We all want to hit the ball farther off the tee with our driver. The distance you can achieve with your tee shot is incredibly important, so much so that many regular golfers fool themselves into thinking they hit the ball 15-30 yards longer than they actually do…
In this article and video, we’re going to explore how you can increase your driver distance you get with your driver while playing golf. We’ll cover aspects like your swing technique, your physical fitness for golf, and even getting clubs that are customized to fit you perfectly.
While this page gives you a general idea of how to add more yardage to your shots, you’ll also find links to specific sections of the website that go into detail about the exact information you need.
The Most Efficient Method To Train Speed (& Increase Distance)
Sometimes, individuals categorize golf as an uninteresting sport that is “excessively sluggish” and lacking athleticism. If you have observed any of the youthful players in today’s era, you are aware that golf is definitely not slow-paced and unexciting.
Golfers in this era are athletes, honed to release abrupt surges of power and vitality while swinging the driver. These vigorous surges of energy emanate from the rapid twitch of muscle fibres within our bodies, which are specifically trained through the swift movement of both substantial and light objects.
One of the optimum exercises you can engage in to enhance the speed of your clubhead and heighten your driving distance is to swing a combination of both weighty and lightweight clubs.
Master the Basics for Better Results
When you have a strong foundation in your swing, you’ll achieve greater ball distance – significantly greater. Most amateur golfers, including those with lower handicaps, possess inefficiencies in their setup and swing that result in them losing crucial yardage every time they engage in a game.
Aspects such as inadequate weight shift, a swing plane that’s excessively flat or steep, an improper grip (correct golf grip), excessive hip rotation, a less firm left side upon impact, and poor posture (among other factors), all deprive you of power and the ability to drive the ball far.
I address all of these components in the Golf Swing Basics section available on this website…
You’ll discover numerous definitive checkpoints corresponding to different phases of the golf swing, against which you can evaluate your own swing. If you genuinely aspire to augment your driving distance WHILE maintaining straighter drives than ever before, my strong recommendation is to concentrate your efforts on mastering these fundamentals initially.
Refine Your Technique for Big Drives
If you’re confident in the solid foundation of your setup and swing, there are some tweaks you can consider to add more distance to your drives…
Increasing Distance with Your Driver
Start by standing with your feet a little wider apart than usual. This not only helps you have a more stable stance but also adds a bit of extra resistance as you swing the club back.
Tilt your right shoulder a bit more downward. Distribute around 60% of your weight onto your right side when addressing the ball (reverse this for left-handed golfers).
Experiment with placing the ball a tad forward (directly across from your big toe) and tee it up a bit higher. Keep in mind, however, that this might not be advisable when facing a headwind (refer to this video for advice on maintaining distance in windy conditions).
Emphasize a substantial shoulder rotation during your backswing. Ensure that your left shoulder crosses over and moves across the right kneecap (reverse this for left-handed golfers).
Maintain significant resistance in your hips and legs. Avoid excessive flexing or extending of the knees as you turn backwards.
Upon reaching the apex of your backswing, shift your body weight across by concentrating on your belt buckle. Imagine if you’re swiftly spinning the belt buckle around, much like a wheel, to quickly face your target. This sensation is quite distinct from initiating the downswing with your hands and arms.
Sustain a smooth rhythm and precise timing throughout your swing. Any loss of balance could lead to a subpar impact on the ball – essentially nullifying all your other efforts!
Get Better Strength and Flexibility
If you want to improve your distance with the driver (or any club, really), focusing on your golf fitness is just as crucial as honing your technique. In fact, these two aspects are closely linked.
If you’re not that flexible, you’ll have a hard time making a complete shoulder turn during your backswing without compensating somewhere else – like over-rotating your hips or swaying too much, both of which lead to losing a lot of power and not hitting the ball consistently.
Similarly, if your core region (lower back, abs, hips) isn’t strong enough, you’ll struggle to control and coordinate your body while swinging a golf club with some real speed – especially a longer club like the driver.
But even if you’ve got the basic fitness needed to execute a full golf swing at speed, scientific research has proven that a set of golf-focused exercises can do the following for you:
Boost your average swing speed, resulting in greater shot distance with all your clubs.
Add as much as 20-30 yards to your driver shots.
Enhance the accuracy and consistency of your ball striking.
Lower your overall scores.
A combination of strength and flexibility workouts will make the biggest difference to your driving distance and your overall golf performance. Moreover, a well-designed fitness routine that enhances your golf game can also enhance your overall health, well-being, and body shape.
Improving your golf-specific fitness doesn’t have to be as tough or time-consuming as you might imagine.
If you’re interested in learning about ways to increase your driver distance through golf-focused exercises, check out the Golf Fitness Section on this website.
Insights on Tailored Golf Drivers
A skilled club-fitting expert will carefully analyze how your drives launch and then suggest a specific combination of club loft, shaft flexibility, and shaft weight, among other factors. This advice aims to enhance your driving range and ensure a consistent path for the golf ball within your current swing. If you’re considering getting a new driver, it’s wise to take advantage of the free personalized fitting services offered by most respected manufacturers.
However, it’s important to recognize a certain reality – customized fitting can’t solve issues caused by inadequate technique. In fact, the less consistent your ball striking and the unpredictable nature of your ball’s flight, the less effective club fitting becomes.
It’s worth considering the following statistical insight.
On average, participants in the PGA Tour increased their average driver distance from 260 yards in 1993 to 280 yards in 2002, and eventually to 289 yards in 2007**, mainly due to technological advancements. Nevertheless, according to findings by Golf Digest, research conducted by the respected Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews reveals that the typical high handicapper only achieved a small improvement of a yard or two over the same period.
To put it simply, without proper technique, the impact of technology doesn’t make much of a difference.
Enhance Your Driving Distance Today!
Learning how to increase your driving distance involves a combination of various factors.
The objective of this article is to provide you with insights into crucial elements (such as the 4 key components of an effective driver setup) and address common issues that you can immediately rectify to enhance your distance.
Once you’ve refined your setup and achieved a more balanced swing, along with consistent clubface contact, you can then focus on improving your swing speed.
This will lead to remarkable improvements in the distance you achieve off the tee.
Our suggestion
Therefore, our suggestion is to enhance your skills by becoming proficient in the basic elements of the swing. It won’t be long until you achieve the level of being a reliable and steady hitter, with the ability to surpass the driving distance of most of your fellow players.
Feel free to utilize custom-fitting services while purchasing new clubs, but understand that it is unlikely that you can solely rely on purchasing equipment to achieve a greater driving distance.
