Getting those extra yards off the tee

[GaryK]

I tend to hit 210-230yds (total) off the tee with my driver, but played with some single figure HC's last week and they were absolutely smashing driver off the tee for 250-280yds.
How do I add length with the driver - should I invest in lessons, keep practising, work out at the gym, etc?

BTW, I have a Cobra Fly-Z driver set at 10.5 degree fade, playing off 22 - should I try reducing the loft to 9.5?
Would a more recent model of driver help?

I was in complete awe playing with these guys as they not only hit great length, but the balls were coming down with ice on them!

 

[ScienceBoy]

You probably don’t need that distance off the tee right now.

I probably drive 220-240 and that’s enough to break 90.

It’s better to let that distance come naturally as your technique improves instead of chasing it.

 

[Imurg]

If you're hitting 220ish off the tee then added distance isn't really what you need.
Playing off 22 I suspect you'd be better off hitting it straighter rather than longer.
Longer is great as long as it's in play. 1st cut, even 2nd cut of Roth is ok but, especially at your place, get too far off line and you're in knee deep bundu, hacking out assuming you can find it.
Your longest hole is, I think, the 7th at a bit over 500 yards.
Drive up to the bunker, lay up to the trees on the right, shortish iron onto or around the green chip on and 2 putts leaves you a 6 at worst.
Try for more distance and you may put it in the bunker or, if you slice it, go searching for new species and lost tribes in the deep stuff..
I've shot low 70's scores around there without using a driver at all. Keep the ball in play to about 200-220 and you're in a good place.
Work on/get lessons to keep the ball on the short stuff.

 

[chrisd]

If you're hitting 220ish off the tee then added distance isn't really what you need.
Playing off 22 I suspect you'd be better off hitting it straighter rather than longer.
Longer is great as long as it's in play. 1st cut, even 2nd cut of Roth is ok but, especially at your place, get too far off line and you're in knee deep bundu, hacking out assuming you can find it.
Your longest hole is, I think, the 7th at a bit over 500 yards.
Drive up to the bunker, lay up to the trees on the right, shortish iron onto or around the green chip on and 2 putts leaves you a 6 at worst.
Try for more distance and you may put it in the bunker or, if you slice it, go searching for new species and lost tribes in the deep stuff..
I've shot low 70's scores around there without using a driver at all. Keep the ball in play to about 200-220 and you're in a good place.
Work on/get lessons to keep the ball on the short stuff.

This ^^^^^^^^^ all day long

 

[bobmac]

How do I add length with the driver - should I invest in lessons, keep practising, work out at the gym, etc?

One of the ways you can hit the ball further is to increase your club head speed.
To do that you need to improve your technique.
If you don't know how to do that, ask someone who does.

 

[Titleist3]

I struggled with distance for a little while off the tee till I had a lesson.

Here’s what I learnt.

I currently have a 12* R15, the pro told me to crank this higher it’s not 13.5*.

I tee the ball up so it’s 3/4 above the club head.

I push my hips around in line more, make sure my left shoulder is closed and add a slight tilt to my spine but keeping my weight on my left leg.

Ball position was originally inside left heel. Now it’s middle of left foot.

The way the pro described it to me was, you need to add loft as an amateur this is why most people either hit their 3iron/3wood further than their driver due to loft.

Since I’ve made these changes I’m now flying the ball 240 when I was originally 210. These are coming out with around 1890rpm of spin so they roll out too!

Great considering I play links golf!

 

[MadAdey]

By better technique, not trying to hit it harder. I could probably guarantee that now and again on the range you catch one that goes for miles. THe reason that happens is because you found the middle of the clubface and transferred your weight through the ball.

IMO if you want to hit it further you have to create more lag in your swing, if your not sure what I'm going on about then look it up on YouTube.

 

[GG26]

I've played with a number of single figure handicappers in competitions and whilst a few are long hitters, most are just accurate and keep the ball in play. I drive 200-220 yards on average and I was close to or level with some of these players. When near the green they regularly get up and down in two. This is the main difference between low and high handicappers IMO.

 

[jim8flog]

One thing I can say for certainty is that lowering the loft on the driver does not necessarily equate to better distance.

I find painting the walls the day before gives extra yardage through the bag so the right kind of exercise definitely does.

