Rookie

I started playing this game in June & i'm well & truly hooked now. Addictive, fun, frustrating & infuriating are a few of the repeatable words i would use to describe golf. I play off 22 handicap with a net best of 65. I suffer withdrawal symptoms when i don't manage to get out on the course at least once a week. Wish i had taken this game up sooner, i've been wasting the last 20 years playing football. Big problems with my driver off the tee if i try a full swing!!! Short backswing, then i can "punch" the ball straight, sometimes with a 200 yard carry. Any ideas on gradually improving the length of my backswing leading to an increase in the length of my drives.

Yep it can be a very addictive game.

What is the exact problem with the full swing?? (i.e. ball flight, missing the ball......................)

anyway the thing I really work on with the driver especially is not to rush my backswing. I try to make sure I have good posture, then try to slow my backswing down, very slow and low take away. If I am not careful I fall into the pattern of swinging faster (thinking that will cause the ball to go faster) and it ends up to be more of a swing that uses just my arms and causes all sorts of problems.

Bob

I take on board everything that you say about slowing my swing. I do have a problem with "trying to hit the skin off the ball" at times. On a full swing off the tee, I mainly slice the ball or it tails off to the right at the very end of it's carry.
I use a Cobra SZ 440, although i am thinking about trying a Taylormade R580XD, or maybe the Dual D type. Not that the club will make a great difference, i know it's my swing that's doing it.
I have recently been for a lesson that concentrated on my grip, swing & posture but only with the irons. Feel quite happy with the way i'm progressing with those. Just can't seem to adjust my back-swing to accommodate the longer club i.e.driver.

I think that Greg has some very good answers to those problems on previous threads.

But, first I would make sure that when hitting your driver make sure your stance is a little wider and that the ball is just off the left heal, with Irons your hitting more down on the ball, while the driver your sweeping the ball.

Next my guess is that you swing is what they call outside in, in other words for a right handed golfer the club is coming in more right of the ball and cutting accross left of the ball at impact. The slice problem usually magnifies when golfers start aiming more right and opening up their stance to correct for the ball going right.

the first step in correcting the problem is your take away needs to be more to the inside. One thing I like doing to try and get the proper feel is to move your front foot closer to the ball an inch or two is enough(make sure the club head is still pointing towards the target) and then take the club back on line between your feet. Then make your downsing on the same line (even try visualizing on hitting the inner half of the ball) This should cause you to draw the ball. After a while then try and hit a normal shot.

Let me know if it works.

Bob