How to Properly Hit Driver in Golf

How to Make your Driver the Best Club in your Bag

Are you ready to finally learn how to hit a driver and start playing your best golf yet?

Let’s get real, for most amateur golfers, hitting a big drive is the equivalent of dropping a nuke on your opponent. Even though there are so many other elements in golf that translate to lower scores, few are as satisfying as out driving your playing partners. 

Hitting a driver straight is something not enough people can do consistently well. But hitting it long doesn’t mean you will automatically break 80.

There are plenty of long drive guys who couldn’t shoot in the 70s if their life depended on it. For every 300-yard bomb, there are dozens of skulled shots, worm-burners, pop-ups, and tops.

But if you can bomb drivers deep, you will make the game a lot easier, especially with today’s tough golf courses. Like the old 90s Nike commercial said, “Chicks dig the long ball!” Whether it is hitting a home run in baseball or nuking a 300-yard drive, nothing feels better than crushing one from the tee box.

Not to mention, hitting drivers is the most fun to practice. So if you’re ready to start shooting lower scores by setting yourself up with easier approach shots, this is the article for you. You will learn how to hit the driver properly, tips to add distance, and the best ways to hit it straight.

Key Takeaways

  • Hitting a driver is very different from hitting irons, as you don’t want a downward strike.
  • You need a “driver swing” which includes forward ball position, shoulder tilt, and a wider stance to hit up on the golf ball properly.
  • To hit a driver consistently it’s a good idea to get fitted, play one shot shape, speed train, and focus on hitting the driver more in practice.

Why Hitting a Driver is Different From Your Irons

Your driver is a much different beast than your fairway woods, irons, and wedges. But a lot of golfers don’t hit drivers very far or straight because they don’t consider the differences. Once you understand why you have to make these adjustments, it makes it easier to get on board.

Here are three ways your driver is a lot different from any other club in the bag.

How to Hit a Golf Driver

Your Driver is Much Longer

For starters, your driver is the longest club in your bag. The standard driver is usually 45 inches long, with some manufacturers making driver shafts even longer. Compare that to a standard 5-iron, which is just over 38 inches.

Those seven inches make a difference, as a longer swing and distance between you and the ball will adjust your attack angle and impact position. Not to mention, the longer swing, less loft, and more swing speed means bigger misses. With all things being equal, you have a greater margin for error when using your irons vs. your driver.

As renowned sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella said in his book Golf is Not a Game of Perfect“The driver is the toughest club to hit consistently. It mercilessly exposes swing flaws and thinking flaws.”

This is why it’s so much easier to hit a 3 wood or 5 wood, a lot straighter than your driver. The shorter the club, the fewer movements in the swing, which means more consistency.

Read our full article on why you can hit 3 wood but not driver.

You Hit a Driver Off a Tee

Another huge difference is that the ball teed up when hitting a driver. While you can hit it off the deck, I don’t recommend it for most amateur players; it’s a shot that few pros even attempt so stick to it being teed up.

So why does hitting off a tee matter so much?

Because your impact position is totally different as you hit up on the swing arc. With irons, wedges, and woods you want to hit down on the ball creating a divot. But as you know, a divot with your driver is the kiss of death and clearly your swing mechanics are off.

Instead, with your driver, you want to hit the ball on the upswing.

The very aspect of being able to tee your drive up allows for the club to approach the ball in an upwards, sweeping motion. This is important since it significantly affects the “angle of attack” on your tee shots.

how to hit a draw with a driver

Understanding Attack Angle

Angle of attack is a measurement of your club head alignment at impact in relation to the horizon. A shot in which the club head strikes the ball perfectly perpendicular to the horizon would be 0 degrees.

On the other hand, shots with the club head facing slightly toward the ground have a negative angle of attack. Shots with the club head slightly facing skyward have a positive angle of attack, like your big stick.

This is why you get those bacon-like divots with irons and wedges and almost no divot with fairway woods. Your attack angle determines how well you hit every shot. But with a driver, your tee shot has a positive angle of attack to help launch the ball off the tee and into the air.

