Raw Power (AKA swinging for the fences)…

[Bigvivec]

Does anyone else routinely try to hit home runs off the tee here? I have apparently come down with a disease borne of good iron striking where I have been trying to hit my driver too hard, or not yet hard enough as little devil on my shoulder whispers…my course really doesn’t require a tee shot over 250 on any hole save for one long par 4 and three par 5s that a bombed tee shot brings the green into reach…that is an arguing point as I have made about the same amount of birdies from going at it in 2 as I have from taking 3 to get on…many more tap in pars after going for it in two though, but that is offset by the drives that end in a bad spot when I pull out the stops…so here is my dilemma…I am hitting the ball pretty well right now except for the driver, which isn’t bad, but I am forcing the swing a little in an effort to rip the cover off the ball, and while I have had a handful of drives that make the personal hall of fame list lately, I have started to hit the 3 wood very consistently and pretty long (240-260 with one going a silly 270 the last time out)…that ought to be enough to keep my driver out of the bag and out of my now distance hungry hands…but success with one lights the 15w idea of what might have been if I had hit driver…part of the problem stems from my full swing struggles of late…I have gotten things back on track for the most part, but while I was struggling I couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn, so at least I made that barn out to be 300yds away…I know the problem, but can’t make myself back off as my sick addiction now gets stoked by c about 1 bomb out of 4 caught perfectly and goes a mile, catch two serviceably, stay in play, but might be on the wrong side of the fairway, and blow one into the trees, OB, into a hazard, etc…it is to the point that I am approaching the tee box with the wrong thoughts in my head, where a 3 wood or hybrid will do, but a perfectly struck driver would be AWESOME!!! Three wood/nine iron …good (and dry)…Driver/tough in between wedge pitch shot…KICK - #%&*&#@%$%!!!!! This is idiot game management and I have paid for it of late (in scores and in balls), but it’s like a sickness and my craving for the perfect drive isn’t satisfied with a gorgeous 3 wood when I am able to produce one in lieu of a possible howitzer driver shot, and if the three wood isn’t as good as it might have been, I’m wracked with remorse!!! The three wood is the proverbial methadone which could wean me of my habit; in the same way there’s nothing like the real thing…I used to have a standard swing distance target that I used with driver as I do with the rest of my clubs that I seem to be able to understand that the name of the game is accuracy and control…my driver is now open ended distance wise in my mind, a very stupid and dangerous thing when striving to hit spots…now I think deep down somewhere inside of me that I can drive every green…ironically (or maybe not so much so) my long drives of late haven’t been birdie holes…that awkward ‘tweener shot usually awaits on the par 4s, and the 5s still call for a very good long approach made so much more difficult after just having hitting the snot out of the ball…seems that the wild swing that got me to that point will end my birdie chances on the next shot more often than not, or I will have an inordinate amount of confidence after just having striped one and will ignore the hazards and OB surrounding the green…how can I miss!?!?! I just SMOKED one!!!!! This attitude is causing havoc in other parts of my life as well…I can’t seem to win at Hearts anymore because on every hand I am trying to “Shoot the Moon”…where’s Diane!?!?! This is the “woe is me” of woe is me’s!!!! :ROTFL:
I have an appetite for more and more and I can’t seem stop…

…I ought to start a Distance Mad Anonymous group, or better yet we’ll call it Overconfident Believer’s (OB for short)…I’ll start…

My name is BV and I’m an Overswinger…it’s been 3 holes since my last ligament straining flail…

Please help me…

Somewhat seriously though, I am playing tomorrow and leaving the driver at home as my range results (I only tried 10) were as wildly inconsistent as they are on the course with the driver, and immediately after I drilled three each of three wood and then hybrid right at my targets…I’ll probably shoot a PB and then where will I be!?!?!? Until I get the feel for the big dawg again, the closet is where it should stay…


….but it is soooo hard……

[C-Tech]

I absolutely have the disease myself. Where do we meet and is it before or after the AA and NA groups?

