How to Hit a Driver in One Simple Infographic

So, you’re playing golf tomorrow and you feel nervous about how things are going to go off the tee. If you do not know how to hit a driver (at least well enough to stay in the game) then it could be a long day. You can bank on lost balls, high scores and those disapproving looks as you spend an uncomfortable amount of time scouring for your golf ball in thick rough.

Let’s get straight to it. We want to cater for all our readers, so we present you with two options.

1. It will take you under two minutes to browse our custom infographic, which has been made for beginners and high handicappers. We summarized everything you need to know to infinitely improve your driving into one place.
   
   
2. For golfers that need more detail, or indeed have questions about the infographic: we have gone in depth about the various steps in this comprehensive guide.

The choice is yours. It just depends on time, patience and how much you enjoy shouting,”Fore, left!”.

Bottom line: Driving can be made to sound complicated, but keeping it simple in your mind and focusing on a few key steps can yield big results.

Key Takeaways

• Swing as fast as you can reasonably control

• You are trying to hit UP onto the ball

• Take these super simple tips out onto the course: visualize the target line, body alignment check and optimize your tee height.

• Invest in a driver that will help you, not work against you. Check out our list of the Best Drivers for Beginners. We tested the best options on the market.

How to Hit a Driver: Infographic

Step 1: Perfecting Bamboozling Driver Setup

Successful tee shots are rooted in an ideal driver setup. Perfecting your ball position, ensuring a steady stance, and adjusting your grip pressure will set you on a path to great driving. We’ll dissect these vital elements and help you construct a reliable base for your tee shots.

Golf Ball Position Mastery

When hitting a driver, follow these steps:

• Position the golf ball just inside your front heel to promote an upward strike.

• Make sure your tee height is such that the middle of the ball aligns with the top edge of your driver.

• This enables you to hit upwards, and catch the ball at the end of your swing arc, maximizing the power of your drive.

• Focus on achieving a smooth swing, which is essential for successfully hitting driver shots

A simple but effective technique that can help you enhance your ball position and avoid common mistakes, such as poor swing path and open clubface, is to drive the ball in line with the logo on your shirt.

Stance Stability

A powerful driver shot requires a broad stance, with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes turned out subtly.

This positioning encourages hip rotation and a full turn, giving your shot the necessary power. Slight outward toe turn makes hip rotation and a full turn more effortless, a key aspect of delivering a powerful and precise driver shot.

Remember, a wider stance in golf driving provides stability and allows for more torque on the ground, helping you generate more power and distance in the shot.

The final part of the stance is to tilt your right shoulder downwards, this will help you keep under the ball, and therefore hitting up on it.

Important: Hit Up on the Ball

When we’re hitting iron shots, we are generally trying to hit down on the ball. With a driver, it’s the opposite. We want to hit upwards on the ball, this gives us the best angle of attack and will therefore increase our distance.

Remember the driver is the lowest lofted club in your bag, so you need to hit up to get up. See below.

Grip Pressure for Control

Grip pressure plays a significant role in control and shoulder turn, making your driving experience smoother and more enjoyable.

To find the perfect grip pressure, begin with a strong hold, then gradually reduce pressure until the club almost slips out of your hand, and find a balance that works for you.

The ideal grip pressure can be achieved by holding the club as if you were holding a banana. A soft, relaxed grip pressure can help you maximize your control, shoulder turn, and wrist angles. Think of it as maybe a 5 or 6 out of 10.

Step 2: Your Backswing is Crucial for a Strong Golf Swing

Having fine-tuned your driver setup, we now concentrate on unlocking the potency in your golf swing. Concentrating on the interplay between coil and shoulder turn, and sustaining arm speed, will enable you to tap into your swing’s full potential and deliver powerful, precise drives.

Paying attention to your lead shoulder during the swing can help improve your overall technique.

The Coil and Shoulder Turn Connection

Creating a solid lower half for the upper body to coil against is crucial for generating power in your golf swing. To do this, hold your right knee in place inwards, restricting hip turn and increasing shoulder turn.

As you bring the club back, you want to keep your left arm as straight as possible.

The coil and shoulder turn connection will boost your power by allowing for energy transfer from the upper body to the club. You need to rotate your body and hips to the top of your backswing.

This torque is then unleashed during the downswing, resulting in a powerful and explosive swing while also assisting in maintaining balance and stability throughout the swing, even when moving in the opposite direction.

Maintaining Arm Speed

Arm speed is a crucial element in maximizing the power and consistency of your golf drives. A faster arm speed helps you transfer more energy to the ball, resulting in greater power and distance, while consistent arm speed allows you to achieve accuracy and control over the shot.

The important thing to remember here is: swing as fast as you can while maintaining control.

Step 3: Dialing in your Downswing

Accurate and powerful drives necessitate precise control of your swing path and club head position. Concentrating on a consistent swing path and club face combination—either a square path and face or slight variations for a soft draw or fade—will guide you towards powerful and precise shots.

