The Driver Swing - Is it just me?

[tsped83]

The driver swing. It's alien to me. I'm a 14 hcp golfer with a young family and little or no time to practice. Last year I abandoned the driver and used 3W exclusively off the tee, lowering my handicap from 17 to 13.

On to 2017, where, in the pursuit of achieving GM Forum-like distances I have dabbled on and off with the driver again. The results have been largely unsuccessful. Duck Hooks, big slices and everything between.

I'm a realist. I have no time to practice during the week, my golf being limited to Saturday comps. Do I have the patience and determination to learn a driver setup/technique/swing that feels completely different to any other shot I try to hit? The whole setup position feels so weird, ball forward, left shoulder higher etc.

Am I alone in this? Does anyone else have no time for the driver?

(This could have been written more fluidly but I've been on the cider)

 

[hovis]

i think the driver is the easiest club to hit. massive face and teed up 3 inches

 

[Marshy77]

Similar situation regarding time/family etc and have been pursisting with my driver but the results are sometimes (like today) pretty damn awful. Was going to try a different driver but my head and forum voices says have a few lessons so that what I'm going to try do - when I can fit it in.

I feel very uncomfortable when trying to hit my driver, probably because of my shot shape - left to right. I probably make it worse by standing in the wrong position but then my head says go back to the proper position and I then get scrambled and have started hitting drives left, which has hardly ever happened before. My confidence is low on the tee which doesn't help too.

So no your not alone. I really can't get the left shoulder higher too, just feels wrong (to me).

 

[chrisd]

Try the same position of the ball as with long irons and 3 wood. I now play the ball pretty central in my stance and usually get a fairly low draw and it doesn't feel alien at all

 

[the_coach]

for sure anyone struggling with driver best route to improvement will be through lessons

set-up is key - & truly it is not as difficult as it may seem to be

one thing though - don't think that you gotta move the lead shoulder higher - it's the trail shoulder that's a tad lower
is that the same thing ? (folks yelling at the screen) - despite it seeming to be it - it is not exactly the same thing

one thing that recurs over with the folks I see struggle at set-up is that with the driver set-up many folks still want to bring their head back up to or even over the ball position - as they so used to the head being nearer the ball position through the iron set-up & most folks hit numerous more iron shots over time so 'get comfortable' with the head closer to that ball position

most elite players & tour pro's have their trail shoulder a tad lower (trail hand is lower on the handle) with a secondary spine tilt only a tad aways from target

but it's all just a result of the forwards ball position along with the wider stance width & the fact that the head remains a number of inches back to the trailside of the ball - we all don't set-up then move the head towards target to be closer to the ball position

 

[Imurg]

Hello!!
My 3 wood works so much better than my driver - strike wise anyway.
My swing speed is often higher with the 3, contact is better and distance acceptable.
Hit a reasonable!e driver and I will get more distance from it.
The Epic seems to work with the way I swing as I'm probably driving as well as I have in many a moon
But I'll still take a 3 wood off the tee if I have any doubt.
There's probably only 6 or 7 holes at The Zoo where I use the driver and, to be honest, I could use the 3w and still make the green but there is enough room to make it safe-ish with the big stick.

I just feel so much more confident with a 3 wood in my hand than a driver - it's a shame the mini drivers didn't really give me any more than a normal 3 wood as they seem to be made for the likes of you and me.
If you really can't go down the lessons/practice route then leave it out. Use the 3.
I've won many a comp down the years with a 4 wood as my longest club.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Nope not just you.

I could not hit a driver, nothing other than a low hook 100 yards out and 100 left.

After 3 lessons to improve my swing I thought I should try the driver again.

With no idea of setup for it I just addressed it on the same routine as all my other clubs.

Works fine for now, if still a little low. It's ok for control and I can hit the fairway.

The setup changes specific for s driver will add distance for sure but can't see where else.

Go back to basics, put a iron swing on it and go from there.

 

[ManinBlack]

There's a Nick Faldo video showing him, in sequence, hitting every club from wedge to driver. It's the same swing, same tempo, everything. The length of the club more or less dictates how you address the ball with it. I find it hard to understand how folks can't hit a driver with the right amount of loft & correct shaft. The face is bigger than any other club & forgiveness must be higher. The only problem I can see is the excessive length of a lot of drivers & that is easily remedied.

