To anyone having trouble hitting your driver

[SiberianDVM]

please, PLEASE go take a lesson before you start ho'ing more drivers.

After hitting my driver well yesterday, I lost it today. The best I could do was a low, turning over hook that went about 180 yards. I was disgusted. I started hitting my 3 wood off the tee after the 5th screwed up drive.

On the way from the 9th green to the clubhouse I ran into a friend who is an assistant pro at the club. He was heading to the range and I decided to tag along instead of playing the other 9.

Within 2 swings he had identified 2 serious swing flaws with the driver and (temporarily no doubt) fixed my swing! I was striping them to the end of the range. Well, at least 1 or 2 of them.

Now I hope it's just a matter of incorporating these swing fixes into my subconcious over the next couple of weeks.

My next lesson will be: how the **** to get out of a bunker. :(

[JEFF4i]

Prognosis: Sand trouble!

[SiberianDVM]

I just can't handle fluffy sand. Give me a bunker where the sand is heavy and I'm a pro.

[twofast2s]

i think harder sands are more difficult to predict, so i'd rather be in fluffy sand.

i started golfing last year w/ 5 lesson package, followed by few more individual private lesson. although my swing is not a professional swing, i now have pretty consistant swing where i don't hack my irons.

so yes.. lessons are definitely worth it, if you can find a good instructor.

[mont86]

please, PLEASE go take a lesson before you start ho'ing more drivers.

After hitting my driver well yesterday, I lost it today. The best I could do was a low, turning over hook that went about 180 yards. I was disgusted. I started hitting my 3 wood off the tee after the 5th screwed up drive.

On the way from the 9th green to the clubhouse I ran into a friend who is an assistant pro at the club. He was heading to the range and I decided to tag along instead of playing the other 9.

Within 2 swings he had identified 2 serious swing flaws with the driver and (temporarily no doubt) fixed my swing! I was striping them to the end of the range. Well, at least 1 or 2 of them.

Now I hope it's just a matter of incorporating these swing fixes into my subconcious over the next couple of weeks.

My next lesson will be: how the **** to get out of a bunker. :(

Doc what were the 2 flaws, other then your looks and personality, my tempo was way too fast in my backswing and my plane was off.

[SiberianDVM]

Well, if he, with he being the pro, had commented about my looks and personality, I'd still be running.

#1- I was coming up on the ball at impact, which among other things, was taking all the backspin off the ball, and putting funky spin on it. He had me visualize that I had to hit the ball under a tree branch 4 feet off the ground. This made me extend down the line much better. I think. The ball went much better after I started doing this.

#2- my stance with the driver had gotten much too wide, probably as a result of trying to hit it too hard. So I was having a hard time getting my weight to my left side. Narrowing my stance slightly made my swing much more in balance.

I hope to get to the range this evening and see if I can hit any better.

[mont86]

Thanks Doc.

I get same weird spin on my ball,terrible slice, I do need a lesson.

[SiberianDVM]

Well, I think I need another lesson. :(

Last evening I was NOT able to duplicate the good swings I had on Sunday.

Close. Much better than the crap shots I had while playing. But not the high draws I was looking for either. Ball flight is just too low with a little too much hook.

I wish I had a 10.5* driver to compare. Before I start ho'ing, I'll get another lesson and some more practice.

[MCDavis]

I had a similar experience Sunday. Had switched from my G5 to an Adams RPM 460D, both R flex, but the Ping has their shaft, Adams has the ProLaunch. I had convinced myself I needed a different shaft, and maybe driver, because I was having control problems.

Sunday I took the Ping, left the Adams at home. On my home course, #1 is a driver hole, but you don't use driver again until #7. 1 went poorly, but 7 was ok, 8 was better..etc.

Got to 16 and told myself there was no club reason for not hitting the Ping, it was me. So, I narrowed my stance, checked my grip, paid attention to face alignment, swung easy and hit it 270 down the right side (where I was aiming) with a slight draw that brought it to just left of middle (hole slopes down from right to left)...basically a perfect drive.

It's not the Ping, it's me.

And, the Ping 10.5 is longer than the Adams 9.5. Ping will stay in this bag, Adams will go in my 2nd bag.

Before I buy another driver, I'll get a lesson.

I hope.

[Sandy]

#2- my stance with the driver had gotten much too wide, probably as a result of trying to hit it too hard. So I was having a hard time getting my weight to my left side. Narrowing my stance slightly made my swing much more in balance.

I think I replied with this very same issue in another 'hooking my driver' thread a week or so ago. I was having exactly the same issue with the low hooks, and found it was exactly this problem - getting way too wide in my stance because it felt so powerful. Getting my stance back to normal width took the problem away immediately.