Constantly Slicing off the Tee. . . Help me =)

[AMcNeel]

Hey im new here my name's ashton. . . Anyways, ive been an off and on golfer for about 8 years. This winter i decided that i was going to take a step up and start playing more often this summer. So i went out and bought some cleveland TA6's and i just purchased my first driver (Ping si3 340). The problem is that i gave up on my driver about 2 years ago, and ive been using my 3-wood ever since, so i completely forgot how to hit my driver. So i got my new driver today so i took it out to the driving range, and i know im still getting used to it and all but i constantly sliced the ball. everytime i hit the ball it would feel like a perfect hit and it would begin to go straight and then start to fade right every time. So if anyone could help me out and maybe give me some pointers on some things i may be doing wrong, also some tips on ball placement or whatever. Anything you guys think would help me out would really be cool and appreciated.

Thanks Ashton McNeel

[Slingblade61]

Welcome to the board Ashton.

some things to try are.....close the club face a little.

swing to the outside some more. The way it was explained to me once upon a time was to visualize a clock face around your target and swing so that the club swings out to 2 o'clock (rather than 11). it may not make any sense but it's worth a shot on the range.

[Rockford35]

Ashton,

Good tips from Sling.

Don't be so intimidated by the driver. Many people have trouble keeping it in play. That's why there are so many "fixes" available.

My advice it to seek the advice of a local pro. A lesson with the driver is worth it's weight in gold. It could be something very small that you are missing out on and having another set of trained eyes would help.

It would be pretty cheap to get a one hour session to set you straight. Then, once you have a mindset and some help offered to you, hit the range. Hit balls like crazy. Once your comforable with your new driver (which is another thing in itself, new equipment takes time to learn).Then, practice your short game. Your driver isn't as important as putting and chipping. If you hit the 3 wood forever, so be it.

I'd rather be 230 down the middle instead of 260 into the trees.

Just my $0.02.

R35

Welcome Ashton!!!

Hey, I noticed you are from West Virginia. I was there a about 3 years ago for a week on business (different business) and I golfed every day at Oglebay golf resort... http://www.oglebay-resort.com/speidel.htm

I played both the Robert Trent Jones and Palmer courses there...one each day...

Sad to say that one of those days an ambulance came in to take a poor golfer away that hit was in the head at close range by an errant drive...

One group of guys I got hooked up with were kind enough to treat me to a beer at 7:30 in the morning... That was a new experience; beer for breakfast...

As for slicing, get a Callaway driver. Seriously.

spankdoggie baller holler shotcaller

[AMcNeel]

lol. . .thanks for the oglebay resort info spank i have never heard of it before maybe ill take a trip up there this summer depending on my cash flow but it looks nice. . .if you are ever in WV again you should try golfing at the greenbrier, but it's pretty deep into west virginia, thanks for the tips. ill try them all out when i can. . .except for the callaway one

[powerdraw]

thrust aim to inside aft of ball...
move ball position around...forward and more backward just to see what happens.
feel more of a complete rotation of wrists counterclockwise through impact....that is at impact till followthrough.

tell me what happens after this if you pull it or just hit it that damn straight.
usually a slice is occured through an open clubface at impact that stays open at seperation of ball-club, it should be closing like a door.

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by AMcNeel

lol. . .thanks for the oglebay resort info spank i have never heard of it before maybe ill take a trip up there this summer depending on my cash flow but it looks nice. . .if you are ever in WV again you should try golfing at the greenbrier, but it's pretty deep into west virginia, thanks for the tips. ill try them all out when i can. . .except for the callaway one

Two posts in, already knows how to handle Spank.

Well done.

R35

[Silver]

The other problem, other than the open clubface at impact, might be an outside in (or "over the top") swing. You might try some of the "inside out" drills, such as the Inside Approach (or similar clone), the 2x4 outside of your ball (dangerous with a driver), etc...

[caddyshackgolf]

Originally Posted by rockford35

Two posts in, already knows how to handle Spank.

Well done.

R35

Its the new record 2 posts in and u can handle spank

[RocklandGolf]

Move your back foot back 3-4" in relation to your aim. Hit a bucket and if the ball is flying straight it will alert you that your swinging outside in with your normal set-up. If the ball is still slicing with this set up the clubface is most likely open at impact which could be any number of things.

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by RocklandGolf

Move your back foot back 3-4" in relation to your aim. Hit a bucket and if the ball is flying straight it will alert you that your swinging outside in with your normal set-up. If the ball is still slicing with this set up the clubface is most likely open at impact which could be any number of things.

Good post.

Great idea. I've done this in the past with the help of a pro. Had me hitting balls straight in no time.

R35

[goatster]

if you have an out to in swing path try to keep your right elbow tight to your body.i had the same problem with slicing.when you get to the top of your swing think about dropping your right elbow into your ribs.this should help to promote in to out swing path.another thing that may help is concentrate on rolling your right forearm over your left this will help close the club face.these are 2 things i worked on last yr.went from hard fade (not really a slice) to straight with a slight draw.

[AMcNeel]

Man i was hoping to get out to the driving range today or the simulator and it freaking snowed like 3 inches last night. . .i hate snow. . .now the simulator is booked

[AMcNeel]

Hey guys i just wanted to thank you for all the tips, i went to the simulator today and hit like 9 million balls until i got my driver down, im not quite where i want to be yet, im consistantly hitting the ball 260 and straighter so we'll see once all this snow melts how i do out in a real enviornment. But i watched my swing and my club face was open when i was hitting the ball so i practiced keeping it straight, i also noticed that when i lined up to hit the ball i had the ball in the middle of my stance. . .so ive got some things to work on before spring hits, oh well ive got time. . .

[Rockford35]

Nice work. Hard work and effort pays off.

Just remember to get those wedges into gear when the snow melts.....

R35