 

[TreeSeeker]

Big thumbs up some accuracy, I'd buy a bag of that anyday. Lessons are the easy answer since better technique will help get the most from what you have available, whatever your max swing speed may be. I'm surprised people haven't mentioned golf fitness (sorry jim don't think we can call painting golf fitness), you'll have a higher "max" distance to search for, tolerate play better and lower the likelihood of injury (or so i've been led to believe). Tons of stuff out there on that and certainly something i know i need to do a bit of.

 

[anotherdouble]

Fitness is not be all and end all in gaining distance. Technique out weighs fitness. My body Is definitely a temple but I am far from being fit but I can get a driver out there at 220 and on the odd occasion 225and straight

 

[Dasit]

I found extra distance really off the tee, and it came from a mixture of technique change and confidence

Now I know I can do it I can swing more freely and then I hit the ball even further

 

[jim8flog]

(sorry jim don't think we can call painting golf fitness), .

Does repeatedly lifting a glass to my lips count?

 

[duncan mackie]

What bobmac says, in spades.

You can focus on clubhead speed without the driver ie forget about the driver for the time being and focus on clubhead speed (which is very little to do with imitating a Tasmanian devil or whirling dervish! )

Of course, you may already carry your 7 iron 170+ in which case it will be a driver / long club issue - but for most it starts with generating clubhead speed.

 

[chrisd]

My body Is definitely a temple

The Acropolis ??

 

[anotherdouble]

The Acropolis ??

Thanks mate. Even that looked good once👍

 

[chrisd]

Thanks mate. Even that looked good once👍

Back in the day!

 

[ScienceBoy]

I’ve found I can get round off the yellows with a 4 iron off the tee. Try playing a round without the long clubs to get a perspective of what the driver does for you at its current distance. Then assess if you need more distance.

 

[MadAdey]

Obviously more distance will always help and anyone who says otherwise is lying. But you are looking to lower your handicap so look at it objectively. If you can knock it off the tee 220 yards, how many holes are you not able to get to at your place with a 6i or less. THe big target everyone wants is to get to 9, so that means you only need 9 pars to be a single figure handicapper. So as long as you can comfortably reach at least 9 holes with less than a 6i then your in good shape.

I know that is just some hypothetical theory, but I hope it makes a point to you. I have played with low handicappers that do not get it out much past 240 yards. But what they are is straight and good with their wedges and they navigate their way around the course and do not waste shots trying to play "if I catch this right it should work" type of shots.

 

[the_coach]

I tend to hit 210-230yds (total) off the tee with my driver, but played with some single figure HC's last week and they were absolutely smashing driver off the tee for 250-280yds.
How do I add length with the driver - should I invest in lessons, keep practising, work out at the gym, etc?

BTW, I have a Cobra Fly-Z driver set at 10.5 degree fade, playing off 22 - should I try reducing the loft to 9.5?
Would a more recent model of driver help?

I was in complete awe playing with these guys as they not only hit great length, but the balls were coming down with ice on them!

as has been spoken to on the thread already very easily possibly to play to an index of say 12 even 10 with that swing speed

folks who can hit the ball a fair ways longer do so using more efficient swing motion technique that give the optimum launch conditions - only real ways to improve that is with good pga supervision along with conscientious practice

as for the loft of the driver as a generalization more loft so the 10.5º as a higher index player along with tuition in how then to create the best launch conditions would be the ways to go - though it's possible through the short term with that tuition supervision it maybes could be useful to reduce the loft - but thing to keep in mind low index players like myself & tour pro's hit the driver considerably further then 250 both because of the quality of strike plus the launch conditions to get the ball airborne so peak height is with the current equipment (driver & ball) is 100 feet plus

not maybes the answer wanted but the route to improvement is with supervision to improve swing technique along with short game & course management improvement which again is best approached with lessons

my guess would be that through lessons & lessons with a launch monitor you would initial find that those launch conditions at strike would find you would likely find an angle of attack that is negative that the strike location pattern on the face would be a ways to spread over the whole face & also likely some issues with swing path to face angle

have to say likely little to be gained overall with practice with the big stick or 3 metal has likely just ingraining motion that is part of the problem - need to get those lessons to find out what the practice then needs to be