How To Swing A Golf Club Driver?

For beginners, hitting with a driver seems like the most challenging task, but the reality is quite the opposite. This is the most straightforward task if you know how to swing a driver with all techniques and setup details. You can hit the longest shots with the proper knowledge and consistent practice effortlessly. If you are ready to learn this amazing skill, here is everything you need to know. In this article, I will share with you a step-by-step guide how to swing a golf club driver for better understanding. Also, I have some expert tips for you to level up your gaming experience. So without further due, let’s get started.  

Why Hitting a Driver is Different From Iron?

If you have been using iron and are new to a driver, you should know that hitting with a driver is quite different from iron. It is essential to understand the difference to learn how to swing a driver perfectly. These three significant aspects make a driver different from iron.

1. Length

The driver is the longest tool in your golf bag and is 45 inches long. In contrast, the standard size of iron is 38 inches. There is a difference of 7 inches which influences the hitting angle and the distance between the ball and you.

You must understand this difference to avoid ending up with more miss shots. Swing with a driver is quite challenging compared to other hitting options. Therefore, learn the difference and find the best hitting angle with your driver.   

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2. Hitting

You will feel a huge difference when you use a driver for hitting because it teed up the ball. The reason behind this is the change in impact position. With irons, you hit down the ball, and it creates a divot.

In contrast, with a driver, it is almost impossible to make the divot with a hit down because it will turn off the mechanics of a swing. When it comes to the driver, you want to hit the ball for the upswing. This change requires different hitting and attack angles with proper understanding. 

3. Attack Angle

The attack angle is relatively easy to understand. This is a measurement of the alignment of your club head at impact connected to the horizon. For example, suppose you are playing a shot where your club head hits the ball perpendicular to the horizon. In that case, the attack angle will be zero.

However, if the club head faces a bit towards the horizon, the angle will be in negative figures. In contrast, the skyward facing will give you a positive angle.

Now you know how different it is to play with a driver. When it comes to hitting a driver, everything changes. You need a positive angle to provide a good tee shot toward the sky with a driver. So, as a good golf player, you must go for the upswing to ensure maximum ball flight. 

How to Swing a Driver Golf Club : Step-by-Step Guide

Check your golf bag and find the longest stick out of it; this is a driver. You must make some changes to get the best swing out of it, especially in the setup. 

Required Setup Changes

Tee it high

Many newbies need to pay more attention to this step. This is an important step to provide a better shot if you want to hit up, and it is almost impossible to do this with a low-teed ball. However, this is not all to get a sky shot. However, this is a significant part of getting one. Find the best tees and keep the ball high. 

Take a Wide Stance

This step is just like a formality, and you don’t need to take an extra wide stand because of the long club. However, to get a good balance and accurate shot, make sure to keep your feet a bit wider than your shoulders. Also, maintain the open feet style, allowing you to move better in all directions without losing balance.

This step benefits you if you want to do the Reverse k position because you can quickly shift your weight with a wide stance. 

The Ball Position

You will do a swing down or swing up, and the ball position mainly determines this. For example, if you place the ball in the center of your stance, you will end up with a swing down and a dreaded pop-up. In contrast, put the ball in front of the pose and towards the left foot for an upswing shot. 

For a better understanding of right-hand players, place the ball below the left ear after taking a stance. For left-hand players, you can change the side. You can make the best upswing shot and cover maximum distance with a good ball position. Therefore, never ignore this factor if you are willing to master the swing with a driver. 

Set Your Hands

Hitting with iron is quite different, especially with hand position. For instance, dealing with iron needs to keep your hands slightly forward to provide the best hit. In contrast, when it comes to dealing with a driver, make sure to keep your hands slightly backward.

This is important to maintain the loft. Also, it will reduce the chances of forward spin, which ultimately increases the shot distance. 

Tilt Your Shoulders

This is the fact that powerful shoulders provide long hits, but perfectly angled shoulders can be a game changer. Therefore, keep your left shoulder slightly higher than the right to create a tilted position. Tilted shoulders can hit a teed-up ball perfectly and provide the best swing up the ball. In contrast, the wrong shoulder position chunks the ball and leaves it behind. 