TrackMan technology, which is used by almost all professional golfers today, also found the same thing in a study they conducted with amateur golfers. In the study, Trackman analyzed amateur golfers driving the ball and found a direct correlation between handicap and attack angle.

So what did they find?

They found that scratch golfers were near zero on drives from the tee, while bogey golfers had a minus 2.1-degree angle of attack on tee shots. Basically, less-skilled players were hitting down on the ball, while golfers who shoot in the 70s hit up on the ball.

Remember, the goal is to hit the driver on the upswing, as it will result in maximum ball flight and translate into more distance and carry. (Go here to learn how to use a launch monitor to find out your angle of attack).

how to hit a driver straight

How to Hit a Driver: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Now that you understand why a driver swing is different, let’s get into how to hit a driver for more consistency. When it comes to bombing drives, the big stick is unlike any other club in the bag. Since it’s so much longer and has so much less loft than other clubs, it requires a lot of changes, mostly at setup.

Here’s a quick overview of the setup that is required to hit it long and straight.

  1. Tee it high
  2. Widen your stance
  3. Get the ball position off your front foot
  4. Set your hands back at address
  5. Tilt your shoulders to change attack angle
  6. Grip it easy to remove tension in your arms
  7. Don’t take the club past parallel
  8. Keep your tempo the same

Tee it High

One of the biggest mistakes, so many amateur golfers make when hitting a driver, is that they don’t tee it high enough. Remember, to hit bombs you need to hit up on it, which is a lot harder to hit up on it when the ball is teed low.

Remember, teeing it high will not result in sky balls. Hitting down on the ball is what leaves those nasty sky marks. Set yourself up for success by teeing it high and letting it fly!

Make sure you have the right tees to tee it high. Here are some of the best golf tees that allow you to tee it high.

For a deeper dive on tee height, check out our full article on how to nail tee height with your driver. And if you’re teeing it high, read all about hovering the driver and if that’s a good idea for you.

Widen Your Stance

Since the club is so much longer, you do need a wider stance to stay balanced throughout your swing. With an iron swing you want your feet shoulder width apart, but you need them wider with a driver.

Also, I recommend positioning both of your feet slightly open. This will allow you to get more hip and shoulder turn to produce more swing speed.

A wider stance will also make it easier to get into the Reverse K position and get plenty of weight shift. Not to mention, it will help with accuracy as you won’t need to swing longer to try and hit it farther.

Proper Ball Position with Driver

Change The Ball Position

Now that you understand why it’s necessary to hit up on the ball, you need the ball position in the right place. If you have the ball in the middle of your stance, you’re going to most likely hit down on the ball. This will result in the dreaded pop-up.

Instead, make sure the ball is in the front of your stance off your left heel (for right-handed golfers). Your driver should never be anywhere near the middle of your stance or back foot!

Another way to think of it is directly below your left ear (if you’re a right-handed player). By having the ball up in your swing, you can hit up on it and get way more distance.

Read our full article on the correct ball position for the driver.

Set Your Hands Back At Address

When it comes to hitting wedges and irons, you want to have a slight forward press at address. Doing so will allow you to compress the ball and make crisp contact.

But with a driver, you actually want your hands slightly back, which makes sense as it will help maintain loft throughout the swing. This will help create a more powerful swing with the proper spin rates for optimal distance.

Tilt Your Shoulders To Adjust Attack Angle

Your shoulders play a big role in creating a powerful driver swing. Your left shoulder should be higher than your back shoulder at address, creating a spine tilt.

You need to do this so that you hit up on the ball since it’s teed up. With shots off the turf, you want to keep your shoulders level, otherwise, you would hit well behind the ball and chunk it.

Additionally, make sure your lead shoulder is square to the target line. A tendency with a right-handed golfer is to have the shoulders open at address, which limits shoulder turn and creates an over the top move that leads to a nasty slice.

Lighten Your Grip Pressure

The final adjustment is to lighten your grip pressure at address. Because if you’re like most golfers, you hear the term “grip it and rip it” and want to kill it.

In reality, if you have a death grip on your driver, you are adding tension in your forearms. When you have tension, it’s easy to get off tempo and not be fully relaxed throughout the swing.

