Favorite Driver Drills?

Practice
#1

I’m about to start a 90 day golf challenge, and one of my goals is to improve my driver play… I’m already planning on doing differential training… both where the ball hits the face and path drills (hitting hooks and slices and so on) from Adam Young…

I’m planning on identifying a “fairway” on my range and hitting 20 drives at it to establish a baseline score, with the hope of improving my overall accuracy… but other than the baseline and the differential drills, I’m not sure what to work on.

Any suggestions?

2 Likes
#2

Gate drill… hit it between the gate and has to be correct shape

2 Likes
#3

Do you have a launch monitor to record the recordables for your tee shots? It might be enlightening to see how fairway-hit numbers compare to misses.

Also, you can play ‘call your shot’; ex, aim 10 yd left of a pylon with intent it lands 5 yd right of pylon. Even if you are talking to yourself, declare your intent. It kind of breaks up the day…

2 Likes
#4

I don’t hit driver in my clubs simulator because it’s not tall enough for me… I’d love to get in there and sort out feel vs real when it came to path.

I like vocalizing intent! Seems like a good addition. Thanks.

#5

I like it. I’ll add it in.

#6

I don’t know what you’re typical pattern is with driver. Mine is getting to inside-out and hitting big hooks and blocks. These are some of the drills or challenges I like:

  1. Hitting driver off the deck. Helps me stay down and through the ball and neutralizes my path

  2. Safe side challenge. Mark a 30-40yd wide fairway on range. Select one side as OB/penalty. Misses there are worth -3. Fairway is worth 1. Opposite miss is worth -1. Helps commit to limiting damage off the tee. Keep track of score and try to beat it each time out

Also, could you tell us more about your current driver patterns?

Start line, trajectory, shape, distance?

3 Likes
#7

Driver is currently all over the place… not terribly, just somewhat erratic… mostly blocks left or a power fade right… I’m working on a new swing thought and trying to get things back under control (and get my big miss to be one way!)

More than anything, i want to be doing more than just banging drivers on the range… I need to find ways to practice with more intention and dial in my swing (and have tangible evidence of improvement)

1 Like
#8

I would say focus first on getting the ball to curve one direction… not sure what shape you prefer

I think it is somewhat agreed upon that you “fix the face first”

If you want to hit a cut get the ball curving right first before you worry about where it is landing

Once it is cutting, you have to dial that same face to path relationship onto the swing path you want (prob 2 to 4 degree left)

If you are really serious about this, i would get a lesson every other week. Do a combo of block practice and skill challenges in between lessons and keep track

A “short term” change in golf is 60 - 90 days of hard work

4 Likes
#9

Taking a lesson with my coach tomorrow before he moves to Houston… I need to just suck it up and hit a fade, but I keep wanting to draw the ball… I’ve never been successful with a draw, my course sets up for a fade and I hit it far enough that it doesn’t matter… but in my head, the draw goes farther and is better…

I’m not smart.

1 Like
#10

I hit a draw as it is more consistent shape for me… i make a better golf swing and have a better dispersion setting up for a draw

I would just listen to what your body wants to do… adam young talks about this all the time. Figure out what intent and setup produces good golf shots and go with it

Make the game stupidly simple… complexity resolved is elegance

Ie don’t “suck it up” get the mind and body aligned!!

1 Like
#11

I’m a bit confused by this statement. Are you right handed and so you’re hitting pulls and slices?

Or left handed and hitting blocks and hooks?

If you’re right handed and it’s pulls and slices, you may need to feel a more in to out path. There’s a good chance you aren’t getting enough depth on your swing but no way to know that without seeing.

Without knowing that, the progression I would suggest if you want to hit a right handed draw:

  1. Stick an alignment rod in the ground ten yards in front of you on your target line.
  2. Use a 1/4 swing and start the ball right of the rod.
  3. After 3 in a row, progress to 1/2, 3/4, then full.
  4. Once you can start all 4 levels right of the target, go back to the 1/4 swing and get it started right of the line and curving left.
  5. Again, 3 in a row, then progress up in speed.

Trying to make changes at full speed is not particularly efficient. Master the little swings and gain confidence then the speed starts pouring in naturally.

3 Likes
#12

Pick a target at 100 yards and make full swing with your driver at 40% speed.

When you can hit your target 90% of the time move up to 150 yards. Etc

Davis love and other pros have used this drill religiously to become the great drivers they are today

It’s harder than it sounds but do it enough and your driving will improve dramatically.

4 Likes
#13

I like it! Thanks you.

Definitely giving this one a try.

#15

Pick a target 200-250 yards out, no matter of the flight pattern, try to land the drive close to the line of the target. We have 40’-50’ tall net in the back of the driving range beyond the 250 yard mark. I usually aim between the poles of selection which is roughly 20-25 yards apart.
If you need to identify the acceleration path, reverse the driver holding it just below the head and swoosh it through the path. You want to hear the loudest noise starting from the ball position to just below the shoulder height on the follow through.
Stretch and warm up is crucial, using the longest club in the bag requires all the muscles. Especially from your feet up.

#16

My practice with my swing has always been to develop what I should be feeling. My practice always starts with a wedge drill I was taught to loosen up and make sure I’m turning 9-3 drill I then go into slow motion swings increasing speed until I’m loose. A lot of my issues have been occurring because the transition and downswing are not as they should be. I started using this little move to better understand what I should be feeling and the sequence and what starts that sequence. I used to be ok, I developed bad habits so I’m still retraining my body. This has really helped in getting the feeling you are supposed to have Squat move Give it a shot, it helped me

1 Like
#17

Has anyone tried this drill? I ran across this looking to find what good players are trying to feel in their downswing. I have yet to implement this, it looks interesting. Rory’s move

1 Like
#18

Let’s say that you end up the longest and most accurate driver you’ve ever dreamt of becoming. In actual play, you’d end up driving really long and accurate, and then hitting a short iron or even a wedge as your follow up shot.

On the range, you can get a feel for this fantasy simply by alternating between your driver and a nine iron. Why would you really want to do this? Well, two reasons -

  1. You’ll become immediately and miraculously aware of feelings in your driver swing that get washed out when you smack a bucket of balls with the same swing over and over.
  2. You’ll become immediately and miraculously aware of feelings in your short iron swing that get washed out when you smack a bucket of balls with the same swing over and over.

Once the efficiency of smacking a bucket of balls with the same swing over and over grates down to “marginally useful”, the practice of alternating your shots between long and short swings may just bring back some utility in standing there smacking a bucket of balls.

It’s worth fifteen minutes of your time just to see if it helps any.
Thanks!

Billy

3 Likes
#19

Love it.

I’ve been spending time speed training and I tend to warm up and cool down with wedges… always fun to see how much extra juice I put on the ball after a session of speed training.

My main goal is basically to calm down after a big swing and make sure I still have some touch with my wedges. It’s been a fun process.

2 Likes
#20

How has that been going?

I need to get back to doing speed work with the monitor. I miss the whoosh.

1 Like
#21

I might have posted this once before. I learned this range rat stuff from a pro George Butler. I always warm up with some stretches and squats. No club. So before a tournament at the home club. I hit like 20 balls with the 9-3 drill. Then my vision is the first tee. I hit a driver normally. Second shot is a gap wedge. If I’m off line I try and play the appropriate club so if I missed my target I hit a chip. 2nd hole is Driver and a PW, 3rd hole is a par 5 so driver 3W wedge. 4th hole is a 210 par 3 so 7w for me and so on. I try and play my round on the range. It helps sometimes and sometimes it doesn’t :rofl:

1 Like