# Driver Distance



## NorfolkShaun (Mar 13, 2016)

Looking for some tips to get more distance out of the driver.

I used to have a issue with getting ahead of the ball through the shot and have now gone the other way where I am staying back far to much reducing power etc...

Any tips / drills to improve my technique much appreciated.

Funnily enough this is only really an issue with the driver I am fine with my irons hybrids etc.

Thanks in advance


----------



## MadAdey (Mar 13, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			Looking for some tips to get more distance out of the driver.

I used to have a issue with getting ahead of the ball through the shot and have now gone the other way where I am staying back far to much reducing power etc...

Any tips / drills to improve my technique much appreciated.

Funnily enough this is only really an issue with the driver I am fine with my irons hybrids etc.

Thanks in advance
		
Click to expand...

I've always noticed that people that are struggling for distance with a driver more often than not have a very narrow swing arc. Another thing that is needed for hitting longer drives is generating more 'lag' on the downswing.

A little drill that I find good for getting a wider arc with a driver is this:

Setup to the ball and put another ball behind the head of your driver on the floor. The idea is to push the ball behind your driver back in a straight line on your backswing. I do this on the range when practising to achieve 2 things, a lower wider take away and also it encourages a more controlled smooth take away


----------



## NorfolkShaun (Mar 13, 2016)

MadAdey said:



			I've always noticed that people that are struggling for distance with a driver more often than not have a very narrow swing arc. Another thing that is needed for hitting longer drives is generating more 'lag' on the downswing.

A little drill that I find good for getting a wider arc with a driver is this:

Setup to the ball and put another ball behind the head of your driver on the floor. The idea is to push the ball behind your driver back in a straight line on your backswing. I do this on the range when practising to achieve 2 things, a lower wider take away and also it encourages a more controlled smooth take away
		
Click to expand...

Cheers, now it has been mentioned I think I may well of gotten a little narrow.

Will give this a go at the range


----------



## delc (Mar 14, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			Looking for some tips to get more distance out of the driver.

I used to have a issue with getting ahead of the ball through the shot and have now gone the other way where I am staying back far to much reducing power etc...

Any tips / drills to improve my technique much appreciated.

Funnily enough this is only really an issue with the driver I am fine with my irons hybrids etc.

Thanks in advance
		
Click to expand...

1) Feet at least shoulder width apart to get the most leg power into your swing.

2) Complete your backswing. Remember with a longer club your swing should feel a bit slower.

3) Don't hit from the top.

4) Make a full balanced follow through.

5) Hit the ball off the centre of the club face. Anywhere else will cause the club to twist and you will lose power.


----------



## SwingsitlikeHogan (Mar 14, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			Looking for some tips to get more distance out of the driver.

I used to have a issue with getting ahead of the ball through the shot and have now gone the other way where I am staying back far to much reducing power etc...

Any tips / drills to improve my technique much appreciated.

Funnily enough this is only really an issue with the driver I am fine with my irons hybrids etc.

Thanks in advance
		
Click to expand...

How far do you hit it at the moment, and are you inconsistently squinty or generally fairly straight


----------



## NorfolkShaun (Mar 14, 2016)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			How far do you hit it at the moment, and are you inconsistently squinty or generally fairly straight
		
Click to expand...

about 220 - 250ish straight, miss the off fairway right but only by 15 ft max

Trouble is for me too many are on the 220 and not enough near the 250.


----------



## SwingsitlikeHogan (Mar 14, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			about 220 - 250ish straight, miss the off fairway right but only by 15 ft max

Trouble is for me too many are on the 220 and not enough near the 250.
		
Click to expand...

OK...that's not too shoddy - but yes - room for 20yds more perhaps - and handicap?


----------



## Jensen (Mar 14, 2016)

At set up with shoulders tilting away from the target, imagine a spot hovering above your left or lead shoulder. Concentrate on that shoulder remaining in contact with that area. That should certainly stop moving towards the target on downswing and also help with staying too far back.
This was a tip I saw in the latest feature of Today's Golfer or Golf Monthly


----------



## NorfolkShaun (Mar 14, 2016)

SwingsitlikeHogan said:



			OK...that's not too shoddy - but yes - room for 20yds more perhaps - and handicap?
		
Click to expand...

Play off 12. May I hasten to add it is more through an ok short game and putting rather than my driving.

I use game golf and it is showing my driver not far past my hybrid and three wood. 