So instead of trying to hold the grip for dear life, practice on the driving range with as light of grip pressure as you can. While it might feel weird at first, I know that it will help your game.

Short Backswing Golf

Keep the Club Head Short of Parallel

If you want to hit it long and straight, you need to keep your backswing at parallel or even shorter. I see so many amateurs try to kill it and end up with a John Daly backswing. For 99% of players, it isn’t necessary. However, if you insist on a long swing, at least read our article on how to lengthen your backswing the right way.

Instead, keep your backswing controlled and focus on accelerating through impact. Here’s a good article on how to shorten your backswing as well. If you can see your driver head from your left eye, it’s likely too long and can hurt your overall performance.

Master Your Tempo

With a good tempo, you will hit it consistently farther and straighter. Don’t try and kill it, just swing within yourself andlet the club do the work.

Tempo shouldn’t change with your driver (even if you want to hit it 300+ yards). While your speed should increase, your tempo should still remain the same.

A good tempo is 3:1; meaning your backswing is 3X as long as your downswing. Click here to read our full guide on tempo.

How to Hit Your Driver Further (Driver Swing 101)

Once you improve your setup, hitting it longer becomes so much easier. This is why it’s vital to learn the fundamentals so you can set yourself up for success. Here are some of the easiest ways to hit the driver further and still keep it in the short grass.

Adjust Your Loft

Before even thinking about your swing, first check the loft of your golf club. While your golf swing is important, not having the right equipment setup will make things much harder.

If your driver has too low of loft, you won’t get the ball airborne. For most golfers, you want to have at least 9.5 degrees of loft (or more). This will help you carry it farther in the air, which is especially important during winter golf season or playing in the rain.

Do you Really Need an Adjustable Driver

Most of the best golf drivers on the market are adjustable, so make sure to tinker with your loft settings at the range to see how it affects accuracy as well. Make sure to read our full article on how much driver loft to use for a deeper discussion of driver loft.

Hit Up on the Ball

I know I’ve mentioned it several times, but I can’t stress this point enough. If you’re hitting down on the ball with a negative angle of attack, you are losing 20–30 yards.

One way to do this is to make sure that you have a shallow angle of attack. If you’re over the top and starting your downswing with your shoulders, you’re likely hitting down on it.

Make sure to check out our post about shallowing the club to get the club in the right position toward impact. Changing your driver swing to hit up can make a huge difference!

Hit Your Driver Higher

Part of hitting up on the ball means that you will launch it higher. Here are a few ways to ensure you’re launching it at the right angle:

  • Get plenty of rotation: You want to make sure you feel loaded at the top of your swing, with plenty of width and shoulder turn. If you’re a lefty, make sure your right shoulder turns under your chin. This will give you plenty of power and allow you to hit up and launch the ball high.
  • Transfer your weight: Once you load up on your trail foot, make sure your first move in the transition is getting that weight back to your lead foot. Don’t try to lift the ball up. The loft of the club will do that automatically, so focus on getting your lower body active and leading your swing on the way down.

Accelerate at the Right Point

While hitting up on the ball is crucial, make sure that you’re accelerating at the right point. I see so many golfers take the club back so fast that it makes it impossible to accelerate through impact. If you want to hit bombs, you need to make sure the club is moving the fastest around impact.

If you use all of your momentum early in the swing, you will throw off your tempo, lose distance, and probably accuracy as well. Work on the 3:1 tempo like every other club to add distance to your game.

Increase Your Swing Speed

If you want to hit your driver further, work on increasing your swing speed. This is one of the biggest factors when it comes to increasing distance with the big stick.

You can do this in a number of different ways, but one tool we recommend is the SuperSpeed golf training system. Over a few weeks, you can easily increase 5 mph or more. This alone will result in 10+ yards!

Or, if you’re more advanced, check out The Stack System, which is even more in-depth.

Use the Right Golf Ball

If your number one goal is to hit the ball farther, especially with your driver, make sure you are playing the right golf ball. Some balls are made for distance, others for spin, and some are a hybrid of the two.

