Golfers of all abilities struggle with how to hit driver. But it doesn’t have to be that way. From what I’ve seen, there are three main issues people have off the tee: they get nervous, they hit a big slice or they just hit it all over the place. In this article, I break down each of these problems to give you the tools to handle your nerves, your slice, or your inconsistency. Follow my tips and you’ll be hitting driver with some confidence in no time.
Contents
- FAQs
- 20 Golf Driving Tips: Hit Longer & Straighter Drive
- 10 tips to actually hit your driver in play | How to break 80 in …
- How to Hit Driver | Instruction | Golf Digest
- The Secret to Hitting your Driver Better – The Left Rough
- 3 Driving Tips That Will Change Your Golf Forever
- Top 10 Driver Tips Ever! – Golf Info Guide
- 5 golf tips that could turn your driver into a strength – GolfPass
- 23 Golf Driving Tips: Ultimate Guide For Beginners
- How to Hit a Driver for Beginners: 10 Steps (with Pictures)
FEELING PRESSURE?
Turn Your Left Shoulder Behind The Ball
If you’re someone who gets nervous on the tee box, that mental state is affecting how you physically swing your driver. From what I’ve seen, nerves typically make the backswing fast and short. It’s tough to hit a good drive after making a snatchy move like that. If you’re feeling tense—like on the first tee or a tough driving hole—focus on making a full, rhythmic motion to the top. The best thought, even if you don’t have the flexibility to do it, is to turn your lead shoulder behind the ball. This thought will help you make a full rotation, instead of stopping your backswing short. You’ll also load into your right side so you can shift forward coming down. Making a full turn back and shifting your weight will promote a natural swing rhythm, and you’ll get more power if you’re shifting your weight correctly.
Remember, the ball’s not going anywhere, so take your time swinging back.
Think about this at setup:
Under pressure, the tendency is to freeze over the ball and put a death grip on the club. To combat this, keep some motion in your fingers and feet. Waggle the club back and forth. If you lock up, your nerves will hurt your swing. Moving your fingers and feet will keep you loose and more able to make a good, smooth swing.
FIGHTING A SLICE?
Keep Your Back To The Target Starting Down
If you slice it off the tee, you’re not alone. It’s a very common problem. The slicer usually starts the downswing by forcing the right shoulder out toward the ball. This makes the swing path steep and across the ball from out to in. You need to make sure your right shoulder stays back, allowing the club to drop to the inside as you start down. Your best swing thought is to keep your back facing the target longer in the downswing. Make a full turn behind the ball, and then keep that right shoulder passive so your upper body doesn’t spin out. With the club dropping to the inside, you can swing out to the ball, which lets your arms release and square the clubface.
Want more great driving tips? Check out our ultimate guide to driving video series here.
This is the key at address:
If you slice, I’ll bet your ball position is too far forward. This opens the shoulders, which limits how far back you turn. An abbreviated turn sets up that early move with the right shoulder coming down. When you set up, play the ball in line with the logo on your shirt. Keeping the ball from being too far forward will allow you to start your swing with square shoulders, giving you the space necessary to make a full shoulder turn going back.
Don’t Let Your Body Stop Turning
If you tell a player who hooks the ball to turn harder to the left through impact, you’ll have some explaining to do. But the fact is, most big hooks come from the body slowing down through the hitting area, which causes the momentum of the swing to flip the club over and snap the face closed. The closed face sends the ball left. The way to avoid that is to keep turning your whole body toward the target. Shift to your left side to start down, feeling like your chest points to the ball, then turn hard to the left. The club won’t flip, and you’ll fix those hooks.
Think about this when you set up:
Most hookers aim way out to the right. It makes sense, but the club gets to the inside too quickly on the takeaway. It’s easy to hook it from there. Set your body lines—shoulders, hips, knees, feet—parallel to the target line, and you’ll swing back straighter.
HITTING IT EVERYWHERE?
Maintain Your Arm Speed To The Finish
If you’re feeling totally lost on the tee, you need a swing key that combats a lot of potential problems. Try keeping your arms swinging at a constant speed through the ball and all the way to the finish. Many golfers swing to the ball and stop; they “throw” the club at the ball. This can lead to misses of all kinds, so picking the proper correction can be confusing. If you keep up your arm speed, you’ll create good rhythm and flow through impact. You might be amazed at how things fall into place. Making an aggressive pass through the ball is always better than trying to steer it down the fairway. Remember, you’re making a golf swing, so keep those arms swinging.
