Natural Golf Driver slice

[Gangrel]

I'm one of the "natural golfers" on here, and have a question on something that's happenign to me with a driver now.

I broke a driver earlier this summer, and a buddy gave me his old one. His is one of the "big headed" ones, and my old driver was a more normal size.

I bought some taller tees, and such, and ever since I've gotten the driver, I cannot hit it straight.

Everything I hit from the tee starts off straight, or a slight push (so, I would think my swing path is pretty square, or a bit in-out) but after the ball travels about 180 yards, it veers off hard right.

So, in my mind, from what I've read, I would assume my swing plane is ok, but my club face is open at contact. Does this make sense? For the most part, I don't slice my other clubs, even my 3 wood from the tee.....

What should I concentrate on to get the face closed?


I have tried a ball position far forward, off my heel, in line with my lead hip..... but mostly the same result.

So, I'm thinking i'm doing something wrong mechanically, but just with the Driver.

Any advice?

[Husband]

I would say it's all in your grip. A little trick I learned, that worked for me, was to make my glove-hand thumb point to my oppsite shoulder.

I'm a righty, so my LH thumb would be in a fashion that the knuckle and thumb are pointing to my right shoulder.

[Kilroy]

So, I'm thinking i'm doing something wrong mechanically, but just with the Driver.

Any advice?

Sounds like the driver may not fit you. It could be the wrong flex, length or weight...

[Chieflongtee]

Why do you think your buddy gave it to you

[Gangrel]

lol. I thought it was because he bought a nice Big Bertha in Myrtle Beach this spring, but maybe my thougts of a Voodoo curse are true!

I may pay attention to my grip too. maybe because the driver is set back further then most other clubs, I "think" my grip and face alignment are right, but maybe it's not.

[he4dhuntr]

It could definitely be the driver (did you slice before), but I'd say that usually it's the swing... Your grip should be the first place to check, but unfortunately there are a lot of reasons why someone may be slicing the ball. I was slicing and had to change quite a few things to work on it (after reviewing video with my trainer):

1) Keep back leg flexed during backswing
2) Not swaying back on the backswing
3) Making sure my takeaway was not too inside or flat
4) Making sure I stayed behind the ball and kept my head fixed through impact
5) Made sure to get a wider backswing and pull the club with my hips and shoulders on the downsing

All this was basically to manage my weight shift and to get a less steep and more in-to-out-to-in path at impact. I think a good slow motion video of your driver swing can really help. I was coming across the ball too much. The driver tends to further pronounce your mistakes in the ball flight, so it's a good way to see what you may be doing wrong.

Cheers,

[leftylucas]

I agree, hit your friend over the head with the driver using the grip referred to in the above posts and then take his new driver and try it out.

Seriously for some reason you are only slicing with the driver so I would look there first for sure.

[Gangrel]

I can't beat him up too bad, he gave it to me for nothing! I'll see what happens this weekend at Metcalfe. I'm sure one thing that may help is taking an easier swing with the damn thing instead of trying to kill it.......

And I will admit that my 3wood is not perfectly straight, and in some cases do have a fairly mild fade at the end, but it's certainly not the 15-20 yard tail I get with the driver!

If I wasn't getting married in a few weeks I'd just buy a new set of clubs (i'm due) but I think that won't happen until the winter time..... which is better, I can catch all the sales then.

Something esle in all seriousness that might be a clue.... with the tall tees I seem to break them all the time. Maybe that is also a clue that i'm hitting too low on the ball? Or have it teed too high?

I try to have it the standard "half the ball above the face of the club" but maybe I"m not doing that properly.....

Or is it just standard with these tall tees that they break easier?

[leftylucas]

Well a lower teed ball will tend to fade/slice, a higher teed ball tends to draw/hook.

[DenisO]

I never knew this, do you know the reasoning behind why it tends to shape a certain way based on the tee height?

Well a lower teed ball will tend to fade/slice, a higher teed ball tends to draw/hook.

[Gangrel]

Another question I just thought of in my garage (don't ask) while looking at my driver.....

What do you focus on when you swing off the tee? The back of the ball? Or a spot *before* the back of the ball?

I'm wondering if looking behind the ball will make my swing's low point move back a bit, thus allowing my club head to rotate a tiny bit more and hopefully close?

Right now I've been focusing on the back of the ball on the tee......

[Chieflongtee]

I never knew this, do you know the reasoning behind why it tends to shape a certain way based on the tee height?

Higher tee height = flatter swing plane
Lower tee height=steeper swing plane

Reasoning behind this if you tee the ball up you will swing at it from the side and won't try to help the ball up
The opposite if you tee it too low.

If you try to hit a dead tennis ball from off the ground with a tennis racquet you will most likely open the face to get it airborne and use a cutting motion. One of the main reasons in my opinion why people slice.