Driving issues, great on the range, bad on the tee....

[MTK]

I've gone through driver after driver this year (may just be the problem), and the retail Burner hit the straightest, but the ability to shape a shot was terrible, not to mention the distance was lacking.

The Superquad went the farthest but I was way too erratic with it.

I'm a knifemaker that plays golf, and a knife collector bud (who collects the knives I make) has some tour/TM connections and he just sent me a R7 CGB Max with a pro-launch red (X stiff). He also has a connection to get me a Cobra L4V prototype and I'm anxious to get that one(not released yet, I don't think)

The R7 CGB Max looks wicked, and the weight is a little lite for my tastes, but I threw in a 22 gram tungsten weight + 2 8 gram weights and it feels better. I can already tell I'm going to hotmelt that one though.

Anyway, I digress, I'm just kinda pumped about the new driver.


Riddle me this though, when I go hit my driver at the range, I can hit 90 of 100 balls dead down the middle. When I get on the tee box, I'm either skying the ball, or getting a vicious pull hook..... I've tried everything, grip, stance, swing change, tempo... I can't seem to shake it. It's been going on for a month now, and my driver used to be my most reliable club, but now it's almost always a thin hit ball, sky or wicked hook (pull). It seems like most of the ball marks are at the bottom of the head, or right at the top of the face, never in the sweet spot. It seems like the only way I can go right or hope for a fade is to take a very loose swing going way outward and often that doesn't work at all.

I only do this with a driver or FW, not my irons or wedges...

What's the deal.....tensing up, swinging too compact, not shifting my weight.....I dunno, but it's getting f'n old. I used to be able to correct my swing problems, but this one has me baffled.....

Any help, suggestions...???

It really sucks because I'm still able to shoot in the low 70's, but I'd love to be able to not start of scrambling..


Thanks guys....


MT

 

[Eracer]

Trying going off the first tee with a 4-iron.

 

[jojosasser]

I deal with this issue to, and I think part of it for me anyway is that if I don't hit one clean on the range a lot of the times I can feel what went wrong. So I can immediately go back to the same shot and hit several good ones in a row. On the course it's totally different. To prove my point (to myself, anyway), a couple of weeks ago I was playing at my local course and hit two off of several tees. In every case, the 2nd ball was better than the 1st.

Joey

 

[warbirdlover]

This is probably the most common thing you see on the first tee. Nice looking practice swings and then the actual swing doesn't even look anything like those. I believe it is just jitters that causes you to tense up. Hitting some balls before teeing off might help if the course has a driving range. Otherwise lot's of practice swings? I beat this by going to a shorter backswing years ago which makes it pretty hard not to hit at least a decent shot on the first tee.

 

[chemboy2]

I second the iron suggestion.

It of course if all mental and the first tee is always the most difficult shot (mentally speaking). If you pull the driver out and miss hit it then you've taken the thought that has been manifesting in your head into reality. From that moment on you're trying not to miss hit instead of just striping it down the middle; focusing on negative outcomes is never a good idea. If you play an iron off the first tee then you're playing your second shot from the fairway and more than likely walking away with a good score for the hole. Now you can take all that positive energy on to the 2nd tee box and stripe that driver.

 

[Adam Pettman]

Hotmelt???????

 

[ezra76]

I'd recommend working on your preshot routine. The problems you describe are also the ones I am prone to, it's the over the top move that causes those shots. I'd bet my bag you are getting quick and inside on your takeaway and the hands/arms are starting the swing from the top. It's easy to get in a groove on the range, heck, I'd lead the tour in driving accuracy and be about 12th in distance if I could get my range grooved drives on the course. I've had some success with trying to use a simple routine on the course. Pick a target, get aligned to that target(ignore the teebox markers and where the tee points you, that is a big downfall of mine) and make the swing to hit the ball online with that target, forget about distance.

I feel your pain man, I'm the same way. I took my "new" driver to the range the other day and hit it dead at my targets 3 dozen times on 5 different trajectories. Next day at the course I hit only 2 fairways.

 

[SilverUberXeno]

I think you're swinging too hard. If you're pull hooking make sure you're comfortable in your stance before you start thinking about hitting the ball.

