Problems with Drive

Question
Hello, how are you doing? I have been having a problem with my drives. No matter how much I turn left my drives are going right. The ball is not slicing it is going straight to the right. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to correct this problem?

I have been playing for about 15 years and I still can not get the ball to backup when hit onto the green. Actually it takes off when it hits the green. What can I do to get the ball to backup when it hits the green or at least take a couple of bounces and stop?  

Thank you

Answer
Hello Cameron,

Thanks for the question.

If the ball is flying straight to the right and not bending at all in the air this shot would be called a 'push' shot. A slice or fade on the other hand is when the ball bends to the right during it's flight. It is important to make sure that it is definitely a 'push' shot because the reasons why that shot happens is very different from a slice.

Without seeing the swing, I will rely on the information you have given.

What is happening when the ball is pushed right?
The clubhead's path (this simply means the direction the club is traveling in as it pass through the ball when you are hitting it) is going from in-to-out (again I am not sure how much of the golf terminology you understand, this simply means the club is swinging to the right i.e. away from your body as your make contact with the ball) and the clubface is pointing not at your target, but in the same direction as the club is traveling.

Why might this be happening?
There are several reasons as to why this might be happening. In my experience it is mostly due to the setup.

Ball Position - Could be too far back in your stance, i.e. the ball should be opposite your left heel at the start of the swing. If it is towards the middle or right foot then it is very easy to push the ball.

Body Alignment - If your feet, knees, hips or shoulders or all of them, are pointing to the right of where you should be aiming it will contribute to a pushed shot. Your feet, knees hips and shoulders should run parallel to where you want to hit the ball. Get someone who knows to check this for you.

Weight - Try to get approx. 55% of your wieght at address on your right side. Not a direct cause of a push but can cause a host of other problems.

The Swing - Normally a very flat and rounded swing, the clubhead basically swings to much behind you on the back and forward swing.

Check points:
Half way back and half way through (When the shaft of the club is parallel to the ground) the shaft should also be running approx. parallel to your target. Just like your body alignment at the start. Practicing half swings like this and then lengthening the swing is one way to combat the push.

Another drill ( there are many) is to position a golf tee the length of the club's shaft (not inclubing the grip) behind the ball. I mean behind in relation to the direction you are hitting, so it you lined up the ball and the golf tee it would point at your target. Almost there, now move the tee 5 cm to the left. Now if you lined up the ball and the tee it would point to the right of your target slightly. Preparation is done. Now you must try to swing the clubhead so it passes over that tee in the back and forward swing.

I hope I have not confused you here and you can understand my description. If not just let me know and i will explain it in a different way.

As far as creating backspin to stop the ball, there are a few elements to consider:
The green - naturally the softer the green the easier it is to stop the ball.
The ball - a softer (usually more expensive) ball tends to spin more and stop quicker on landing if struck correctly.
Technique - to generate backspin the club must strike the ball with a decending blow and make sure the ball is struck before the ground is hit.
It helps to get some extra wieght on your left side to get the decending blow. This might also be a problem if your swing is too flat and not upright enough.

Good luck, I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Marc Evans