Furthermore, along this tilt, make sure to keep your shoulder square towards the target line. If you are a right-handed golfer, this gives you an extra edge by limiting the shoulder and providing the longest hit. So if you want the required swing-up shot, try to find the best shoulder angle and practice it. 

Adjust Grip

The proper grip pressure helps you to provide the longest shot. However, it is essential to understand that the strongest grip is not correct. Suppose you are used to holding the driver with the highest pressure.

In that case, you should know that it will ultimately reduce the efficiency of your shot, as the tension in the forearm influences the quality of the shot and the pressure you produce. Therefore, just before the blast, lighten up your grip. Although this seems weird, this is still the best advice regarding swinging a diver like a master.  

Keep the Club Past Parallel

Do you want to hit the longest shot with a driver? Keep the backswing short or parallel; this is what experts do, and never go for John Daly’s backswing. Reasonable control and a short backswing are vital in creating a point swing. Focus on acceleration and proper backswing distance, and you will get what you are looking for.

Maintain Tempo

If you want to hit straight, the tempo is the answer. Maintain a good rhythm and let the driver do the remaining long shot task. No matter how far you want to hit with the ball, keep the tempo the same. To change the length, work on hitting speed and maintain the tempo. The ideal tempo ratio is 3:1, and the first number is for the backswing, which needs three times more than the downswing. 

Related Post: How to Get More Height on Driver?

Hit The Bombs

Once you cover all the setup requirements, it’s time to get the best hit from your driver by following these guidelines. 

Adjust The Loft

The loft adjustment is important to ensure a more airy shot. For this, check it and measure the angle. If it is 9.5 degrees or more, you are good to go. While in the case of a low loft angle, adjust it first. This is an important factor in getting the ball airborne. Also, with a suitable loft, you will get an efficient shot in the rain or winter season. Find the adjustable driver, which helps you find the right angle according to your playing style. 

Hit The Ball

As I mentioned earlier, the hitting angle is important. With the driver, the positive angle provides a better sky shot. Therefore, keeping the angle negative reduces the ball distance from 30-40 yards. Set the right setup and adjust the positive angle that you can do by keeping the club head towards the sky. Also, finding the right position toward the impact makes a huge difference. If you don’t know how to hit high, follow these tips:

Plenty of Rotation

High rotation of your shoulders allows you to create the best swing. So, when you hit the ball, make sure to generate maximum rotation of your shoulders. This is possible with a wide stance and appropriate foot position. If you are left-handed, try to end up with your right shoulder under the chin, as it will provide high power to hit the ball. 

Transfer the Weight

Before the hit, you keep the weight on the trail foot, but the weight transition from back to the lead foot changes the game. The weight transfer automatically transfers the power to the lower body and ultimately to the shot. With the help of a smooth transition, you can hit the driver high with ease. 

Accelerate At the Right Point

When you hit a ball, the acceleration at the right point decides the shot length. The main problem comes when the newbies accelerate the driver at the start of the swing and fail to do it through the impact. So, if you are willing to make the longest hit, find the right acceleration point.

The impact point comes after the starting point, but when you accelerate it at the start, you lose momentum and tempo before reaching the right point. This minor misplacement reduces the distance drastically. 

Boost Swing Speed

If you want to add the distance, increase the swing speed, as both are directly proportional to each other. This factor requires practice and effort for weeks. For this purpose, you can use different applications, and a consistent approach allows you to add 5 mph each week. You can cover the highest distance with a good tempo and high swing speed.

Use Right Golf Ball

There are many options when it comes to choosing a golf ball. Find the right golf ball based on your end goal. For example, you can pick the ball based on many factors, including distance, swing, and spin. So if you want the longest shot, choose the ball with these features. If you want the best result, pay attention to this factor. 