Make sure that you’re playing a golf ball that matches your skill level and goals. Don’t play a ball just because your favorite PGA Tour pro does; always play the right one for your game.

How to Hit a Driver

Drills To Hit Driver Better

Want some tangible instruction to improve your game, cancel that slice, and hit bombs like Phil Mickelson? Check out these two drills will help you hit it much better.

The Foot Spray Drill

Did you know that a can of foot spray can actually help you improve your driver (or any club). Watch this video to learn how to get started:

Once you hit a few drivers with the spray on the club, you can instantly see where you’re hitting the ball on the face. This will give you instant feedback and figure out if you’re hitting it too low, too high, off the toe or off the heel. Then, you can make adjustments to the club and make the necessary swing changes.

If you’re not keen on using Foot Spray, try using Strike Spray, which is a great alternative to Foot Spray.

Takeaway Drill

Another easy but effective drill is the takeaway drill to help you master your takeaway. Watch this video to learn how to make sure you’re in the right position at parallel on the way back.

As you can tell, if you get the club too inside too early in the swing, it’s easy to make an over the top move to start. This over the top action leads to the dreaded slice that we all hate. Make sure you’re taking it slightly more outside on the way back so you can then shallow out on the way down.

Bonus: How to Hit a Draw With Driver

If you want to hit a draw with your driver, make these simple adjustments:

  • Adjust your grip. Make sure the grip is in your fingers, not your hands at address. This will help you have more control and close the face at impact.
  • Close your stance. By dropping your back foot slightly at address, you are much more likely to create a swing path that will help you hit a draw. This is Tiger’s easy tip to hit a draw, so if it works for him, it will probably work for you too.
  • Adjust your club settings: This is so easy, but it can really help. Thanks to new technology, you can easily hit a draw by simply adjusting your settings for a draw bias.
  • Move the ball up in your stance: With a full swing and to max out driving distance, you need to hit up on the golf ball. Make sure the ball is off your front foot so you increase your launch angle and create more power.

For more instructions on hitting a draw, go here.

Hitting Driver FAQs

Do you have more questions to try and improve your driving? We got you covered…

Best Driver for Beginners

How does a beginner hit a driver?

Learning how to hit a driver is one of our favorite golf tips for beginners. If you’re just getting started, I recommend focusing your efforts on setup more than anything else.

If you have the right fundamentals before even swinging, you will be ahead of most golfers. Focus on getting your feet, hips, spine, and shoulders set up correctly at address.

And contrary to what you may believe, don’t go out and buy an expensive driver if you are just starting. There are plenty of affordable options out there that are much better drivers for beginners.

How do I drive the golf ball straight?

First off, do you need to hit it straight? Here’s the thing, if your irons and wedges are solid, focus on distance more than hitting it straight.

Just look at Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson over the past 20 years. Between the two they have some of the worst driving accuracy on the PGA Tour but some of the longest distance and most wins. While I’m not saying you should hit the driver on every hole, I would focus more on length than accuracy unless you’re playing a super tight course with difficult rough.

So, why is it so hard to hit a driver straight on the golf course?

Because the driver is the lowest lofted club in your bag and creates the most ball speed. Not to mention, it’s the longest club, which means it’s the hardest to control.

Tips to Hit the Ball Straight in Golf

That combination is why it is difficult for the average golfer to keep tee shots in the fairway. Shots hit with the driver, by nature, tend to stray off to a greater degree than shots hit with lower speeds with lofted irons.

When it comes to hitting the ball straight, all it comes down to is what the club face looks like at impact. If it’s open, you’ll slice it and if it’s closed, you will hit a hook.

According to the new ball flight laws, experts think the clubface angle accounts for 75-to-85 percent of a ball flight’s starting direction. Plus, if your drives tend to have a slower ball speed, then the face angle accounts for almost 100 percent of your ball direction.

The more that your clubface is open or closed to the swing path, the more your shot will curve right or left of your intended target. If you can gain an understanding of your natural face-to-path ratio, then you can adjust your tee shots to stay on line and even begin to think about utilizing a planned fade or draw to improve your tee shots.

How do I hit a driver consistently?

First off, what’s consistent?

