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**TeachingPro** · 01-28-2005, 11:11 AM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Hi John, welcome to the site! I'm one of the profesisonal teaching staff at GTO and we'll get you sorted in no time.

Let's do the cupped wrist first, because that is the easiest to solve. Don't pay too much attention to the wrist angle at the top of the swing. It may sound strange, but for some or other reason it has become a big point that a flat wrist at the top of the swing is the only way to go. In fact, it doesn't matter ... as long as the wrists and club face are square at impact. Many golfers (amateurs and professionals alike) compensate rather nicely for small mistakes in their swing, including wrist angle at the top.

If you cut/slice the ball then we need to look at it but if you have a nice ball flight (even if it is a bit of a fade), don't worry ...

Right ... the almighty driver! Listen carefully, your driver is much longer than all the other clubs. To get the club around the swing, you HAVE to swing it faster, the club head has a swing radius of about 65" and for it get around it has to travel about double the speed of a 5-iron hit with the same tempo.

Don't confuse tempo with speed ... tempo is a fancy word for rhythm. You need to keep your rhythm the same for all your full shots but swing speed has to increase each time the club gets longer...

Ok?

Now ... let's talk about why you're spraying the shots all over the golf course with the driver. This problem goes back not to speed but timing. Tempo is the overall rhythm of the swing and timing is the connection between all the movements that make up the rhythm.

What you're trying to do with your driver is move everything faster because that is what you think is required. So your arms woosh around and your hips wip round almost dislocating them and your shoulders just about get ripped out their sockets ... you know the feeling??? When you do that ... your timing is out because all the movements have become disconnected from each other.

What you need to do is practice your timing with the driver. There are a few drills but if I explain where everything should be you can work from there.

At (or around) impact, your hands and club should get to the ball at about the same time, your right knee should be pointing at the ball and if there was a line through your hips, it should be at a 45* angle leading away left of the ball with your right hip just behind the ball and your chest should be on a similar angle to your hips. The left leg should be straight-ish.

There are 2 pictures for you to look at (I like useing Grant Waite becuase he has a fabulous impact position) ... great timing too!

So, John, off you to the range and focus on swinging quickly with the driver but getting everything in synch, that is your problem.

Okay? Post if you need help again.

Attached Files

**skudis** · 01-28-2005, 02:57 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated, John.

**Mizunoman** · 01-29-2005, 07:47 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

You just wanted to show off pics of South Africa didnt you Graham????

(Mizunoman quietly seethes at living in one of the coldest places on earth to golf)

John, stop trying to hit it so hard! Use the driver like a 7 iron, same tempo and everything. You will find that the slower and smoother you swing the better you will hit the driver. The best way to get a feel for it is to take your driver out on a nice wide open par 5 and pick a target 230 yards down the fairway. Now try and land the ball there but take a full swing, I bet you hit it as far as you normally do maybe even further because of the improved timing. Trying to belt the cover off the ball results in all sorts of miscues and general frustration.

Low and slow's the way to go!

Best of luck,

D.

(BTW, where in scotland do you play?)

**Long Dugg** · 01-29-2005, 07:53 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Nice post Pro, very informative. Just when I think I've thought of everything.

**TeachingPro** · 01-29-2005, 08:31 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Here is another tip / drill for you, but do it at your own peril. You didn't hear it from me ... I'm not supposed to be teaching guys to belt the **** out of the golf ball. (well, if it works you can say you heard from me, I suppose

)

If you really want to take advantage of your 'super duper quick swing with loads of power' but want to keep control of it, all you have to do is take your lower half out of the equation. Almost always a lack of control is caused by the lower half.

