Scared of my driver....

[mattyboy]

I started this yr w/ very high expectations. I shot a couple low 40's (40,41) on consecutive days last yr & am/was averaging 44-46 for 9. Everything was clicking, until a moth ago.I can't hit my driver @ all now. I'm killing(in a good way) my irons & fairway wood but in doing so my swing speed is way up. Problem is the driver swing is way too fast & I can't get the tempo down. I won't even play driver now. I'll hit my 5 wood 190 -200+. I guess the easiest way to fix it is back to my pro but I don;t want to cough up another $45. I went to Dick's sporting goods & wailed the hell out of a new FTI 3 driver but didn't have a monitor to show me trajectory. Maybe I just need a much stiffer shaft since my swing has evolved.:shark:

 

[mddubya]

I started this yr w/ very high expectations. I shot a couple low 40's (40,41) on consecutive days last yr & am/was averaging 44-46 for 9. Everything was clicking, until a moth ago.I can't hit my driver @ all now. I'm killing(in a good way) my irons & fairway wood but in doing so my swing speed is way up. Problem is the driver swing is way too fast & I can't get the tempo down. I won't even play driver now. I'll hit my 5 wood 190 -200+. I guess the easiest way to fix it is back to my pro but I don;t want to cough up another $45. I went to Dick's sporting goods & wailed the hell out of a new FTI 3 driver but didn't have a monitor to show me trajectory. Maybe I just need a much stiffer shaft since my swing has evolved.:shark:

If your swing speed is up that much you probably need a stiffer shaft. But find a monitor before you go plunking money down on a new shaft.

 

[JEFF4i]

Just buy an FT-i, they rock.

 

[ezra76]

I have a healthy fear of my driver. Need to fear it more actually.

 

[bcmoney82]

A good drill I discovered to get the driver under control is to work on holding the finish in place until the ball has stopped rolling. Obviously, this is something you should work on at the range.
What this will do is make you swing in balance, which generally means slowing it down a little and having proper tempo. You won't be able to hold the finish if you are swinging too hard or with bad tempo. You'll find that when you concentrate on finishing in the proper position and being able to hold the pose, you will naturally swing under control.

 

[millrivermem]

That happened to me too dude...I was trying super hard to just land them in the fairway..Swinging about 80 percent at most....Then during a range session i fixed it while in the heat of a temper tantrum...Iswung as hard as i could...Ball went dead straight...Figure before I was trying to make my swing too mushy and wasnt keeping up with the shaft....I guess this is the exact opposite of what your query is though isnt it?

 

[FATC1TY]

It's possibly your shaft, but more likely a tempo deal.

If your rushing it, your whipping your shaft more so than usual, and if it's a low torque, your unable to square the head properly.

Try getting a tempo that works. Sounds easier than said though. I'm working on that myself.

I swing my driver 70-80%, or choke down on it just a little, to give myself some breathing room and to control it.. If I slow my backswing down, keep it flat and shallow, and then pop the hip and accelerate down, I blast it, and 80 percent of the time, if I concentrate on my hands and bring them down and over, it's a nice fade/straight.

Try a stronger grip, and slow it down. Keep your shoulders squared, don't drop your front shoulder. If you start duck hooking and hooking, weaken the grip, and try again.

 

[Pa Jayhawk]

May be worth going to a fitter and getting your driver cut down to a proper length. Most drivers are too long, and not only will having it cut down help with control, until I had mine cut down my tempo was my worst problem but mainly on the driver. It really seemed to help. You are likely only looking at $10-20 for the new grip, the proper weight added back and the fee to cut it down.

To me it is now an afterthought. I did just buy a new driver and got it yesterday, and after hitting it for a while, it immediately went in my basement and was cut down last night. Pretty easy to do yourself if you feel comfortable with that kind of thing, but if not the cost is minimal through a good clubmaker.

Or as the saying goes, if Tiger can't hit a 45+ inch driver, what makes you think you can. I think he uses between 43-44", most pros use around 44", most off the shelf come 45- 45 3/4". Much of the actual proper length may also be based on a wrist to floor measurement. The average driver off the shelf is likely designed for someone with a 41-42" wrist to floor measurement. I am 6'1" with normal arms and my wrist to floor measurement is around 36" which puts me into a 44" driver. Although there are other considerations.

edit 1 - if you choose this option, you may want to consider taking your FW's with you to assure the lengths are staggered properly, although mine were fine. Just my driver was way out of proportion. Probably the reason it was the main problem with tempo when my tempo was poor.

 

[FATC1TY]

Pa Jayhawk- Thats a good point.. I've found myself leaving around an inch of the grip out the back of my hands when I grip it, because I've found I gained way better control over my swing, and my driver.

I'm curious though. Cutting the butt of my driver shaft. What does that equate as far as swing weight, stiffness, kick point of a shaft? What have I changed by knocking an inch off the butt?

 

[millrivermem]

What have I changed by knocking an inch off the butt?[/QUOTE]

More women will notice you? just a thought

 

[SilverUberXeno]

Pa Jayhawk- Thats a good point.. I've found myself leaving around an inch of the grip out the back of my hands when I grip it, because I've found I gained way better control over my swing, and my driver.

I'm curious though. Cutting the butt of my driver shaft. What does that equate as far as swing weight, stiffness, kick point of a shaft? What have I changed by knocking an inch off the butt?

It will change things, but gripping down an inch changes things too. I think shortening an inch would not be a noticeable difference. 1 swingweight point if I recall. You could add a little lead tape to make up the difference.