Think about this at address:
Players who are struggling with hitting driver inevitably start to feel awkward when they address tee shots. If you’re feeling uncomfortable on the tee, check your distance from the ball. Set up and drop your right hand off the club, letting it hang . Make sure you can move it straight back to the grip without having to reach. If you feel like you’re reaching, move closer to the bal.
FAQs
20 Golf Driving Tips: Hit Longer & Straighter Drive
20 Golf Driving Tips: Hit Longer & Straighter Drive Driving distance and accuracy… the two things that every golfer on the planet wants more of. Sure, we all know that putting is the key for success at the professional level, but as a recreational player, you want to have the confidence to step up to the first tee and smash a drive down the middle of the fairway. There are many different ways to gain distance and hit more fairways, but the reality is simple. Once you master the basic concepts of solid ball striking, you have to increase your clubhead speed in order to increase your distance. If your driving of the golf ball is something that frustrates you, you’re in luck, you have now found the ultimate resource for golf driving tips to help you hit longer, straighter, and more consistent drives. Here are the 20 golf driving tips that will instantly help you gain more precious yards off the tee: 1. Widen Your Stance There is a reason you can swing your driver faster than any other club in your bag. Simply put, the driver is the longest club in your bag and therefore has a larger swing arc which results in more speed. It’s important to remember that you will swing the driver faster than any other club and therefore need a solid base for your swing. Set up so the outside of your shoulders extend down to the inside of your feet at address. This will ensure you have a solid enough base to swing the club in balance and with authority when you start to increase your clubhead speed. 2. Tilt Your Spine Although the basic elements of the iron and driver swing are the same there is one aspect that is completely opposite between the two shots. With an iron swing the ball is on the ground and we must strike “down” on the golf ball. With the driver, the ball is placed on a tee and therefore we must do the opposite and hit “up” on the ball. Notice in the position above how the left shoulder is slightly higher than the right shoulder. This is a result of a slight tilt of the spine at address. The purpose of the spine tilt is put the player in a position to hit up on the golf ball, a key element that you should focus on when increasing driver distance. 3. Use More Loft What loft do you currently use on your driver? After working with thousands of amateurs over the years, we have found a direct correlation with driver loft and ego. Players with the biggest egos tend to have the smallest amount of loft on their driver.The reason? People think that the lower the loft of their driver the more powerful of a player they are. While it’s true that some of the long drive competitors use driver lofts under 6 degrees, the vast majority of PGA Tour players, the most elite group of golfers on the planet, are using more and more loft every year on their drivers. Due to advancements in technology, we know now the most efficient way to “launch” a ball is with high loft, low spin and hitting up on the golf ball. Dustin Johnson, one of the most powerful drivers of the golf ball on the PGA Tour uses an 11-degree driver! No wonder he hits those towering tee shots that carry well over 300 yards. Most of the drivers today come with adjustable faces giving players a range of about 4 degrees of loft to experiment with. Next time you go to the range bring your adjustment tool and start to experiment with a higher loft, it just might be the key to unlocking a few extra yards. 4. Train With a Lighter Club The average clubhead speed of a PGA Tour player using a driver is 113mph, while the average 15 handicap is 93mph. In order to increase distance, one must narrow this gap and begin…
10 tips to actually hit your driver in play | How to break 80 in …
10 tips to actually hit your driver in play | How to break 80 in 2022 By: Dylan Dethier December 28, 2021 How to hit more fairways? Try these tips on for size. Getty Images Congrats, you got much better at golf in 2021! But now it’s time to take your game one step further this offseason. That’s right, we’re talking about targeting that magical number most golfers set their sights on: a score in the 70s. Here, in our eight-step guide to breaking 80, we’ll speak to experts, pros and more to create the perfect plan for you to take your game to the next level. When I was playing golf most often and most seriously, I quickly realized that keeping the ball in play off the tee is essential to competitive golf. The only problem is that I was never particularly good at it. But that was before I’d tapped into the network of brilliant minds that exists at golf dot com. And while I don’t spend a ton of time writing instruction articles, I definitely do read them — and I’ve picked up some nuggets in the process. Here are 10 tips on straighter drives I’ve compiled from that research. 