This
To me is because I have poor technique with the driver. While it may be easy to say take the wood hybrid from the tee, the point to me is I should be able to hit my driver further consistently than I am


----------



## MadAdey (Mar 14, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			Play off 12. May I hasten to add it is more through an ok short game and putting rather than my driving.

I use game golf and it is showing my driver not far past my hybrid and three wood. 

This
To me is because I have poor technique with the driver. While it may be easy to say take the wood hybrid from the tee, the point to me is I should be able to hit my driver further consistently than I am
		
Click to expand...


What sort of distances you hitting with your irons?


----------



## NorfolkShaun (Mar 15, 2016)

MadAdey said:



			What sort of distances you hitting with your irons?
		
Click to expand...

PW     120
9 iron 135
8 iron 145
7 iron 155
6 iron 165
5 iron 175
4 iron 185
hybrid 195
3 wood 210
driver   215 (currently) have averaged around 250 so what am I doing wrong, and funny but currently I am hitting my irons and hybrid better and my distances are going up though clearly winter has been a factor.

My feeling is that if I can eak a few extra yards from the driver, rather than a 5 iron into a green I will be taking an 7 iron or so. This makes the game much simpler.

I have a lesson tomorrow so that will be interesting. I am sure I have got a little narrow and am hanging back.


----------



## Snelly (Mar 15, 2016)

Hit it better, not harder.


----------



## garyinderry (Mar 15, 2016)

The air is cold and ground soft.   see what your distances are in two months time.


----------



## turkish (Mar 15, 2016)

garyinderry said:



			The air is cold and ground soft.   see what your distances are in two months time.
		
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree- my distances are easily 20 yards shorter the now with driver and a bit less with irons!


----------



## turkish (Mar 15, 2016)

Jensen said:



			At set up with shoulders tilting away from the target, imagine a spot hovering above your left or lead shoulder. Concentrate on that shoulder remaining in contact with that area. That should certainly stop moving towards the target on downswing and also help with staying too far back.
This was a tip I saw in the latest feature of Today's Golfer or Golf Monthly
		
Click to expand...

I'd be interested to see a video or photo shoot of this as this is a problem that leaks into my drives and cause my push slice...  I think of it as keeping my sternum in same line with ground but this might actually be better. I also feel like clubhead over takes hands at impact (in reality its square on the good hits)


----------



## Jensen (Mar 15, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			PW     120
9 iron 135
8 iron 145
7 iron 155
6 iron 165
5 iron 175
4 iron 185
hybrid 195
3 wood 210
driver   215 (currently) have averaged around 250 so what am I doing wrong, and funny but currently I am hitting my irons and hybrid better and my distances are going up though clearly winter has been a factor.

My feeling is that if I can eak a few extra yards from the driver, rather than a 5 iron into a green I will be taking an 7 iron or so. This makes the game much simpler.

I have a lesson tomorrow so that will be interesting. I am sure I have got a little narrow and am hanging back.
		
Click to expand...

I would say from those distances with 3 wood and hybrid, it's gotta be your technique with driver.


----------



## MadAdey (Mar 15, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			PW     120
9 iron 135
8 iron 145
7 iron 155
6 iron 165
5 iron 175
4 iron 185
hybrid 195
3 wood 210
driver   215 (currently) have averaged around 250 so what am I doing wrong, and funny but currently I am hitting my irons and hybrid better and my distances are going up though clearly winter has been a factor.

My feeling is that if I can eak a few extra yards from the driver, rather than a 5 iron into a green I will be taking an 7 iron or so. This makes the game much simpler.

I have a lesson tomorrow so that will be interesting. I am sure I have got a little narrow and am hanging back.
		
Click to expand...

I would say that hitting at around the 240/250 mark is achievable going on your distances. I only asked as I have seen people before wanting to hit their driver over 250, yet they struggle to hit a 7i 150. 

All i I would say is, do not get too caught in reading article after article on the Internet about hitting yor driver further. I could probably pull 10 up now that all claim to increase driver distance, but all have their own ideas on it. You are doing the right thing in having lesson, let someone identify the real cause and stop the guessing. 

I I had a problem with inconsistent driving distance a few years ago and had a lesson. That is where the drill I told you about earlier came from as my bad habit is getting too narrow on my backswing.


