Why Am I Not Getting Roll On My Drives?

“I’ll take any extra roll on a drive I can get,” thinks just about every golfer. I know I do. When I hit what I think is a good one and then see it check up and stop in the fairway, it’s pretty frustrating. If you have been asking why you’re not getting any roll on your drives, it could be for any one of these reasons.

Spin rate is too high

When your ball stops in the fairway, it’s because it has a lot of backspin. A high spin rate causes the ball to climb higher, descend at a steeper angle and roll less.

If you look at TrackMan data, you can see that. for a driver swing speed of 94 mph, the optimal spin rate is approximately 2,772 rpm. Lower swing speeds need slightly higher rates to maintain carry distance and keep the ball in the air longer.

If you have access to a launch monitor and see that your spin rates are much higher, you are likely losing yardage off the tee.

Go for a club fitting and see which driver specification is best for you. There’s a fine line between too little and too much spin. A low-spin driver is not for every player.

Using a high-spin golf ball

Certain golf balls are known for generating high levels of spin. The high-spin golf balls are great around the greens to give you a little extra control but off the tee, that can be a problem.

Take a look at our golf ball testing and see if experimenting with a lower-spin golf ball could help you get the distance you need off the tee without sacrificing too much performance around the greens.

Improper angle of attack

A steep angle of attack on a driver will increase the spin loft, resulting in too much spin and limited roll. We play the ball off the inside heel of our lead foot to help generate a positive (upward) angle of attack with the driver.

Experiment with your tee height and ball position to help encourage an upright angle of attack that leads to more roll.

Weight hanging back

If you watch any great player make contact with a driver, their weight has transferred to their lead foot. Players who are not quite as experienced tend to hang back with too much of their weight on the trail foot.

One of the best ways to practice this is to start feeling your weight transition from the back a little sooner. Weight transfer has to happen as part of the transition from backswing to downswing or it may be too late.

The clubface angle at impact is not square

If your driver’s clubface angle at impact is slightly open, it can increase spin and dynamic loft, leading to less roll. Work on your grip and setup to ensure your clubface can square itself at impact.

One issue that causes some golfers to have an open clubface at impact is adding too much wrist hinge to the driver swing. The wrist hinge helps generate extra spin and keeps the clubface open in the short game. However, overdoing that concept with the driver could take away some of the extra roll you are looking for.

Feel a lower, slower and longer take away with the driver that helps delay the hinge and reduce the likelihood of you opening the clubface unintentionally on the backswing.

Get more roll on your drives

Practice with a personal launch monitor and check your spin rates. If they are getting too high, see if you can bring them down a bit by playing with the ball position, etc. You may also want to consider getting a custom fitting to make sure your golf club is the best fit for your game.