OK…this article is for our blogger, Chris Baldwin. Back in May, Chris claimed that instructors are “afraid to teach the driver“. No, they are not “afraid.”

Experienced and knowledgeable instructors want to help students “walk around the block before they run a marathon!” I personally want to help a student with a game improvement plan and not give them a band-aid to keep their tee shots in bounds! Band-aids fall off.

Until a golfer learns to hit a ball in the center of the clubface, the driver will be the hardest club to keep in the fairway. But thanks for stirring it up, Chris. “Hacks” continue to be “hacks” until they learn how to contact the ball in the center of the clubface … be it a putter or a driver.

So let’s move on to my personal favorite lesson … The Driver. The driver is probably the easiest lesson that I give. The most important things you have to do is to have the CORRECT SETUP for the shot. So here it is … if you follow the following instructions precisely, checking yourself in a mirror, not fudging because you don’t like the feel of it, you’ll improve your Driver tee shots!

SET-UP:

1. WIDTH OF STANCE – the inside of HEELS as wide as the OUTSIDE of your shoulders. Most golfers stand with too narrow of a stance. Measure your shoulders and match to the inside of your heels.

2. BALL POSITION- back of ball in line with heel of front foot and in line with forward shoulder (left shoulder if you are a right handed player). Check ball position using a grout line on your kitchen floor…get used to seeing the correct ball position!

3. Bow over at the hip joint.

4. Tilt your spine so that your head is behind the ball and back shoulder is lower than front shoulder.

5. Forward hip “feels” as though it is higher (left hip for right-handed players).

6. Hands (handle of club) will be positioned over the inside of your forward leg. This will make it appear that your hands are a little behind the ball.

With this correct setup, your swing will have a better chance of pivoting behind the ball. Without writing a book on the sequence of motion, just remember to “load” up behind the ball and on the downswing, stay behind the ball. Any time your upper body gets in front of the ball, your shots will spray everywhere on the golf course, losing lots of distance.

So Chris, check your setup and take Dave’s advice and go see him for a great lesson using the driver. Or if you are ever in the San Diego area, come see me for a driver lesson….just know that I’m all out of Band-aids!

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