# Need Help With Driver



## Ponda (May 29, 2007)

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums. I probably should have searched first, cause I'm sure this thread has been made 1,000 times. But seems like there's already a ton of spam, so I'll just make a new one. 

Anyway, I'm hitting my irons fine...but it's my driver (G5 x-stiff) that's killing me. I am slicing horribly. I'm making contact at the center of the face, so that rules out hitting it off the toe and such. Only thing I can think of is either my hands are coming through too fast, causing my face to open, or I'm not coming straight through the ball??? Basic tips would help, maybe some checkpoints to go through as I address the ball. Anything will help, I'm clueless here...I could put a video on youtube for some of you all to see, but I'm on vacation at the moment so I can't do that until next week. Seems like I've 1000 different things to fix this and nothing has worked. I know that the harder I swing the worse the slice is...if that helps. Maybe if any of you know of any videos on the net I can watch, that would be great. Anyway, any advice or help would be greatly appreciated...thanks.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

The first thing I would check is your grip. Make sure it is strong enough to let your hands rotate the club face to square 
The second thing I would check is the flex, sounds like your shaft may be to stiff for your swing speed
Understanding Golf Club Shaft Flex

Usually your ball flight will tell you where your error lies. 
the rule of thumb is the direction the ball starts in is a result of the club head path, the direction it ends is a result of the face in relationship to the path


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## Ponda (May 29, 2007)

I've tried out a few other clubs with Reg. flex and I've still got a nasty slice. I'm thinking it could be grip. I changed my grip about a month ago, and I started hitting my irons great. But my driver went from decent to horrible. 

The ball is coming off of the club face to the left. I'm aimed left since I'm playing the slice, but I'm pretty sure it's coming off even farther left than I intend. I'm going to the range today and I'll find out for sure.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

"I'm aimed left since I'm playing the slice"
Golf is a game of opposites, the further left you aim, the more you will slice. By aiming left, you will encourage yourself to cut across the ball, imparting side spin.
At the range, try closing your stance, aim to the right, and try and hit a draw. Once you hit the draw a bunch of times, your driver should straighten out for you
GL


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## 300Yards (Jan 23, 2007)

Yeah, adjust your grip. I'd also check to make sure your starting the swing right too. When yu start your swing..do you use your arms first, or do you shift your weight, then use your arms? You should be doing the second.


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## 65nlovenit (Dec 8, 2006)

Give this Video a try (Super Easy Slice Cure)

Instruction | Golf.com

Del


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## Foster4 (May 2, 2007)

First how far do you drive the ball ? From that i can tell you your problem ..cuz i already have a good idea wat it is ..If your not unleashing a swing speed of 110 or more and a ball speed of 160 theres no way you should even consider having an x stiff shaft in your hands. If you hit it consistantly over 310-320 then thats probably not it but most golfers like to think they need that stiffer shaft or lower degree driver when really they should be hitting a higher degree driver for optimal launch angle which is about 13*-14* (not 13* driver thats 13* for launch angle of the ball after you hit it) and most ppl like to think there stronger then they really are and get that too stiff of a shaft ..its always better to get the less stiff shaft if your not sure ..but i would consult a pro before buying a club


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## Ponda (May 29, 2007)

My swing speed is fine for an x-stiff, I do know that much. I tried the tip that was in the video and that has actually helped me with my irons but not my driver. This is something that kind of happened over-night, I forgot to mention that. I was hitting my driver fine, and then it's like somehow I developed a really bad habit. Here's something that was pointed out to me today, it's not really a hard slice. It's coming off of the face straight and then right at the end, the ball is being pushed to the right. I'm losing a ton of distance, probably a good 50 yards. My iron shots are straight, not tailing any whatsoever. But my driver is a different story. I've tried everything seems like, as far as quick fixes go. I think it may be time to take some lessons...


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## Ponda (May 29, 2007)

I am finally hitting the ball straight again...

