Driver is killing me

[abledsoe]

I know there are 48950495804395 threads on driver trouble, why not one more.
I just finished some group lessons that really, really helped my iron play but my terrible driving is just killing me. I slice 99% of me tee shots and almost all miss the fairway and its not even close.
During the lesson it was first pointed out that I was shifting my weight to my back leg. So I worked on it and fixed the problem. But, still slicing.
Then it was suggested I wasn't getting my hands over. So I have tried like hell and I feel like im getting them over but still killing it right. Ive tried changing my ball placement and stance but no change.
Im out of ideas. FWIW I am hitting an old (probably 8 years old-ish) handmedown driver. Its an Adams 10.5 with stiff shaft. I have been looking at getting a new driver hoping it will help some. I know a new club isnt going to fix the problem but I feel like it will help at least a little.
Any suggestions, ideas? Yesterday's round was so frustrating I didn't even finish.
Thanks.

[LyleG]

Buy the burner draw thats on sale everywhere for less than $175
Draw weighted, 3* closed face, and ahsfat that wil play tip soft. I play with a guy who's game changed overnight when he got that damn thing. He went from a 40 yard slice to about a 10 yard fade instantly. I was even amazed at how much it helped him and not much about clubs amazes me anymore.

[SiberianDVM]

Or the offset Cobra M Speed. A slicer at the range got one and he started hitting straight drives. Easy to hit driver.

[ezra76]

A couple easy drills for the range.

Take the headcover of your driver and put it about 2" outside of the tee and an inch behind it. This should help getting you to hit from the inside to not hit the headcover.

Put a wedge or iron inline with the tee laying down to the back behind it. I'd say put the butt of the grip 6-8 inches behind it. Swing back and keep the clubhead slightly outside of the shaft on the backswing for as long as you possibly can. On the downswing, get the clubhead to come down slightly inside of the shaft.

If you are hitting big slices then you've got a severe outside to inside swingpath. There are probably multiple things to adress to fix it. Start with checking your grip. Just look up "golf grip" online and you'll find a ton of places that will show a proper grip. Takaway is most likely to the inside, hence the second drill, which causes the club to have to be thrown out over the top since it has nowhere to go. Last, and you already mentioned something about it, the weight is probably getting outside of the right leg on the backswing. This causes your right hip to move backwards instead of rotating, a lean forward and again, the club has nowhere to go but get thrown outside by the hands and arms then come down from way outside to inside causing a big slice.

[warbirdlover]

Sometimes a little grip change will work wonders. Right hand weaker or stronger etc. Worth a try.

If you are hitting big slices then you've got a severe outside to inside swingpath

Ezra76

OR you are swinging inside to out BUT you aren't getting the face closed at impact (ie. grip change).

Sometimes starting the "wrist cock" sooner in the swing (and keeping the right elbow near the body) can help also.

[abledsoe]

Originally Posted by ezra76

A couple easy drills for the range.

Take the headcover of your driver and put it about 2" outside of the tee and an inch behind it. This should help getting you to hit from the inside to not hit the headcover.

Put a wedge or iron inline with the tee laying down to the back behind it. I'd say put the butt of the grip 6-8 inches behind it. Swing back and keep the clubhead slightly outside of the shaft on the backswing for as long as you possibly can. On the downswing, get the clubhead to come down slightly inside of the shaft.

If you are hitting big slices then you've got a severe outside to inside swingpath. There are probably multiple things to adress to fix it. Start with checking your grip. Just look up "golf grip" online and you'll find a ton of places that will show a proper grip. Takaway is most likely to the inside, hence the second drill, which causes the club to have to be thrown out over the top since it has nowhere to go. Last, and you already mentioned something about it, the weight is probably getting outside of the right leg on the backswing. This causes your right hip to move backwards instead of rotating, a lean forward and again, the club has nowhere to go but get thrown outside by the hands and arms then come down from way outside to inside causing a big slice.

I will certainly give this a try, thanks.
As far as the draw driver, how much difference is there in a "draw" and "offset" driver?

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by abledsoe

I will certainly give this a try, thanks.
As far as the draw driver, how much difference is there in a "draw" and "offset" driver?

