There are few things more satisfying in golf than absolutely crushing a tee shot. When you make solid contact and maximize your distance relative to your clubhead speed, not only is it fun — it also makes the rest of the hole much easier.
Here are seven tips for hitting longer drives off the tee.
1. Setup is key
As with any shot, your setup is crucial. That starts with your grip and posture. Your grip must be both fundamentally sound and personalized enough to help you return the clubface to square at impact.
A great way to find your natural grip is by looking at how your lead arm hangs. Let it hang naturally at your side and observe the position of your hand. If you can see three knuckles, that’s your reference — try to replicate that same visibility when you place your lead hand on the grip. Your joints will naturally seek this position during the swing, so it’s important to set up that way from the start.
Posture matters too. An athletic stance — bending from the hips with your arms hanging naturally below your shoulders — promotes better balance and creates an efficient path for your arms to swing underneath your body
2. Ball position and shoulder tilt
With a driver, your ball position should be forward in your stance, generally in line with the instep of your lead foot. To complement that forward position, tilt your shoulders so that the lead shoulder is higher than the trail shoulder.
This tilt helps your shoulders stay square to your body lines and promotes an upward strike on the ball — a key for maximizing distance. Catching the ball on the upswing creates a more efficient launch, reduces excess spin, and avoids high, spinny pop-ups.
3. Store energy during backswing
Your backswing is where you build speed and power. Let your arms swing back freely while allowing your wrists to hinge — this creates a lever system that generates speed efficiently.
Bombers use this key move with their feet to hit long drives
At the same time, your body should coil, storing energy and depth as the club travels around you. That stored energy is what you’ll unleash on the downswing.
4. Swing and swoosh
Once you’re set up properly and have stored energy in the backswing, let it go. Trust that the ball will get in the way of a good swing.
If there’s one club in your bag where you should swing aggressively, it’s the driver. Because the ball is on a tee, controlling the low point isn’t as critical. Modern drivers are more forgiving than ever, with bigger sweet spots and tech that helps preserve distance even on slight mishits.
When swinging, listen for the “swoosh” — it’s a sound that indicates speed. I often tell students that control is overrated. Spend time in practice swinging faster than you’re comfortable with to gradually build clubhead speed and confidence.
5. Have the right equipment
The right driver makes a huge difference. It’s the club I recommend students update most often.
Everything about the club matters — the design, length, loft, and shaft. If your club offers a demo day, take advantage. You might discover a setup that’s better suited to your swing.
The reps at these events are often highly knowledgeable and will use a launch monitor to compare your current driver to the demos. I often send my students to True Spec Golf for fittings. There, they can test combinations of clubheads and shafts from all major manufacturers to find the optimal setup. The data doesn’t lie — and if the numbers show big gains, the investment is worth it.
6. Center contact
Distance starts with consistently hitting the center of the clubface. While this comes largely from solid setup and swing mechanics, it’s something you should actively monitor.
A simple drill: Tee up a ball and place two additional tees — one on each side of the ball. If you’re striking the center of the face, your club should swing through cleanly without disturbing the outer tees.
7. Train for speed
Trying to swing faster can help, but real, lasting speed gains come from training.
I recommend The Stack System, which uses a data-driven app to assess your swing and provide personalized speed training protocols. U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick used it to increase his distance — and it’s clearly paid off.
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