Have you seen professionals like Rory and Bryson launching their tee shots and wondered what makes you different? A very small percentage of the golfing population can hit 350-yard drives. However, there’s a very good chance you have the potential for an extra 10 to 15 yards by making a few tweaks. We will walk through the most important tips for increasing distance on tee shots. You’ll have some ideas of what to work on before your next round of golf.
Optimize the tee height
Tee height matters.
Half the ball should be above the crown of the driver. This higher tee can help you improve the launch angle and keep the ball up in the air a little longer.
Play around with tee height when you are on the driving range. Many amateur golfers use tees that are too short.
Adjust ball position
The ball position should be close to your left heel (for right-handed golfers). You’ll get a more upward strike and maximize your launch angle.
If you struggle to find the proper ball position, set up with your feet completely together and the ball directly between your feet. Step back with the trail foot and leave the lead foot where it is. This should help you find that forward position and get more distance on your tee shots.
Get a full shoulder turn
There’s a reason professional golfers work on flexibility and rotation. Getting a complete shoulder turn in the backswing can create more potential energy and coil.
When it comes time to turn through the ball, you can translate this potential energy into greater clubhead speed and more yards.
Take some practice swings and see if your shoulder moves under your chin and rotates back or stays stationary.
Incorporate some strength and flexibility training
Adding strength and flexibility will help you increase yardage. Use training programs and tools like Rypstick or The Stack System to train for speed correctly. Avoid injuries by gradually increasing weight and speed as you work on hitting longer tee shots.
Find the proper grip pressure
You’ll hear a lot about grip pressure being too tight and costing you yardage. This can be correct. However, sometimes golfers start losing some control of the clubface because they are gripping the club too loosely.
Work on finding the right grip pressure.
Start by gripping the club as tight as you can and seeing what that does to your distance. Gradually decrease grip pressure and tension until you can release the clubhead (hit straight shots) and maximize distance. You most likely will feel as though you need a slightly firm grip pressure.
Check your clubface angle at the top of your backswing
Golf professionals have a very square (and even sometimes slightly closed) clubface angle at the top of their backswing. This position allows them to turn their body and go full speed through the golf ball.
If your driver clubface is open at the top, you’ll spend the rest of your downswing working on squaring it. This reduces your speed.
Get the clubface square at the top and then fire away. HackMotion can help you become more aware of your clubface angle at the top of your backswing.
Control the speed of the takeaway
Do you have a tendency to whip the club back too fast? Swinging the club back too fast causes inconsistencies in the swing plane, strike position and tempo. Work on controlling your speed on the takeaway. Taking the club back a bit slower and getting it on plane will not cost you distance.
Most amateur golfers find it easier to stay connected, rotate and turn the shoulder when they spend a little more time on the backswing.
Play the right equipment
Putting the correct golf equipment into play will help you gain some distance off the tee. Some drivers, fairways and hybrids are better for accuracy and forgiveness and others are designed for distance. Here are a few clubs that could give you some extra yards. Our MGS equipment tests are an invaluable resource for choosing the right equipment for your game.
Best driver for distance (Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D)
The 2024 best driver for distance was kind of a surprise this year. Typically, we think of a draw-biased driver as being the best for forgiveness or consistency but the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D was the best for distance this year.
It earned third place overall in the test. One tester said, “It also sits great despite being a draw-biased driver.” The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max D was more than 15 yards longer than the shortest driver in our test.
Best fairway wood for distance (Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond)
The best fairway wood for distance is also from Callaway. The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond scored 9.2/10 for distance and was highly accurate.
A performance like this in the distance and accuracy category helped the Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond win the best overall fairway wood of 2024.
Best hybrid for distance (Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke)
Yes, another Callaway. The Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid won best for distance, scoring 9/10. It also did pretty well with accuracy and it is adjustable.
The testing pool ranked the Paradym Ai Smoke hybrid highly across our subjective feedback categories, including feel, sound and looks. Accuracy and forgiveness were below average for the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke so it took 13th place overall in our Best Golf Hybrids of 2024 testing.
Mark
2 years ago
Shaft weight, flex, and torque can affect your ball flight and distance.