Why Can’t You Hit Your Golf Driver Anymore?
Do you find yourself struggling to hit your driver even though you didn’t before?
The main reason why you can’t hit your golf drive anymore is because your gripping the shaft too tight, not having enough swing speed, or your using the wrong golf club.
There are many possible reasons why you can’t hit your driver as well as you did before.
You may be:
- Holding your driver with a grip that’s too tight.
- Cupping your left hand at address.
- Sucking up your driver too much to the inside
- You have bad tempo.
- Not keeping your club short of parallel.
- Not enough clubhead speed.
- Holding your driver with a grip that’s too tight.
If this is a problem for you, then you need to work on having a more neutral grip on your driver. Relax and loosen up your grip on that club!
- Cupping your left hand at address.
If you find yourself doing this, you should try imagining bowing (but not really actually bowing) your left wrist when your driver hits your golf ball.
- Not golfing and practicing enough.
If you’re not playing and practicing enough, then you won’t be able to hit your driver like you used to. If you’re out of practice, then golfing and practicing frequently will get you back in top shape in no time.
- Sucking up your club too much to the inside, then getting loose & long at the top.
In order to fix this, you should be very aware of the position of your golf ball and keep your hands in the correct spot relative to the impact of the driver head. This is so that you can swing up a bit. Shortening your swing with your club more vertical as it goes back, will also help with this.
Here’s one last possibility; if you haven’t been golfing a lot lately and are getting nervous on the course, you probably just have a mental block.
The more you golf and the more you practice, the faster this mental block will pass and you’ll be back to being able to hit your driver like you used to.
Why You Cant Hit Your Driver Consistently?
You should be realistic about how consistent you can be when hitting your driver. The best pro golfers in the world can only hit around 6/10 of fairways so thinking that you can hit your drivers perfectly every single time will only lead you to a world of disappointment.
That said, here are a couple of highly likely reasons why you can’t hit your driver straight and true as often as you want.
- You’re not practicing enough.
If your driver isn’t your favorite club then you’re probably neglecting practicing using it. That’s a big mistake because the driver is one of the most used clubs on most courses aside from the sand wedge and putter.
Practice frequently with your driver and you should be hitting your driver more consistently in no time.
- You have bad tempo.
If you haven’t mastered your tempo, then you’re probably not hitting your drivers well very often.
Mastering your tempo and having a good tempo will let you hit your driver farther as well as straighter more consistently. You just need to swing within yourself then let your driver do the work for you.
- Not keeping your club short of parallel.
You must keep your backswing at parallel or maybe even shorter than that if you want to hit your driver long and straight. You need to keep your backswing under control and focus on your acceleration through the impact.
Why you can’t you hit your driver straight
Pretty much every golfer ever has some trouble hitting their drivers even though it’s a vital part of golfing. Here are some common reasons golfers can’t hit their drivers straight.
- You’re too nervous.
Your nervousness is badly affecting how you’re swinging your driver. It typically makes your backswing short and fast which makes it hard to hit a good drive. If this is the case, you should try your best to turn your left shoulder behind your golf ball.
Even if you’re not actually flexible enough to do it, imagining yourself doing it should help you do a full rotation instead of hitting your backswing short.
Making a full rotation will also help you get more power as well as promote a more natural swing rhythm if done correctly.
- You’re slicing.
Slicing off the tee is a common enough problem. Slicers normally start like this; the downswing begins by forcing the right shoulder out towards the golf ball. This will make the path of your swing steep and across the golf ball from out of it.
To combat this problem, you should keep your back facing the target starting down. You should make a complete turn behind your golf ball and then keep your right shoulder (which stays back) passive so that your upper body won’t spin out.
With your club dropping to the inside, you can now swing out to your golf ball which will let your arms release and square the clubface of your club.
Another thing that might be making you slice is your ball position; your golf ball might just be too far forward. To fix this, just play your golf ball in line with the logo of your golfing shirt.
- You’re hitting it everywhere.
You probably feel like you’re totally lost on the tee so you’ll need a swing key that’ll combat many potential problems. Maintain your arm speed from start to finish by keeping your arms swinging at a set and constant speed through the ball the whole way through to the finish. Keeping up your arm speed will help make a good rhythm and help flow through the impact.
If you’re hitting it everywhere, you might be feeling awkward when you’re addressing tee shots. If this is the case, check your distance from the ball. If you’re not at an appropriate distance, then fix it immediately.
Why are you hitting your driver so low?
Hitting drivers low is a pretty common problem for golfers who don’t have enough clubhead speed. Even powerful golfers hit the ball low sometimes.
Here are some reasons why you’re hitting your driver low and ways you can deal with the problems.
- Not enough clubhead speed.
If you’re swinging your driver at 90MPH or lower, your golf ball won’t compress as much on the clubface and will launch at low trajectory with an insufficient amount of backspin to send it higher.