It’s important to have the right expectations for what’s possible for your game. Don’t forget, even the best players in the world only hit about 60% of the fairways, so make sure you’re being realistic from the start.

If you hit half of the fairways with your driver, you’re pretty close to PGA Tour players.

I recommend using all the tips above and practicing with your favorite club on a regular basis. If you could only practice with three clubs, I would choose your driver, sand wedge, and putter. These are the most commonly used clubs during the course of any given round.

On the range, focus on a 40 yard area – let’s say it’s between two flag sticks. Most fairways are about 40 yards wide (some more, some less), and focus on hitting a driver between them. The more you hone your golf swing on the range, the confidence you will have on the course.

How to Draw a Golf Ball

Should I hit multiple types of shots with my driver?

You should have a stock shot that you play 90% of the time. While it’s fun to do Tiger’s 9-shot drill on the range, you need one go to shot when you hit the driver on the course.

Whether your golf swing produces a low cut or high draw, have one main shot when hitting the driver. This will give you confidence on the first tee box and not overwhelm yourself with more than one swing thought. It makes it easier to pick targets in the distance and ultimately get the golf ball in the short grass more often.

Why do I hit my driver too high?

Without seeing your swing it depends on, but here are a few things to evaluate.

First off is your attack angle. Remember, if you hit down on it, you will hit it higher and sometimes even pop it up if your weight isn’t transferred properly. This can be fixed by adjusting your setup position and getting your front shoulder higher than your back shoulder.

The second thing to look at is your driver loft. It could be set too high and might be 11 or 12 degrees. Depending on your swing, this could be way too much and you’re probably losing distance as it’s spinning too much.

How do I stop slicing my driver?

Similar to the previous question, it depends on a few things. If you’re slicing your driver, you are coming into impact position with an open face. This means you are cutting across the ball instead of a square clubface.

Many golfers have this ball flight from a weak grip and incorrect swing path.

While we have a lot of posts about quitting your slice, a quick fix is to adjust your driver setting if you own an adjustable driver. Make sure that your club is adjusted for a draw bias, which will make it easier to square the club at impact.

Another solution is to buy a draw biased driver, such as these drivers are designed to minimize the slice. But remember, these solutions are a short term fix and we recommend spending the necessary time to fix this issue as it will help you shoot lower scores.

Even the best drivers can’t make you a great driver – never forget about swing mechanics so you can hit straight drives.

How High To Tee A Golf Ball

My Experience

I’ve played golf for more than 20 years and can say that when you make a driver your best friend, everything will change. This golf club – along with a putter – has the ability to literally change your game. But too many golfers fear this club and never learn to use it as a weapon.

Do everything you can – including getting a custom fitting, practice more, adjust your club, get a lesson, etc. – to gain confidence. When you do, it’ll make every par 4/par 5 so much easier.

Final Thoughts on Driver Golf Swing Tips

You don’t need to change your backswing or make any crazy weight shifts to start hitting bombs.

To hit a driver consistently straight and long, you need to work on your setup more than anything else. Always remember to play the ball off your front foot, wider stance, and have enough shoulder tilt with your upper body to improve angle of attack.

Technique is important but so is a tee box strategy to pick the right targets on the golf course. Paired with a pre-shot routine, you’ll be unstoppable. Don’t forget to practice these tips on the range before taking this advice to the course, too.

Use these driving tips to take your game to the next level and I’m confident you will shoot your lowest scores! 

4 thoughts on “How to Make your Driver the Best Club in your Bag”

  1. Good to get back to the basic styles of golf, I actually feel inspired to pop to the range and have my grandson video my swing so we can have a record of what’s happened over the years ….I still feel comfortable with my game but the tips you give are food for thought

  2. Thank you. I’ve been struggling with the driver lately (and always really), while my irons have continued to get better and better (thank God). My putting is not too bad, and short irons are average. But my driver has always given me fits, and lately has just come undone.

    So I have a picture now, of a couple targets for my swing. Since slicing is my problem; a more closed stance, ball further left in my stance (r handed), T’d higher, and closing the face at impact.

    I’ll be giving it a try this weekend.

    thanks,
    steve

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