We all want to increase our distance with the driver. Also, length off the tee is held in such high regard that numerous amateur golfers kid themselves that they drive the ball 15-30 yards further than they do. In this article, we’ll teach you how you can increase your driver distance in a precise and measurable way on the golf course. It covers areas such as technique, fitness, and custom-fitted clubs. While this page acts as an overview for more distance, you’ll discover connections to areas of the site that cover the specifics you require.
1. Master Good Fundamentals
When your swing is on a fundamental level, you’ll hit the ball further – considerably further. Most beginner golfers, even low handicappers, have inefficiencies in their set up and swing that is costing them essential yardage each time they play. Components like poor weight transfer, a swing plane that is too flat or excessively steep, an incorrect grip, an excessive amount of hip turn, a soft left side at impact and terrible posture (to name a few), all rob you of power and driving distance. You’ll discover lots of definitive checkpoints for different phases of the golf swing that you can measure your swing against. If you genuinely want to increase your driver distance and keep your drives straighter than ever, I strongly recommend you concentrate and master good fundamentals written above.
2. Refine Your Technique for Big Drivers
If you feel confident that your set up and swing are fundamentally sound, there are a few changes you can make to gain extra yardage with the big stick…
Some Tips
- Take a slightly wider stance than typical for a more stable base and to encourage a bit of extra resistance in the backswing.
- Tip the right shoulder down more. Place around 60% of your weight on your right side at address (the other way around for the left-handed golfer).
- You can position the ball slightly further forward (right opposite the big toe) and tied up marginally higher. I wouldn’t encourage this into a, however (see this video for maintaining distance in the wind).
- Encourage a significant shoulder rotation in the back swing by ensuring the left shoulder comes over and across the right knee top (the other way around for the left-handed golfers).
- Ensure there is plenty of resistance in the hips and legs. Don’t let the knees flex or extend too much as you turn back.
- At the top of the back swing, drive the body weight crosswise over by concentrating on your belt buckle. Feel as if you are spinning the belt buckle around, similar to a wheel, as fast as possible to confront your target. This is a very different feeling from starting the downswing with the hands and arms.
- Maintain a good rhythm and timing throughout the swing. Any loss of balance will probably result in a weak strike on the ball – which negates everything else you do!
3. Improve Your Strength and Flexibility
With regards to increasing your distance with the driver (or any club for that matter), improvements in your fitness can rival improvements in technique. The two go hand-in-hand. If you suffer from poor flexibility, for example, you’ll struggle to make a full shoulder to turn during the back swing without compensating somewhere else – like excessively lousy turn or swaying, both of which result in a significant loss of power and inconsistent ball striking. Moreover, with a lack of strength in your core region (lower back, abdominal muscles, hip complex), you’ll find it difficult to control and coordinate your body when swinging a golf club with any real speed – especially a long club like the driver. Regardless of whether you do have the necessary functional fitness to make and control a full golf swing at speed, scientific research has shown that a program of golf-specific exercises can do the following for you:
- Increase your average swing speed and therefore shot distance with every club.
- Increase your driver distance by as much as 20-30 yards.
- Improve your golf ball striking accuracy and consistency.
- Reduce your overall scores.
A blend of strength and flexibility exercises will have the best impact on your driving distance and overall golf game. Furthermore, if planned expertly, a fitness regime that improves your golf game will also enhance your overall health, well being and body shape. Improving your golf-specific fitness needn’t be as troublesome or as time-consuming as you may think.
4. A Note About Custom Fitted Drivers
A club-fitting specialist will measure the launch conditions of your drives and after that recommend a specific combination of club loft, shaft flex and shaft weight, etc. to help you get the most distance and the most consistent ball flight from your current swing. If you burn through cash on another driver, then you might as well take advantage of the free custom fitting offered by most of the prominent manufacturer. But make no mistake – custom fitting won’t compensate for poor technique.
In fact, the more inconsistent your ball striking and ball flight is, the less useful club fitting becomes. It’s worth bearing in mind the following statistic. On average, PGA Tour players increased their average driver distance from 260 yards in 1993, to 280 yards in 2002, to 289 yards in 2007**, which is mostly down to technology. But according to Golf Digest, studies by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews show the typical high handicapper only increased their average driving distance by a yard or two over a similar time frame. In other words, in the absence of proper technique, technology has little impact.
