing to me so is he right of not or should i just persist with my current driver and get me some lessons with a pro to sort out my drive??

 

[bobmac]

Ok when I tee off with my driver 8 / 10 drives arc to the right and go about 150 yards the odd ones that do go straight are usually about 220 yards, my friend that I go golfing with alot says that I need a driver with a draw rather than the neutral one that I have??? As i say i am very new to the game and this means nothing to me so is he right of not or should i just persist with my current driver and get me some lessons with a pro to sort out my drive??

What is happening is sometimes the clubface is pointing to the right when you hit the ball, causing left to right spin sending it out to the right, sometimes it is pointing straight hence the straight one.
If you are made of money, buy a new driver, if not get someone Knowledgeable to check your grip.

 

[Imurg]

Lessons, practice, lessons, practice etc etc.
its the best way unless you have oodles of natural ability in which case you should have lessons anyway as you could be a future star!
It may transpire that a draw bias driver will suit you but get a Pro to check your swing out first

 

[bobmac]

And if you cant find someone knowledgable, check your grip in the mirror. It should look something like this

 

[Smiffy]

The majority (not all) of right handed players will hit a slice with their drivers, (which is what you are doing). There are two ways to help get rid of it.... which would be a good thing to do because not only will your slice put you in the cabbage but, as you are finding, it will also rob you of distance.
You can either buy a draw biased driver which may help. Or you could have lessons which will aid you to getting onto the correct swing path. I would personally do the latter.
Cos if you buy the draw biased driver and then have a few lessons to sort yourself out, you will be hitting big hooks and you will then be looking for a neutral biased driver to get rid of them!

 

[s1john]

Cheers i am looking at having lessons in the new year anyway, but i need to get a different driver as my current callaway Big Bertha ERC II is apparently banned for club comps and although i know i am not going to be competative as a few people have already said comps and regular playing are the best way to progress and get better. I have been offered a taylor made R7 CCG by a friend selling his clubs???

How do you know which clubs are banned from comps??

 

[bobmac]

How do you know which clubs are banned from comps??

Try here
It shows which are banned

http://www.randa.org/rules/equipment/nonconfdrivers

 

[EaseNgrace]

My brother had a similar problem with his drives, he was blocking them right or slicing (and the occasional duck hook) and it turned out this was mostly down to his swingplane.
He takes the club back way outside his ideal plane causing the clubface to remain open on the downswing. Anyway to cut a long story short the pro who fitted him recommended that rather than buying a driver with a draw bias, to get one that is adjustable. He said if you get a draw biased driver you're never going to get rid of the swing fault that causes the need for one in the first place. So he got the R9 and has it set with a draw bias for now but will change it round to neutral as he begins to cure his dodgy swing path.

 

[NickSwan]

I would say it depends on how much time you have to practice.
If you can commit to 3 or 4 lessons over a 3 month period, and get yourself down to the range 2 times a week then this would definitely be the route to take. Solving the underlying problem with your swing will give your all round game an improvement rather than just your driving.

However if your only commitment to golf is getting out for 18 holes once a week and a new driver will give you more confidence then go for the new club

Hope this helps
Nick

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Personally the longer term investment would be to get a few lessons and nip the problem in the bud while you are still in the learning stage of the game. I wouldn't get overly worried as most beginners and a heck of a lot of regular weekend players slice off the tee. Howver if you can have a lesson and get someone to show you why it happens it'll help you sort it out if it comes back during a game.

 

[bobmac]

Guys, if you read the OP, there's no mention of a slice.
His bad shot just carves off to the right.
When the c/face is square at impact, the ball goes straight which means his swing path is straight.
S1John, dont worry about paths and planes, just get your grip checked.
I suspect the problem comes from there
HTH

 

[RGDave]

1) my friend that I go golfing with alot says that I need a driver with a draw rather than the neutral one that I have?
2) should i just persist with my current driver and get me some lessons with a pro to sort out my drive??