As for swinging too hard, at the range you really don't care that much about distance. For some reason you likely go for accuracy at the range, and distance on the course, right? Should be the other way around obviously...

You see that first par 4 at 310 yards and you think to yourself, "I can hit the ball that far if I swing hard..." You're right, but don't do it anyway. Figure out what your comfortable driver distance is at the range, say 270, and then try to hit that on the course. when you can hit 270 down the middle every time, start trying to hit it farther.

 

[zaphod]

I have same issue at times. At driving range I always warm up with wedge then 1/2-3/4 8 iron swings. then easy full iron swing. By the time I get to driver I'm grooved with an easy swing. My first hole driver tee shot I'm swinging easy and that shot usually is good but as we go along my competitive juices flow and I want to step it up a notch. There lies the trouble. Not good. Pulls etc start creeping in.

 

[Eracer]

What do people think of the idea of overclubbing for an entire round, in an effort to train yourself to make more controlled swings? I remember Nicklaus and others preaching that they would always rather hit a hard 7-iron than a soft 6-iron. I'm wondering if that's the mentaility that keeps me swinging too hard. What if I try to hit 3/4 shots all day long with one or two clubs more than the yardage would "call for"?

Has anyone tried that?

 

[Adam Pettman]

Has anyone tried that?

Yep, guess what happened I swung slower made better contact and went over the green many times.
What is helpful is learning to hit your 5iron as far as your Pw, that teaches you control.

 

[Eracer]

What is helpful is learning to hit your 5iron as far as your Pw, that teaches you control.

Now that would be tough!

 

[zaphod]

What do people think of the idea of overclubbing for an entire round, in an effort to train yourself to make more controlled swings? I remember Nicklaus and others preaching that they would always rather hit a hard 7-iron than a soft 6-iron. I'm wondering if that's the mentaility that keeps me swinging too hard. What if I try to hit 3/4 shots all day long with one or two clubs more than the yardage would "call for"?

I try and my game has improved because of it. 90% of my iron paly is at 75% or less. But at times my ego gets in the way.

 

[Sandpiper3]

tbh, I dont hit that many "full" shots into greens. I'd much rather ease off a bit and smooth it in there, only if I absolutely have to or need to spin it will I hit the full shot.

This is a huge problem for everyone, bringing your range game to the course pretty much. All you really have to do is fake some confidence, follow your preshot routine and just see the ball flying down the fw. Soon enough, it will, and you'll think yourself silly for always thinking all this stuff.

 

[MTK]

Well, I went out day and worked on a few of the things you guys mentioned, and finally figured it out after I went to the range then to the tee box. I had my father in law go out there and watch what I was doing (he's a scratch golfer and great at coaching), and he compared my drives on the range to my drives off the tee.

It took 2 swings off the tee box before he had it diagnosed.

When on the range, I would be relaxed and take a smooth, fluid swing. When I got on the tee box, I would tighten up and keep my left foot planted and not shift my weight at all. By doing that, it made it where all of my swing was in my arms and torso, thus, resulting in lifting off the ball and pulling.

He had me loosen up and not look down the fairway so much so I wouldn't lock in on "staying between the lines". He also had me emphasize loosening up my left leg and foot a bit, and viola, down the middle.

I just have to remember to shift my weight a bit and loosen up on my left leg and foot instead of locking it in place.


On the irons and control. The coach that taught me (also taught a number of state champions) had me go through rounds playing only one club (3 through - pw) tee to green. It was a slow, humbling experience, but it taught me much better feel and control with my irons.

I've done that with every set of irons I've owned since until I got the feel for them, and it's really helped out a ton.

I know when I go out there that I'm just as comfortable hitting a 3 iron as I am with a sand wedge or pitching wedge.

The other thing he made us do is hit 100 balls with each club and we had to average out our distance (on good shots) so we knew what our distance was for each.

Knowing your distance for each club is vital as most of us are more likely to pick out a club that's "not enough" because we think we can muscle it up there. It's much better to club up and get there (even if you have to take some off the shot) than it is to overswing a club that just isn't enough.


All in all, I feel soooooo much better today than I have every other day for the last few months....


Thanks for the help guys,


Mark T