What to do when driver goes crooked...

[nokids]

Not sure if I can get any advice without showing a video of my swing but I thought I'd give it a try. My issue with my golf game these days is my stoopid DRIVER!

This is what happens. I always start off the first 5 holes or so straight, then it goes crooked the rest of the round. Yesterday I hit 0 fairways on the back nine of my intersectional tryout. Actually I hit one fairway but it was the wrong fairway (still made par haha).

So I don't know if it's a conditioning issue because most of my missed were slices, or trying to hit too hard because my fc's were long bombers and maybe I was just trying to keep up. But it's not just a one day thing, it's a pattern I've noticed for a few weeks now.

I use the same stance as in hole #1, and the same swing, but as the round goes on I keep slicing further and further right. The one time I tried to aggressively release my club so it wouldn't slice, I ended up hooking it a mile.

Any advice would be welcome.

[nokids]

Found some stuff on the web that might apply to me:

"Your problem MAY be that as the round goes by you get warmed up and feel like you can start to swing harder. Don't do it. Swinging much more than 80% often results in all sorts of swing errors. "

"best guess is on top of your lower back tightening up you're tiring .. as a result of tiring muscles weaken unconsciously leading people to stand upright during their swing which means steep attack... getting under the ball. "

[jvincent]

I use the same stance as in hole #1, and the same swing, but as the round goes on I keep slicing further and further right. The one time I tried to aggressively release my club so it wouldn't slice, I ended up hooking it a mile.

Any advice would be welcome.

I think you need to change this to "I think I use the same stance .... "

It's very easy to slightly change your setup without even knowing it.

[nokids]

I think you need to change this to "I think I use the same stance .... "

It's very easy to slightly change your setup without even knowing it.

It's very possible that I was aiming wrong and compensating with a bad swing. So I got some tips from my pro on my setup and I drove the ball much better yesterday. Golf is so easy with a reliable driver.

[mjf]

Golf is so easy with a reliable driver.

I wouldn't know...

[Shreen]

I find buying a new driver helps !! Actually, partially true. Demo-ing a new driver always cures my driver problems. Once I buy the driver, however.....

[Wilster]

Found some stuff on the web that might apply to me:

[I]"Your problem MAY be that as the round goes by you get warmed up and feel like you can start to swing harder. Don't do it. Swinging much more than 80% often results in all sorts of swing errors. "[/I]

"best guess is on top of your lower back tightening up you're tiring .. as a result of tiring muscles weaken unconsciously leading people to stand upright during their swing which means steep attack... getting under the ball. "

I've been in this scenario many times , you've just got to reset mid round and go back to basics , sometimes i'll use the 3 wd for a hole or 2 and usually that works. (different swing / tempo)

[DenisO]

I never have these problems so I wouldn't know... sucka

[nokids]

I think I was using a defective driver. Today the head just fell off. Not during a swing thankfully.

[Ruskie]

You should change your name to DriverKiller. That's, what, the third driver you broke?

[nokids]

7-10 days to get a new driver.

[Sunny D]

Years ago when I had only been playing for about 4 years, I played with a much older gentleman in Florida. After 9 holes told me he could take 10 strokes off my game. I said great. He took all my woods out out of my bag and put them in his for the rest of the round. (he did give them back by the way) His view - you hit your irons well and long. So he told me I had to figure out what my goal in golf was play with my woods or score low. He was right by the way. I took 8 strokes off my back nine.

So lesson to me was when my driver usually decides to pack it in --- usually when I am close to reaching some sort of low round score --- I leave it in the bag and hit 3 irons until I feel it is safe. This is such a head game....

[nokids]

Years ago when I had only been playing for about 4 years, I played with a much older gentleman in Florida. After 9 holes told me he could take 10 strokes off my game. I said great. He took all my woods out out of my bag and put them in his for the rest of the round. (he did give them back by the way) His view - you hit your irons well and long. So he told me I had to figure out what my goal in golf was play with my woods or score low. He was right by the way. I took 8 strokes off my back nine.

So lesson to me was when my driver usually decides to pack it in --- usually when I am close to reaching some sort of low round score --- I leave it in the bag and hit 3 irons until I feel it is safe. This is such a head game....

I agree 100%. My personal best score of 75 on a 6800 yard course came without a driver in my bag.

[nokids]

For the past two weeks I've been slicing my driver really bad and a junior golfer gave me a tip that has me hitting the driver with the ball flight I desire, a draw! He showed me how to hold the club with a strong grip. I had no clue what a strong grip was. Turns out I had a neutral grip before.

At first it felt very awkward, but after 2 days of practice I am hitting draws and straight balls. I honestly thought it was impossible to hit a draw with this club because I had tried everything I could think of and was always slicing, fading it. I'm hitting a Callaway FT Tour 8.5 loft, stiff shaft, 1.5 degrees open clubface.

For those of you with slice issues, try the strong grip on the driver. Here's an article explaining how to do it.

http://www.golftoday.co.uk/proshop/f...ng_strong.html

[jvincent]

As somebody who has generally always had a strongish grip, I'm waiting for the update to this thread where those draws turn into snap hooks.