1) Your friend is not very wise (sorry). A draw bias driver is only likely to improve a pretty reliable swing that only has the smallest of movement to the right.
2) Your driver is probably just fine (what is it?) unless you are a beginner with the wrong shaft or too low loft.

As you get better, you'll lose the 8/10 slice and although never get rid permanently (very few do) it'll calm down. Lessons are good, practice too!

 

[Smiffy]

Guys, if you read the OP, there's no mention of a slice.
His bad shot just carves off to the right.

Bob
Not being argumentative (you know I'm not like that) but the OP said that most of his tee shots (8 out of 10) "arc off to the right" with the odd one or two going straight with more distance.
Isn't this the perfect description of a slice, with the odd one or two "good" shots being the result of the best of an inconsistent swing?
Does that make sense????

 

[bobmac]

You.......arguementative?.........never.
I see what you are saying but a slice is a shot that starts left of the target and finishes right of the target. (Right Hander)Swing path wrong and clubface open
I would bet the swing is quite consistent and straight but the left hand is probably a bit weak making it difficult to square up the face at impact.
Of course, I haven't seen the grip or swing, but from the information given in the OP, that would be my wild guess.

 

[USER1999]

Bob, surely that's a fade? A slice starts straight or right, and moves right. A fade starts left, and comes back to the right.

 

[RGDave]

Bob, surely that's a fade? A slice starts straight or right, and moves right. A fade starts left, and comes back to the right.

My sunday best slices start left enough...

If the ball lands on the next-door fairway, I'll call it a slice regardless of how it got there!!!

The one I hate is when it starts right (like a draw) then instead of turning over decides to go further right, normally into the trees.

 

[bobmac]

It doesnt matter what you call it. His shots sometimes go straight.
If his swing was out to in, that wouldn't happen.
People are giving the original op advice about curing the swing path problem.
IMO, he probably doesnt have a problem with his swing path
It's the clubface position at impact that is causing the 8/10 carves off to the right.
I repeat, the first thing I would check is the grip to see if either hand is weak and in my experience, it's normally the left hand.
Just my opinion though

 

[kid2]

Hey Guys,
Im with Bob on this one.
I had a very similar problem to the op and what caused my problem was the grip....
The V's in my hands were pointing at the left side of my face and my chin(sorry about the vague description)and once i had asked a few questions and read a few magazines and could actually figure out for myself what was wrong i haven't looked back since.....It felt very uncomfortable at the time but the change was for the better.
Oh and also i changed my driver from a Ping G10 to a MacGregor Mactec NVG2 Draw biased and i might hit 2 fades in 10 now off the tee and iv gained considerable distance.... Hope this helps

 

[Pants]

Oh ye lot of little faith

Listen to your uncle Bob when he talks to you.

Some people spend hard earned cash to get his words of wisdom - you lot get it for free.

As I said soon after I joined the forum, I'm keen to take on board any good advice regarding technique, course management, etc that I can get. As far as I'm concerned though this will be from (genuine) very low handicap players or a professional coach i.e. people who I perceive actually know what they are talking about.

I'll happily read other comment but will reserve judgement on "expert opinion" from mid to high handicap players who, whilst they might know all the ins and out of the kick point of a zxc474 shaft or whatever, are totally unqualified to offer advice on someone's swing problems - particularly if they haven't even see it



Lets face it, if these people's advice was good and they applied it to their own game, then perhaps they wouldn't still be mid to high handicappers.

 

[bobmac]

Pants, thanks for your kind words.
I do try and help people on here with their questions about the game of golf, but I am by no means the only person who has the ability and the knowledge to help other people on here.

James has far more knowledge of Stack and Tilt than I do, Ethan's knowledge of shaft technology is awesome and Smiffy knows more about ...................TVs than I do, to name but a few.
At the end of the day, if I can help people enjoy their golf more, then I am happy.