----------



## the_coach (Mar 15, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			PW     120
9 iron 135
8 iron 145
7 iron 155
6 iron 165
5 iron 175
4 iron 185
hybrid 195
3 wood 210
driver   215 (currently) have averaged around 250 so what am I doing wrong, and funny but currently I am hitting my irons and hybrid better and my distances are going up though clearly winter has been a factor.

My feeling is that if I can eak a few extra yards from the driver, rather than a 5 iron into a green I will be taking an 7 iron or so. This makes the game much simpler.

I have a lesson tomorrow so that will be interesting. I am sure I have got a little narrow and am hanging back.
		
Click to expand...


hopefully the lesson will put you on the right track

lack of distance will be about clubhead delivery at impact most likely being a combination of path to clubface alignment so some kinda wipe across as opposed to solid contact, with AoA being a big part of the issue and just where on the face the strike location is

grip posture alignment at set-up plus ball position and height of ball on the tee - too low would likely give an issue, and this whole bunch of stuff will play into lack of solid contact/distance/direction

as will any lack of connection between body rotation to arm swing - often times lack of driver distance is down to the whole motion being more arms/hands alone - plus whether the wrist set is in good order or not

how the club is being taken back will set-up the delivery - too narrow, too inside, too arms alone outwards and lifting with a tilt, all that kinda stuff

but for sure posture, alignments in regard to ball position/tee height all in relation to ball/target line are crucial to good shot outcomes

lesson with a LM would be a great ways to go - to identify what the AoA is - if narrow could well be a negative attack into the ball 
a ways difficult to give any information without knowing/seeing what exactly is playing into the driver issue


----------



## Deleted Member 1156 (Mar 15, 2016)

Your distances through the bag are absolutely fine so what are you doing differently with your driver to the rest of your clubs? Trying to hit it too hard? Or a badly fitted driver?


----------



## NorfolkShaun (Mar 15, 2016)

drive4show said:



			Your distances through the bag are absolutely fine so what are you doing differently with your driver to the rest of your clubs? Trying to hit it too hard? Or a badly fitted driver?
		
Click to expand...

The driver is just an Ebay driver so never fitted but I used to hit it further, on this point I went to American golf to see if a different club would help. In absolute credit to the shop staff I tried a few clubs and the chap simply said it is a swing issue leaving me with the closing line of 'there is a better driver in this shop for you but not today, sort the swing issues and then come back another day' I do accept though that the results on display were no better than with my current driver though so anything other than frigging the figures would of shown an improvement


----------



## ScienceBoy (Mar 15, 2016)

Im really happy, I apparently hit my 3wood further than some single figure golfers from this forum (nb: context of shot removed from this post).


----------



## Ethan (Mar 16, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			PW     120
9 iron 135
8 iron 145
7 iron 155
6 iron 165
5 iron 175
4 iron 185
hybrid 195
3 wood 210
driver   215 (currently) have averaged around 250 so what am I doing wrong, and funny but currently I am hitting my irons and hybrid better and my distances are going up though clearly winter has been a factor.

My feeling is that if I can eak a few extra yards from the driver, rather than a 5 iron into a green I will be taking an 7 iron or so. This makes the game much simpler.

I have a lesson tomorrow so that will be interesting. I am sure I have got a little narrow and am hanging back.
		
Click to expand...

Your distances are similar to mine, except with the driver, which I hit 300 yards. Well, more like 240 or so, and that would be what you would expect from a decently flighted drive with an approx 100 mph driver swing speed. Something with your driver swing, technique or club are wrong. 

Do you hit it high or low? If low you may be coming down on it too much and not getting it properly flighted, and increasing the angle of attack might add some yards. If you high, perhaps losing yards with too much spin and loft. 

Or maybe you just haven't got the latest driver and we know that as soon a new driver is launched, the previous model stops working!


----------



## turkish (Mar 16, 2016)

Try the footspray drill and see where impact is happening too. If you are always hitting it low on the face could be causing it to spin high and lose distance.


----------



## NorfolkShaun (Mar 16, 2016)

turkish said:



			Try the footspray drill and see where impact is happening too. If you are always hitting it low on the face could be causing it to spin high and lose distance.
		
Click to expand...

In fairness I know I am hitting the ball slightly towards the toe with the occasional one high one the club, more than anything I play with a slight fade so I'm not convinced this is helping as it must be a slightly cutty strike.

When I'm hitting it well I have a good penetrating flight but lately I am back to a lowish flight


----------



## groundskeeperwilly (Mar 16, 2016)

What driver and shaft are you currently using?

