How To Hit A Driver Straight

Are you a beginner at golf and looking for some tips to hit your driver straight and enhance your performance? This article contains details of a few tips that can help you become a professional player in a short time. Many techniques play a prominent role in golf, but the most significant factor of golf is the performance of your driver. Let us dig into the following article for learning how to hit a driver straight.

Golf is one of the most commonly played sports in the world. Although it is a fun sport, you need some techniques to play it and enhance your performance. A player’s performance mainly depends on his driver. Many individuals face problems with a high driver spin rate, which increases the steep landing angle. The tips below will help you How To Hit A Driver Straight and decrease the steep landing angle.

How to Hit a Driver Straight for Beginners

Proper Body Positioning

The first and the most prominent step to hit a driver straight is keeping your body in the correct position. You might know you can’t achieve a good shot if your body is not in place. Therefore, a player’s positioning plays a vital role in his performance. The perfect body positioning of a golf player is when the golf ball lies inside his front foot. Furthermore, you should tilt your body upward and put your body on the back foot. By doing this, you can achieve a good shot because your driver will hit the ball straight.

Tee The Ball High

It is another common mistake that beginners make when playing golf. You can not hit the driver starlight if you don’t tee your golf ball high. You might think this can increase the driver spin, but this is not true. Teeing your ball high does not affect the driver’s spin rate. It will help you hit the ball straight and cover more distance. Some players who lack knowledge about the techniques for hitting a driver keep the tee low, which causes the ball to fly high in the air.

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Wide Takeaway

Now, the next step is the wide takeaway. Are you unaware of this term? Don’t worry because I will explain its meaning. A wide takeaway means that a player has to move the driver backward. The more you move backward, you can hit the driver with power, letting the ball cover more distance. Furthermore, the wide takeaway will allow you to put your body weight on your back foot. A wide takeaway of an angle between 45-degree to 110-degree rotation is ideal for hitting a driver straight.

Backswing

Once you move your driver backward by rotating your body at a certain angle, the next step is to cause the backswing. A backswing directly depends on the wide takeaway. A perfect backswing means that your driver will hit the ball straight. For an ideal backswing, you should hold your driver in such a position that your wrist is fully hinged. Moreover, you must rotate your upper body completely to increase the backswing.

Downswing

For a perfect downswing, your backswing must be strong enough. In short, a strong backswing can make the downswing much easier. A player must perform the downswing with a lot of strength. The high rate of the downswing will help you to hit the ball with more strength, letting it cover more distance in a straight position. If you are a beginner, you can learn a perfect backswing and downswing online. Lastly, you must not rush. Try to focus on the hitting angle to enhance your performance.

Positioning Of The Driver

Before you rush and hit the ball, you must examine the driver’s position. You can perform a perfect shot if the toe at the edge of your driver is pointing upwards. This position will help you to hit the ball straight and decrease the steep landing angle. A wrong standing can result in a poor shot because the golf ball can fly high in the air and can’t cover more distance.

Body Impact

The positions discussed above are the most suitable for pre-impact. Now, I will provide tips to unwind your body impact when hitting the driver. As I stated earlier, your backswing and downswing play a prominent role in your performance in the game. You must hit the golf ball with more strength, and you can do so by turning your body in a forward direction. It will prevent the ball from flying in the air and let it cover more distance. You have to turn your body in such a position that your back shoulder reaches the place of the fore shoulder.

Grip Strength

As I mentioned above, you must have better control of the driver to hit it straight. If you want the ball to cover more distance, keep your grip loose on the driver. A lot of grips can result in more tension in the arms, affecting your shot negatively. Therefore, try to lighten the grip for a better backswing, downswing, and delivery.

Why Can’t I Hit The Driver Straight?

Wrong Position Of The Ball

One of the well-known problems when playing golf is the wrong position of the ball. If the ball is placed low, it will fly high and won’t be able to cover the distance. The incorrect positioning of your ball is the reason why you can’t hit the driver straight. Before hitting the ball, you must adjust the ball to the correct position to enhance your performance.

