Need golf tips please...

[recycled sixtie]

I am a high handicap golfer and would like to know how to increase my distance with my driver. No video of my swing but would like some tips. I used to slice the ball with the driver until I adopted a stronger grip(see at least two knuckles of left hand). I only drive 180 yards with my driver. I drive also 180 with my 5 metal fairway wood. My grip on this club is weak but I hit it straighter.What are obvious tips for driving longer on these clubs besides hitting it harder?I have had lessons from different golf pros and read lots of books on golf. Ideas ?

[vash]

i would buy a track car.

[widebody911]

My suggestion? Sell your clubs on CraigsList and be done with it.

[Drdogface]

I used to play golf a lot when I was younger and before joint replacements. A lot of the distance comes from leg strength and timing it all together. Swinging hard usually gets you in trouble. Relax the grip some and try to swing easy with good timing of arms, body, and legs. I would still have the same swing as when I was young but my leg strength is gone down. Last time I played some years ago it was all it could do to get 200 yd off the tee. When I was younger I could fairly regularly get 280.

It's not an easy game !

[Moses]

Originally Posted by widebody911

My suggestion? Sell your clubs on CraigsList and be done with it.

This.

Most big hitters start that way. BIG. They might be erratic at first, but they've had distance from the start.

Distance has to do with timing and hand speed. Timing can be coached with a small fortune and expectations to match. Hand speed is pretty much fixed.

If golf is already frustrating you, give it up.

[vas930]

What driver do you have ?
Most important is what degree is the face?
To many high handicap players dont have enough loft on the driver.
As we get older its a good idea to add some loft.
I would recomend something with 12 or 13 deg loft.
Can you tell me what shaft you have on your driver?
It sounds like it may be to stiff.
Get the right driver in your hand first.

Oh, and what ball do you use?

[Moses]

Originally Posted by vas930

What driver do you have ?
Most important is what degree is the face?
To many high handicap players dont have enough loft on the driver.
As we get older its a good idea to add some loft.
I would recomend something with 12 or 13 deg loft.
Can you tell me what shaft you have on your driver?
It sounds like it may be to stiff.
Get the right driver in your hand first.

Oh, and what ball do you use?

So he'll spend $400 on a new driver and start hitting Pro-V1's.

Now he's cranking the ball 183 yards.

(It's never the equipment.)

[Drdogface]

Spend a few bucks and have a pro analyze your swing.

I won't argue with Moses that big guys can hit the ball a long ways but look at other sports where actions are the same...tennis, baseball come to mind. When ball players are fooled by a change up they never hit it hard. Timing of the legs and body are needed to really whack that sucker. Yeah, Bonds, and others like him could hit it out with just an arm swing on occasion but Willy Mays was no physical giant (no pun). Pretty much the same for tennis I think but I don't play or watch it. I dunno how tall Tiger Woods is but he does not look classically big like maybe Jack Nicklaus was. Arnie Palmer was small. Sam Sneed was average.

[vas930]

Originally Posted by Moses

So he'll spend $400 on a new driver and start hitting Pro-V1's.

Now he's cranking the ball 183 yards.

(It's never the equipment.)

Oh man, talk about jump to conclusions.
He may need some more loft and a harder ball.
He has asked for some help.
We cant change the mans swing on the forum.
A softer shaft with some other changes may help.
If he can gain 10 meters it may help.

[madmmac]

Don't think harder, but faster. Distance comes through club head speed. For every 1mph gain in speed you gain about 3 yards or so. When people think harder, they typically lose the overall balance of the swing.

To hit the same with both woods, you must be swinging the 5 wood faster than your driver. That is unless you are delofting your driver when you swing. Sounds like you trust your 5 wood and let it go, but throttle back on the driver fearing bad things will happen.

With the driver, get the ball placed off of your front foot's big toe. 5 wood, just off your heel.

Go to a launch monitor.

Good luck and keep swinging

[Moses]

Originally Posted by Drdogface

Spend a few bucks and have a pro analyze your swing.

I won't argue with Moses that big guys can hit the ball a long ways but look at other sports where actions are the same...tennis, baseball come to mind. When ball players are fooled by a change up they never hit it hard. Timing of the legs and body are needed to really whack that sucker. Yeah, Bonds, and others like him could hit it out with just an arm swing on occasion but Willy Mays was no physical giant (no pun). Pretty much the same for tennis I think but I don't play or watch it. I dunno how tall Tiger Woods is but he does not look classically big like maybe Jack Nicklaus was. Arnie Palmer was small. Sam Sneed was average.

i chose poor wording. I meant that big hitters ALWAYS hit big. My college roommate was 150 pounds soaking wet. Not tall, either. He Drove the ball 300 yards frequently. Super quick hands and very athletic. He was Japanese. Maybe a ninja?

