re: What was the key to fixing your driver slice when you started golfing?

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No homo but you look fairly natural and athletic from the shots. Big helpers from me are focus on clearing hands at the correct time and also shorten the back swing ala Finau

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This is what helped my slice out a lot. I didn’t have a baseball player swing but I had a Barkley swing. Just slowing down and focusing on contact helped me out a ton.

I spent hours at the range just focusing my driver.

My driver went from out of my bag and playing 4 irons off the tee to my best club in my bag

I haven't ever had my swing speed measured. Wanted to hold off on any type of fitting until I can develop a somewhat consistent swing, even if it's one that needs a lot of work.

The balls I hit at the range (my balls, not range balls) that aren't sliced, or that I make solid contact with, are pretty consistently in the 235-245 yard range at this point. Same holds true on the course. When I hit one solid and straight, that's how far it goes. I've hit a few a little farther, but that's my consistent "good contact" range. From what I'm reading, and clubhead speed being indicative of how far the ball will go, wouldn't a drive in that range indicate a regular flex shaft is ideal? Granted that's not what I'm playing with at the moment on my driver, but the charts I've seen seem to indicate that if that's how far you can hit it, regular flex is probably best


I played 18 saturday morning and my best shot was on 17 with an 18 degree lofted fairway wood (driver is 12 degree). 200 yard par 3. My shot hit the middle of the green and hit the flag stick after the hop. Ended up off the green long after the ricochet, just trying to give an idea of how far I typically hit that one. That was a smooth swing, and indicative of what my proper swing speed should be. So 210 with the fairway wood. That's also a senior flex shaft.


ETA: used the google distance measurement tool on my driving range (easy features to ID) and I'm consistently 250 (on good contact) with the occasional 275. I got curious looking at the yardages on my home course and realized I drove the green once on a 280 yard hole. Maybe I do need a stiffer shaft

I’ve gotten two over that cart path, but most settled right at the bottom of that hill at the back of the range.

I guarantee you are not aligned properly.

Alignment is everything in golf, from a chip to a drive.

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For me it was alignment. My feet pointed a little left and my club face was at the target. Once someone showed me what to do with my feet it immediately helped the slice.

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bingo

I’m not a golf professional.

You may be a somewhat over the top, but it’s not horrible.
You create better lag than I do.

Not a professional so someone else can weigh in but it looks like your hips are out pacing the club and the face is slightly open as well on the start of the downswing with your wrist a little cupped at the top.

All of these are issues I struggle with as a former baseball player as well (so maybe I am just seeing my own issues).

Yes you want to start your downswing with your hips but if they fire too fast and turn out too quickly the arms lag behind and that opens the club and causes it to cut across the ball. You want everything in sequence with your body turn.

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seems like I remember reading that you want your hips to lead,

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The hips do lead but the time gap is fractions of a second. Not something most people should consciously try to do.

Good stuff

My slice was gone on my round friday afternoon. Stepped up to the first tee and bombed it about 280 right down the middle of the fairway.

That's the only time in about 10 rounds that I haven't sliced one out of play right off the first tee at that course.

I'm not positive on what I was doing wrong, but it was one of two things. Either I was swaying back, or I wasn't getting a full torso turn. I focused on keeping my back leg straight and turning back and up. Outside of two line drives to the third baseman (over swinging) I hit every fairway that I drove. I played a round with a 3 handicap and outdrove him on every hole, often by a substantial distance. Damn did it feel good to watch them fly long and straight. I think that not getting that full turn plus an aggressive downswing was throwing off my path/clubface. Basically there wasn't enough space to really get it torqued into the right position because I wasn't creating enough space in my backswing turn for that. That's my theory anyway. That first tee shot was the purest ball I've ever hit and it happened several times over the course of the round.

Now, if you'd have been watching my round you'd think I never picked up an iron in my life. Didn't hit the first one crisp. Chunky shots, thin shots, weak fades. I was struggling to even get the ball in the air with my irons. Back to the drawing board there

Salvaged a birdie on 16 though, a long par 4 that dog legs right.