I'm a couple weeks into the program and I love it so far. Hitting some real crispy iron shots. It has been a fairly easy transition for me because it's similar to what my instructor at Golftec has been trying to get me to do for a while now. Just the way Tom delivered the message seemed to click with me.
What's holding my game back now (and has always been the case) is the big miss with the driver, usually a big pull hook. I know it's a clubface issue and I just need to keep practicing, but I think it's a also a mental thing. There are just certain holes that don't fit my eye/shot shape, and I have a hard time committing.
Also I think I might be overswinging. When I know I only need a 3/4 iron shot into a green, I usually take a nice controlled swing and hit a good shot.
I know this is a vague, open-ended question. Just wondering if anyone has overcome this issue and how they did it.
That's fabulous, @bh11!!! And you are absolutely correct - the driver is just another wrench in your bag. Check out Mike Bennett's driver swing. Aside from the setup differences that you referenced, you could put a PW in his hands and he'd swing it the same way and with the same tempo.
Well done!!
Just revisiting this thread because I'm so stoked about how I hit my driver last night. Just committed to swinging easy and not worry about trying to hit it real far, just trying to get it in the fairway, because my iron game has been really crispy. Played 9 holes, hit driver 4 times. All 4 in the fairway. Distances - 237 (uphill), 306! (OK, it was downhill, but still!), 277, 272. All 4 with just a nice 5 yard push-draw.
This seems to be the key for me - just swing the driver like any other club (obviously different ball position). Same tempo as if I was swinging a 9-iron and knew it was plenty of club to get to my target.
SG is the way to go!
I've been hitting lots of extra-crispy KFC iron shots, and have just about eliminated the fat shot from my game.
Still working on the driver -- great in practice, not so great on the course (I noticed there was another post on this issue). To me, that says it's a mental issue and I just need to keep working at it to keep ingraining the moves and building confidence.
The thing I like the most about this S&T approach is that I feel like I have far fewer things to think about and I'm getting closer to just playing and enjoying golf instead of constantly trying to figure out my swing.
Last couple rounds, I've done way better with the driver in terms of tempo and not over-swinging. Just envisioning those Mike Bennett videos. But still kind of erratic - some left, some right.
Then on the back nine today, I had kind of a revelation. I know they always say to swing your driver just like any other club, but I was doing something different, not sure exactly what. With every other club that is teed low or sitting on the grass, I feel like I'm swinging from the inside and really "trapping" the ball (by that I mean hitting slightly down on it and keeping the right hand "wedge"). Started teeing the driver just a tiny bit lower and having that same feeling, then boom!, all of the sudden I started hitting nice tight draws with the driver.
I started keeping a journal of post-round notes to help me remember stuff like this. Hopefully that wasn't a fluke and that thought works next time out.
The man is a machine, @bh11!! Rather than "if", commit yourself to it by saying "when"!...
@johnpfistnerjr, @danny, @Buford T Ogletree - Here's another nice Bennett swing video with both an iron and a driver at various playback speeds. I've seen this one several times before and it's a good one to refer to. Just grew tired of the Kung Fu Fighting backing track after about the thousandth view, so I've got to mute it now....😎
Here's a link to another Mike Bennett swing video. Check out the tempo with the driver swings at 0:50. Man, I'm convinced if I could get myself to swing a driver that smoothly, it would cure most of my problems.
@johnpfistnerjr - As @Nocona Colt Abernathy suggests, keep Bennett's swing playing on an endless loop in your head. It's a thing of effortless grace, power, and beautifully compressed crispiness!...
And yes - you most definitely can get too wide with your stance, and that will cause swing issues. I would suggest limiting width of your driver stance to no more than the insides of your heels being shoulder-width apart.
Nevermind...upon analyzing my own swing, I was chopping with the driver! Its a disgusting feeling of reaching for the ball. Ugh!
Ok, was reviewing Mike Bennet's driver video. It definately looks no different than an iron swing other than ball position which I understand being forward due to a longer stick and striking the ball just as the clubhead ascends. He doesn't look like he is trying to kill it like we all tend to do. I'm most certain my stance is too wide causing my own breakdowns in the swing as you had mentioned above with arms, wrist, and leveling out the shoulders. I even lowered my tee for the drives. Back to using the mirror.
Is it possible to have a too wide of a stance at address for driver? I feel like I'm coming off the ball a lot and finding myself on the trail leg and hitting shorter drives than normal, usually followed with a push fade or slice. I usually can hit my drives 250-260 yards. Not bad coming from 190 yard drives prior to Sagutogolf. Now, that I got my irons tuned in. I'll be reviewing the driver video series. Let's see if I pick up links and recommendations on this thread. Haven't read them all, yet. Something changed in my driver setup or swing.
Glad to have you in the school, @brianhanes11!!
With the longer clubs and especially the woods, we need to keep the hips moving laterally towards the target through the entire downswing (while maintaining our swing center, of course). If the hips stop their lateral slide before impact their rotation will take over and reroute the downswing path. Oftentimes that will cause pulls and hooks. It is the same move with the shorter clubs, but because the stance is narrower it is much easier to execute. Here's a lesson/drill for building in some more lateral hip slide in the downswing.
As for overswinging, it's critical to understand that when our body reaches its natural limits of tilting, turning, and extending in the backswing our arms must stop with it, otherwise we risk breaking down the radius of our swing and we'll likely pull our lower body out of its stacked/centered position as well. As I have conveyed to others here, reaching back for more is like conducting a séance for those old swing demons, and they sure come back to haunt us when we do! Remember - the depth we create by getting our hands behind the trail shoulder at the top gives us all the power we need, even if it "looks" like less than a full swing. Trust me - you've created width and plenty of distance for that club to travel by taking it deep; there's no need to try to get to "parallel" - that false deity of swings past. Execute the motions, understand your body's natural stopping point, and then - the most difficult part - train yourself to stop there!
When we push beyond that stopping point any further any or all of the following will occur:
1) the lead arm will bend and/or lift
2) the wrists will break down
3) the lead knee will kick inward towards the trail side
4) the lead shoulder will level out and lose its orientation towards the ball
5) weight will shift into the trail side
I could watch this Mike Bennett swing video all day long. That's all you need!
@brianhanes11 - Normally the pull hook would mean you have a out-to-in path with a face closed to that path. Normally what you're describing is the exact cause. You overswing and the arms break down causing a flip. As far as driver tempo/swing speed, you should have the same feeling as you're other clubs. Btw, I used to be a pull hooker myself with the driver!
***My personal experience with this issue was caused by two things.
1) I was lined up way right of my target. This will cause an over the top swing and a flip. Since the driver is used for longer distances, it's also harder to aim because your target is farther away. Pay attention to the setup drills in Tom's lessons!
2) I had too much tilt toward the ground. I don't want to confuse you but the driver is your longest club and it still needs to work around you. Having a relationship with the ball and getting your left shoulder down is key to striking your irons and your driver, BUT make sure you aren't excessively bent over with the driver. Your back should still be rounded and relaxed, your knees bent, and you will have some forward tilt toward the ball. Just don't overdo it.