If you followed along with the first installment of our new series How to Hit Every Shot, you should have a decent idea on how to make a starter swing. The tips are nothing fancy, but they should be able to get you comfortable swinging the club.
Once you’ve got those tips down, you can graduate to our next installment — how to hit a driver off the tee. The driver is one of the most important clubs in the bag, and you will hit the club on a majority of holes in any given round. Because of this, it is extremely important to nail down the fundamentals of a driver so you can wield the big stick with confidence.
Read below or check out the video above for five keys for hitting a driver off the tee.
1. Tee height
Before you even think about your swing, you need to tee the ball up. This might seem simple, but it is a key for hitting the driver consistently as you want to have the ball teed up at a uniform height every time.
You typically want about half the ball to sit above the face of the driver when you tee it up. This makes is easier for you to hit up on the ball and elevate the ball off the tee.
2. Stance
You also want to tee the ball up in the forward portion of your stance, just inside the lead heel. This will allow you to catch the ball at the end of your swing arc when you are hitting up on the ball. To get this position, set up with your feet together even with the ball and then taker a wide step back with your trail foot. This will put you in a nice, wide base to make an athletic and powerful swing.
3. Spine tilt
Once you get in this position, grip the club in your lead hand. Your shoulders should be level and square at this point. Next, put your trail hand on the club. When you do this, your spine will naturally tilt back away from the target and put you in the correct position to make a solid swing.
4. Starter swing
Now that the setup is complete, refer back to the starter swing video to make a basic swing. Allow your arms to dangle and make a nice, flowing swing from your setup position. If you keep all the other elements we discussed earlier intact, you will be set for a solid swing.
5. Power
From here, you should be ready to go after some power. Take the starter swing and combine it with the setup and spine tilt, and you will be ready to hit bombs. Remember to swing with rhythm and balance and soon enough the ball will be exploding off the clubface.