I think I may have met Jesus today...just maybe. Today I was at the chipping green going through my normal warm up. And I notice that this old man is coming toward me. He walks up to me and says "What in the hell are you doing?". Considering I've never met the man in my life and I'm down there minding my own business...my only answer is "uhhhhh......I'm practicing my short game, sir". He then starts to ask me if I think what I'm doing is the correct shot for where I'm trying to hit the ball. Considering it was just a practice green and that there wasn't a bunker between me and my destination...I guess a high loft shot wasn't what I was looking for, but I was practicing it anyway. He then began to ask me a series of questions...

1. Are you on a high school golf team? No, I played baseball for four years...
2. Why are you here? Well, I'm a walk-on at my local college and I want to get better...
3. What do you shoot? I shoot low 80's consistently and I occasionally break into the 70's...
4. What do you think you need to be shooting to be an asset to your college team? Umm....mid 70's for sure...

By this time I'm willing to jump off a roof if he tells me too just by how stern he is. He then looks me dead in the eye and asks me, "do you want to get better?". Of course I answered yes. In a matter of 2 or 3 hours I probably could have wrote a book on how much knowledge I had gained. He touched on a all kinds of stuff...course management, different kinds of shots that I need to practice, how to manage my emotions (he said golf is the weirdest sport he's ever played, you can play likbut score well, or you can play great and score poorly), and so on...

So after about 2 hours worth of lecture and tips, he asks me if I have any questions. I went on, and told him how I'm hitting my driver like pure crap...he hands me my club and I swing literally 2 times. He then grabs my golf towel and sticks it in between my right elbow and ribs...the Mickelson drill. I've honestly never hit the ball straighter, and it seemed almost effortless to hit well passed the 250 yard sign. I walked my usual 9 holes after that and I didn't miss a fairway or green...first time I've done that in a looooong time.

This probably doesn't do anybody any good by reading this post, but needless to say...I've never been more excited about my game.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

Sounds cool! Maybe you ran into Harvey Penick's ghost lol.
Are you left handed?
Could you explain the "Mickleson drill"?


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## Ponda (May 29, 2007)

No, I'm a RH. 

I cal it the Mickelson drill just because I see him doing it all of the time, other pro's may do it though. The point of the drill is to help with making your right elbow (for a right handed hitter) stay tucked in next to your ribs and not fly out. Since I had played baseball pretty much all of my life, I was in a habit of swinging my elbow out wide...at the peak of my back swing it looked more like a baseball swing than a golf swing. So he stuck the towel in between my right elbow and rib cage and told me to swing, but not to let the towel drop. The drill is in the link below...

Flying Right Elbow


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

Ah ok, thanks. The old flying right elbow, that will do it  At the top of the backswing, the right elbow (for right handers) should be at 90° and look like a waiter holding a tray.
I have been reading up on Harvey Penick's magic move. If the right elbow is in the correct position at the top, then the move is when the wieght shifts forward to the left, at the same time, the right elbow is returned to the body (right hip). This puts the club in the "slot"


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## Ponda (May 29, 2007)

Right, today I was back to my same old bad habit...the slice. My elbow wasn't flying out though...for some reason I'm now coming over the top and adding that nasty tail. I don't understand how in a matter of hours I can go from hitting my tee shot perfect to developing another bad habit and screwing everything up. I'm trying to keep my hands straight and come through the ball instead of rotating my right hand over and having a better swing plane. I guess that's why golf can be the most frustrating thing in the world.


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## stevel1017 (Apr 30, 2007)

it's not really the right hand rolling over, it's more the forearms, look at the pro's, they all roll the forearms over, it releases the club.
Maybe rolling over is the wrong term. But I hope you understand what I mean


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## mkoreiwo (Jan 8, 2007)

I feel for you...

I have been slicing drives to the point of wanting to leave my woods in the bag. Then, on Sunday, I was smokin' 'em. It was like a dream - on one hole i hit a 3W 290+,(though downhill to a flat landing area 0 it was still pure, I could feel it as soon as it left the club) and on the last my drive was like a cannon shot, based on the scorecard, it was just shy of 300. What I had been focusing on that day was keeping my backswing under control, and not letting the club get past parallel. I was actually thinking 3/4 swing, and relax.