1. Curve it less! For at least seven or eight of these tips I’ll expect you to start with a groan or some variation of “Yeah, no s—!” But hopefully we can move past that together and glean a little insight. This comes from a study conducted by golf data guru Mark Broadie, who was curious whether it’s more effective to dial in a big-swinging ball or have it start straight and stay straight. The straight-ball hitters won out convincingly. Here’s Broadie: “To see the connection between curve and accuracy, I computed the correlation of these values across players. Guess what? The correlation was negative 40 percent, which in plain English means that players who curve their drives less tend to hit more fairways! (For the stat geeks out there, the negative correlation result holds up even after controlling for drive distance.) For example, the big curvers, Andrew Putnam, Phil Mickelson and J.B. Holmes, hit eight percent fewer fairways than the field. “The least-curve group of Armour, Furyk and Reavie hit 13 percent more fairways than the field, a significant statistical difference between the two groups.” Mark Broadie’s data from the 2019 season. GOLF You can read the rest of Broadie’s piece here. 2. Own your ball flight. Hopefully this doesn’t sound like I’m already contradicting myself. But just because you’d like to hit the ball dead-straight, per Tip No. 1, doesn’t mean that’s the reality available to you at the moment. “Most players have a dominant shot shape (draw/fade) and should use that through the round,” says GOLF Top 100 Teacher Joe Plecker. “You have to go with your stock shot,” adds Top 100 Brian Manzella. Doing so will help you commit to the shot and allow you to pick a proper aiming point. Best golf gifts: 5 game-changing drivers for every golfer in your life By: Jonathan Wall 10 tips to actually…
How to Hit Driver | Instruction | Golf Digest
How to Hit Driver Golfers of all abilities struggle with how to hit driver. But it doesn’t have to be that way. From what I’ve seen, there are three main issues people have off the tee: they get nervous, they hit a big slice or they just hit it all over the place. In this article, I break down each of these problems to give you the tools to handle your nerves, your slice, or your inconsistency. Follow my tips and you’ll be hitting driver with some confidence in no time. FEELING PRESSURE? Turn Your Left Shoulder Behind The Ball If you’re someone who gets nervous on the tee box, that mental state is affecting how you physically swing your driver. From what I’ve seen, nerves typically make the backswing fast and short. It’s tough to hit a good drive after making a snatchy move like that. If you’re feeling tense—like on the first tee or a tough driving hole—focus on making a full, rhythmic motion to the top. The best thought, even if you don’t have the flexibility to do it, is to turn your lead shoulder behind the ball. This thought will help you make a full rotation, instead of stopping your backswing short. You’ll also load into your right side so you can shift forward coming down. Making a full turn back and shifting your weight will promote a natural swing rhythm, and you’ll get more power if you’re shifting your weight correctly. Remember, the ball’s not going anywhere, so take your time swinging back. Think about this at setup: Under pressure, the tendency is to freeze over the ball and put a death grip on the club. To combat this, keep some motion in your fingers and feet. Waggle the club back and forth. If you lock up, your nerves will hurt your swing. Moving your fingers and feet will keep you loose and more able to make a good, smooth swing. FIGHTING A SLICE? Keep Your Back To The Target Starting Down If you slice it off the tee, you’re not alone. It’s a very common problem. The slicer usually starts the downswing by forcing the right shoulder out toward the ball. This makes the swing path steep and across the ball from out to in. You need to make sure your right shoulder stays back, allowing the club to drop to the inside as you start down. Your best swing thought is to keep your back facing the target longer in the downswing. Make a full turn behind the ball, and then keep that right shoulder passive so your upper body doesn’t spin out. With the club dropping to the inside, you can swing out to the ball, which lets your arms release and square the clubface. Want more great driving tips? Check out our ultimate guide to driving video series here. This is the key at address: If you slice, I’ll bet your ball position is too far forward. This opens the shoulders, which limits how far back you turn. An abbreviated turn sets up that early move with the right shoulder coming down. When you set up, play the ball in line with the logo on your shirt. Keeping the ball from being too far forward will allow you to start your swing with square shoulders, giving you the space necessary to make a full shoulder turn going back. Don’t Let Your Body Stop Turning If you tell a player who hooks the ball to turn harder to the left through impact, you’ll have some explaining to do. But the fact is, most big hooks come from the body slowing down through the hitting…
The Secret to Hitting your Driver Better – The Left Rough