 

[bobmac]

1. Ball position left heel/left big toe (R. handers)
2. Dont snatch from the top of the backswing, wait for the power.
3. Keep your head still and feel the club go past you.

 

[garyinderry]

Keeping the head still is one of my thoughts these days.

Playing everything a fade and hitting serious amounts of fairways. Lost a little distance over booming draws but the trade off is worth it.

Aim up the left.
Keep right shoulder back. Dont let it get too open as I aim left.
Swing slightly out to in.
Head still.
Hit it hard.

 

[xcore]

At the range I bomb the driver with a soft draw no matter how hard I hit it, on course however it's a complete lottery between a high push fade or low hook

 

[Orikoru]

I used to find it impossible to hit a driver. But my starter set driver (Slazenger) had a ridiculously massive head, it felt like swinging a brick on the end of a rope. Then I bought a 12° one off Ebay for about 40 quid, and it started to come together, the added loft really helped me get the ball up. But it wasn't the best driver (a Yonex thing) and I tended to hook with it. So I did a little bit of research on what the best cheap and forgiving drivers were, and ended up buying a Ping G15 for £60 (again off Ebay - 10.5°). After an early teething period, I eventually got it together and now my drives are pretty decent - certainly not the worst part of my game anyway.

I also don't really have the time or money for lessons right now, but I tend to watch instructional YouTube videos which can give you a few pointers at least. That and getting a good, forgiving driver in the first place have helped me a lot. Only problem was, I was practising the driver so much that the rest of my game went to pot in the meantime. :lol:

 

[drewster]

The driver is literally the only club in the bad that fills me with any kind of confidence over the ball. Never had lessons and don't practice which is probably why i can't hit a cows backside with a banjo with my irons!!! Consistent tee height is key (pink castles for me) .

 

[Marshy77]

If :rofl: my driving is going really bad I switch to orange castles which seems to help, maybe the extra height helps?

 

[Curls]

Insert "no expert" disclaimer.

OP, seems odd that you can hit the 3 wood quite well but not the driver, essentially it's the same set up? Maybe it's the fact that it’s the driver is putting you off. Set up with the driver but mentally tell yourself it’s the 3 wood, see what happens, you might swing smoother.

Others - can't take your range swing to the course? Could be alignment. At the range it's very obvious where the parallel lines are, ask someone to check where you line up on the course, you might find your body and club aren't where you think they are.

Finally, I think driving is a state of mind more than a different swing. If I can focus on the target I make a much better hand of it. Focussing on something technical in the swing, like position at the top or something, makes your mind very tight - and the muscles often follow. I pick a target like the top of the farthest tree in the distance on the line I want to send the ball out on. Then I swing towards that, feeling like I'm fluidly sending the ball at the top of that tree. It might be miles off, all the better if it is, because the angle between your body's parallel lines and the driver's is much less than the angles between them and a target like a point in the fairway (much closer, so a wider angle). Plus it's upwards, so you strike it ascending rather than focussing on something the same level as you, possibly even below you.

Anyway, the point is to mentally get as far away from yourself as possible to allow the muscles to be as free as possible, the swing should be long and languid, definitely not rushed at any point, particularly take away and transition, don't rush those. Give it a go. I know when I make a bad swing my mind has wandered, I'm thinking about trouble or a position or what I'm having for tea, and usually I rush it. That's when you invite chaos.

 

[BrianM]

I had a driver lesson a couple of months ago and it's made a big difference to my game, I feel pretty confident it will go longish and straight.
I take the club back, what feels like slow motion but in reality probably just normal speed and that helps me.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The longer length of the driver makes a huge difference if you are not comfortable. You feel you lack control compared to other clubs. Rather like BrianM I now take my club back very slowly, stop at about waist high (probably much further but this what it feels like) and then helps me keep control. I have lost distance but I am now much more accurate than I used to be. Hopefully at some point I will be able to add some length on again but I'd rather be 190-200 up the middle than 220-230 OOB.

For those who can't understand the difficulty, you just don't understand. A bit like people with the shanks or putters who twitch. It happens and it locks inside your head.