I was ecstatic, then yesterday... horrible again. But I will get to the range and see if I could find that swing again... So I guess my suggestion is less of a swing.... That's all I got.

Good Luck!!

mike


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## bjterry62 (Jun 12, 2007)

Ponda said:


> I am finally hitting the ball straight again...
> 
> I think I may have met Jesus today...just maybe. Today I was at the chipping green going through my normal warm up. And I notice that this old man is coming toward me. He walks up to me and says "What in the hell are you doing?". Considering I've never met the man in my life and I'm down there minding my own business...my only answer is "uhhhhh......I'm practicing my short game, sir". He then starts to ask me if I think what I'm doing is the correct shot for where I'm trying to hit the ball. Considering it was just a practice green and that there wasn't a bunker between me and my destination...I guess a high loft shot wasn't what I was looking for, but I was practicing it anyway. He then began to ask me a series of questions...
> 
> ...


I think I would probably be in church on Sunday, just in case!


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## Ponda (May 29, 2007)

Hey guys, got another question....I went to D ick's today to hit some new drivers. I'm not sure how accurate their computer is, but I had a swing speed of about 100-105. Now, I've changed my swing a little...keeping my elbow in and really turning my hips and trying to work on getting in the slot. I got rid of the "slice" and now it's more of a push to the right, so I'm thinking that's another good sign that an x-stiff is not a good choice. I hit a stiff Hibore XL and hit it pretty well...the computer said it was still going right, but the guy wouldn't take off the plastic on the grip, I could feel the club twisting when I would swing. Then I hit a regular flex Sumo Square and the computer showed that it was going straight down the middle but had a small tail right at the end. The guy told me that it was more than likely because of the R flex shaft. They didn't have an S flex so I didn't get to hit that. Anyway...here's where I've got a choice to make...

I went to another golf shop close by, they also didn't have a S-flex...but they did have a used R flex priced at $300.00. Then I talked him down to $250.00...Would an R-Flex be more beneficial for a swing speed of 100-105 or would a S-flex be better? Kind of a dumb question, since I should probably try out an S-flex first, but I'm having trouble finding one that I can actually test.


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## 300Yards (Jan 23, 2007)

That depends entirely on you. Some people hit a slightly whippier club, and others, hit a stiffer club. I'd hit a few more balls with the S and R flexes, before making a choice, but go with whatever is more beneficial to you.


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## bjterry62 (Jun 12, 2007)

300yards is right, it all depends on you. I use an R flex (260cpm) and have a SS of 118+/-. But, I also have friends that do not swing as fast that feel like they have no control at all with my woods. So, it all depends on what you like the feel of and what works the best for your swing. One thing to remember, swing speed is only ONE fitting perameter. You also need to consider your transition and tempo. The Transition takes place when you end the backswing and begin the downswing. The more aggressive your transition, the firmer the shaft needs to be. Usually, people with an aggressive transition have a fast tempo. Tempo is the rythm of the swing. A good pro/fitter can tell you if you have a slow, medium or fast tempo. BTW, mine is slow, which allows me to use a more flexible shaft.

BT


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## Foster4 (May 2, 2007)

you could try a stiff flex shaft but try different kick points and a lower weight shaft.


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## Ponda (May 29, 2007)

Anyone know if the un-conformed Sumo Square is illegal in the NCAA?


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## cbwheeler (Apr 9, 2007)

bjterry62 said:


> 300yards is right, it all depends on you. I use an R flex (260cpm) and have a SS of 118+/-. But, I also have friends that do not swing as fast that feel like they have no control at all with my woods. So, it all depends on what you like the feel of and what works the best for your swing. One thing to remember, swing speed is only ONE fitting perameter. You also need to consider your transition and tempo. The Transition takes place when you end the backswing and begin the downswing. The more aggressive your transition, the firmer the shaft needs to be. Usually, people with an aggressive transition have a fast tempo. Tempo is the rythm of the swing. A good pro/fitter can tell you if you have a slow, medium or fast tempo. BTW, mine is slow, which allows me to use a more flexible shaft.
> 
> BT


Good info there. I was going to say the same thing.


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