To fix this, change your equipment. If you’re a slower swinger then you should use a shaft that has plenty of flex. Get yourself a club that has a loft of at least 10.5 and use a golf ball that matches your swing.
- Too flat of a swing.
If your swing is too flat, the clubhead will get to the golf ball from inside the target line which reduces its loft.
To fix this, stand closer to the ball so that you swing more upright and create a steeper clubhead path by using your club’s full loft.
- Clubface that’s closed at the top.
If you have a strong grip then you probably close the clubface on the backswing. Unless you manipulate the face on the downswing, it’ll be closed on impact with your golf ball as well.
To fix this, weaken your grip on your club. Don’t squeeze your club and turn both your hands to the left until you can see two knuckles on the back of your left hand.
Why are you hitting your driver too high?
Hitting your driver too high will decrease how far your golf ball rolls and will hurt your distance as well. Hitting your golf ball too high with your driver is emblematic of too much backspin which can be caused by your equipment, your swing or even your setup. Here are some possible reasons you’re hitting your driver too high.
- Using the wrong equipment.
If you have a clubhead speed of 100MPH or higher, you’re probably experiencing “ballooning” drives using shafts with regular amounts of flex and low compression golf balls.
Your driver might be too lofted as well.
To fix this, change your equipment to better suit you. A stiffer shaft and a different golf ball that suits golfers with faster swing speeds would definitely help you out here.
- Teeing your golf ball too low.
Teeing your golf ball low will cause you to hit down which will produce excess backspin as well as high and short drives.
To fix this, just tee it higher. With your driver, about half your golf ball should be above the top line of the clubface to set up a level swing path as well as better launching conditions.
- Swing is too upright.
Standing too close to your golf ball will force your backswing on a steep or upright plane. This means you’ll hit your driver too high.
To fix this, step back and away from your golf ball a bit. Moving away a few inches will make a flatter, shallower plane as well as approach angle.
Why are you hitting your driver thin?
If you’re hitting your driver thin, it might be because:
- Golf ball is too far forward in your stance.
If this is the case and you play it beyond your lead foot, then tee it higher.
- You’re getting stiff legged.
If this is the case, flex your knees more at the address and keep them flexed during your swing.
- You’re raising your body as you downswing.
If this is the case, you need to make a mental note to keep your body (and head) down while you’re down-swinging.
Other problems might be that you’re hitting up too much, you’re bending your left arm too much or you’re putting your weight too far back. These problems can be fixed by practicing more to correct these habits on the golf course.
How do you improve your golf drive?
You know that your golf drive is important and that getting better at driving will improve your game. Here are some ways to improve your golf drive;
- Improve your driver setup.
Your driver setup is going to be a bit different than your irons setup. Your ball position needs to be slightly inside your target-side foot for your driver setup.
Your spine needs to be tilted back slightly so that your front shoulder is a bit higher than your back shoulder when you set up with your driver.
You must make sure to keep your hands, wrists and forearms relaxed when you set up with your driver to make a smooth swing in good tempo.
- You need to have a shot that you’re confident with.
Develop a reliable, “go-to” shot by teeing your golf ball lower. By teeing your golf ball down, the flight of your golf ball is lowered and it doesn’t spend as much time in the air which means it’s less likely to curve off the line. Your lower shot will wind up on the fairway without much fuss.
- Start thinking of your drive as a shot and not as a performance.
Thinking of your drive as a “performance” for an “audience” leads to performance anxiety which will mess up your drive.
Your main goal when you drive isn’t to look good; it’s to put your golf ball in a great spot for your second shot. Remember that!
- Make sure your golf ball placement suits your stance.
The placement of your golf ball is important for your driving because correct placement provides extra lift which makes your golf ball rise high into the air and fly a great distance.
A good golf ball placement should correspond to the position of your left heel. Your golf ball should be placed further forward in your stance than when you’re using your irons.
- You should make sure your clubhead face has the correct amount of loft.
Most non-pro golfers should get a driver with a loft of around 10 to 12 degrees rather than 7 than 8 degrees. Higher loft increases the height of your drives and higher drives curve less.
- Stop focusing on the hazards.
You should be focusing on a target area that you choose on the fairway. Stop worrying so much about the hazards and pick an area on the fairway within your range. Just focusing on a target area that you choose will improve your chances of hitting your golf ball there.
- You need to be more realistic.
A realistic goal is to put your golf ball into play and thus setting yourself up to make par on the hole. Don’t bet it all and try to clear a bunker that’s more than 200 yards away or cut the corner of a dog leg or something. It’s way too risky and it’s a stupid move!
- Keep your balance.
You absolutely must maintain your balance when driving. You can hit as hard and strong as you want as long as you can maintain your balance. If you’re not maintaining your balance, then you’re not going to be hitting solid drives consistently.
Conclusion
The drive is only one stroke but it’s an important stroke that will set the tone for your play on the hole. You absolutely need to make the most of it to improve your game.
Try your best to fix any driving problems you have as well as improve your overall driving prowess as well.