Thread Tools

Display Modes

Ponda · 05-29-2007, 01:53 AM

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums. I probably should have searched first, cause I'm sure this thread has been made 1,000 times. But seems like there's already a ton of spam, so I'll just make a new one.

Anyway, I'm hitting my irons fine...but it's my driver (G5 x-stiff) that's killing me. I am slicing horribly. I'm making contact at the center of the face, so that rules out hitting it off the toe and such. Only thing I can think of is either my hands are coming through too fast, causing my face to open, or I'm not coming straight through the ball??? Basic tips would help, maybe some checkpoints to go through as I address the ball. Anything will help, I'm clueless here...I could put a video on youtube for some of you all to see, but I'm on vacation at the moment so I can't do that until next week. Seems like I've 1000 different things to fix this and nothing has worked. I know that the harder I swing the worse the slice is...if that helps. Maybe if any of you know of any videos on the net I can watch, that would be great. Anyway, any advice or help would be greatly appreciated...thanks.

stevel1017 · 05-29-2007, 09:20 AM

The first thing I would check is your grip. Make sure it is strong enough to let your hands rotate the club face to square
The second thing I would check is the flex, sounds like your shaft may be to stiff for your swing speed
Understanding Golf Club Shaft Flex

Usually your ball flight will tell you where your error lies.
the rule of thumb is the direction the ball starts in is a result of the club head path, the direction it ends is a result of the face in relationship to the path

Ponda · 05-29-2007, 10:46 AM

I've tried out a few other clubs with Reg. flex and I've still got a nasty slice. I'm thinking it could be grip. I changed my grip about a month ago, and I started hitting my irons great. But my driver went from decent to horrible.

The ball is coming off of the club face to the left. I'm aimed left since I'm playing the slice, but I'm pretty sure it's coming off even farther left than I intend. I'm going to the range today and I'll find out for sure.

stevel1017 · 05-29-2007, 10:55 AM

"I'm aimed left since I'm playing the slice"
Golf is a game of opposites, the further left you aim, the more you will slice. By aiming left, you will encourage yourself to cut across the ball, imparting side spin.
At the range, try closing your stance, aim to the right, and try and hit a draw. Once you hit the draw a bunch of times, your driver should straighten out for you
GL

300Yards · 05-29-2007, 12:39 PM

Yeah, adjust your grip. I'd also check to make sure your starting the swing right too. When yu start your swing..do you use your arms first, or do you shift your weight, then use your arms? You should be doing the second.

65nlovenit · 05-29-2007, 04:06 PM

Give this Video a try (Super Easy Slice Cure)

Instruction | Golf.com

Del

Foster4 · 05-30-2007, 02:05 AM

First how far do you drive the ball ? From that i can tell you your problem ..cuz i already have a good idea wat it is ..If your not unleashing a swing speed of 110 or more and a ball speed of 160 theres no way you should even consider having an x stiff shaft in your hands. If you hit it consistantly over 310-320 then thats probably not it but most golfers like to think they need that stiffer shaft or lower degree driver when really they should be hitting a higher degree driver for optimal launch angle which is about 13*-14* (not 13* driver thats 13* for launch angle of the ball after you hit it) and most ppl like to think there stronger then they really are and get that too stiff of a shaft ..its always better to get the less stiff shaft if your not sure ..but i would consult a pro before buying a club

Ponda · 05-31-2007, 01:30 AM

My swing speed is fine for an x-stiff, I do know that much. I tried the tip that was in the video and that has actually helped me with my irons but not my driver. This is something that kind of happened over-night, I forgot to mention that. I was hitting my driver fine, and then it's like somehow I developed a really bad habit. Here's something that was pointed out to me today, it's not really a hard slice. It's coming off of the face straight and then right at the end, the ball is being pushed to the right. I'm losing a ton of distance, probably a good 50 yards. My iron shots are straight, not tailing any whatsoever. But my driver is a different story. I've tried everything seems like, as far as quick fixes go. I think it may be time to take some lessons...

Ponda · 06-05-2007, 03:15 AM

I am finally hitting the ball straight again...

I think I may have met Jesus today...just maybe. Today I was at the chipping green going through my normal warm up. And I notice that this old man is coming toward me. He walks up to me and says "What in the hell are you doing?". Considering I've never met the man in my life and I'm down there minding my own business...my only answer is "uhhhhh......I'm practicing my short game, sir". He then starts to ask me if I think what I'm doing is the correct shot for where I'm trying to hit the ball. Considering it was just a practice green and that there wasn't a bunker between me and my destination...I guess a high loft shot wasn't what I was looking for, but I was practicing it anyway. He then began to ask me a series of questions...

1. Are you on a high school golf team? No, I played baseball for four years...
2. Why are you here? Well, I'm a walk-on at my local college and I want to get better...
3. What do you shoot? I shoot low 80's consistently and I occasionally break into the 70's...
4. What do you think you need to be shooting to be an asset to your college team? Umm....mid 70's for sure...

By this time I'm willing to jump off a roof if he tells me too just by how stern he is. He then looks me dead in the eye and asks me, "do you want to get better?". Of course I answered yes. In a matter of 2 or 3 hours I probably could have wrote a book on how much knowledge I had gained. He touched on a all kinds of stuff...course management, different kinds of shots that I need to practice, how to manage my emotions (he said golf is the weirdest sport he's ever played, you can play like shit but score well, or you can play great and score like shit), and so on...

So after about 2 hours worth of lecture and tips, he asks me if I have any questions. I went on, and told him how I'm hitting my driver like pure crap...he hands me my club and I swing literally 2 times. He then grabs my golf towel and sticks it in between my right elbow and ribs...the Mickelson drill. I've honestly never hit the ball straighter, and it seemed almost effortless to hit well passed the 250 yard sign. I walked my usual 9 holes after that and I didn't miss a fairway or green...first time I've done that in a looooong time.

This probably doesn't do anybody any good by reading this post, but needless to say...I've never been more excited about my game.