Golf Driver Mistakes You’re Probably Making (And How To Avoid Them)

Hitting a great tee shot can not only help your score but also gets you in a better mental space to play the rest of the hole well. However, the driver is one of the hardest clubs to hit. If you struggle with inconsistency in your drives, you could be making one of these five golf driver mistakes.

Ball is too far back in your stance

The driver needs to be played forward in the stance. If you struggle with driver launch that is too low or even a slice ball flight, it could be because your golf ball is in the center of your stance. The ball in the center encourages you to hit down on the ball instead of catching it as part of the upswing.

To find the right ball position for your driver, you may have to do a little trial and error but this system usually works:

• Start with your feet together and the ball in the center.
• Turn your left foot slightly outward (around 11 o’clock for right-handers).
• Step your right foot back wide enough to match shoulder width.
• The ball should now be positioned in line with your lead heel.

Not using proper upper body tilt

The upper body tilt for a driver swing should be more exaggerated than for an iron swing. Many amateur golfers set up with level shoulders.

When you don’t tilt the upper body away from the target at setup, you’ll end up with weight shifting too aggressively and potentially hitting down on the ball.

Make sure your trail shoulder is lower than your lead shoulder at setup. This tilt allows you to strike the ball on the upswing. Combining the proper tilt with the correct ball position will help straighten the path.

Hanging back too long instead of rotating through

Many golfers keep too much weight on their trail foot through impact, thinking it will help them hit up on the ball. When you finish your driver swing, are you in balance with most of the weight on your lead leg or do you fall back onto the trail side?

If you fall back or never really get forward, the result is weak, high-spinning shots and inconsistent contact.

To fix this:

• Start Balanced: Begin with weight evenly distributed (50/50) or slightly favoring the lead side.
• Shift Forward Early: In the downswing, transfer weight onto your lead leg before impact.
• Rotate, Don’t Just Slide: Your hips and chest should rotate toward the target rather than your weight staying stuck on the back foot.

The Step-Through Drill is a great way to train this. Take your backswing, then step forward with your trail foot as you swing through. This forces you to shift weight properly instead of hanging back.

Incorrect tee height

We’ve been through this one before and completed a lab test. A tee height of about 1.5 inches compared to one of .5 inches can increase your drive by approximately 14 yards. You’ll get a better launch angle, lower spin and better attack angle.

Teeing the ball too low causes you to hit down on it. Teeing it too high means you could miss the center of the face.

Hand height is too low

Some golfers drop their hands too low at setup. This position can close the clubface, deloft the driver and create a pull slice. Your hands should be aligned naturally with the club shaft. Do not push the shaft up or down.

The butt end of the club points just above your belt buckle to help maintain a neutral clubface.

Final thoughts

These are not the only golf driver mistakes you may be making. However, they are easy to cross off the list to get your game back on track. Simple details can make all the difference.