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Drivers are depressing

A lot of people will say its bad to hit one club over and over again at the range, and I agree that's true once a player has learned how to hit a club fairly well, but if an important club like driver is not working most of the time on the course I say put all the others away for a while and stick with it alone, that's what I did last spring and it helped a ton, I didn't touch any other club for a couple of months at the range and just kept hitting driver, it worked.

That being said I didn't just go grip and rip, I did slow drills, took video and watched while I practiced, I bought one of those rubber tees you can put a real tee in to get the height consistent, I lived driver and it got me to be decent with it, which is a long way from the futility I had going before.
 
Yenz said:
I do agree with you that the drives are usually better when I slow down my swing. But it feels very deliberately slow to the point that it doesn't feel natural. And I don't try to kill it because I know it's a guarantee mishit.
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Jack Nicklaus just posted a thing where when he wants to add distance he slows down his swing...actively, consciously does that. Of course, most of us aren't Nicklaus...

thing about the driver, when it finally clicks for you it changes the game. I used to be about 20 yards longer than the guys I play scramble with. Last year or two they have lost 20 yards and I have gained 20. They are better iron players than me by a long shot. John and I pretty much always win handily. Sticking a pedestrian wedge from 100 yards as opposed to them hitting a good iron from 150 works out to three or four strokes every 9ish holes it turns out.

So yeah, it is a struggle but worth it in the end
 
I think the word (or term) "slow down" is of course not only subjective but imo also often misunderstood.
Imo its not so much about slowing down as it is more about simply not swinging too hard and is also far more about tempo. Swinging too hard often ruins tempo. Hard imo is not fast, but is simply hard and tense. Two different things. But I think I see too many people intentionally swing the driver far too slow and deliberate not only to the point where it in itself is a detriment towards distance but still with just as bad or even worse tempo then they had before. One does not have to swing slow at all and imo shouldn't, but simply just has to (not kill the ball) and find a nice fluid, rhythm, tempo.

My take is that tempo can be had at different speeds even if the same player. A good player (or should I say good swinger of the club) can maintain good tempo while swinging faster or slower for whatever the desired shot calls for. Most people usually need to find a speed where their tempo is good and that usually implies a first thought logic that says "slow down" but imo it's really simply about "don't try to kill the ball". But relax and swing a nice fluid tempo. That actually will usually result in a faster swing than the one resulting from trying to kill the ball. Trying to kill the ball (for most people) usually means tensing up somewhere and often results in a slower swing not to mention a loss of any fluid tempo.

The old expression "in golf less is more" is true but not because one swings slower. Its because one swings smoother which is actually a faster swing. It just doesn't feel like it because its a more relaxed swing and one isn't trying to kill the ball. The ball isn't going further because we swing slower, it goes further because the better more fluid tempo swing is a faster one. And also the general shot dispersion, the swing itself, and all else is often then generally better too.
 
To provide an update on my situation...

My driver is currently out of the bag. I'm just too consistent with my 3 wood (xr16 with SR flex) that I can't justify playing my lottery driver. I hit my 3 wood 200 yards off the deck and about 20 more on a tee. More importantly, it's a fairway finder. For a newbie, I'm very happy with that distance.

I'll continue to practice my driver but I don't forsee the driver going back to the bag anytime soon. I'm also suspecting that the Fusion with recoil is not a good fit for me.
 
Some guys mentioned perhaps a heavier head will help to slow down my driver swing. I think it's worth considering.
 
The OP described my driving over the past 4 years. Occasionally punished it and left it in the garage and used 3 wood or long hybrid off the tee. But only a one way miss. A definite fade bias but a horrible slice miss.

Near the end of the season, decided to change my swing and flattened it a little (or at least that what it feels like to me) , not as steep as irons or wedges, and felt like I was starting to hit the ball from the inside out.

Went for a driver fitting this week. He suggested a one half inch longer shaft, lowering the flex point (is that the correct terminology) and suggested a twelve degree head to add loft. I only swing at 85 MPH and have a fairly low trajectory.

Stuck with the flatter swing and kept my run out to about 230 with a slight draw bias. Strikes were way more consistent.

Gonna pick it up this coming week. (Was looking for a shiny xmas present) Looking forward to trying this baby out on the course. If I can keep it straight, even 215 to 230 on the short grass will bring a little more consistency to the game vs becoming an arborist during a golf game
 
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Giving this a try tomorrow
 
Went for a lesson today. Turns out my swing path is alright and not the reason for my slice. The pro find it interesting why I can hit my 3 wood straight and badly slice my driver. She made me hit both clubs one after another using the same swing. Turns out although I think I'm using the same swing, she noticed that my finish is alot better with my wood than the driver. She thinks that my body naturally slow down the swing due to lack of confidence, hoping that slowing down will get it square. Which obviously doesn't work.

Here's the fix.
Reduce back swing to reduce the distance the club head have to travel to get square at impact.
At the downswing, commit to the swing. Speed up the swing or at least maintain the speed once the club head clears my right hip. The finish is very important. It must be a complete swing, eyes on the tee all the way.
Grip lightly, allowing the club head to naturally turn and square at impact.

It work wonders. And I love this remedy because it allows me to swing confidently without any manipulation like deliberately turning the hands which could cause a bad hook or de loft the club head. Makes me have one consistent swing rather than a swing for each club.
 
The_Dude said:
^^^^^This^^^^ If my driver is on I can step on the tee box and let er rip. When it's shaky I try to guide the club and it's disastrous. Biggest key for me is minimal swing thoughts and TEMPO.
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Now I know what you meant.
 
Get a mini and never look back!
 
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