By Tyler Olson, PGA Associate ·
To hit your driver straighter, fix the things that happen before the swing and then slow down. Tee the ball so half of it sits above the top of the clubface, play it off the inside of your front heel, stand balanced with a slight tilt away from the target, and swing at a smooth pace you can repeat. Control comes before speed.
A good starting point is to tee the ball so about half of it sits above the top edge of the driver face. Put the driver behind the ball at address and check that line. If the whole ball is below the top of the face, the tee is too low.
A tee that is too low tends to produce pop-ups and glancing contact. A tee that is too high can lead to hitting the top of the clubface. Either one sends the ball offline, so settle this before you change anything in your swing.
Play the ball off the inside of your lead heel, which is the foot closest to the target. This puts it far enough forward that the driver can meet it as the club is starting to move up, which is what you want from a tee.
Many newer golfers drift the ball back toward the middle of the stance, the way they play an iron. That makes it harder to find the center of the face and often leads to a slice or a weak push.
Stand a little wider than your shoulders so you feel stable. Let your arms hang naturally instead of reaching for the ball. Tilt your upper body slightly away from the target, so your back shoulder sits a little lower than your front one.
Then check your aim. Pick a spot a few feet in front of the ball on your target line and set the clubface to it first, then line your feet up parallel to that line. A lot of crooked drives are really aim problems, not swing problems.
The driver is the longest club in the bag, so it is the easiest one to rush. Swinging as hard as you can usually makes the club path and face angle harder to control, and the ball goes wherever the face happened to point.
Try swinging at about 70 percent effort and finish in balance, holding your finish until the ball lands. If you cannot hold it, the swing was too fast for your body to manage. Smooth and repeatable beats hard and wild.
Yes, if the driver keeps costing you holes. A fairway wood or a hybrid off the tee has more loft and a shorter shaft, and both make it easier to keep the ball in play. There is nothing wrong with that choice, and plenty of golfers play better because of it.
Use the driver on holes where there is room for a miss, and the easier club where trouble is close. Working on your driver at the range while playing a safer club on the course is a fine plan.
Keep practice simple. Check tee height and ball position, pick a small target, hit a few balls at that smooth tempo, and notice where they go. Do not change five things at once.
If the ball curves the same way every time, that pattern tells you what to work on next. In my lessons, each student leaves with a written practice plan so they know exactly what to repeat between sessions.
A slice usually comes from the clubface pointing open to the swing path at impact. Common causes are a weak grip, the ball too far back in the stance, and swinging too hard. Start by checking your grip, ball position and aim before changing the swing itself.
For most golfers, yes. A smooth swing at a pace you can control makes it easier to square the clubface and strike the center of it. Hitting the ball hard tends to make contact less consistent.
It is fine to use one, but it is the hardest club to hit straight because of its length and low loft. Many beginners do well starting with a hybrid or fairway wood off the tee while they build consistent contact.
Aim for about half the ball sitting above the top of the driver face when you set the club behind it. Adjust a little from there based on how the ball comes off the face, then keep that height the same every time.
Thirty minutes, one-on-one, and a written practice plan you keep. Most students start with the 5-Lesson Package.
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