The Easy Driver Set-Up
The Easy Driver Set-Up is a short blog post explaining the basic principles of how to set up for the Driver.
To start with, every golfer needs to know that the Driver set-up is very different to the set-up for the irons.
Some of the reasons why are as follows,
A Driver shaft is much longer than with an iron.
The clubhead is a totally different shape to an iron.
There is very little loft on the Driver’s face in comparison to an iron.
All of the above differences make the Driver an impossible task to try and hit it like an iron.
The main difference in the swing is that, with a Driver, we try to hit the ball on the upswing and not during the downswing.
This is the reason that we should tee the ball up much higher than we do when playing with an iron.
Please note that this blog post is aimed at righthanded players.
Set Up Basics
How high should you tee the ball up?
The answer to this question is simple, Tee the ball up high enough so that the equator of the golf ball sits roughly at the same height of the top of the Driver clubface. (See Title Photo)
If the ball is teed up too low, the impact position will be too low on the clubface. Vice Versa, when the ball is teed up too high then the impact will also be too high.
(I have never seen someone with the problem that the ball is teed up too high with the driver.)
The closer you can get the impact in the middle of the clubface, the better the result will be.
How wide should I stand?
You should stand at least shoulder-width apart. It is important to have a good solid foundation.
A stance that is too narrow will cause the swing to be out of balance and it will then become too inconsistent.
The stance should be nice and wide with the Driver, especially if it is windy.
Where should the ball position be?
The ball position should be just inside the left heel, as in Photo 1.
Imagine your swing as a circle. The lowest part of that circle will be directly in between your feet in the middle of the stance.
Therefore the section of the circle opposite your left foot will be moving upwards.
If the lowest point of your swing is in the middle of your feet then the swing moving through the ball should be in an upwards direction.
Photo 1
How should the top half of my body look?
Your shoulders should be tilting to the right. In other words, the right shoulder will be lower than the left. In this position, you should also be aware that your shoulders should be aiming slightly right of the target line.
The upper body should be leaning a fraction to the right, as in Photo 1.
As you lean, let your head tilt too so that your right eye is lower than the left.
The worst thing that you can do now is to try and keep your head straight or your eyes parallel to the ground.
How should I swing the Driver?
Due to the shaft being so long the swing plane will be shallower.
You should never try to hit or brush the ground whilst having a practice swing with the Driver as this only creates a steep swing. Every golfer should be attempting an air swing. This will shallow out the swing and help against slice problems.
How NOT to set up with a Driver!
Take a look at photo 2.
The top half of the body is leaning to the left. This means that the weight is too much on the left foot in the address.
You will also notice that the shoulders are now pointing to the left of the target. This will create an out to in swing through the ball or, in other words, a steep slicing action.
My hands are way too far in front of the clubhead which decreases the amount of loft on the clubface. This will also create a steeper angle of attack which can only go wrong.
The right eye is now higher than the left which will also promote a swing that is too steep.
Photo 2
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