I can't hit my Driver anymore. Help!!!!

[sandwedge]

Lately I can't hit my driver. Everything goes low about 100 yards to the left. Today I went to Golfsmith and tested a few drivers and they have the swing monitor that shows your trajectory, distance, swing speed, etc. My first drive carried 239 and was only 3 yards off center. I hit about 15 more shots and the computer couldn't even register the information because the shots were so bad.

The guy at the store said my swing looks like it is coming from the outside back in. How can I fix this? Last time out I even started having the same problem with my 3 wood and hybrids off the tee.

[SiberianDVM]

The guy at the store said my swing looks like it is coming from the outside back in.

Otherwise known as Over The Top. Yep. Been there. Done that. Don't have the T-shirt.

The last few weeks, my driver has been the best club in the bag. 250, straight down the middle. Before that, it was anybody's guess where the shot was going.

What I did was use a combination of 2 training tools: Tour Tempo player and Whippy Tempomaster. With these two, I try to develop a compact, on-plane swing.

My biggest swing fault is a WAY too long backswing. With the Tour Tempo player, I don't have time to swing the club back that far, and still make the impact tone. And the Whippy helps me synchronize body and arms, to eliminate the OTT.

For us mere mortals, who don't have endless practice hours and a swing coach, tools like this can help.

[demon]

You might be releasing the club early, try to hold your wrist **** longer and let us know if that helped at all. Their are so many different factors and it is hard to give advice without video, but give it a try it might help.

[emc]

If it's over the top, then make your frst movement of the downswing adrop of the left arm, then hit through the ball

[Eracer]

Practice shots with a glove under your left armpit. Don't try to hit the ball a long way. Try to keep the glove in place until after impact.

Also, stand in the middle of the range, set up square and try to hit the ball towards the right side of the range. Really try to hit it to the right.

And - make sure your arms are hanging down at address. Don't hold your arms out rigidly and try to swing on one plane.

Lastly - see your local PGA pro.

[SiberianDVM]

Sandwedge, if it makes you feel any better, I just got back from the range, and I couldn't hit the driver either!

I was nailing my irons. Just the opposite of how I was hitting just 3 days ago.

Just once, I like to be able to hit woods and irons well, the same friggin day.

[ManchesterGolfer]

Hold two clubs together (9 iron and wedge) and swing them 12 inches forward then do a normal swing from there. The extra weight will stop you casting/coming over the top. Swing back and forth continuisoly and you will get the feel for a better swing path.

If this works for you then you may want to buy a momentous swing tranier or a masters swing weight. This is a moulded grip with a short shaft and a big metal ball on the end, same idea as the momentous.

[limpalong]

Smothering it left?? Yes, the posters are correct in that you are coming over the top. An OTT move can have many causes... hard overswing... reverse pivot... But, there is one easy fix. Simply look at the ball as a clock. With a dead smother, as you describe, you have to be making contact with the ball between 4 o'clock and 5'oclock. You MUST make contact at 7 o'clock. Not 6... Not 8... Hit the ball at 7 o'clock and your shots will straighten out and a nice draw will develop. Lucky 7!! Make contact at 7 o'clock!!!

[FKA19]

Originally Posted by limpalong

Smothering it left?? Yes, the posters are correct in that you are coming over the top. An OTT move can have many causes... hard overswing... reverse pivot... But, there is one easy fix. Simply look at the ball as a clock. With a dead smother, as you describe, you have to be making contact with the ball between 4 o'clock and 5'oclock. You MUST make contact at 7 o'clock. Not 6... Not 8... Hit the ball at 7 o'clock and your shots will straighten out and a nice draw will develop. Lucky 7!! Make contact at 7 o'clock!!!

i dont get it. does this have to do with swing length, or face angle at impact or what ?

[demon]

only two ways to slice a ball, swing path and or club face being open. You can have a square face at impact but if your path is outside in you will put spin on the ball. If your swing path is inside out but your club face is open then your going to slice the ball. For a big whopping slice you will have a combination of open clubface and outside in swingpath.

[limpalong]

Originally Posted by 19handicap

i dont get it. does this have to do with swing length, or face angle at impact or what ?

I'm sorry! Looking down at the ball on the tee, imagine a clock face staring back at you. 12 o'clock points at the target/hole. 3 o'clock points the direction you are facing at address. 9 o'clock points at you.

Typically you are looking at the back of the ball... 6 o'clock and just trying to make contact in that general area. As we "bull up" with a driver and swing too hard, we reach out and come from the outside to the inside of the swing plane. That out to in swing allows the clubface to make contact with the ball somewhere in the 4 o'clock to 5 o'clock point of the "clock face". If you are releasing and closing the clubface, the out to in swing will result in a smothered pull. If the clubface is open as it makes contact in the 5 o'clock area, the ball will start left but will slice to the right. It takes an in to out swing to get to the 7 o'clock point on the ball. Yes, if the club face is wide open you could push the ball to the right. However, the poster says he is smothering the ball hard left. That tells me he is releasing his hand and getting the clubface turned over. A releasing clubface making contact in the 7 o'clock area will encourage a nice draw.

Whew!! Have I confused you even more? Or, have I cleared it up a little? The 7 o'clock reference is simply giving you a point on the ball at which to aim that will encourage an in to out swing.

[warbirdlover]

Sandwedge, if it makes you feel any better, I just got back from the range, and I couldn't hit the driver either!

I was nailing my irons. Just the opposite of how I was hitting just 3 days ago.

Just once, I like to be able to hit woods and irons well, the same friggin day.

SiberianDVM

Doc, it sounds like you need a new driver. What will you want for your current one?

[HighTopFade]

Driving the ball well is important. Having a bad drive can really screw us mentally for the hole and bring our confidence level down for the next driving hole.

[phil048]

Hey everyone, I'm relatively new to this forum.

I used to take my club back too steep as in almost over my head. On my downswing with rotation this gave the head no where to go except outside the target line.

I was advised to look at my reflection in a window or mirror (outside for safety reasons) and check where the club head is at the top ie between my shoulders and neck.

After a while it reduced my slice to a fade.

Hope that helps

Phil.C

[sandwedge]

Thanks for all of the great advice. I am going to try these things at the range this weekend. I had taken the driver out of my bag because I wasn't hitting it well and this problem has started with my 3 wood and hybrids as well so it is something I have to get fixed.