How To Hit Your Driver Further
I doubt anyone who plays golf doesn’t want to get more distance off the tee!
By the end of this article, you should have some great ideas on how to hit your driver further.
Why Is It So Hard To Use A Driver?
The driver is the most challenging club in your bag for a number of reasons. The two main ones are that it is the least lofted club (apart from your putter) and it has the longest shaft. It is also the club that many golfers are going to try to swing flat out with and therefore it’s more likely that they will make a mess of it.
If you follow some of the tips I’ve shared then you should be able to add some distance to your drives.
What Is “Attack Angle”?
The attack angle is the angle of the club relative to the ground as it strikes the ball. A positive angle of attack means the club is moving downward as it hits the ball, while a negative angle means the club is moving upward. The ideal attack angle depends on the club and the player’s speed, but generally speaking, a positive angle of attack will produce more distance than a negative angle of attack with a driver. With irons, you would have a negative attack angle because the ball is on the ground.
Tips To Add Distance Off The Tee
Not all of these ideas are going to be relevant to you but I’m sure that at least one or two could add a few extra yards to your drives.
Assess Your Driver
it’s true that a bad workman often blames his tools. You can certainly see many golfers gesticulate like it’s the club’s fault when they hit a bad shot. While it’s not usually the club that caused the problem having the wrong sort of driver can definitely cost you distance and accuracy.
If you’re not hitting your drives as far as you’d like then it might be worth going to your local club fitter so he can check that the specs of your golf club are right for your swing.
It’s no good using a 6° lofted driver if you have only 80 mph clubhead speed. On the other hand, it’s no good having a 13° driver if you swing the club at 125 miles an hour! Any experienced fitter should be able to tell you if your club is suitable or whether a new driver might help you gain distance off the tee.
For help finding a local coach you could try your national PGA.
Choose The Right Golf Ball For Your Swing
The right golf ball can make all the difference on the course. Playing with a ball that is too hard or too soft can make your game suffer. If you want to maximize yardage with your driver then you’ll want to play with a firmer ball since lower compression models won’t travel as far even at slower speeds.
The use of launch monitors shows that the best results with your driver are achieved using a low spin and high launch combination. If you tend to generate high levels of spin with your driver then using a premium golf ball is not advisable as you will be losing distance.
Widen Your Stance
To ensure that you have a stable base from which to swing, it is important to widen your stance when hitting a driver. This means that your feet should be placed slightly more than shoulder-width apart, with your weight distributed 60-40 towards your trail side. Doing this will help you maintain balance as you swing, and generate more power behind your shot.
If you have too narrow a stance then you will probably be unable to generate maximum speed consistently.
What Is The Ideal Grip Pressure For Driver?
The ideal grip pressure is hard enough that you won’t let it slip during your golf swing.
Tee It Forward
You need to position the ball off your left instep since you want to be connecting on the upswing. If you put the ball too near the middle of your stance then you’ll end up hitting down on the ball which will generate excessive spin that will cause a ballooning ball flight and a loss of distance.
Ball position can have a large effect on your swing path and angle of attack so it’s important to get the ball positioned opposite your lead foot.
Tee It High
to give yourself the best chance of hitting up on the ball you need to tee the ball higher. Most amateur golfers are guilty of teeing the ball too low when they hit the driver. In addition, make sure to keep yourself “behind” the ball at impact this should help you learn how to hit the ball on the up. At address keep your sternum behind the ball and this should help keep the low point of your swing behind the ball, therefore, giving you that much-needed upward angle of attack.
So far we’ve only looked at things that don’t involve any real hard work to get right. The remaining tips will take a bit more time to show signs of improvement. Before embarking on major swing changes you might want to have a lesson or two with a PGA professional to make sure you are working on the right areas of your game.
Improve Ball Striking
Improving your ball striking is one of the quickest ways to gain yardage. While most people obsess about swing speed, there’s a lot to be said for striking the ball from the right part of the clubface.
With a modern driver, you probably need to be striking the ball just above the center to get the ideal launch angle and spin rate to improve your driver distance.
You should use impact stickers or foot spray to check the consistency of your strike pattern. Use physical obstacles in an effort to tighten up your ball striking. For example, you could prevent an out-to-in swing path by placing a cardboard box just outside the line of your swing a few inches behind the ball.
Speed Training
A number of training aids have been developed to help you improve your clubhead speed. Working with these tools for just a few minutes a day has been proven to add several mph to your swing.
Flexibility And Strength
improving your flexibility will allow you to generate more speed possibly because you now are able to actually swing the club further. Improving your strength will allow yi=ou to practice more often without fear of injury.
How To Hit Your Driver Further: Conclusion
You may be surprised to find that there are lots of things you can do to hit the ball further with your driver without ever working on your game. Some simple changes to your setup can make you a better driver without having to make changes to your golf swing.
Obviously, if you want to start hitting bombs it will probably take more than a few tweaks to your address position.
By following these simple tips, you will be well on your way to hitting it better and increasing your driving distance.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ]
How Do I Hit Longer Drives?
The obvious answer is to increase clubhead speed. However, hitting it straighter is also important for distance. If you can find the fairway more often, you will usually hit longer drives.
Give yourself the best chance of success by teeing the ball high to take advantage of the modern driver. Use the right sort of ball for your swing and try to connect with the ball after the clubhead has reached its low point.
Why Do I Hit My 3 Wood As Far As My Driver?
There are a few reasons why your 3 wood may be going as far, if not further than your driver. Your driver may not have enough loft for your swing speed.
You could be hitting down on your driver or possibly not connecting with the sweet spot as often.
You may have the wrong shaft in your driver. It might be too much or too little spin. The only way to know would be to use a launch monitor to check your figures. It may simply be that you have more confidence in your three wood.
