In golf, a drive, also called a tee shot, refers to a long-distance shot hit from the tee box (a closely mown area with boundaries defined by the tee markers and the cut of the grass) and intended to move the golf ball far down the fairway (a closely mown area between the tee box and the green) toward the green (an area with grass cut even shorter). Golfers usually use drivers for driving. Drivers are golf clubs with the smallest loft or the angle between the clubface (the clubhead’s forward-striking surface) and an imaginary vertical plane perpendicular to the ground. The smaller a club’s loft, the more powerful the club and the farther the golf ball can travel when hit with it.
Driving requires balancing accuracy and distance and can be challenging for golfers of all levels. Some of the most widespread driving mistakes relate to incorrect stance, wrong ball setup, level shoulders, and poor alignment.
Finding the correct driving stance can be difficult. On the one hand, drivers are the golf clubs with the longest shaft (a golf club’s middle part between its clubhead and the grip), which creates the longest swing, and, thus, requires a wider stance to control the swing properly. On the other hand, a wider stance can result in swaying back and through the swing, which, in turn, can cause inconsistencies in ball flights and shot patterns.
Using alignment sticks (long, thin training rods that help golfers check the accuracy of their bodies and club position and align them to the intended target) during shot practices is a great way to achieve the correct driving stance. Professionals advise placing the sticks on the chosen target line and ball position and taking a shoulder-width stance. Golfers should aim to maintain a stable base as they make several swings. Doing so will allow them to rotate their bodies properly, enhance their balance, and prevent them from moving off the ball.
Correctly setting up the golf ball is also critical for a successful drive. Many novice golfers position it too far back, in the center of their stance. As a result, they hit the ball at the low point of their swing or down on it while they should be hitting it up. Hitting down with a driver leads to higher spin and shorter distance.
The ball should be slightly forward in the golfer’s stance. Several ways exist to determine the correct setup. One example is placing the ball off the inside of the lead arm (for right-handed golfers, this will be the left hand). Another example involves tracing an imaginary line straight out of the inside of the lead heel and positioning the ball on that line.
Leveling the shoulders can also cause golfers to hit down on the ball and ruin the drive. To prevent this from happening, they should tilt their shoulders slightly as they take their driver setup. The lead shoulder should be slightly higher, and the trail one slightly lower.
For right-handed golfers, these are the left and right shoulders, respectively. Tilting the shoulders will help to hit up on the ball and achieve a good, high drive.
Finally, the long shafts of modern drivers force golfers to stand farther away from the ball, hindering proper alignment. Again, using alignment sticks can help. They allow golfers to see how they should position their feet according to the chosen target.
Professionals also recommend asking a fellow player to check the lines of the hips and shoulders from behind. The reason is shoulders and hips remain open even with properly aligned feet, which, in turn, can cause a slice. A slice occurs when, due to sidespin, the ball dramatically curves to the right or the left, depending on whether the golfer is right-handed or left-handed.
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