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Houston, TX
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 108
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Posted: Jun/16/2008 8:55 AM PST
I'm trying to learn to hit my driver, but since I'm mostly been practicing with my irons I'm finding myself making too much of a descending blow instead of a sweep. I noticed that I've been hitting the top of my driver head and have even dented it. What is typically the cause of hitting the top of the driver head, is it the late release and descending blow I'm making (like you should for a iron shot), or is there something else that would be causing this? I would really like to stop denting up my driver.
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Joined: 4/17/2008
Posts: 36
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Posted: Jun/16/2008 9:57 AM PST
I'm by no means any type of pro, but my buddy had dents all over the top of his old driver. He was teeing the ball up way too high and trying to crush it off the tee.
I hit the pole that held up fencing at the driving range with my old driver and put a huge dent in the top of my old driver. After that, for whatever reason the driver wouldn't hit a straight ball again.
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Houston, TX
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 108
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Posted: Jun/16/2008 10:09 AM PST
I am teeing it up rather high, that may very well be my problem.
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Joined: 4/17/2008
Posts: 36
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Posted: Jun/16/2008 11:45 AM PST
I prefer my ball about 3/4 to a full ball over my club head rather than the usual half ball. The pro that I take my lessons with hates it, but I've been drilling my drives straight as a nail and 250+ lately.
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Houston, TX
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 108
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Posted: Jun/16/2008 12:16 PM PST
I had it teed extra high because I was having trouble getting the ball in the air, I'll try lowering it to see if it helps.
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Richmond, KY
Joined: 10/22/2007
Posts: 76
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Posted: Jun/16/2008 8:54 PM PST
with a driver, teeing it higher with a descending blow is a good way to crown your club.
You ideally want to hit the driver on the ascent so move the ball forward and tilt the club slightly back. It doesn't have to be much, but that will keep you from crowning. I tee my ball up 1/3 ball(roughly) above the topline..never more than half.
If you were having trouble getting the ball in the air, you might have had the ball too far forward and were topping it, or just pulling up off of the ball trying to gain power.
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Santa Cruz ca.
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 317
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Posted: Jun/17/2008 1:05 AM PST
if you look at most pros they don't tee it up very high...
maybe a 1/4 above the driver head...
I never understood why guys want to tee it up so high.
its hard enough to hit the sweet spot anyway and adding
more height to the tee only adds to missed hits...
most would say they want it higher to get the ball up
or to cause top spin on the ball to make it roll...
if you swing just above the grass like in a practice
swing by sweeping the grass.
the drivers face is going to launch the ball just fine.
if you want to get a higher ball flight, your shaft or
driver deg 10.5 may need to be changed.
if you want the ball to roll more then you want a 9deg
or maybe even a 8deg driver and lower ball flight.
he's my theory on this to back this tee thing up..
if your in the fairway and you can hit your 3wood
just fine and you like how it flies, and that's just
on the grass with no tee. and 85% of the rest of
your shots are irons from off the grass with no tee.
then why would you want to change your swing and
eye/hand perspective as to teeing up the driver so high.
every time I have gotten someone to lower there tee
height they have had better results instantly....
this is just my 2cents on this....IMHO
ps...
todays new driver dent really easy, so having a head cover
and not dropping your driver or putting it away without its
cover is a huge no-no. there are some who say that even hitting
crappy range balls is bad too, that it puts undo stress on them.
I do know that if I do hit range balls I use the best ones
and always make sure theres no dirt or anything on the ball.
heres another cool trick for you try too....
when your at the range, make sure your driver face is clean.
now spit on it and wipe it a bit, what this does is make a
film on the face and when you hit the ball, look at it to see
where it hit, spit on that and wipe it and do it again.
this gives you some ideal of where your hitting the ball...
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Houston, TX
Joined: 8/16/2007
Posts: 108
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Posted: Jun/17/2008 7:10 AM PST
Thanks blue_crush, that's great advice, I'll definitely try lowering my tee next time I'm hitting my driver.
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Joined: 12/05/2007
Posts: 484
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Posted: Jun/17/2008 10:23 AM PST
i agree wholeheartedly with the above. Someone coined the phrase "tee it high and let it fly" but the reality is you donh't need to tee it that high. If you have a 10.5* driver and hit it on a 4* upswing, you are effectively creating a loft or launch angle of 14.5* I'm not a huge believer in the theory that older and slower swing speeds need to get the ball in the air and should use a higher lofted driver. If the wind is at your back, then yes, getting the ball up into the wind is going to give you more distance. But the same thing happens when the wind is in your face. I hit a 8.5 degree driver with it teed pretty low and I get a very low penetrating ballflight. Some guys think I haven't hit it very far because the ballflight seems so low. Then we get 280 yards down the fairway and they are like "Holy crap"
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Joined: 4/17/2008
Posts: 36
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Posted: Jun/18/2008 11:36 PM PST
About the driving range balls:
I demoed a set of hybrids at Dick's at the mall. They took blue masking tape (the kind you can get at any home improvement or hardware store) and put it on the club face, and on the top and bottom of the club. Every ball that I hit, I could see exactly where I was making contact, and the crappy balls don't damage the club face. I hit about 10 balls on the same piece of tape. Worth a shot!
(Needless to say I turned around and got the hybrid on Ebay for $120 less than at the store lol)
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