AVOID SKIED DRIVES

Deanagolfpro.co.uk

2023-01-01 -

One of the more embarrassing miscues available to us, the skied drive is a 60º shot struck with a 9º club. As we will discover, it is rooted in a poor attack angle. Getting rid of the shot is a question of refreshing your basics and retraining your attack angle by giving yourself permission to hit the opposite shot – in this case, a top. Follow these four steps through to banish the shot once and for all...

1. Understand the shot

When we hit a skied drive, the ball is stuck by the rounded crown or top edge of the driver and not the flat meat of the face. We dramatically increase our chances of this contact when our attack angle is steep, or downward. With the ball teed up, the driver needs a level or even slightly upward, sweeping strike.

2. Get back to basics

Make sure your driver’s address position obeys these three rules:

Ball position off the lead instep – back towards centre and you risk the sky.

Handle slightly behind clubhead – if the handle leads, you’ll get steep.

Chest centre behind ball, with weight 55-45 in favour of your trail foot – a lead-sided address promotes a downward attack.

3. Do the opposite

The quickest way out of a damaging swing pattern is to try the opposite. So on the range, dedicate a group of balls to hitting the best thin or topped shot you can muster. To do this you will have to swing upward through the impact zone, retraining your movement away from that damaging, downward squeeze.

4. Ease back to the centre

When you’ve ‘mastered’ the topped drive, gradually ease off that intent. Try to catch the next few balls in the bottom portion of the face. If you achieve that, move on to hitting the next few from the sweetspot. If the sky comes back, go back to topping the ball before gradually shifting back to the centre of the face.