[Superman]

The OP is clearly not a person who gives up when frustrated and we call these people "golfers." So....tossing the clubs in the trash barrel is not the advice he wants.

Distance is all about timing, rhythm and lower body. Distance comes from the angles, knees and hips. But.....the upper body has to cooperate with that rhythm and here we're talking about Moses' input on hand speed. The hands and wrists cock at the top of the backswing, and are virtually passive after that. The arm motion is like "ringing a bell," and the VERY rapid wrist movement is really created by the arm swing and it all happens at the very bottom. Nothing at all like a baseball swing. In the swing, when your hands are below your waist, the club head is still above your head.

But yeah, distance comes from the lower body. Upper body has to play the same game. Keep looking for a pro who can help you better. There is nothing like a good pro watching you swing.

[Moses]

And for the record... I played golf twice a week for three years. I IMMERSED myself in it. I hit the ball pretty long off the tee but never with any consistent direction.

In three years with competent instruction I progressed from a wicked slice to a snap hook with few memorable straight balls in between. My index never dropped below 16. Pitiful.

[Jim Bremner]

6" of 1/2" pipe, teflon coated ends. 2 end caps, 3 oz, of powder and 12" of cannon fuze makes it hell of a lot easier to make a hole in one once that the hole is opened up to 12"



So I've been told.

[Noah930]

You could always try watching TV.

What's with the hot chicks on Golf Channel?

That may or may not help your golf game, but at least it sounds like you'll be pleasantly entertained in the meantime.

* Full disclosure: I'm not a golfer.

[icemann427]

Well, its difficult to help when I don't know anything about you...Age, fitness, flexibility, or swing pattern, but pro golfers essentially maximize the length of their swing fulcrum to maximize their club head speed without over swinging. The length of the fulcrum (the distance between the club head and the shoulder of the pulling arm is maximized by keeping a straight pulling arm; the pulling of said straight arm by the rotation of the chest and shoulders; and the further increasing of the length of the fulcrum with the rotation of the hips. You should be using all of your large muscles for the swing in concert and minimizing the arm swing. You will not have a fast club head by swinging with your arms. And, obviously timing is very important.

If you want a pro to emulate, watch Ernie Els. It seems he barely swings, but the ball travels forever. It is because he is a master at maximizing his fulcrum by using his big muscles and their rotation to develop club head speed.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by Moses

And for the record... I played golf twice a week for three years. I IMMERSED myself in it. I hit the ball pretty long off the tee but never with any consistent direction.

In three years with competent instruction I progressed from a wicked slice to a snap hook with few memorable straight balls in between. My index never dropped below 16. Pitiful.

Interestingly, I consider that snap hook problem to be shared only among good hitters. You're probably dropping your shoulder. Be sure both your arms are pointing at the ball at impact, especially your right arm. It needs to be just coming over the top. Keep your right elbow elbow close to your body, but straighten it before you contact the ball.

And hold your head still.

And keep your left arm straight.

And cock your wrist at the top.

And hesitate there briefly.

And keep your eye on the ball.

And follow through.

And keep your hand behind the ball.

And grip the club loosely.

And a bunch of other stuff.

It's actually very easy. Just watch the pros.

[McLovin]

lol, some good advice here.

quitting actually isn't bad advice, because if you are an adult high handicapper hitting 180 with the driver, odds are 99% you will always be a very high handicapper.

But, 99 isn't 100, so the optimist says you still have a chance!

as far as increasing driving distance, it's of course impossible to know for sure without seeing your swing. But some of the most common issues of high handicap adult golfers:

1. Releasing the wrist cock way too soon.

most adult duffers try to hit the ball mostly with their hands and wrists, so they start uncocking on the downswing when the hands are around the shoulders. there goes any chance of clubhead speed. and, to boot, the clubhead is now coming from the outside to the inside, causing a slice. that's why most adult duffers slice (and are short). this is commonly called "casting'' or "coming over the top." It is super common among mediocre/high handicap golfers, and it impossible to hit the ball far that way.

2. really poor tempo and timing.

a good swing require good timing all the way from the feet to the hands, and everything in between. my guess is you have no timing between your hips and your hands. my guess is if you took a picture of your swing at moment of impact, it would look almost exactly like you look at address. i.e., i bet at impact, your hips are not turned at all, your belly button is still pointed straight at the ball, and your back foot is flat on the ground.

even without seeing your swing, if you are hitting 180, there is no doubt that one or both of the above is costing you dozens of yards.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

6" of 1/2" pipe, teflon coated ends. 2 end caps, 3 oz, of powder and 12" of cannon fuze makes it hell of a lot easier to make a hole in one once that the hole is opened up to 12"



So I've been told.

Threaded adapter on the end of an AR with a blank works well too.....



Or so I've heard....

[porsche4life]

Or a Mosin-Nagant..