Common Mistakes to Avoid when Driving

By October 16, 2017Tips & Tutorials
common mistakes with the driver

Everyone, even major tournament winners make mistakes on the golf course.  No one is perfect and many golfers will produce a great round of golf, with a low score without being perfect on every swing they make.

However, some mistakes can be costlier than others and if you eliminate those mistakes which have the biggest consequences, you will go some way to lowering your score.  You must try and fix the mistakes which make recovery almost impossible and today we have some tips to fix common mistakes when driving.

The first thing to take note of when driving is the driver itself.  As a beginner, you do not need a driver any lower than nine degrees of loft.  In fact, you would be better off using a driver with eleven or twelve degrees of loft because this will generate more back spin and means less chance of side spin and a slice or hook shot.

When swinging the driver, you must try and avoid having level shoulders, as this does not promote the inside-out path of the down swing you require for a good shot.

During a good swing, the right shoulder should move underneath the chin and through to the finishing position.  For this to happen, the left shoulder must push up as the right shoulder turns close to impact.

Do not try and force the left shoulder to push up as this will result in a flat shot.  Keep this in sync with rotation to produce a good swing with the driver.

Try to avoid using your body to generate all the power in your drive.  A common mistake when driving is to take a big, wide stance and throw the body as hard as possible into the shot.  While your lower body should pivot during the swing, try thinking more about using your hands and allow your body to turn with them.

Practice some drives with your feet together and see how far and accurately you hit the ball.  You may be surprised.

Finally, poor alignment is what costs many amateur golfers when using the driver.  The long shaft of the driver means you are standing quite far away from the ball and this only serves to make alignment more difficult.

To help with this, place some clubs on the ground when you are practicing at the driving range to help with your alignment.

Use these clubs to ensure your feet and body are aligned to the target when you are using the driver.  Also, ask friend or set up a video camera to check if your shoulders or hips are open when driving the ball.  If they are, you could be setting yourself up for a sliced shot.

These are some of the common mistakes to avoid when driving and if you can keep them out of your game, you will have a greater chance of making a good start off the tee.