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Hovering driver head

I wish I had. been doing this all along.
 
-CRW- said:
I tried this for a short time, but found it to be less consistent for me. I found better consistency by ground the driver head several inches behind the ball. This allows more time for me to close the club face before impact and allows me to have a positive angle of attack.

Before I fought a major slice and was 0/14 fairways some rounds. This new method for me combined with a heavier x-stiff shaft has improved my drives to between 10/14 and 12/14 FIR with mis-hits being close to the fairway. It has also improved my distance with my average jumping from 220 to 250 and my longest marked/confirmed drive being 276 now.
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Interested in the distance gains....
 
Thedoswells said:
Interested in the distance gains....
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Just changing where I grounded the driver head only accounts for some of the gain. I've been taking weekly lessons for the past 3 months, changed shafts, and changed my set up by grounding the head several inches behind the ball which, for me, allows for a positive angle of attack, a more square club face at impact, and more centered contact on the club face. And there are a multitude of incremental changes that have occurred in my swing over the past 3 months.

So, I'm not suggesting that everyone would gain 30 yards on average just by grounding the head several inches behind the ball. It was just a big contributor toward distance gains for me.
 
I hover with my driver only, other than in the sand. Since I began doing it I have found increased consistency and some yardage gain when I am swinging good. Physically I can't say what effect it has on my swing, but it makes logical sense to me in my head. With the ball teed up at no point in my swing do I want to make contact with the ground...so why start there. All other shots off the deck I will lightly set the club on the turf, but not enough to feel any drag on take away.
 
Hovering driver head

I would imagine that it doesn't add or relieve tension, but keep it consistent. Point of interest, CRW, I hover the driver head a few inches behind the ball now because I was hitting high on the face. Now it's nice and centered and the ball comes off like a rocket. I'd rather hit low than bang a drive off of a satellite.

*edit* I'd also like to point out that I used to have an issue drop-kicking the ball until I started hovering.

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I've tried and it always feels like I'm not taking it back square enough.
However the guy I play with never grounds ANY of his clubs very weird
 
Due to my struggles off the tee recently I've given hovering a try and have decided to go with it full time. I do my normal slide into the ball along the ground then hover for just a moment then pull the trigger. It seemed to help me free my take away up and I ended up finding the center of the face more consistently. Never thought I would do it but surprised myself by actually liking it this go around.
 
Burgerbudge said:
I've tried and it always feels like I'm not taking it back square enough.
However the guy I play with never grounds ANY of his clubs very weird
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Probably does well for shots inside a hazard!
 
I found this to be the reason for my heel hits. When I hover the driver I get a much better idea of where the sweet spot is. I was a good inch off. I couldn't see it with the Eye 2 driver, especially because the ball was tee'd so much lower. Much more significant with Bertha. It's the simple things!
 
I have been making sure I do this for a few rounds now, and I think this is working for me (most of the time!).

I still have to remember not to turn my hips at the start of the downswing.
 
Can't believe I went to the range and forgot to try it.... Again!
 
I do this slightly but not to the extent of Kuchar. Main reason for me is it helps me have a smooth takeaway. For some reason I can immediately feel the difference in the takeaway if I rise an inch behind the ball rather than the standard takeaway.

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I raise it slightly off the ground as well. It definitely makes my takeaway smoother. Before, I would sometimes hit something on the ground as I begun my takeaway and that just messes up the entire flow of the swing.
 
Still seems to be working for me. Hitting a lot of fairways for me, and having a lot better control.
 
I decided to go ahead and try this again too. I tee the ball up a little higher and am finding good results. My range goes to 250 yards, and had a majority of my drives land just short of 250 and roll into the woods. Prior to doing this I found myself ending at landing more like 230-240 something and rolling out to around 250. I don't normally hit to the back of the range with my driver as consistently as I was when I tried hovering the driver head, so I don't thing the disparity is due to rock hard range balls.

BUT, I don't know if the added distance is coming from teeing the ball up a little higher. I just can't normally hit the ball if I tee it up as high as I'm talking about when grouding the driver head. Otherwise, I find that I have a ridiculously high launch angle even with close to center contact on the driver face. Like, fly so high it lands and stops because it made a crater high.

So I will try and stick with this for a few more weeks and see if I can stay consistent with it.
 
-CRW- said:
I decided to go ahead and try this again too. I tee the ball up a little higher and am finding good results. My range goes to 250 yards, and had a majority of my drives land just short of 250 and roll into the woods. Prior to doing this I found myself ending at landing more like 230-240 something and rolling out to around 250. I don't normally hit to the back of the range with my driver as consistently as I was when I tried hovering the driver head, so I don't thing the disparity is due to rock hard range balls.

BUT, I don't know if the added distance is coming from teeing the ball up a little higher. I just can't normally hit the ball if I tee it up as high as I'm talking about when grouding the driver head. Otherwise, I find that I have a ridiculously high launch angle even with close to center contact on the driver face. Like, fly so high it lands and stops because it made a crater high.

So I will try and stick with this for a few more weeks and see if I can stay consistent with it.
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Sounds good. Will be interested in your progress
 
I've been doing this with my driver since reading Golf My Way by Jack Nicklaus. If it's good for Jack, it's worth doing. I don't really think about the tension part because I also use a little waggle to keep my forearms loose. Most modern teachers have taken that out of the swing but I find it's essential for me to feel fluid on my back swing. Check out Jason Duffner, he's the king of the hover and waggle.

I'll also use the hover in a gnarly lie in the rough so I don't catch anything on my initial back swing move.
 
I do this too, it's part of my mini waggle and actually do this with just about every club in the bag, just always have.
 
I think I'm going to test not hovering the next time I hit the range for a practice session, I wonder if a change will do my pre shot routine some good.
 
funy how things can play mined games with you.
Ever since this thread I been getting my driver stuck in the ground some which I never had happen before. As I said early on in the thread I rest it ever so lightly but snce this thread it must be on my mind and has causes some of getting stuck and have had to raise it up just a tad more. Never had it happen before. just funny
 
I have done both, and I now hover the driver with the ball teed a bit high. It gets the ball up in the air higher resulting in a bit more carry. A good thing for us old silverbacks. I also seem to have much better control.
 
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Thedoswells said:
Does anyone do this like e.g. Matt Kuchar?
ive tried and it makes me more tense so I can't put a good swing on it.
a friend of mine also about a 12 hcp swears by it...
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Yep - I hover the driver - not as high as Kuchar, but definitely don't rest it on the ground
 
I do it. I feel like I'm starting from the point to where I'm going to return the head, as opposed to sitting it on the ground and then when swinging the head moving away from me slightly as naturally happens when you swing. I've found I hit the ball far more consistently on my drives and make better contact. Every now and then when I accidentally drop my driver head to the ground I end up hitting the inside of the driver.
 
I have tried it and I just cant make it work for me.
 
TripleBogieTim said:
I have tried it and I just cant make it work for me.
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Nor me so far. I guess tour players do it, or don't do it, so there can't be a right or wrong...
 
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