The Secret to Hitting your Driver Better 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 outdriving your playing partners. Hitting a driver straight is something not enough people can do consistently well. So if you’re known as a “good driver” golf becomes a lot easier. 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 driver properly, tips to add distance, and the best ways to keep it straight. Why Hitting a Driver is Different From Your Irons You might be thinking, nine steps, is that really necessary to hit pure drives? The short answer… yes. 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. I know I’m not an instructor on the Golf Channel but I know a thing or two about hitting bombs. And I know that if you’re like most golfers, you want to out drive your buddies and have more wedges into greens. Here are three ways your driver is a lot different from any other club in the bag. 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 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…
3 Driving Tips That Will Change Your Golf Forever
3 Driving Tips That Will Change Your Golf Forever By: Graham A. May 8, 2021 Are you looking to improve your driving so that you can keep yourself in play off the tee, set up simple approach shots and hit more greens in regulation? If so, you came to the right place. In our latest YouTube video, Piers and Andy share 3 of their best driving tips that will: – Improve your consistency– Fix your slice– Generate more distance Check out the video below, and if you like our videos, don’t forget to subscribe to the channel. 1. Use foot spray to improve your consistency This might sound strange, but hear us out. Hitting your drives out of the centre of the clubface is crucial if you’re going to consistently hit it long and straight off the tee. But it’s not always easy to know exactly where the ball was struck on the club face, which can make it difficult to understand where you’re going wrong and what you can do to fix it. That’s where the foot spray comes in. When you’re at the driving range, spray the driver’s club face with athlete’s foot spray or strike spray and then hit some shots. Look at the club face after you’ve hit your shot and you’ll see where the ball was struck on impact. The more you do this, the more you’ll pick up trends and notice your own personal pattern – and then take steps to change it so that you strike the ball out of the centre more frequently. Remember, whatever you measure, you will improve. 2. Use an impact bag to stop your slice This tip is guaranteed to increase your distance and fix your slice – we’ve never seen it not work! All you need is a driver and an impact bag, which are affordable but under-used training aids. We want you to practice striking the impact bag with your driver, but not with any part of the driver – specifically the toe of the driver. You then need to start hitting some balls, looking for the same feeling when you strike a ball. If you do this, it means you’ll be closing the club face on impact, which is exactly what we need to happen if you’re going to fix your slice off the tee. 3. Miss the headcover Hitting up on the golf ball when driving is crucial if you’re going to optimise your distance off the tee. One of our best tips to help you do this more frequently is also one of our simplest. When you’re at the driving range, place a head cover about a grip-length in front of the tee. If you hit down on the ball when you drive, you’ll likely hit the headcover in the follow-through of your swing. So your goal is to avoid hitting the headcover when you swing, generating a higher launch and lower spin. Drive the ball better than you thought possible These tips are just some of the most effective secrets to better driving that you will find in our latest, biggest and best coaching plan to date: Total Driving. If you’re really serious about improving your tee shots, let Piers and Andy coach you…
HOW TO HIT YOUR DRIVER STRAIGHT – 3 SIMPLE TIPS
Top 10 Driver Tips Ever! – Golf Info Guide
Top 10 Driver Tips Ever! There is nothing quite like getting a hole off to a great start with a powerful and accurate drive. While you certainly need to do plenty of other things well in order to post good scores, having the ability to drive the ball well is a big first step. Playing from the fairway for most of the day makes the game much easier, both in terms of the shots that you face and the stress that you have to deal with during the round. If you are serious about making significant improvements in your game, there is a good chance you are going to need to take a step forward in your performance with the driver. With that in mind, this article is going to offer up 10 of the top driver tips that have ever been offered in the game of golf. As you read through the list of tips below, think about your own driver performance to determine whether or not you could personally benefit from each tip. Some of these tips are sure to hit home for you, while others might not necessarily relate to your needs. In the end, you should be left with at least a few different ideas of how you can improve your driving going forward. All of the content below is based on a right handed golfer. If you happen to play left handed, please take a moment to reverse the directions as necessary. #1 – Swing at Less than 100% It is easy to understand the temptation to swing at full power when hitting a driver from the tee. After all, the driver is a club that is built with distance is mind, so it is only natural to ‘cut it loose’ in an effort to hit the ball as far down the fairway as possible. However, if you don’t actually find the fairway with those aggressive swings, you aren’t going to be doing yourself any favors. Long drives are only useful in this game when they are accurate, which is why it is usually a good idea