Hit Up With Driver Help

[sabzor]

All,

I've decided to see if anyone here has any good drills that help with getting into the rhythm of hitting the driver on the upswing (or at least bottom of the arc).

Bit of background:

I play to about a 10 hdcp. My SS is normally around 110-115 with a driver. I'm known for having a tendency of coming in a bit steep with irons. I've worked this winter on not sliding so far forward and not dragging the handle in past impact (in an attempt to create more lag) but rather to just release from the top and let my weight shift take care of it. I've gotten much more consistent with my irons and find I'm flushing them 8/10 times. At times I hit a bit of a baby fade and I realize that is due to me holding off on my release just a tad (something I'm working on).

I feel like this motion has carried through to my driver. I understand I should have 2 different swings and be catching my driver on the upswing. My setup is good, ball position is good, and I realize I should be trying to turn and stay centred at my sternum throughout the swing which (based on a good setup) should allow me to make proper contact. For the longest time I've had issues hitting the ball right, hitting high on the face, or popping the ball up off the crown due to a steep attack in. It's clear that I'm shifting my sternum forward like I was hitting and iron and its causing this and right misses are due to me bringing in the face open as I'm not fully releasing through.

Sorry for the long winded post, but long story short I'm sure someone here has some good tips/drills to help hammer home the right swing. All I could really think of was spend a bunch of time hitting little 1/2 swing shots and getting that sensation of keeping by low point behind the ball.

[quinner]

After a driver fitting last summer, I moved the ball forward and teed it up a bit and Whamo!!! hitting it on the way up. I have been driving the ball great ever since that small setup change.

[goley]

You need to have your head far enough behind the ball and your left shoulder up and away from the ball (get the drunk off your back!!!) this will help you create enough axis tilt. Keep in mind you still want some forward lean at impact. What you dont want is excessive handle dragging and the thumping of your matt to be heard from the other end of the range. If you look at most pros their head will acutally fall back a bit in the last part of their downswings. Get on a Trackman or Flighscope so you can get real numbers instead of just guessing. Just remember that the futher you hit up on it the more you swing direction will shift to the left so you need to compensate by either swing far enough or aim far enough to the right to zero out your path. Like I said get on a Trackman or Flightscope with someone who knows how to use it.
Good luck

[quinner]

You need to have your head far enough behind the ball and your left shoulder up and away from the ball (get the drunk off your back!!!) this will help you create enough axis tilt. Keep in mind you still want some forward lean at impact. What you dont want is excessive handle dragging and the thumping of your matt to be heard from the other end of the range. If you look at most pros their head will acutally fall back a bit in the last part of their downswings. Get on a Trackman or Flighscope so you can get real numbers instead of just guessing. Just remember that the futher you hit up on it the more you swing direction will shift to the left so you need to compensate by either swing far enough or aim far enough to the right to zero out your path. Like I said get on a Trackman or Flightscope with someone who knows how to use it.
Good luck

I like my suggestion better!!

[gregnol]

i remember having a similar issue when i first started playing and came across an article in golf digest. i don't remember who the instructor was but he said that to practice the motion of hitting up on a golf ball with your driver try taking practice swings on a slight uphill lie. it helped me groove the motion of hitting up on the ball. i also agree with quinner's post but would proceed with caution as moving the ball up in your stance can sometimes open your shoulders up and make it really easy to hit big slices.

[nokids]

Before you play a round, stay a night at the Holiday Inn Express

[leftylucas]

You are so unconventional, no wonder your HC dropped so much in one year

[bNeill]

You need to have your head far enough behind the ball and your left shoulder up and away from the ball (get the drunk off your back!!!) this will help you create enough axis tilt. Keep in mind you still want some forward lean at impact. What you dont want is excessive handle dragging and the thumping of your matt to be heard from the other end of the range. If you look at most pros their head will acutally fall back a bit in the last part of their downswings. Get on a Trackman or Flighscope so you can get real numbers instead of just guessing. Just remember that the futher you hit up on it the more you swing direction will shift to the left so you need to compensate by either swing far enough or aim far enough to the right to zero out your path. Like I said get on a Trackman or Flightscope with someone who knows how to use it.
Good luck

I'm guessing that a lot of this doesn't make sense to you, but it's a good answer. Go on the Trackman website and find the article they published explaining ball flight laws as a start.