Swing Path Precision

The foundation for hitting accurate drives is a consistent swing path and club face combination. Aim for a square path and square club face to the path, or experiment with slight variations to get the most out of your game.

By focusing on a square path and face, most golfers can ensure the best possible driver shot and maximize their power and consistency on the course.

Club Head Control

Controlling the club head position throughout the swing is key to ensuring straightness and direction of the drive. To ensure a square club face before impact, make sure the club head is covering the ball in line with your hands and the toe of the club is pointing straight up.

Remember, having an open clubface is a mistake that can lead to a slice, so be mindful of your club head position during your swing.

On impact, you want to try and hit the sweet spot of the driver. The more you do this, the better your outcome will be. On driver, here is the spot you want to aim for. Just to the upper right of the centre will give you the best balance of spin and distance with an upward attack angle. See below.

Step 4: Following Through

Once you have struck the ball, keeping your form is crucial. Make sure you stay behind the golf ball and that you rotate fully through the shot. Try to square the club as you work the club around the body. Your balance should finish on your right side.

That’s it.

Here are some other important tips.

Tip 1: Invest in a Quality Driver

Fortunately, the top club manufacturers make drivers that are specifically designed to be forgiving. Trust me, the right driver can have a HUGE impact on the quality of your driving. Your driver is the most important club in your bag. A lot of golfers think that they can learn with poor quality or old equipment and then invest in the good stuff once they are better.

It’s actually more likely you will develop bad habits (like slow swing speed and downward attack angles) with unreliable, unforgiving equipment.

Learning your craft with quality in hand will likely shorten your learning curve.

We think the best driver for beginners right now is the Titleist TSR2. You can see our reasoning, test results and other recommendations here. We have factored in specific options for golfers that slice, those with lower budgets, and more.

Tip 2: The Role of Spine Tilt in Driving Dynamics

Tweaking your spine tilt plays a significant role in improving your driving dynamics. This adjustment helps to guarantee the correct angle for a powerful and accurate golf swing.

Let’s look at how to adjust your spine tilt for optimal impact.

Adjusting Spine Tilt for Optimal Impact

To encourage an upward strike and increase clubhead speed, add spine tilt away from the ball at address. This positions the upper body for the correct downward angle of attack, resulting in optimal impact.

Placing extra weight through the back foot can help you generate more power by creating a small amount of spine tilt away from the target. However, it is essential to find the right balance, as too much spine tilt can cause you to lose power. Experiment with these adjustments and find the spine tilt that works best for you.

Tip 3: Rhythm and Balance Lead to Swing Speed

Cultivating rhythm and balance in your swing is key for consistent drives. Concentrating on establishing your swing rhythm and maintaining balance throughout the swing enhances your golf performance and enables you to deliver more accurate, powerful drives.

Remember, your swing rhythm is connected to body speed, so focusing on improving overall body speed will also help to enhance arm speed.

Achieving balance throughout the swing is key to great sequencing and maintaining balance throughout the swing mechanics. Focus on weight distribution and a stable finish for a consistent, powerful strike.

By evenly distributing your weight between your left and right foot, you can maintain stability and control throughout your swing. As you draw the club back, you should aim to have around 65% of your weight through your back foot. As you rotate and swing through, this weight transfers to your front foot.

Tip 4: The Ultimate Pre Shot Routine (this makes a difference)

Employing a strategic pre-shot routine sets the stage for tee success.

Visualizing the Target Line

Before each shot, visualize the target line and choose a specific target to aim for. This mental preparation helps you get a clear picture of the path the ball will travel on to reach the target, enhancing focus, consistency, and accuracy.

Fine-Tuning Tee Height

The golf ball should be half way over the top of the crown oof the club so you can effectively hit upwards, as below.

Driving in Golf: FAQs

How to Hit the Driver?

Create a stable base of support, use a neutral grip, position the ball forward, tee it high and let it fly, extend your takeaway, rotate fully on the backswing, shift your weight at the top and stay behind the ball at impact – these are the essential steps to hit a driver with accuracy and power.

How to Hit Driver Straight?

To hit your driver straight, create a stable base of support, use a neutral grip, tee it high and let it fly, extend the takeaway, focus on a full rotation at the backswing, shift your weight at the top and stay behind it at impact – these are the key steps to achieving a great shot!

What is the Ideal Ball Position for a Driver Shot?

Position your golf ball just inside your front heel for maximum driver power and accuracy – perfect for that long, straight drive down the fairway.

What Techniques Can Help me Find my Swing Rhythm?

Focus on a smooth, controlled tempo and a balanced backswing to establish your rhythm and improve your swing. Practicing this will help you find your natural rhythm in no time.

Summary

In conclusion, learning how to hit a driver effectively is really about simplifying things. Follow each of the steps we set out and you will see results.