to swing at something less than 100% effort when hitting the driver. Most players think they are going to lose significant distance when they swing their driver at less than 100%, but that simply isn’t the case. Backing off by a bit when it comes to the effort that you put into your driver swing is unlikely to cost you many yards at all. In fact, it is possible that you will even gain a few yards on your average drive, thanks to the improved quality of contact that you will be achieving at impact. Hitting the ball on the sweet spot is crucial when trying to maximize distance, and it is easier to hit the sweet spot when you aren’t swinging flat out. While it is a smart decision to swing at something less than 100% with your driver, you certainly don’t want to be swinging ‘soft’ either. You still want to make an aggressive, confident golf swing that has the club head accelerating nicely through the ball. If you were to try to assign a percentage of effort to the ideal driver swing, it would be pegged at somewhere between 80% – 90%. That level of effort will make it easier to keep your balance and hit the…
5 golf tips that could turn your driver into a strength – GolfPass
5 golf tips that could turn your driver into a strength We’ve dug through the GolfPass archives to compile the best driver tips for any golfer. Over the past few years, I’ve had the luxury of watching every single new tip and instruction series put on GolfPass. I may be biased, but I believe most of the tips are great and they all will help some golfer out there who is looking for that one thought that will change their game for good! Here I have composed a list of a few of my favorite driving tips from the archives. I’m a simple man when it comes to instruction preference. A quick setup tip or swing thought that I can try out is better than the stick and noodle swing station for the range. With that being said, here are my five favorite driving tips that just may be what you need to start hitting your driver like you’ve always dreamed of. Tip 1: Hit it farther The first tip is from Martin Chuck and it’s something he picked up from Greg Norman. It’s a simple and effective visual to help you rotate your lower body enough on the backswing so that you can hit it farther. Up Next Autoplay is paused Right Pocket Back Tip 2: Cure that slice This is a recent tip from Aimee Cho that I loved. If you struggle with a slice, this small tweak to your setup could be the cure once and for all! Up Next Autoplay is paused Trail Hip Slice Cure Tip 3: Hit up on the Ball We have a couple variations of this tip on GolfPass, but I like this version from Chris Como because it adds an additional layer. Angle of attack with the driver is a popular instruction topic because it’s a (relatively) easy way to pick up distance without needing to swing faster. This tip features a simple station that will help you swing up on the ball with the driver without coming over-the-top. Up Next Autoplay is paused Hit Up on the Ball with the Maze Drill Tip 4: Use the Logo for Alignment Another somewhat recent tip, this time from Alex Riggs. Talk about bang for your buck in a 3-minute tip… Alex crushes it on this one. The final part when he talks about using the logo of the golf ball to help your setup was something I had never heard of before, and it is such an easy thing to do. Watch this tip and send it to a friend who struggles with the ‘chopping wood’ driver swing that we have all seen before. Up Next Autoplay is paused Optimize Your Driver Tip 5: Rip it like Rory Rory has tons of great tips on GolfPass, but this one might be my favorite. It’s an intuitive, easy-to-do drill that will help you get into a great position at impact with the driver. I mean Rory’s a pretty decent driver of the golf ball, so give it a try. Up Next Autoplay is paused Driver Drills
23 Golf Driving Tips: Ultimate Guide For Beginners
23 Golf Driving Tips: Ultimate Guide For Beginners The old golf saying goes, “You drive for show, but you putt for dough.” While this may be true, it sure is fun to let the “big dog eat.” Who among us doesn’t love to crush a driver down the fairway? You know, go full Bryson DeChambeau on it! With that being said, how often can you do it? Do you try to smoke one down the middle, but end up slicing it into the woods or hooking it into the lake? How many golf balls do you lose in a round? Do you love weekend golf, but would like to hit more solid tee shots? We can help. We have developed our 23 favorite golf driving tips. These will not only help you hit the ball farther, but they’ll also ensure you hit more fairways. Our golf driving tips will turn your driver into a weapon, instead of being the club you fear. 23 Golf Driving Tips We recommend you try these 23 golf driving tips on the range and determine which ones work for you. Which golf driving tips help you hit it farther and/or straighter? We don’t want you trying to hit a tee shot with 23 swing thoughts in your mind, but find the best 2-3 that help your game. Tip #1: Widen Your Stance How To (Step-by-Step Guide) Take your normal stance and check the width Are your feet more narrow than your shoulders, the same as your shoulders, or wider than your shoulders? With your driver, you always want your stance to be wider than your shoulders. Source: Southampton Golf Club Why Do This? In order to execute more consistent drives, you need balance and stability. A wider stance