The art of driving....

Hello fellow golfers long time reader very rare poster..

Ive just recently started playing golf again and im enjoying it except for my tee shots....

I tend to swerve right ive tried countering this by aiming slighty left but its a regular occurance...

Anyone with any pointers much appreciated!!!

Best pointer would be let a pro see your game by getting a lesson. Contrary to what a lot of people think they are not that expensive and they dont mess you up.

Also, learn about ball flight rules and how the combinations of swing path direction and club face orientation influence these. eg. A ball starting left of target and then swerving right is a pull slice, which is produced by an out to in swing path with an open club face relative to the swing path. What you want is a more in to out, or in to in club head path, with the club face squarer to that path.

Get the set up correct and you will be ok.

Grip
stance
posture
ball position
club face alignment

Cheers for the advice guys much appreciated!!

Lairdy wrote:Best pointer would be let a pro see your game by getting a lesson. Contrary to what a lot of people think they are not that expensive and they dont mess you up.

Also, learn about ball flight rules and how the combinations of swing path direction and club face orientation influence these. eg. A ball starting left of target and then swerving right is a pull slice, which is produced by an out to in swing path with an open club face relative to the swing path. What you want is a more in to out, or in to in club head path, with the club face squarer to that path.

A lesson is decent idea, especially if the coach has video so you can actually see what your swing's doing. Lairdy's comment above about understanding ball flight and what causes each shape is critical if you want to self-diagnose in the future.

McLaren wrote:Get the set up correct and you will be ok.

Grip
stance
posture
ball position
club face alignment

With respect this is only part of it. You can get all this right, initiate the downswing in the wrong way, be going over the top and hitting a big cut.

Navy

I did not say it was all that was needed but without getting the basics correct you may as well not bother.

Any tips are helpfull even the basics will help everything else im ok with obviously still learning but its adequate at mo but my tee work is the struggle lol.

McLaren wrote:Navy

I did not say it was all that was needed but without getting the basics correct you may as well not bother.

Point taken .

Everyone's swing is different and there are many different grips, ball positions etc that work for different people. A pro will help you to get your own basics set.

I stand open for all shots whereas the next golfer might stand closed and the next might change for fades and draws. The ball only cares about impact, where it will follow the ball flight laws.

If you have mentioned this sorry, but do you slice your shots when hitting the ground.

I had an awful slice with all clubs and after two years of asking for tips on here, reading golf tips and watching you tube videos I recently decided that enough was enough and took the plunge and booked a series of lessons.

To fix my slice, I have changed Grip, stance, posture, ball position, club face alignment as Mac suggested, and we are working on the swing plane now so i can have a right to left flight.

All the above issues meant that all clubs would slice,and the lower the club the more emphasised the slice would get however after 4 lessons so far i am hitting much straighter, striking the ball cleaner and as a result hitting further.

So from a golfer who has suffered from a slice, i can not recommend getting a few lessons enough.

P,S. Another benefit is i can identify most problems now if they start mid round and can normally fix them on the course.

Played me local course last night only a 9 par 32...

Sorted my stance and kept my head down and was happier with my play...

Having played it 2 times before and scoring 52 and 50 i knew i had something to beat...

Hit a round of 44 but its only the 3rd time ive played it in years but my putting let me down lol.

Agreed that the best way to get rid of a slice is book some lessons. Best to book a few to give yourself time to practise and get feedback on how you are getting on. Make sure you stick with it even if things appear to get worse to begin with!

Went down this road myself - played a tight course and was hopeless off the tee and had big problems with a slice. Found a good pro in the end and have been taking lessons. Have seen a big improvement over the last year, swing has changed from being over-the-top to much more from the inside and I've knocked 10 shots off my handicap (and can see the potential for more shots coming off this year). Sticking with maybe a lesson a month to ensure that the old bad habits dont creep back. Have got to the stage that I am confident now with a driver in hand, and my usual shot shape is a draw rather than the old slice. On top of this I did find getting custom fit for my driver helped as well.

I don't slice the ball but have suffered from a push-fade all my golfing life, ie the ball starts slightly right and continues to drift further right. Nothing dramatic as such but the ball can end up where a pull-slice would. The pro I worked with focussed on the position at the top of my backswing and the initiation of the downswing. That in-to-out swing path is pretty crucial.

When I focus on the feeling/position and keep to a rhythm, it works wonders but as soon as things get a bit fast...