Low Loft

Another common reason why your driver doesn’t hit the ball straight is its low loft. Many drivers have an angle loft between 8 to 11 degrees, but you need to adjust it according to your requirements. You might see a lot of professional golf players that use high-angle lofts and still manage to hit the driver straight. It is because they know a lot of advanced techniques to manage the delivery of the ball. If you are new at golf, keep the angle loft low to hit the driver straight and let the ball cover more distance.

Incorrect Shaft Flex

Are you unaware of this term? I will explain its meaning and use in a golf driver. Many people consider a shaft as the engine of a driver. It is because it is durable, stores power, and releases impact with full strength. In short, the performance of your driver depends on its shaft. A heavy shaft flex will not let the ball cover more distance. Therefore, try to use a light and flexible driver shaft flex to enhance your performance.

Long Shaft

Many individuals prefer longer shafts because they think it will increase their performance and the driver will hit the ball straight, which is wrong. A long driver negatively affects your performance because it causes a lot of driver spin, letting the ball fly in the air. The main objective of a player when playing golf should be focusing on the angles and performing a delivery that allows the ball to go straight and cover more distance. You should purchase an average-length shaft driver to avoid any inconvenience.

Heavy Club Head

Does your driver shaft have an average length, but you still can’t hit it straight? Well, there is a high chance that your driver has a heavy head. A club head is the part of a driver that hits the ball. You can find various drivers on the internet and in shops, but their performance varies accordingly. The bulky head of your driver adversely affects your performance because such a type of driver is hard to handle, and one can not hit it straight due to its weight.

Grip

As I stated earlier, grip plays a prominent role in the delivery of your shot. A player should lighten the grip to improve his control of the driver. Furthermore, a firm grip decreases your performance because the driver shaft can’t store much power. Therefore, it fails to hit the ball straight with more strength. For a perfect shot, try to keep your grip loose. Many golf players can perform well with more grip because they know much about the techniques to play golf professionally.

Less Rotation Of The Body

It is one of the most common reasons why you can’t hit the driver straight. Many new players don’t rotate their bodies correctly and fail to hit the driver straight. Less rotation will not store enough power, so the ball does not go straight but flies in the air. The main goal when playing golf is to prevent the ball from flying in the air. Hence, you must rotate your body correctly to create more swing and store power for the releasing impact.

Less Bending Of The Body

As you know, a player’s body positioning plays a vital role in his performance throughout the game. There is a specific body positioning that a player has to stand in before playing golf. A player’s entire body weight should be on his back foot, while some beginners do the opposite and put their weight on the forefoot. Furthermore, you should tilt or bend your body to hit the driver straight and forward. The ball will fly high if you don’t turn your body or divide your weight on your feet.

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Low Swing

A backswing and downswing can affect your performance in various ways. The ball won’t cover more distance if you don’t have enough backswing. Similarly, a low downswing decreases the release impact and causes different problems. Hence, you should be careful of managing the backswing and downswing in your driver to improve the delivery of your shot.

Overswing

A lot of backswings and downswings can also adversely affect your performance in the game. There is a limit to everything. The same is the case with your body’s swing rate. You must be careful when swinging your body to prevent injury. Overswing can affect your body muscles. Hence, you should turn the driver and your body at a specific rate to avoid mishaps.

How To Hit The Driver Perfectly?

Adjust Your Loft

If you want to perform like a professional player, you should use a driver that comes with an adjustable angle loft. Many golf drivers have this feature, but some might not contain this. A low-angle loft will decrease the distance your ball will cover. On the other hand, a high-angle loft can also affect your performance in various ways. Therefore, you should adjust the driver’s loft at a certain angle to enhance your shot.