So, my friends:

Tee your ball up like you normally do. Now lift it a bit more. About 2/3rds of the ball should be above the clubhead.
Now take your normal stance, relax ... Now move your left toes in, so they point slightly inward and move your right foot back by the width of 1 foot, maybe a bit more. Open the right foot a bit too.
Now lift your left shoulder a bit and tilt your torso a bit more behind the ball. You should now feel like you're going to hit the ball just about straight up.
Grip the club a bit tighter than normal and get ready!
When you take the club away, take it as slow and as low as you can for the first 18".
As you swing back, move everything as far back to the right as you can. Lift the left heel right off the ground until you're on your left toes and turn way back right behind the ball.
Get the club has high over your shoulders as you can and don't worry about it getting to parallel, it's not important.
At the transition, let rip with everything you've got and focus only on 3 things: <1> keep your left arm straight and braced <2> getting your right shoulder under your chin at impact and <3> getting our right side through at the same time as the club.
Always keep your torso (think of your shirt buttons) behind the ball until after impact and leaning away from the ball.

It sounds very complicated but build the stance step by step, swing back slowly and get the club as high above your shoulders as you can and let fly from the top keeping your left arm braced and get the right through and passing under your chin.

The secret is stopping your lower half from doing anything. We do that but locking your left side from sliding (toe-in on the left) and we stop you swaying (wider stance).

**Mr_Change** · 01-30-2005, 12:54 AM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

I do the same thing, and I either block the shot or I hit a low pull hook. To fix my problem before I tee up I pull out my 8 iron (the club I hit the best in the bag) and have 5 or 6 practice swings. Grab my driver and copy the feel, it works about 7 out of 10 swings.

**TeachingPro** · 01-30-2005, 05:59 AM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

If you push or hit hit a low hook then you're not hitting up through the ball!

Follow the instructions in all the detail and it will be impossible for you to hit a low hook.

**kiwi** · 01-30-2005, 10:22 AM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Hey teach

Grant Waite no body talks about Grant. We were actually juniors together, he has got one of the most pure and sweet swings I've seen.

Heck of a nice guy too.

**TeachingPro** · 01-30-2005, 05:37 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

I talk about Grant Waite a lot in my teaching. He has one of the best swings on the planet as far as I'm concerned. Just look at those impact positions, absolutely perfect!

All the Aussies are nice guys.

**Arushanz** · 01-30-2005, 06:34 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Yes to Grant Waite ....but he is a real kiwi from Palmerston North New Zealand

.

**TeachingPro** · 01-30-2005, 07:21 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Geez, you Aussies and Kiwi's need to stop moving around! The rest of the world can't keep up!

**Arushanz** · 01-30-2005, 07:47 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Great site and thanks for the effort you all make to a lively discussion.

I thought I might add a word or two about my recent experiences with different shafts on drivers. I'm not exactly a novice (altho my style probably is reminiscent of a beginner). At 60+ I swing at between 85 and 90 km/hr so that I can walk the next day

. Because of my rather modest swing speed I have always gone for flexible graphite shafts and even as far as installing a Penley ladies flex shaft on my favorite driver.

However over the past few months I have purchased a couple of stiffer-shafted drivers over the Internet and noticed that I could indeed hit a club with a stiffer shaft. As a gamble the last club I purchased was a Goldfern Gorilla driver (a bargain at $US60 equiv) with a S flex Penley shaft. To my surprise when I trialled this latest acquisition I found it easy to hit. It felt as soft as butter and my drives were a lot straighter. I admit that I am only hitting around an average of 180m (with all things favorable perhaps 200m maximum).

My more flexible shafted drivers tend to fade off but so far this has not been such a major problem with the "Gorilla".

I thought this might be of interest to other senior golfers who may have a similar swing speed and be looking to improve their accuracy. I'd welcome comments from the pros as I was quite convinced I couldnt hit an S shafted driver. I'm having to re-think my choice of equipment. I strongly believe that a reliable driver is the most important part of golf as to get off to a good start on any hole is so important.

So that's jmho.

Good golfing all!

Arushanz

**Mr_Change** · 01-30-2005, 08:11 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Hey teach New Zealand is the east State of Australia. hehehe

**Mr_Change** · 01-30-2005, 08:22 PM

Re: swinging the driver to hard

Arushanz I found the sam thing. I do swing a little faster than yourself. My Golf instructor said that I'm not ready for a stiff flex as I don't swing fast enough. Against his advice I tried a driver with a stiff flex and drove the ball further and straighter I now use a stiff flex in my driver, I haven't changed my irons as of yet but will as soon as I can afford.

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