[Wazmankg]

I swing as hard as I can short of the point where I might lose my balance or hurt myself. It doesn't always go where I want it to. But I don't really have an 80-90% swing that I can control any better, so I figure I may as well try to hit it hard. I've never been long... my maximum carry is about 235, so I usually need everything I have off the tee.

[JungleJ]

My "swing for the fences" swing usually does what it says - I reach the right hand OB fence.

I only ever REALLY let rip if the shot required is in fact a biggish fade/slice. Last time I produced one I cut a big corner off a right dog leg, and knocked the perfect distance PW to 18 inches.

Otherwise, I try to think easy and smooth.

[JPsuff]

.

I used to "Swing for the Fences" on every drive, but I've calmed down quite a bit over the years. Now my "stock" driver swing is about 85% or so and I can pretty much guarantee between 250 and 260 carry with it. The ball goes where I want it to go, it stays in play and life is good. But that's not to say that I don't occasionally let the shaft out, but only when the situation calls for it or allows it.

Case in point:

On a course I play regularly, there are two holes which illustrate this. On the 13th hole, which is a straight as an arrow, slightly uphill par 4 of 401 yards (Blue tees), the tee shot is always into a prevailing wind because the hole faces the bay which borders the south end of the course. There's water (in the form of small creeks) on both sides of the fairway, so controlling the tee shot is far more important than bombing it.
I generally use that 85% swing and hit a low trajectory shot into the wind (which can be anywhere from a breeze to a 3-club gale) and I usually end up right at the 150 yd. marker, leaving a 7 or 8-iron into the green.

But the very next hole is a par 5 of exactly 500 yards which has a slight dogleg to the right, a wide landing area (past the dogleg) and plays downwind. In that case, I tee the ball a bit higher, set up off of my left toe (rather than my standard, left heel) and I basically jump out of my spikes and slam the ball as hard as I can. The last two times out, I hit a six-iron into the green which means that the tee shot ended up a shade past 300 yds. with a carry of somewhere near 290 or so.

Both swings are balanced, but with the 100% swing, I'm not really concerned too much with accuracy since the landing area beyond the dogleg offers a very wide target, so even if my tee shot wanders ten or fifteen yards off course, it won't hurt me. But the same ten or fifteen yards on the previous hole would likely mean I'm dropping a ball in accordance with the rules of a lateral hazard.

There are three, sometimes four holes on this particular course which allow for a "100%" shot and I try to take full advantage of them. But the rest are all about control. Of course, there IS the downwind 3rd hole, which if I'm "slumming it" on the White Tees is a shade over 315 yds. and even though there's trouble everywhere, I sometimes can't resist the urge to take a shot at it. Usually, I end up fading it too much which short-sides me near the green, but it's fun to go for it anyway.

Hey, ya' gotta have SOME fun, right?

-JP

[alangbaker]

I'd played four rounds this weekend and pretty much every time my driver thought was "normal", I hit a drive that was good to great. Pretty much every time my thought was "bomb it", I hit a drive that was horrible to occasionally good.

That says it all for me.

[C-Tech]

Like JP, my old home course had 3 holes where I could just try and jump out of my shoes. all three were dogleg lefts (I'm a leftie) If I stood on it and hit it high enough on these 3 holes, I could clear the dogleg and leave myself with abbreviated wedges to those greens. There were a couple of par 5's where a big drive could end you up swimming for your ball, so I would throttle back or hit an iron off the tee.

Knowing this still doesn't prevent me from swinging faster and faster as the round progresses, especially if I am hitting it good on the first few holes.

[Golfaddict]

I know I'm not a big hitter and I've come to accept that fact. I rarely swing for the fences. There is one hole on my home course where I let it all out. It's a straight hole that's about 385 yards in length. The fairway is lined with trees but you usually can get over the trees or have a clear shot. Today I tried to hit the ball as hard as I could. I forgot my skycaddie but I estimate it that it was in the 280-290 range.

I realize that I could have more distance, but I would be sacrificing control and distance. I get caught up with going for the fences every now and then, but for the most part I have those urges under control.

