The hit up with the driver drill is our fifth driving article in the Driving Practice Drills series.
Hitting down on a driver will increase the backspin and in turn reduce the ball flight and the overall distance of the shot. So here Simon Garner shows us a drill for a purer strike.
In the top photograph, Simon has placed a ball on the floor with an arrow pointing down signifying how someone may hit down on the ball.
If you know you're hitting down on it then tee the ball up, like it is in the photograph, so you can start practising coming up on the ball to reduce the backspin.
In the bottom left-hand photograph you see Simon has exaggerated falling back on the shot at address both with an iron and a driver so at impact the clubface will be travelling upwards.
Set up as Simon has with a long iron and hit the ball whilst leaning back. If you connect with it on the up then the ball will travel through the air at a normal trajectory, not too high and not too low.
The same method then needs to be applied for when you're practising with your driver as shown in bottom left-hand photo.
Hit a few balls until you're connecting nicely and the ball is flying through the air at a higher trajectory than you were previously creating.
Then hit a drive with a normal set up. You should start to see a better ball flight and have less tendency to hit down on the ball off the tee. If not keep drilling!
Check out where Simon coaches at the Palmerston Golf Academy at Brocket Hall.
Or look at our Driving Practice Drills index or Golf Practice Drills index for more help.