Golf Driving Tips: Hit Longer & Straighter Drive

To master golf, you should know how to swing a driver, but it needs practice and proper knowledge. Here are some of the best working swing tips to assist you. Follow these tips to hit the best shots on the golf ground. 

1. Widen Your Stance

The driver is the longest shaft in your golf bag; therefore, hitting with this requires an extra strong base. Keep your feet wider than your shoulder to set a solid base. When you hit with this stance, you get the required balance and flexibility for the rotation that ultimately provides the ideal swing. 

2. Tilt Your Spine

When you hit with a driver, you have to place the ball on a tee, which is not the case with an iron. Therefore, a shot with a driver needs spine tilt for better focus and increased distance. Keep your left shoulder a bit high and get the desired swing. 

3. Use More Loft

The loft is a crucial factor in determining the distance you get in a swing. With an ideal loft, you can cover a distance of 300 yards. Find a driver with an adjustable loft option because every player has his/her own perfect loft. So find yours to get accurate shots. 

4. Get to the Gym

If you want to hit the ball to a higher distance, you must build some muscles in the gym. Swing with a driver requires power and strong muscles provide that power. Therefore, get to the gym once a week or more often.

This is not about building the body but about strengthening your muscles to get the power for a hit. A gym is a good option, but if you cannot go there, you can practice core strengthening exercises to achieve the goal. 

5. Establish Width Early in the Swing

The perk of playing with a driver is that you can create the biggest swing arc. Therefore, please don’t waste it and make the width early in the swing. This way, you get good swing speed that helps you achieve the longest distance. Also, try to hit with your body by tilting backward; this way, you will get more power for the swing. 

6. Implement a Stretching Routine

A flexible body can achieve the biggest arc and get the facility of more rotation than the average player. Therefore, a regular stretching habit can boost your golf game. For this, touch your toes while maintaining an angle of 90 degrees and squats. A daily exercise of 5 to 15 minutes is enough to get the desired results.  

7. Practice with a Launch Monitor

Mobile launch applications are the best working option to monitor your swing. You can find the launch angles, spin rates, smash factor, and club head speed with a good application. By using this information, you can improve your overall performance because it will give you a better understanding of your swing. 

8. Decrease Your Spin Rate

The high spin rate is a major problem that newbies often face. This can be the backward spin during a shot, which is a common issue. Find the reason behind this problem by looking at the above-shared method. You will face a high spin rate if you skip any setup point. Try to decrease it by following the guide correctly. 

9. Setup with More Weight on your Trail Foot

The hitting up of golf is an important factor and for this, putting more weight on the trail foot is the best option. Set the hitting position and put 60% weight on the trail foot. This minor change in stance provides you more power to hit the ball. 

10. Practice Bad Posture

A bad posture highly affects your mobility and rotation; therefore, focus on your standing posture. The ideal posture looks like a cat with a prominent hip part. This posture seems weird but provides the required mobility for the swing. If you are a senior, then this tip helps you to cover more distance. 

11. Eliminate Early Extension

The early extension is the biggest and most common problem that can hinder your performance to a greater extent. When a player hits the ball, his/her hips move toward it instead of rotating, which disturbs flexibility. The overhead deep squad is the solution that helps you eliminate this problem. Hold the golf while keeping both hands apart and do a regular squad in this position. This exercise works like magic to reduce early extension. 

12. Raise Your Left Heel

By raising the left heel, you can get more shoulder rotation. This minor change can boost your backswing during a hit. If you ever notice professionals, all of them use this trick to get additional flexibility. Just by raising the left foot, your hips and shoulders get more movement, increasing swing.

The Bottom Line

To learn how to swing a driver efficiently is to follow directions with a lot of practice. It is essential to take care of minor details if you want to get the best outcome. Try to focus on the setup and always pay attention to every step.

Each setup has its own importance that affects overall performance. Also, never forget that consistency is the key to hitting the best shot. If you are ready to hit the longest shots with a driver, follow the guidelines and tips for performing efficiently on the ground.

Frequently Asked Question