Some drivers marketing as "Draw" models use only offset to achieve their goal. Offset is designed to help square the clubhead at impact, but it's of limited value. True "Draw" clubs use closed clubface angles and internal weighting to promote clubhead rotation through impact.

Or so I've heard...

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by warbirdlover

Sometimes a little grip change will work wonders. Right hand weaker or stronger etc. Worth a try.



OR you are swinging inside to out BUT you aren't getting the face closed at impact (ie. grip change).

Sometimes starting the "wrist cock" sooner in the swing (and keeping the right elbow near the body) can help also.

Nope, that would be my miss, a block. Swingpath has to be counteracting the face angle for it to curve.

[ezra76]

There is also something to be said about just playing to a ballflight. I've played with many guys at lower caps than me who have one shot off the tee, a cut. They just play it up the left side and cut it back every time. A guy I played the back 9 with today did this. He was a 7 cap and I doubt he could hit a draw to save his life with a driver. He just hit a 10yd. cut every time and did well with it.

Also, I don't know your age, distances or courses you play but there usually is not a need to hit driver on every hole. I played today and hit 2 3irons off the tee on par 5's. Course was slow and I knew I wanted to lay up anyway. Having a setup with a 3 and 5wood and/or a hybrid or 2 gives you a lot of options off the tee. I try to stay by a rule that's pretty basic... If I can't absolutely visualize splitting the fairway with driver, I hit a 3W.

[TheWOAT]

I always try and kill it, but it usually doesnt work, so I do a half swing, super closed stance, easy swing, pulling the club through, and the practice swings have a severe inside out path... that swing usually goes straight for 220 which is decent compared to my full swing (240 and 30 yds to the left)

[warbirdlover]

If you hit straight through the ball (no outside/in or inside/out) and have the face open you'll hit a slice.

[FATC1TY]

Originally Posted by warbirdlover

Sometimes a little grip change will work wonders. Right hand weaker or stronger etc. Worth a try.



OR you are swinging inside to out BUT you aren't getting the face closed at impact (ie. grip change).

Sometimes starting the "wrist cock" sooner in the swing (and keeping the right elbow near the body) can help also.

Thats my problem. I slice alot, sometimes a little, usually alot. Shank them all over the place sometimes.

I swing inside out.. But my grip is always stupid, or I don't keep my body near, or get this.. I do the "wrist cock" late, and it messes me up, I feel unnatural, and my club face opens up so much you'd think it was a hooker.

That and my dancing feet. I back out of my swing sometimes, put alot of weight on my rear foot, off balance, and swing for the mountains like it's a baseball. lol

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by warbirdlover

If you hit straight through the ball (no outside/in or inside/out) and have the face open you'll hit a slice.

Exactly. The swingpath is counteracting the face angle. You could slice it still with in to out, face just has to pointing further right than the swingpath. There is an indoor place I went to a few times over the winter. It measures your swingpath and your clubface at impact. I was consistantly in to out with an open face but the the face was less open than the swingpath. It was coming off like a bit blocked but with enough draw spin to bring it back online. Now I think I'm getting a little less in to out but the face is still getting left open a lot. It's all a matter of making the setup adjustments for the swingpath changes I've been making.

[loftgolf]

After many years struggling with my 1233 different drivers I have finally found a solution. I purchased a Callaway Big Bertha 10.5 degree. After consistently slicing 200 yards I threw the club (oh, the throw went right, too) the I gave the obviously defective driver to my wife. I'm pretty sure the throw fixed it because my wife hits the club 275 yards dead straight. Hmmm, go figure!

[Skjay101]

One small tip that really helped me....

When you tee your ball up, tee it up so that when you set the driver up to the ball, the top of the club only covers the bottom 1/3 of the ball. Most people do this, but then, when you line it up, you ground the club, and swing away. The trouble is that the top edge of the driver, and the angle that you are standing in relevance to the club, makes it look like the ball is at the center of the club, when its really not.

Try not grounding the club. Tee the ball as normal, but keep the club off the ground, so the ball lines up evenly with the center of the face, it helped me alot, but could be just me.