Instruction - Improving Driver Consistency
If you struggle to put together two good drives in a row, then look no further than the quality of your impact. Chances are you’re missing the center of the clubface, which is robbing you of the consistency you want off the tee.
Missing the center of the clubface can cost you ball speed, distance, and consistency, even if the swing feels good.
Two-Towel Drill
One of my favorite ways to improve driver contact is a simple two-towel drill. All you need is your driver, a ball and two small towels.
Tee up your ball as you normally would. Place one towel on the ground a short distance behind the ball and another a short distance in front of it. Set up to the ball and hover your driver just behind the tee.
From there, make your normal backswing and focus on creating width by allowing your arms to stay extended away from your body. As you swing through, your goal is to sweep the ball off the tee without contacting either towel.
The towels provide immediate feedback. If the club hits the towel behind the ball, you are likely releasing the club too early. If you strike the towel in front of the ball, your club may be traveling too steep through impact.
The goal is to create a longer, more level area through the bottom of the swing. Think about the driver traveling through the hitting area with a wide, sweeping motion rather than sharply down into the ball.
Why does this matter? Consistent driving requires both predictable clubhead speed and predictable contact. When you repeatedly find the center of the clubface, you’re able to transfer energy to the ball more efficiently and produce more consistent ball speed, launch, and distance.
Don’t focus only on swinging harder when you want more distance. Start by improving where the ball meets the clubface and how the club is traveling through impact.
Give the two-towel drill a try during your next range session. Start at a comfortable speed, successfully miss both towels, and then gradually add speed while maintaining the same quality of contact.
Proper Impact
Creating proper arm extension through impact is an important key to producing speed, solid contact, and consistent drives. Instead of dragging the handle toward the target and keeping the arms pinned close to the body, allow the arms to naturally extend away from you as the club moves through the ball. Think about sending the clubhead down the target line and have the lead arm full extended at impact. When the handle gets pulled too far forward, it can reduce the clubhead’s ability to release and make it harder to square the face. This often results in the dreaded slice.
A great feel is to have both arms extending just after impact, creating width through the hitting area while maintaining your body rotation. This combination allows the club to release naturally, helps maximize speed, and gives you a better opportunity to find the center of the clubface.