Struggle with Drivers!!

[Joseph j Andreola]

I have a question, why do I struggle to hit up on the ball off the T??? When  I T it up correctly it goes almost straight up, regardless of loft , I’m dropping my trail shoulder tilting my head desperately trying to hit up on the ball but it’s always the same line drive ! Am I missing something???? Or should I just punch myself in the face???? LOL

[Shifty]

58 minutes ago, Joseph j Andreola said:

I have a question, why do I struggle to hit up on the ball off the T??? When  I T it up correctly it goes almost straight up, regardless of loft , I’m dropping my trail shoulder tilting my head desperately trying to hit up on the ball but it’s always the same line drive ! Am I missing something???? Or should I just punch myself in the face???? LOL

I'm not sure as no video was posted, but from your description, I would guess one of two things are happening;

-you have your ball tee'd up too high and ball is going off the top of the club face. 

-It's possible you are still hitting down on it too, and it's just going off top of the face. 

Get some face stickers or foot powder to see where the ball is hitting, tee it lower and still try hit up on it?  Hard to say for sure without video.

[Joseph j Andreola]

I usually t it up lower then I hit line drives , so I I’ll t it up a little bit then I hit popups, my dilemma is why don’t I hit higher, when I am doing the things to hit up on the freaking ball with a 12.6 degree driver it’s the same as a 10.5 degree driver! 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Any chance you can go in for a lesson? 

[Joseph j Andreola]

Had lesson and constant bird dogging from my playing buddy and coach , he doesn’t seem to think it’s an issue to concern myself with  he thinks it’s my swing speed , he’s probably right as my driver speed Is 80 mph at best , on the verge of 70 years old with arthritis! Oh well thanks for the interest!!!!

[JAYER38]

I think ALOT of people struggle with AOA. Its is something to be concerned with forsure but where you place the ball in your stance and how you move thru your stance is a big thing. If you sway in the swing then the ball position at approach is meaningless almost so adjust for your impact position not how you feel at approach.

I myself was always -3* to +1* AOA with driver. I recently changed my approach and ball placement to where I am now positive 3*-5* unless I sway and then its what it is cause I messed up.

So my advise to you (without seeing video or any real numbers) is move the ball forward 2-3 ball lengths. As long as the ball has a good trajectory just try things until they work. I feel if any change made doesn't work within 3-5 swings it isn't going to work so move on from it

[Joseph j Andreola]

Huh , the sway , that’s it that what I missed , thanks for that , I have been trying to cut down on that with a weight shift with the hips but I didn’t do it with my woods! Thanks again!!!! I knew somebody would know!!!

[RetiredBoomer]

2 hours ago, Joseph j Andreola said:

I have a question, why do I struggle to hit up on the ball off the T??? When  I T it up correctly it goes almost straight up, regardless of loft , I’m dropping my trail shoulder tilting my head desperately trying to hit up on the ball but it’s always the same line drive ! Am I missing something???? Or should I just punch myself in the face???? LOL

I simply can't do it...period.

I bought a 13.5º BRNR, tee the ball very low, and hit down with it like a normal golf shot.

[Josh Parker]

I have struggled with the AOA and recently have changed my swing to improve that.  If you are swaying that can cause you to hit down on the ball.  

I know all too well on the line drives!  

[Sir Putts Alot]

Well, you could punch yourself in the face, but that will cause jaw and dental problems.  Anyways, you could always tee it up lower and place it another ball length back and produce nice little baby draws. You may lose about 5 percent of your max distance but you'll be happy to find fairways. 

[Joseph j Andreola]

That’s my next goal , the way I swing I’d probably miss hit my face anyway!!!

[RickyBobby_PR]

On 5/17/2024 at 12:42 PM, Joseph j Andreola said:

I have a question, why do I struggle to hit up on the ball off the T??? When  I T it up correctly it goes almost straight up, regardless of loft , I’m dropping my trail shoulder tilting my head desperately trying to hit up on the ball but it’s always the same line drive ! Am I missing something???? Or should I just punch myself in the face???? LOL

Actually trying to hit up on the ball is causing your problem. Dropping your trail shoulder is the incorrect way to shallow the club and causes swing issues and you are adding loft if the ball is going up like you mention. 
 

You need to fix your swing and learn to swing more neutral and the natural swing arc create upwards angle of attack.

2-3° up is all one needs. 

[Joseph j Andreola]

I am dropping my trail shoulder, that’s why I’m confused but I think I’m swaying and  gliding forward and hitting the ball before my club starts up in the arc ! Thanks 

[cnosil]

25 minutes ago, Joseph j Andreola said:

I am dropping my trail shoulder, that’s why I’m confused but I think I’m swaying and  gliding forward and hitting the ball before my club starts up in the arc ! Thanks 

If you want input on what you are doing, you need to post a face on and DTL video of your swing. 

