How to Swing with the Driver: 10 Steps

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

A good tee shot is often a prerequisite for a good score on the golf hole. Being able to swing well enough with the driver to reach a good distance on the tee shot reduces the number of shots needed to give the ball on the pudding green and time spent on the fairway and rough. A great golf swing is partly stance and partly mechanical. Follow the steps outlined in this article to learn how to swing with the driver more efficiently on the golf course.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Positioning Relative to the Ball (Stance)

Step 1. Align with one side of the body with the intended target in front of you

If you are right handed and use right handed clubs, the right side of your body should point towards your target, especially your shoulders.

• The side of your body closest to the target is the front (front arm, shoulder and leg), while the farthest side is the back (rear arm, shoulder and leg).

  

Step 2. Position yourself correctly relative to the tee

You should stand in such a way that the ball is in front of your head. Standing with your head aligned with the ball ("above the ball") or behind the ball negatively affects the distance you can cover with the shot and increases the risk of you hitting it incorrectly.

Step 3. Spread your legs sufficiently, with the knees just bent

The feet should be far enough apart so that the distance between the outer edges of the feet is greater than the distance between the ends of the shoulder blades, with the ball parallel to the heel of your front leg. The wider your posture, the wider the arc you can describe by hitting with the driver.

Step 4. Hold the driver firmly, but naturally

There are three possible ways to hold a golf club: interlock, overlap and 10-finger. Most beginners should probably use overlap or interlock, with the rear hand lower on the grip than the front. Hold the club so your hands don't press in front and make a weird angle behind the head of the wood. You want the front side of the club to hit the ball at a right angle and not at an angle that would cause the ball to veer left or right.

Step 5. Tilt your spine to raise the front shoulder higher than the back

The height of the front shoulder to the rear should be approximately equal to that of the front hand to the rear hand on the handle. As you lift your shoulder up, you should shift most of your weight onto the back leg.

• If you find it difficult to keep the right angle with your shoulders, briefly remove your rear hand from the grip by bringing it behind the knee. This will cause the back shoulder to drop automatically. You can then return your hand to the handle of the club.

  

• If you successfully follow these steps, the driver's head will hit the ball at an acute angle causing it to literally take off the tee. Since the ball is held off the tee, therefore raised above the ground, you do not have to hit the ball with a downward stroke as you would with another type of club, club or badge, on or off the fairway.

  

Part 2 of 2: Swing with the Driver (Mechanics)

Step 1. Push the club head away from you while maintaining an acute angle and begin shifting your weight onto the back leg

Keep your hands in place on the grip and your feet flat. The main arm should remain straight during the backswing so that you don't have to remember to straighten it again during the downswing.

Step 2. Rock the driver back down in one smooth motion

Keep your feet flat and immediately shift your weight to your front foot. The goal is not to hit the ball as hard as you can, but to hit it during the swing in one clean motion.

Step 3. Keep your arms straight as you swing

The front arm should remain straight for as long as possible during both phases of the swing, backswing and downswing. At the moment of impact both arms are straight and remain so as long as possible.

Step 4. Lift and rotate your back foot after hitting the ball, not before

As you shift your weight onto your front foot, try to keep your rear foot on the ground as long as possible, at least until impact. This movement requires some flexibility in the ankles.

Step 5. Complete the movement by bending the front elbow and crossing the rear forearm over the front

This will increase the speed of the club head.

• To help you perform this part of the upswing, imagine that the front arm and the driver shaft form an "L" and that the forearms, when crossing, form an "X".

  

• Continue the whole movement with maximum relaxation during all phases of the swing (takeaway, downswing and upswing). Too much stiffness would cause the ball to turn left or right.