Maria Fassi burst onto the scene as an elite amateur golfer — who can forget her back-nine duel at Augusta National with Jennifer Kupcho in 2019? — and since turning pro, her status has only elevated.
Now in her second season on the LPGA Tour, Fassi is already one of the longest players in the women’s game. She ranked third in driving distance in 2020 and she’s replicated that feat in her sophomore campaign, averaging 280 yards every time she smashes driver.
Fassi is an athletic player, and she makes distance look easy. In our most recent series of How to Hit Every Shot, she explained to GOLF Top 100 Teacher Nick Clearwater three keys for getting the most out of her driver.
Watch the video above or read below for more on three keys for smashing drivers off the tee.
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1. Tee it high
If you want to hit it far, you need to hit up on the ball, and the easiest way to do that is by teeing it up higher. With the ball more elevated off the ground at address, it’ll force you to swing up on it during your downswing, producing a higher launch angle.
2. Slow the backswing
Don’t get in a rush! It can be easy to rush your swing when trying to hammer it, but that could compromise your fundamentals and produce a sub-optimal strike. Fassi says when she wants to hit it farther, she tries to think about a slower backswing in order to make sure she nails the proper positions in her swing.
“I know that once I get to the top of my backswing, I’m going to be rushing back down to hit it,” Fassi says. “So I try to work on my timing going back.”
3. Full extension
Finally, make sure you get a wide turn going to the top of the swing. If you’re short with your arm swing, the clubhead won’t have as much time to accelerate on the way down. Get nice and wide and feel your body fully extend in the backswing. This will put you in the best position to produce high clubhead speed and smash your drive down the fairway.