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5 Simple Tips On How to Drive a Golf Ball Further Without Increasing Clubhead Speed

Paul Liberatore

February 27, 2019

If you are a player that dreams of hitting high flying drives of over 300 yards then you are not alone. If you, like many, do not have the time or energy to spend long hours in the gym or with speed training devices on the range, then this article is for you. Finding ways to improve your driving distance doesn’t start in the gym, it starts with understanding what makes long drivers so efficient. These 5 simple steps will help you hit longer, straighter drives without picking up a single weight or doing a single stretch.

If you feel like you are leaving yards on the course from drives that slice violently or see shots continuously falling short of where you think they ought to be, then these 5 tips can make a difference in your game. While it is true that PGA Tour players like Rickie Fowler, Dustin Jonhson, Tiger Woods, Jordan Speith, and Brooks Kopeka have fast speeds that not everyone can achieve, the efficiency off the tee box can be mimicked and that can lead to you picking up 10, 20, or even 30 yards off the tee box. Understanding how far you should be hitting the golf ball is a crucial part in maximizing your distance.

See the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the R&A set performance standards and limitations on golf equipment companies and the states of golf club equipment. Currently, the maximum efficiency ratio that drivers can create is 1:1.5. In its simplest form, that ratio means that for every one mile per hour of speed you produce, your driver can give you up to 1.5 miles per hour of ball speed. The average male swing speed is currently around 90 miles per hour, mph, and should produce a ball speed of near 130 miles per hour. 130 mph ball speed should yield a total distance of over 250 yards. If 90 mph clubhead speeds sound like you, but your driver is not giving you well over 200 yards of performance, then you are leaving distance on the table without the need to improve your fitness level or swing speed. 

Step 1 – Setting Up To Hit The Ball A Long Way

A proper setup with your driver can lead to instant performance improvements. In an effort to find the fairway more often, golfers tend to set up with their driver in much the same way they do with their irons or wedges. Because the driver shaft is longer and the golf ball is resting on a tee rather than the ground, player’s setup positions need to change. Players should try playing the golf ball just inside of their front foot and as they grip their club, they should feel their trail shoulder work below their forward shoulder creating a tilt in their spine. This ball position and spinal tilt will set the foundation for the following four steps.

Step 2 – Taking Advantage Of The Drivers Natural Playing Position And Engineering to Hit the Ball

With the golf ball near your front foot and forward of the center of your body, you will be naturally inclined to hit the ball with a club path that is traveling upward and away from the ground at impact. An upwards angle of attack often referred to as a positive angle of attack, helps to launch the golf ball into the air and reduces spin for longer shots that roll further once they come down.

Step 3 – Changing Your Ball Flight Curvature

Draws do not automatically go further than golf shots that fade, however, the club characteristics that help players hit a draw most often lead to longer shots and more golf ball roll out. For a right-handed golfer, a draw is achieved when the club is traveling on a path that is more rightward of the golf club’s face during impact. This difference in face and golf swing path angle will tilt the golf ball to the left and cause the golf ball to draw back towards target. For left-handed players, they should see a club face that is slightly right of a leftward moving golf club. Club faces that are “closed” to club paths often result in golf shots hit with less club loft, less spin, and longer carry distances.

Step 4 – Strike is King when Learning How to Drive a Golf Ball Further

Where you strike the golf ball on the club face will have a large impact on where the ball flies, how much spin it has, and which direction it curves. Even under identical swing conditions, differences in strikes can make the ball draw, fade, launch higher or lower, and spin more and less. The longest drives are actually struck slightly higher on the driver’s face. This higher impact location increases the club’s effective loft and produces a higher launching golf shot with less spin. Spin is reduced by what is referred to as the gearing effect often associated with golf shots not hit in the geometric middle of the club’s face.

Step 5 – Getting A Driver Built For Your Golf Swing

Swing changes can be difficult. Luckily, golf equipment manufactures, and club fitters have unique tools that can help alter standard drivers to fit your individual golf swing characteristics. Loft, lies, centers of gravity, and face angles can all be altered to give you a club that helps you hit it longer, higher, and straighter. Going to test different model drivers or making changes to your current gamer can create lasting impacts on your confidence and driver performance. 

Conclusion

Although not everyone can swing the club at 120 miles per hour, everyone can get the most from their golf swing speed. Players that find themselves swinging at speeds higher than their current driving distances reflect can greatly improve their performance off the tee by doing the 5 steps above. Without a doubt, advances in club fitting techniques and driver technology can go a long way in helping you hit more fairway and giving your shorter irons into greens. In today’s modern game, driving the golf ball a long way is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. Making small changes to your setup, swing, and current driver can cause a dramatic shift in your current driving statistics. Thanks for reading and check back later for more golf tips and tricks.