provides both. Having a proper stance for golf allows you to swing harder without sacrificing balance and accuracy. Tip #2: Ensure Proper Weight Distribution How To (Step-by-Step Guide) Take your normal stance and get ready to hit your drive Before you swing, how’s your weight distributed on your feet (heels, balls of your feet, toes)? Hit a drive. Following your swing, where’s your weight distribution? The goal is to keep your weight on the balls of your feet throughout your setup and swing Why Do This? This golf driving tip is all about balance. To stay balanced, you need your weight on the balls of your feet. If your weight is on your heels, you’ll fall off the ball and hit pulls or hooks. If your weight is on your toes, you’ll fall forward, causing slices or heel shots. Tip #3: Ensure You Have The Right Ball Position How To (Step-by-Step Guide) Take your normal stance and prepare to hit a drive Before making the swing, check the ball position (front of your stance, middle of your stance, back of your stance) Your driver should always be in the front of your stance Source: U.S. Golf TV Why Do This? The driver is the only club in your bag that you want to hit on the way up. Placing the ball in the front of your stance helps you swing up at it. Some players even put the ball in front of their front foot. Tip #4: Make Sure You Have The Right Grip How To (Step-by-Step Guide) Determine the best way for you to grip the club (interlock, overlap, 10-finger) Is your grip strong or weak? Here’s a guide to help you determine this answer. The ideal grip for most players is slightly strong – adjust your grip as needed Why Do This? Your handshake is how you make a first impression. In a similar way, how you grip the club is the beginning of the shot. Poor fundamentals with your grip can ruin a shot before…
How to Hit a Driver for Beginners: 10 Steps (with Pictures)
How to Hit a Driver for Beginners: 10 Steps (with Pictures) Download Article Download Article Driving can be the most intimidating part of golfing for beginners. It’s the first shot on any hole, so it’s important to get it right! Make sure to position yourself and the ball correctly, then use proper balance and technique as you swing to hit the ball. Avoid typical mistakes that beginners make, like trying to hit the ball with all your strength, and with a little practice you’ll be sending drives straight and far down the fairway in no time! Things You Should Know First, you’ll want to get into position with a wide stance, proper foot and arm placement, and the tee high off of the green. Then, you’ll need to find your aim to line up your stance, loosen up your body, and prepare for your swing. Finally, perform your upswing, pause for just a fraction of a second with your driver over your head, and then, perform your downswing. 1 Set your stance wider than your shoulders. Stand straight with your feet out slightly wider than your shoulders. A wide stance will allow you to have a longer swing when you drive.[1] In general, longer clubs need wider stances, while shorter clubs need narrower stances. For example, you would use a very narrow stance for a short wedge club. 2 Line the ball up with the inside of your dominant foot in front of you. Many beginners tend to place the ball exactly in the middle. You need to set the ball more forward in your stance, since the driver is a long club, to allow the driver to square up with it.[2] This also means that the driver will hit the ball on the upswing, which creates less spin and straighter drives. Advertisement 3 Grip the club like a baseball bat with your dominant hand in front. Place both your hands on the grip of the driver, the same way you would hold a baseball bat, but with the club angled down towards the ball.[3] Point the butt end of the club at your belt buckle (or where it would be).[4] You can try interlocking the little finger of your dominant hand with the index finger of your non-dominant hand. This can add comfort and stability to your swing. 4 Hold the driver 10–12 inches (25–30 cm) away from your body. Hold the handle of the club so that the butt end is about 10–12 inches (25–30 cm) away from your belt buckle. Back away from the ball until you create enough space to hold the driver at this distance.[5] Having your hands too close to your body will create a poor swing during the first part of the swing. 5 Tee the ball up high with a 2.75 inches (7.0 cm) tee. Use a standard 2.75 inches (7.0 cm) tee and barely stick it in the ground. This allows you to hit more of the ball on the upswing and send it further and straighter.[6] As you get more experienced, you can adjust the height that you tee the ball at to suit your style and preference. Advertisement 1 Pick a target in the distance to aim for. Choose a tree or a far away bunker, instead of just looking down the green. Stare at your target and use it to line up your stance to get ready to begin your swing.[7] As a beginner, it’s easy to make the mistake of just aiming down the fairway and swinging away with all you’ve got, instead of picking a target to focus on.[8] 2 Waggle the club back and forth to loosen up before you start your backswing. Don’t lock up tight or you will have a poor swing. Waggle the club until you feel your fingers and feet loosen up.[9] Lots of beginners freeze up under the pressure of driving. It is critical to keep your body relaxed to drive well. 3 Stay balanced, go slow,…