Reverse pivot

[mariner]

A friend of mine is having trouble with a reverse pivot which causes him to top his drives into the ground, he's ok with a 5-iron from a terrible lie but when the ball's on the tee he barely makes contact, any quick fixes?

[BrianW]

Re: Reverse pivot

Does he hit the ground behind the tee or hit the ball off the tee into the ground?

[mariner]

Re: Reverse pivot

He hits the ball first, but only the top half of it on the upswing, topspinning it into the ground

[bulldog2k]

Re: Reverse pivot

He hits the ball on the upswing?

But seriously... You're sure it's an RP that causes the top? I know with me, most of my problems with topping stem from trying to hit it too hard, and for many, that can be a particular issue on the tee.

If he can play the stroke off the deck, tell him to first of all try to play the stroke not in competition but to find a quiet time on a tee (or range) by himself.

1) Try the stroke with a half swing
2) Try the stroke with a 3/4 swing but at what feels like half speed
3) Try the stroke without a ball but with a tee in the ground, concentrating on sweeping the tee out with a smooth action
4) Put a ball back on the tee, and remembering the famous golf advice from the Matrix ("The secret is - there is no spoon!"), imagine the ball is not there, and still focus on a smooth swing that sweeps the tee peg out of the ground - important - I mean it! The ball is 'not there' and he is only trying to sweep the tee peg out
5) Next time he plays, remind him not to try to hit it hard off the tee!

The above may be no, some, or lots of use, like all my advice. I also always back up my tips with the health warning that I'm a 26 and do not know what I'm talking about Good luck, and let us know how you and he get on!

[BrianW]

Re: Reverse pivot

When hitting a driver off the tee you need to strike the ball with a slight upwards stroke that sweeps the ball away. There is a valid reason for this:- the ideal launch angle for the ball off a driver is around 40 degrees, this will give you optimum carry and distance. The average driver has a loft of between 9 and 12 degrees producing low backspin. To get the ball up you have to hit it upwards so the loft and upwards blow create the appropriate angle, unlike others clubs that you hit down or sweep away level. The ball needs to be teed fairly high and hit forward in the stance allowing the driver face to bottom out then strike the ball as it starts to rise.

If it is being hit such that it flies towards the ground then the bottom edge of the driver is striking the ball around it's equator or higher so that the ball does not have a chance of getting in the air.

Look at these things:

The ball may be too far forward causing the club leading edge to glance the upper part of the ball.

The ball may be teed too low, again making the leading edge strike the ball high up on its surface.

The golfer may be lifting up in the downswing and hitting the ball on the upper half.

I hope this is of some help.

[bulldog2k]

Re: Reverse pivot

When hitting a driver off the tee you need to strike the ball with a slight upwards stroke that sweeps<snip>

My bad - when I read "upswing", I just had this mental image of "backswing" and went charging ahead accordingly.

Apols all!

[cyc53870]

Re: Reverse pivot

I got a crazy question- How exactly does anyone know if you have a reverse pivot swing? I heard that even pros are prone to this?

[BrianW]

Re: Reverse pivot

I got a crazy question- How exactly does anyone know if you have a reverse pivot swing? I heard that even pros are prone to this?

Lots of people have reverse pivots, I would go as far as saying that most amateur players have them.

If you have one or watch someone else with one they will finish their swing leaning back on their back leg, their backs arched backwards and in severe cases up on their front toes. It happens when the weight is on the lead leg in the backswing and the back leg in the downswing, (Reverse) The "C" bit is where the lower body is thrust forward and the upper body backwards creating the backwards "C" look. You wont see a lot of this with tour professionals.