Something for the Weekend: Do you ground or hover your driver?
Sound advice from Duffy Waldorf
Posted: 4 January 2013
by Golfmagic instruction
We see from watching the best players in the world that some prefer to ground their driver at address, others - seeking more freedom in the take away - favour the hovered driver at address.
Former Tour winner Duffy Waldorf - he of the Hawaiian shirts and scribbled patterns on his golf ball - has this advice.
“It takes an awful lot of practice to do what guys like Jack Nicklaus, Thomas Bjorn and Greg Norman do - hovering the driver slightly off the ground,” he says.
“What’s easiest for the everyday golfer is to rest the club just lightly on the ground before the ball but with no weight on it.
“This way you don’t run the risk of snagging the clubhead in your backswing - throwing off your timing - but still retain more control than if you hovered it.”
Out playing this weekend? Try it out and let us know how you get on in the forum, on Facebook and on Twitter.
Want more?
Head to our Something for the Weekend index.
Hover, it allows me to get my balance right and i know i am fully in control of the club on takeaway
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 11:44
Ground it, for consitency.
What is there to snag your driver on on a tee?
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 11:46
obviously dont have an r11 then.
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 11:51
Hovering the club has never entered my mind.
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 11:53
Definately a hover, if its good enough for Jack Nicklaus its good enough for me..
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 12:13
I tried hovering. Got vertigo.
Trust gravity.
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 13:53
Both...........Hover during setup to make sure the face is going to flush the ball, then ground it just before takeaway (this means the toe is adjacent to the ball when grounded). Good solid contacts pretty much all the time.
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 14:28
Are hover drivers legal? Has anyone submitted one to the R&A? Do they come with heated headcovers?
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 15:03
I ground mine behind the ball, because it's a lot less bover than a hover! (Only a few of a certain age will get that one!)
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 15:07
I ground my driver before striking.
If you are going to hover you need one of these
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 16:12
not sure...
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 16:33
Ground myself, although I find if I am looking to give it some wellie I will sometimes hover it.
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 20:08
I did hover for a good few years, but went to grounding last year and seemed to get more consistency. But sometimes I forget and go back to hovering.
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 21:10
Hover as I was once told that it keeps your muscles looser than grounding the club. Probably too impressionable for my own good but seems to work for me and my low standards.
Posted: 04/01/2013 at 21:45
I ground mine. I have tried hovering but all it does for me is make me twitchy. Do you hover immediately behind the ball, one inch or two inches away?
Posted: 05/01/2013 at 14:28
