How to Hit a Driver – PGA Golf Pro Driver Tips

Hit Driver Sweet Spot, Hit Golf Driver on Best Driver Ball Flight

© John Hoskison

Jun 17, 2009

To learn how to hit a driver well is important if you want to score better. Not only is it the most rewarding shot to hit, but hitting the ball straight and long up the fairway helps saves shots.

How to Hit a Driver – Sweet Spot

• When learning how to hit a driver the most important thing is to find out whether the driver you are using suits your swing. To do this you must find out where the ball comes out of the clubface. This will affect ball position and height of tee.

• Go to the driving range and take with you a black felt tip or marker pen. Once you have warmed up and are ready to hit the driver, take ten balls and mark a spot the size of a thumbnail on the back of each ball.

• Tee the ball up with the spot at the back of the ball. Hit all ten balls then have a look at the face of the club. Each ball should have left a mark. Find out where the average position would be and then mark that spot on the driver face. This is the spot which normally makes contact with the ball. Ideally it would be in the middle of the face but most often it is to one side or another.

• If the mark is a long way from the middle of the club, to the heel or toe, it might well be that the shaft of the driver is wrong for you and the general design. In these circumstances find a golf range where they are holding a demo evening, go along and try lots of different drivers to see if any of them immediately feels better.

• If the mark on the face isn’t too far away from the middle you can adjust your tee height to accommodate. If the mark is either to the heel or toe, stand either further away or nearer to see if it makes any difference. This will be immediately apparent if you watch the flight of the ball.

Tips to Hit a Driver

• To hit the driver well a golfer needs to hit the ball on the upswing. The most important thing about the driver stance is to lean back away from the target. This tilts the swing arc back enabling the golfer to hit the ball on the up.

• Make sure the ball position is opposite the left heel.

• Set the head back and to the right and keep it there until you hit the ball. This anchors the body enabling the golfer to hit against a firm left side which creates centrifugal force and encourages a powerful release of the hands through impact.

• Swing to a full finish. Make sure you hit right through the ball to compress it to its maximum for extra ball speed. Finish with your right foot in the classic finish position with the right sole vertical and pointing away from the hole. The front of your body, or your belt buckle, should be facing the hole.

• Commit to hitting the driver. Once you have decided to use a driver off the tee make sure you commit to if fully. Don’t back off and try to guide the club, it’s not designed for that. If you use a driver, swing to a finish and commit to it with conviction.

See also: Best Shaft for Your Swing or What is an Over the Top Swing

How to Hit a Driver

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