Help! I can't lift my drives!

[8en_C]

Ive just got a new driver and cant get it to work. When i hit the ball it seems to stay no more than a meter from the ground. i know i get the distance because it still goes quite a long way however if i could just get it in the air i know i could send the ball alot further. Can any one help me with some tips or pointers on lifting the ball with a driver?

Thanks
8en_C

[bonzi_532]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Move the ball up in your stance unless it is on your front foot. The swimng with your driver should be a sweeping one. My guess is that you are trying to crush it and just hit down and send it into the turf. Sweep It.

[LowPost42]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Let's check the basics.

What were you hitting (driver, shaft, flex, loft) and what are you hitting now (driver, shaft, flex, loft)?

My assumption is that you've stepped up to a lower lofted driver, and the kick point has changed on the shaft.

[kiwi]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Move your ball position further forward in your stance and keep your head down. As bonzi said the driver is a sweeping motion.
Don't try to hit it in the air, just sweep it off the tee and the loft of the club will take care of the rest.It may be the longest club in the bag but you don't need to try and hit it any harder than the others.

Practice makes perfect.

Kiwi

[pnearn]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Ive been suffering from the same problem and I think it may be because I am having to tee the ball much lower because of the winter tees. Thus I am hitting the ball very much off the top half of the face, rather than the centre

Try teeing it up higher and see if that helps? If you start to sky it you know youve gone too far

[8en_C]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Thanks for the advice. I have taken it into account and now the ball is getting a lot more loft off the tee. Also someone on the range told me that using my wrist more would also help to solve the problem, which has helped with the trajectory but has seemed to have developed a slice so i guess i just need to practise.

Thanks
8en_C

[gord962]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Becareful taking advice on the range!

Don't use your wrists - let them work naturally. You want a flat left wrist at impact.

[thebigman]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Unless he got a strong grip??? Then he wouldnt want a flat left wrist.

[gord962]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

You want a flat left wrist at impact. If you have any questions about this see GregJWillis' impact drill:
http://members.cox.net/gregjwillis/LESSON3.htm

and right hand drill:
http://members.cox.net/gregjwillis/LESSON1.htm

[thebigman]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Gord get urself a club and set up..put a strong left hand grip on the club. now keepin that grip go to what u would call ur impact position and stop (still with the strong grip)..clubface shud be square obviously. Only because the cup in the left wrist. Flatten out the left wrist...see the clubface? It closes.

A flat left wrist would kill me, i need to keep my wrist cupped.

Or change my grip

[gord962]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

If you are lefthanded, then the right wrist should be flat at impact and the left wrist cupped.

What you are talking about is a extremely strong grip to fix a swing fault.

If you swing from inside-out or inside-square-inside, you transfer your weight properly and your torso is pointing at the target at impact and you have a flat right wrist (for righties) your club will be through the impact zone. You need to keep your right wrist cupped and the left wrist flat.

[thebigman]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

im confused by terminology..

Whats the difference between bent and cupped? Whats arched? Whats bowed? Because, i thought, right handed golfers would want, flat left wrist; bent right wrist. Or is bent and cupped the same? lol

and i wasnt talking about an extremely strong grip to fix problems, i was jus sayin a strong left hand grip doesnt want a flat left wrist. Is it not possible to have a bent right wrist and cupped left wrist?

To get what i was meanin; put a strong left hand grip on a club at address ..is the wrist flat? if it is then its a mix up in terminology. to me the wrist is automatically "cupped".. and to flaten the wrist out closes the clubface..but ye still not sure of definitions. So if anyone knows.......school me.

[thebigman]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Trusty redgoat galleries.....

http://redgoat.smugmug.com/gallery/429103/1/17226892

[gord962]

Re: Help! I can't lift my drives!

Look at the links i posted above to Greg's drills - they will describe everything perfectly.