Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a GOLF.com series in which we’re sharing improvements, learnings and takeaways from amateur golfers just like you — including some of the speed bumps and challenges they faced along the way.
You know those infuriating misfires off the tee that you just can’t seem to avoid? If you’re like most amateurs, that means there’s a good chance you’re battling a slice with driver — plus some general inconsistency. You’re not alone. But it’s absolutely killing your golf score.
While there’s some debate in golf about how important it is to hit every fairway versus other aspects of the game, there’s no denying that, for the amateur golfer, having a reliable driver shot typically leads to better results.
Instead of releasing the hounds to hunt down your ball from the rough or the woods — where you’re usually forced to hit punch shots and low-flighted shots that you don’t practice — you can confidently address your ball from the fairway, giving you a better chance at scoring low.
It might seem like a pipe dream to hit more fairways off the tee, but with the right fundamentals, it’s possible.
That’s why GOLF Top 100 Teacher Mark Durland wants to give you the tips to draw your driver consistently, giving you better contact, more confidence, and better opportunities at shaving strokes off your round. Check out some of his advice below!
How to draw your driver, per a top teacher
Durland begins the video above by reminding players about ball-flight laws, reenforcing the most important variable — the clubface! Wherever it starts is the direction that the golf ball will go. So if you address the ball with either an open or closed face, you’re already putting yourself at a disadvantage.
Durland refers to his favorite ping-pong analogy to help digest this.
If a ping-pong paddle moves from inside to outside across the back of the ball as a righty, the ball spins left — which is a draw in golf terms. So when trying to draw your driver as a right-handed player, you must get the club path traveling to the right of where your club face is pointing. (Think topspin forehand.)
Next, Durland talks about how golfers slice the ball, how they hook the ball, and what we can learn from the latter to make two simple setup adjustments in order to draw the driver in just seconds.
“A reason players slice the golf ball is because they have the clubface open late in the downswing,” Durland tells me. “But, at the same time, they have an awareness of where the golf ball is supposed to go. With their athleticism and hand-eye coordination, they subconsciously swing left (as righties) to try and open the clubface, which is their attempt at producing a functional golf shot.”
In Durland’s experience, most amateurs confuse club path with clubface when trying to determine their starting direction. So many of these golfers swing in the opposite direction, hoping the ball eventually curves back.
He tells me this is a big mistake, however.
“Remember, we want the ball moving towards the target in golf, not away from it,” he says. “So by using a closed clubface and a strong grip (like golfers who hook the ball), we can learn how to swing more in to out — which produces a proper draw.”
Finally, Durland explains what setup adjustments a player must make in order to draw the driver properly.
“Make sure to hold the clubface first and then grip the club,” he says. “If we get the grip first and then adjust the clubface, it’ll just go back to its original position at impact.”
Durland suggests picturing a window to the right of the target (for a right-handed player), and working on starting the golf ball through this window.
“If we take a bird’s eye view of what we’re doing, we’re taking the clubface variable out of the equation with the setup adjustments,” he adds. “So we can work intently on the club path. The draw ball-flight comes from the right club path (for a righty) with a cohesive clubface.”
By taking these tips to your next visit to the range, you can learn how to draw the driver, producing the results every amateur hopes to see more consistently.
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