Hit Up The Ball

For an ideal shot, you should hit up the ball. If you hit the ball low, it won’t cover much distance. In short, a low ball hitting minimizes the angle of attack and 20 to 30 yards in length from your shot. Moreover, if you hit the ball low, it can fly in the air. Therefore, hit the ball up to prevent such problems. Lastly, your driver’s swing also plays a prominent role in hitting the ball.

Hit The Driver Higher

You can hit the driver higher by rotating your body and transferring your weight to the back foot. Remember that striking the driver higher will prevent the ball from flying high. Instead, it will allow it to cover more distance in less time. Hence, you should hit the driver higher for an ideal delivery.

Accelerate At The Hitting Point

For a perfect shot, you should accelerate at the hitting point. Hitting the ball with much strength will let the ball cover a lot of distance in less time. Accelerating at the hitting point is not one significant factor in your performance. You must have control of the driver with a particular angle loft to accelerate at the hitting point. All these factors will result in a good performance.

Increase The Swing

As swing rate plays a vital role in improving your shot, it is essential for letting the ball cover more distance. A perfect performance is only possible if you increase your body’s swing rate. Less swing will cause the ball to rise in the air instead of going straight. In contrast, over-swinging your body can affect your body muscles. Hence, you should create a specific swing rate to hit the driver straight.

Use The Proper Ball

I recommend avoiding the use of low-quality golf balls because they create hurdles to achieving the best shot. Moreover, you can find a variety of balls for golf because they are specific functions. Some are appropriate for covering more distance, some help in more spinning rate, and much more. You can use the most suitable ball according to your requirements.

Cut Out One Side Of The Golf Course

There is no hard and fast rule to aim in only one direction. You can focus on the left or right path to an extent, and it will help you hit the ball more accurately. The perfect aiming position for a new golf player is 50% straight, 25% right, and 25% left. You can become a professional golf player with these techniques in a short time. Moreover, there is no hard and fast rule to follow regarding the percentage of aiming the ball. You can manage it according to your requirements.

Ideal Launch For Driver

Launch angle can affect your shot in many ways. It depends on the speed of your driver’s head, also known as the club head. There is an indirect relation between both things, which means that a high-speed club head will need a low launch angle, and a low-speed club head needs a high launch angle. For a high-speed club head speed of 112 mph, your launch angle must be 11.2 degrees with 2600 or more revolutions per minute. The average launch angle for a low-speed club head of 95 mph is around 14 degrees.

Ideal Angle Of Attack

The angle of attack varies according to the level of the player. Though there are many variations depending on the type of shot a player is playing, your angle of attack must be upward. A higher or upward angle of attack will hit the ball straight and let it cover more distance. Furthermore, an increased backspin will also increase the angle of attack and your shot.

Drills To Hit Driver Better

The Foot Spray

If you are a beginner eager to learn various golf techniques to become a professional, these drills can help you in many ways. The easiest way to hit the driver better is using a foot spray. Let me tell you how it works. Spraying the foot spray on your club will track the point where you hit the ball. Furthermore, it can also help to mark the correct body positioning.

With the help of a foot spray, you can examine your mistakes and practice them to become a professional player in less time. In other words, using a foot spray can be beneficial for many new golf players. You can track your performance and work on them for further improvement. In short, it is one of the helpful methods to improve your golf shots. You can also use a striking spray instead of a foot spray.

Takeaway Drill

The foot spray drill can help you improve your body posture and track your performance to help you improve. Now, I present the takeaway drill that can help you improve your takeaway. An inward and less takeaway will affect our performance by not letting the ball move straight. On the other hand, a wide and outward takeaway improves your body positioning and allows the ball to move forward and cover more distance. These drills can train you in various ways, helping you to become a professional player.

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Final Verdict

The above article provides you with tips to know how to hit a driver straight. Many factors affect your performance in golf. These tips can be helpful for many beginners. Moreover, you can improve your mistakes by following the above drills. Incorrect body posture, driver shaft, angle of attack, low loft, and many other factors can adversely affect your game. Last but not least, you can learn about the ideal shots from the above article and practice to become a professional.

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