[nokids]

As somebody who has generally always had a strongish grip, I'm waiting for the update to this thread where those draws turn into snap hooks.

I know what you mean. I hit a few hooks but thankfully it was on the practice range.

[Kiwi]

Judging from your posts, in the past, I see no similarity in our age (60) and our golf game (+18), BUT I do see a similar pattern in our "problem". Early success but by the 9-10th hole the wheels fall off. Sounds like you have some good advice (pros and video). I have concluded, without the benefit of either, that it is a case of swinging too hard, resulting in pulls (great distance thought) and slices. I believe the slices are due to, not grip or stance, but failing to finish my swing, leaving the club face open slightly at impact. I think the not finishing my swing thing is me tensing up trying NOT to do something. I find when I have a good mental image on a target I usually can hit a decent shot in the fairway. Hope you get your problem sorted out.

[nokids]

Hope you get your problem sorted out.

Im soo close to figuring out this game.....

[Chambokl]

Im soo close to figuring out this game.....

This is the funniest post ever...

[Wknd_Warrior]

While you are sure to have a bigger chance of hitting it crooked, I don't think hard = slice. Now maybe it does if hard= big lateral movement getting ahead of the ball.

I'll wager it's fear of the right side, when you start trying to hit it left, the reverse rudder effect comes into play and it spins farther right, on and on. When I'm scared of the right, I'll try and aim left/left center and come up with the guts to swing true, or even play a small fade. Not saying it works, lol..but it's the best advice I got.

I can see ia strong grip working for a while because it's different compared to your old grip. Once familiarity sets in the same mechanisms may start to happen again. I'd be worried it's just a band aid. I see a lot of guys with a grip so strong their right thumb is on the side of the club, they still slice. It does seem to be accepted knowledge that strong grips promote a closed face.

I always liked the idea of neutral grip, but I think my left hand is probably on the strong side.

[nokids]

This is the best instructor of all time!

" weak grip gets you nowhere"

[Wknd_Warrior]

His grip actually isn't that strong to my eyes.

[nokids]

While you are sure to have a bigger chance of hitting it crooked, I don't think hard = slice. Now maybe it does if hard= big lateral movement getting ahead of the ball.

I'll wager it's fear of the right side, when you start trying to hit it left, the reverse rudder effect comes into play and it spins farther right, on and on. When I'm scared of the right, I'll try and aim left/left center and come up with the guts to swing true, or even play a small fade. Not saying it works, lol..but it's the best advice I got.

I can see ia strong grip working for a while because it's different compared to your old grip. Once familiarity sets in the same mechanisms may start to happen again. I'd be worried it's just a band aid. I see a lot of guys with a grip so strong their right thumb is on the side of the club, they still slice. It does seem to be accepted knowledge that strong grips promote a closed face.

I always liked the idea of neutral grip, but I think my left hand is probably on the strong side.

Here's what I noticed this week, the further into the round I go, the further right my ball starts to fade. So I'm going to try to outsmart myself by aim farther left as the round progresses and fatigue sets in, see if this works.

I have not 'hooked' many balls which is a good thing.

[habsfan]

Here's what I noticed this week, the further into the round I go, the further right my ball starts to fade. So I'm going to try to outsmart myself by aim farther left as the round progresses and fatigue sets in, see if this works.

I have not 'hooked' many balls which is a good thing.

probably same as me, your legs out race your arms and you get stuck behind, you have to stop the left knee from going to its straight position before impact, its all timing. probably like me, u let your legs get lazy longer into the round.

[Wknd_Warrior]

This is the best instructor of all time!

" weak grip gets you nowhere"

and most of the great golfers in history had neutral to weak grips.

[cleek]

I am with Sunny D on this one , my best scores have come w/o a driver in hand. If you can accept being 20 - 50 yards behind your playing partners ( but in the fairway ), not being able to reach par 5's in two & skilled enough to hit a long iron or hybrid into a green vs a short / middle iron then it's ok to not have the driver in the bag. However when you stripe a couple long and straight it will keep you coming back for more.
I have always struggled with driver accuracy but in a recent lesson I was encouraged to use a strong grip due to cupping at the top of my swing , this advice has helped lots. They're not all straight but much better and enough to persuade me to keep the driver in the bag.

Best advice, see a pro

[Wknd_Warrior]

This happened to me today at the end of the round. I went straight to the range to check it out, as I got half tway there I could feel the "fear of the right" slipping away and it was obvious to me I swiped the last few left, spinning them right. Sure enough first few balls on the range right down the pipe.

I tried the aim left trick and hooked my drive on the 17th into the woods lol. you just can't trust anything these days...

[nokids]

Happy to report that my drivers, yes i used 2 drivers at Equinelle today, were phenomenal from start to finish. The strong grip is badass

[goley]

Good job on your play nokids.. It just goes to show you that hard work pays off. Keep at it fella.

[Wknd_Warrior]

this is pretty good, I like reason #3