[Keith]

I have played in 5 best ball tourneys in the last month or so, and another one this weekend. I have been hitting the driver really well, and when you have someone already in the fairway, all I hear is "Swing away big guy". Lost many balls over the last month, but there have been some awesome drives too. Problem is, when I play in league, or with wife and friends, it is hard to get the "Swing away big guy" mentality out of my head. My scores have sky rocketed in league lately and I am doing what I can to get myself straightened out. Swinging for the fences is fun, but it is killing me.

[Leaguegolf]

Me, I'm nice and easy. Smooth as silk..............right Waz?

[Wazmankg]

Originally Posted by Leaguegolf

Me, I'm nice and easy. Smooth as silk..............right Waz?

That raise the question, what happens when you take something off of it... if in fact you ever do take something off of it ? Because when I do whatever form I have is more likely to break down resulting in poor results.

[C-Tech]

If I absolutely, positively HAVE to hit a fairway, I choke down on my driver by a couple of inches, make a 3/4 swing designed to drive the ball on a lower trajectory. It normally takes 20 yards off of it, but also takes all the left or right out of it and I put it in the middle. Not pretty, but effective.

[Bigvivec]

Originally Posted by C-Tech

If I absolutely, positively HAVE to hit a fairway, I choke down on my driver by a couple of inches, make a 3/4 swing designed to drive the ball on a lower trajectory. It normally takes 20 yards off of it, but also takes all the left or right out of it and I put it in the middle. Not pretty, but effective.

Castrate my driver!?!?!?! Not a chance!!!

[C-Tech]

Originally Posted by Bigvivec

Castrate my driver!?!?!?! Not a chance!!!

Just based on the definition, isn't losing one's ball by hitting an errant drive closer to what you suggest than what I do???

[Bigvivec]

You're missing the whole point of the thread C...


When it comes to my driver, I want to be reckless not safe as I am in pursuit of the holy grail of drives...just keeping it in play is the three woods job, and yesterday I was 250 off the tee with it and on target all day...what plauges me is that I am not a play it safe kinda guy, and by my distance hungry way of thinking, if 250 is good and playable (like dry toast) then what about 300!?!?!? It is more of a joke than anything as the driver stays in the bag if I can't hit it, but my point was that I don't REALLY need to in the first place so what is it that keeps me trying...

Playing it safe with the driver removes any reason for it being in my bag, and smart course management should also take it out of my hands 9/10 times...the thread is about wanting what I don't need...

[deronsizemore]

I think this is a disease that everyone has at some point in their golfing career... usually a few (or more) times each year. I've gotten to the point in my game where I can recognize when I'm doing it and usually have the ability to slow things down. It all stems from hitting the ball well. When I start striking the ball well I get overly confident and start swinging for the fences with the driver. It's all well and good as long as I'm swinging well but as soon as my timing gets just a little off I'm suddenly not hitting the ball well anymore yet still trying to swing for the fences and it only goes down hill from there.

Realistically though, on a "swing for the fences" swing opposed to a "normal" swing, we're likely only to gain around 10 yards (if we hit it straight). Is 10 yards really worth all of the extra energy to swing that hard? I don't think so and I'm slowing breaking myself of the habit. Generally the slower you swing the longer you'll end up being anyway because you make better contact for one and two, you generally are straighter.

Like you Big, the holes where I have my longest drives are usually not my birdie holes as I give myself that little 70 yard tweener shot and I just don't stick it close enough consistently to make birdie.

[C-Tech]

Big, I was just messin' with you... I actually like my driver and very seldom pull a 3 wood. I will hit an iron off the tee on a really short par 4 that just is too big a risk/reward to try and drive the green, but other than that, I hit driver on everything except the par3's. This afternoon was a perfect example. I was hitting the driver well and we got to a dogleg par 5 with water down the inside of the dogleg and extending down and directly in front of the green. Cutting the dogleg takes you over the pond and the more you cut off, the shorter second you have. Of course, the big miss is into the pond. I cut off a big chunk of the dogleg and cleared the water with 10 yards to spare leaving me 160 over the pond to the pin tucked up against the front edge. I made it on in two. I had to stand on the driver to hit it over the corner and it came off perfect. What a great feeling. Nothing replaces a well struck driver.