Do you know your driver Swing Speed? I play with guys who want to bomb it 300yds but when measured their driver SS is well under 100mph making it an impossibility! There's a table somewhere that shows how far you can hit based on SS - really helped me and a few others I know re-evaluate how far we should hit!

Driver is also the most inconsistent and underperforming club in 99% of players bags as far as I can see. For some of them swing speed is never going to be amazing, and so distance will never be 'forum average' but TV, forum chat etc means they think they should hit it miles. Others are so worried about slicing their driver that they take a more deliberate/slow swing which again means distance is not where they'd expect based on irons/3 wood. For others the club is simply too long and cumbersome meaning they take a poor, slow swing, make contact all over the face and hence sometime smash one 260 but equally have plenty of 200 yard ones where they'd really do better to take a 3 wood and hit it 210/220 in the fairway.

None of those may apply to you but just an observation from some of my regular playing partners. Your iron and woods seem to be going a good length so it would stand to reason that driver should be up a bit! We all love smashing a driver when it is going straight and long!


----------



## NorfolkShaun (Mar 16, 2016)

Well, just got back from the lesson. Was with a new coach as my normal guy is playing more and more and becoming harder to get in with.

The whole lesson was spent generating more power into the swing using wrists and lag, this was tricky to master but the difference is unreal. Done everything with a 7 iron. Always thought I generated a bit of wrist hinge but compared to what we were doing I was doing naff all and really using the body to generate the power. Few other little bits but lots of small things make a massive difference.

After a good few fats the ball flight and strike were so much better. Combining this with tightening up the left hand side and some really handy drills.

Off to the range to practice some more tonight. 

But it does look like a real new aspect for me with regard to focusing on generating much more power through lag.


----------



## Ethan (Mar 16, 2016)

groundskeeperwilly said:



			What driver and shaft are you currently using?

Do you know your driver Swing Speed? I play with guys who want to bomb it 300yds but when measured their driver SS is well under 100mph making it an impossibility! There's a table somewhere that shows how far you can hit based on SS - really helped me and a few others I know re-evaluate how far we should hit!

Driver is also the most inconsistent and underperforming club in 99% of players bags as far as I can see. For some of them swing speed is never going to be amazing, and so distance will never be 'forum average' but TV, forum chat etc means they think they should hit it miles. Others are so worried about slicing their driver that they take a more deliberate/slow swing which again means distance is not where they'd expect based on irons/3 wood. For others the club is simply too long and cumbersome meaning they take a poor, slow swing, make contact all over the face and hence sometime smash one 260 but equally have plenty of 200 yard ones where they'd really do better to take a 3 wood and hit it 210/220 in the fairway.

None of those may apply to you but just an observation from some of my regular playing partners. Your iron and woods seem to be going a good length so it would stand to reason that driver should be up a bit! We all love smashing a driver when it is going straight and long!
		
Click to expand...

Aldila used to publish a list of reasonable distances. I think it went 80 mph 190 yards, 90 mph 215 yards, 100 mph 240 yards, 110 mph 270 yards, GM Forum member 300 yards, GolfWRX member 325 yards. Or something like that.


----------



## Tashyboy (Mar 16, 2016)

NorfolkShaun said:



			Well, just got back from the lesson. Was with a new coach as my normal guy is playing more and more and becoming harder to get in with.

The whole lesson was spent generating more power into the swing using wrists and lag, this was tricky to master but the difference is unreal. Done everything with a 7 iron. Always thought I generated a bit of wrist hinge but compared to what we were doing I was doing naff all and really using the body to generate the power. Few other little bits but lots of small things make a massive difference.

After a good few fats the ball flight and strike were so much better. Combining this with tightening up the left hand side and some really handy drills.

Off to the range to practice some more tonight. 

But it does look like a real new aspect for me with regard to focusing on generating much more power through lag.
		
Click to expand...

Strange you should mention that Shaun, my eureka moment was discovering wrist cock. I started a blog about it. The difference in distance is not 10 or twenty yards but more, a lot more. But as I discovered Tuesday for the first 4 or five drives I was not using my wrists and the ball was fading right. It seems the more I cock at the top the quicker I have to " flick through" the more the ball flies.
I don't reach some of my PP distances but it is a fantastic feeling " bombing one" by my standards. Hoping the new tour shaft I have ordered helps.

Stick with it &#128077;


----------

