Swing a Driver
A good tee shot is often the lead-in to a good score on a golf hole. Being able to swing a driver well enough to get good distance on a tee shot reduces the number of shots needed to hit the ball onto the putting green and the amount of time spent on the fairway and in the rough. A good golf swing is part stance and part mechanics. Follow the steps listed below to learn how to swing a driver more effectively on the golf course.
Contents
Steps
Addressing the Ball (Stance)
- Line up with one side of your body facing your intended target. If you're right-handed and using right-handed clubs, the left side of your body, particularly your shoulder, should point toward your target. If you're left-handed and using left-handed clubs, the right side of your body should point toward your target.
- The side of your body closer to your target is your front side (front arm, front shoulder, front leg), while the side away from your target is your rear side (rear arm, rear shoulder, rear leg).
- Position yourself correctly with respect to the tee. You should stand so that the ball is ahead of your head. Standing so the ball is even with your head ("on top of the ball") or behind it will cut into your distance and make it more likely that you will hit the ball offline.
- Spread your legs fairly wide apart, with your knees slightly bent. Your feet should be wide enough apart that the distance between the outside edges of your feet is greater than the distance between the tips of your shoulder blades, with the ball parallel with the inside heel of your front leg. The wider your stance, the wider an arc you can swing a driver in.
- Grip the driver firmly but naturally. There are 3 ways you can grip a golf club: interlock, overlap and 10-finger grip. Most beginning golfers should probably use either the overlap or interlock grip, with the rear hand lower on the grip than the forward hand. Hold the club so that your hands aren't pressed forward or gripping it at an odd angle behind the club head. You want to have the club face strike the ball squarely instead of at an angle that will cause the ball to veer left or right.
- Tilt your spine to raise your forward shoulder higher than your rear shoulder. Your forward shoulder should be about the same height above your rear shoulder as your forward hand is above your rear hand at the club grip. As you lift your shoulder upward, you should shift more of your weight toward your rear leg.
- If you have trouble maintaining the proper angle with your shoulders, briefly remove your rear hand from the grip and briefly put it behind your rear knee. This will automatically lower your rear shoulder. You can then put it back on the driver grip again.
- Following these steps successfully will cause the head of your driver to strike the ball at a shallow angle and lift it off the tee. Because the tee raises the ball off the ground, you don't need to hit the ball with a downward stroke as you do with an iron or wedge on or off the fairway.
Swinging the Driver (Mechanics)
- Push the club head away from you at a low angle and begin to shift your weight to the rear leg. Keep your hands in position on the grip and your feet flat. Your leading arm should remain straight on the backswing so that you don't have to remember to straighten it out again on the downswing.
- Swing the driver downward again in a smooth stroke. Keep your feet flat and shift your weight immediately to the front foot. The goal is not to hit the ball as hard as you can, but to swing smoothly through the ball.
- Keep your arms extended as you swing. Throughout the backswing and downswing your front arm should be straight for as long as possible. Both arms become straight when the club reaches impact and remain straight for as long as they can.
- Lift and turn your rear foot after you hit the ball, not before. As you shift your weight to the front leg, try to keep your back foot on the ground as long as possible, at least until after impact. This motion requires some ankle flexibility.
- Follow through by folding your front elbow and crossing your rear forearm over your front forearm. This will increase the speed of your driver's head.
- To help you make this part of the upswing, envision your forward arm and the driver's shaft forming a capital "L" and your forearms making an "X" as they cross
- Keep as relaxed a motion through the takeaway, downswing and upswing as you can. Tensing up will cause the ball to veer left or right.
Tips
- Practice your swing regularly on the driving range, off the course without a ball and indoors during the winter without either club or ball. Practice making the movements until they become almost second nature, and get in the habit of envisioning your swing before you make it.
Warnings
- Be aware that even with regular play, regular practice and envisioning your swing, you will go through periods where your swing is off. It happens to professional golfers, too, and not just when their personal lives are in turmoil.