[RickyBobby_PR]

 

I am dropping my trail shoulder, that’s why I’m confused but I think I’m swaying and  gliding forward and hitting the ball before my club starts up in the arc ! Thanks 

Dropping the trail shoulder isn’t a good thing. It’s the cause of your issues. Swaying is also going to make things worse.

But as mentioned above by cnosil without a video any idea of what you are doing or why things are happening will be hard to say.

 

[Kenny B]

On 5/17/2024 at 12:16 PM, Joseph j Andreola said:

Huh , the sway , that’s it that what I missed , thanks for that , I have been trying to cut down on that with a weight shift with the hips but I didn’t do it with my woods! Thanks again!!!! I knew somebody would know!!!

If you’ve cut down on the sway with other clubs, the driver is essentially the same swing with the ball more forward in the stance and sitting up on a tee.  No need to drop your shoulder to hit up on the ball; let the club do the work.  Like others have said… a face-on and DTL videos would help with an assessment.

FYI, I’m 77 and swing speed isn’t much faster, which is why it’s important to maximize the quality of every strike.

[Joseph j Andreola]

There will be no video forthcoming!!!!

[cnosil]

15 minutes ago, Joseph j Andreola said:

There will be no video forthcoming!!!!

Then there may be continued advice that may or may not help your driver swing.  

[RickyBobby_PR]

39 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Then there may be continued advice that may or may not help your driver swing.  

Yeah not much can be done or said at this pint other than find a qualified instructor and have him/her look at the swing 

[Joseph j Andreola]

Thanks to all!!!

[Haile]

I struggled with the same thing for a while. My swing coach explained it to me this way. Where the bottom of your swing arc is will determine your AOA. There are obviously other factors that go into that. But, to keep things simple, just worry about the bottom of the arc. If you're staying behind the ball and the bottom of the swing is before the ball, then you have no choice but to hit up on it. We went on to work on all kinds of other technical things, but I'm not really qualified to try and explain all that. That's what helped me anyway. Good luck with it. 

[3Putt4Double]

On 5/19/2024 at 9:57 PM, Joseph j Andreola said:

Thanks to all!!!

I can tell you this, no matter what ur swing looks like or how bad it may be, ppl on this thread aren't here to make fun of it.. It's mainly middle aged ppl and older who just wanna help and wish u the best.. There are some very sharp golf players that, with a video, could fix ur problem in 2 min.. If I run into any problem I'm sending Kenny, William, Rob, Northern monkey, or others whatever Im doing and taking advice.. Just my 2 cents

[3Putt4Double]

Just now, Bubba1985 said:

I can tell you this, no matter what ur swing looks like or how bad it may be, ppl on this thread aren't here to make fun of it.. It's mainly middle aged ppl and older who just wanna help and wish u the best.. There are some very sharp golf players that, with a video, could fix ur problem in 2 min.. If I run into any problem I'm sending Kenny, William, Rob, Northern monkey, or others whatever Im doing and taking advice.. Just my 2 cents

Josh Parker is another guy who could help a lot.. Dude shoots in the 70s and I'm sure he wouldn't mind

[Joseph j Andreola]

Thanks for your 2 cents ,  not taking any offense!!!!!

[RetiredBoomer]

Wait a minute.

There are people who don't struggle with the driver????

[3Putt4Double]

2 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

Wait a minute.

There are people who don't struggle with the driver????

I struggle with driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, all irons and wedges, and putter.. I'm hell with that hybrid though

[RetiredBoomer]

37 minutes ago, Bubba1985 said:

I struggle with driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, all irons and wedges, and putter.. I'm hell with that hybrid though

So that's my mistake.
I'm not bagging a hybrid.

Still, everybody is good with something in the bag.
I'm not too bad with a ball mark repairing tool.

 

[Joseph j Andreola]

I should’ve titled it , “ struggle to hit up on the ball off the T with the driver”!!! 

[RickyBobby_PR]

9 hours ago, Joseph j Andreola said:

I should’ve titled it , “ struggle to hit up on the ball off the T with the driver”!!! 

Dropping the shoulder isn’t the way to fix that problem and only makes things worse and brings a two way miss into play. 
 

The issue stems from either a setup issue, wrist hinge issue, improper hip movement, combo of all that and possibly some other stuff. If you want to improve then best bet is to find a good coach have them identify the biggest issue and work months on improving that