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yeah so i went to the driving range today, started off by hitting with the 9 iron, 8, 7, 6, and 5. i was around 80 percent accurate with my shots. i tried out my driver, and i was pretty sure i cured my slice. i mean a couple of months ago my shots would go about 20 yards straight then just slice like crazy. now i thought i fixed it but today again(it happened last week) my shots went straight then around a third way of the shot it would just go right. so i'm wondering what i'm doing wrong. i heard that driver's have a different swing than an iron swing. is this true?? i'm wondering why it is so hard to hit the driver accurately. also after around 10 shots and being frustrated i went back to my irons and my shots were going right, left, straight, absolutely all consistency from before all gone. is this a mental thing or a mechanical thing?

With that big a banana, you must be outside in on your path and hitting the ball with your club face open simultaneously.

Take a card board box about two ft long and 8" tall or larger and place it on your target line. Tee up your ball about 4" inside that and make some nice easy driver swings. You will learn that the driver swing is somewhat different in that it must be more around you than up when compared to an iron...or you will have a very banged up card board box. This drill will help you make the adjustments to come at the ball on an inside path which will improve both your driving and iron play.
Cheers,

thanks for the practice tip, i'm gonna try that.

Let me give you a bit of a story of my own issues with my driver.

I recently switched to an 8.5 degree driver but put in my favorite shaft from another club. I've had nothing but problems since. I cannot relase the club for the life of me. The reason being two fold. The new head is a bit heavier making the shaft whippier, AND the whole club is just plain too heavy.

In order for me to release the sucker I have to wait for what feels like an eternity and I can't make my natural pivot or else the face will stay open and it slices.

A lot of slices are produced from equipment issues and the compensations people make.

maybe a simple thing of standing closer.

Considering that you are new to the game, relatively, like myself, the most important thing is consistency in set up every time you address the ball. It should start with aligning your ball to the target but lining yourself up to an intermediate target. If my body is even slightly open to the target line, I get a bad slice or fade. If I am forcing the swing or get handsy, I will hook it. The only solution is to swing slowly on the backswing and smoothly on the way down/bringing the hands back to the address position.

I do the following drill taken from the Ultimate Drill book by McLean. It really helps me see how to swing properly and release. I do it as I hit the ground, taking a divot.

Golf Digest's Ultimate Drill Book - Jim McLean - Penguin Group (USA)

another drill my instructor taught me was to swing and hit the ball and wind back up (after the follow through), and swing again hitting the same spot on the ground.

Lastly, what type of grip do you have with the left hand (assuming a right handed player)? Weak, strong or neutral? Making a strong grip may help the slice. I use a neutral grip. Also where you position the ball in relation to your sternum will also dictate where the club face position is at impact.

I find a few things that help my swing, the hinged iron and driver, and the Swingyde.

It is amazing to me how much of a different mindset I have to have to hit the driver properly. It is not a matter of just teeing it up and swinging at the ball like you do other clubs. You have to have a game plan for setting up properly to the ball. I'll bet like most beginners you have the ball way too far back in your stance. I doesn't seem like to you but it is a very common problem. Next time you play golf get one of your partners to check this out for you on every shot but not say anything for a while so you don't get self-conscious. Tell him to stop you after set up one time, don't move, and take a club and line it up on the back or front edge of the ball and perpindicular to your stance. You'll probably find it lined up in the middle or very near to it in your stance. This is a big no-no. You need to have the ball lined up off the inside of your left heel. Comparitively speaking, way forward in your stance compared to your other clubs. It may feel weird but that is where you start. Next is spine tilt. You should tilt your spine to the back so you can get your head and sternum behind the ball. This move really helps you to be able to swing up and sweep the ball off the tee rather than hitting the ball on the downswing which is a killer for the driver. If I look head on at you at address I should see the club shaft either straight up and down or leaning slightly back. Ringer has a lot of good videos on different aspects of the swing. Maybe he can direct you to one that discusses these issues. I am by no means an expert or a great golfer but understanding some of these fundamentals has really helped.