Vol. 14 - 3 Simple Tips For Better Drives

This week we are talking about the big stick. Yep, the driver.

When I have players come in to work on their game it always seems like more have trouble with the driver than their irons. They usually are pretty happy with their iron play but just can’t seem to keep the driver in play and hit is as far as they should. Far fewer players it seems are on the opposite side of that spectrum where they like their driver more than their irons.

Much of this is due to set up changes that need to happen between irons and the driver. We know the driver is the longest club in the bag and is teed up unlike the irons that are shorter and usually are hit off of the ground, unless you are iron off the tee box. The driver with its very little loft, usually 9-12 degrees, and being teed up means that in order to help maximize its potential needs to be hit up on. This means that the club head needs to be moving upward at point of impact. It doesn’t need to be much in fact if you are level at point of contact that is pretty good but if we can be a few degrees up (1 - 4 degrees) this will help in hitting that driver farther and straighter.

To help us hit up on the ball properly we need to make sure the driver is teed up the correct height. A general rule of thumb is having half of the ball above the top of the driver head, as seen below.

As we can see from this picture, half of the ball is above the top of the driver head. This is a good starting point. Once you are able to be good at this tee height then we can start adjusting tee height for different shots. For example if you want to hit more of a fairway finder that will tend to fade you will tee it up slightly lower where most of the ball will be below the top of the driver. This set up will also cause the ball to fly shorter. Another example is to tee it up slightly higher to try and add more carry to your driver like it you were down wind and wanted to carry a bunker. For this I would go no more than having ¾ of the ball above the top of the driver.

Next we need to make sure our ball position is correct. For the driver it needs to be in line with the lead heel as seen below. We place the ball forward in our stance to help with hitting up on the ball. To work on getting consistent with your ball position, place a club or alignment stick down next to your lead heel and have it pointing in front of you. You would then place your ball directly in line with this alignment stick. The line drawn in the picture below is a great reference for this. Doing this will help ensure that you don’t get the ball too far forward or backward in your stance.

Now that we have the ball positioned correctly in our stance we need to make sure our posture is aligned to promote the upward attack angle we need. This is an area that many people struggle with. Due to the ball being forward in the stance many people will turn and face the ball. Doing this causes the shoulders to open and promote a downward attack angle as seen in the left image below.

Instead we need to have our shoulders aligned slightly to the right or at the very least at our target as seen in the right image above. Doing this will help promote a more in to out swing path and allow your body to stay more behind the ball.

The other key with the shoulders is to make sure they are tilted back as shown below. When your shoulders are aligned left they will be to level which makes it very difficult to hit up on the driver. We need get the right shoulder tilted down and behind the golf ball. Do this by placing a club across the shoulders and creating the upward angle shown below. When we do this we have to be careful not to create to much tilt as this can cause other problems in the swing. The trail shoulder only needs to be a couple of inches below the lead shoulder.

Now lets take a look at a drill you can do and use while on the course to help you make sure you are set up correctly. First you will want to set up like normal. As you can see in the left image below I am set up with my chest and head facing the ball. This is causing my shoulder to be aligned way to the left and my shoulders are pretty level.

From here we raise the club straight up as seen in the right image below.

The next step is the most important step. After my club is raised up, I am going to keep everything together and just turn my torso and head back to where my club face is now at least 6 inches behind the ball. Make sure when you do this that you are trying to face your body at your club and not the ball. Naturally doing this your shoulders will align more to the right and your trail shoulder will drop more below the lead shoulder. This can be seen in the left image below.

Once you are in this position you can set the club back down on the ground. The driver will now be set up 6-8 inches behind the ball. This is what I like to call the low point of your swing. Where your driver is at now will be where the bottom of your swing arc should be. From this point forward in your swing the driver will be moving upwards into the follow through.

Keys to remember:

1. Tee the ball up the correct height — half of the ball above the top of the driver

2. Ball position — the ball should be lined up off of the lead heel

3. Body alignment — face behind the golf ball causing your shoulders to be aligned more right and have the trail shoulder tilted down.

If you do these 3 things you are on your way to improving your driving. For more tips and help with your game make sure to follow me on social.

Instagram & YouTube @dillonbakergolf

_{Affiliate Links & commissions disclosure:}

_{Dillon Baker Golf Academy may earn small commissions from affiliate links and forms that users may clock on or fill out. These commissions help support the production and maintenance of the newsletters or our golf academy services. We only promote products and services that we believe in and find valuable for our readers and students. Your trust and satisfaction are our top priorities, and we are committed to providing authentic and helpful content. Thank you for being a part of our community.} 

Dillon Baker

www.dillonbakergolf.com