How to Drive a Golf Ball Farther: 6 Fixes That Work
How to drive a golf ball farther? Hit the center of the face, swing a little faster than feels normal while still holding your finish, and get the shaft leaning forward at impact. Then make a fuller turn, use the ground for power and make sure your driver actually fits you. Work on one or two of these at a time.
Most extra yards come from better contact, not a harder swing. Below are the fixes a GOLF Top 100 Teacher uses with students, a simple practice plan and answers to the questions golfers ask most. Heading to the range? Browse our best-selling golf shirts.
Why don't my drives go farther?
Teacher Michael Hunt writes that he sees the same handful of problems again and again when golfers struggle with distance. The biggest is contact: "If you are about 1 inch off of the center, you are losing about 10% of your distance" (GOLF.com: The top 10 ways to gain distance). Speed, a weak impact position and a short, armsy backswing follow close behind.
His advice before you start: pick one or two changes and give each one "two to three weeks". Changing everything at once rarely works.
How to drive a golf ball farther: 6 fixes
1. Find the center of the face
Spray the face with foot powder or use impact tape and hit a few drives. Hunt's rule of thumb: marks toward the toe often mean you stand too far from the ball or swing out to in; marks toward the heel often mean you stand too close or swing in to out. If the marks are everywhere, shrink the swing, hit smaller shots to the center, then build back up.
2. Practice swinging faster
Speed has to be trained. Hunt suggests taking a 7 iron and making 10 swings "much faster than you are use to swinging," stopping between each one and always reaching your finish. The idea: if you swing 80 mph and practice at 85, you may carry 82 onto the course. Fast, but never out of balance.
3. Improve your impact position
Many amateurs arrive at impact with the shaft leaning back, which adds loft and costs distance. Rehearse impact without a ball: weight mostly on the lead side, hips open, hands ahead of the ball, head steady. Move slowly between setup and impact until the position feels natural. (With a driver the ball is teed up and hit slightly on the upswing, but the same "hands not flipping" feel still applies.)
4. Make a fuller turn, not a bigger lift
A longer arc can send the ball farther, but Hunt warns not to just lift the arms. Get the extra length from a bigger shoulder and hip turn; letting the lead heel come up slightly is fine if it helps you turn.
5. Use the ground
Good footwork is a power source. Make small swings feeling your weight move to the trail side and then the lead side, then lengthen the swing and feel yourself push up off the ground through impact.
6. Check your equipment
Shaft weight, length and head design all affect speed and launch. A proper fitting from any qualified fitter can find yards that technique alone can't. Ask about loft too: many golfers gain carry with more driver loft, not less.
A simple 3-week distance plan
| Week | Focus | Drill |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Center contact | Impact spray, swing between two tees spaced just wider than the head |
| 2 | Speed | 10 fast 7-iron swings to a full finish before each range session |
| 3 | Turn and ground force | Slow side-to-side swings, then full swings pushing off the ground |
Keep a note of your carry distance at the start and end of each week so you know what actually worked.
Common distance mistakes
- Swinging harder with the arms: the club gets out of sequence and contact gets worse. Speed comes from turn and footwork.
- Teeing it too low: a low tee encourages a downward hit with the driver. Tee it so about half the ball sits above the top of the face.
- Falling back at the finish: weight stuck on the trail foot. Finish balanced on the lead side.
- Chasing every tip: pick one fix, give it a few weeks, measure it.
Short game matters as much as length. See our guides on how to chip a golf ball and how to putt better.
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FAQ
How do I add 20 yards to my drive?
Start with center contact, which alone can be worth around 10% of distance, then add speed training and a fuller turn. A driver fitting can add more. Results vary by golfer, so measure your carry before and after.
Does swinging harder make the ball go farther?
Only if contact stays centered and you stay balanced. Train speed with practice swings to a full finish rather than swinging out of control on the course.
Where should the ball be for a driver?
Most golfers play it off the inside of the lead heel, teed high enough that about half the ball sits above the top of the clubface.
Can a new driver add distance?
A driver fitted to your speed and launch can help, but a poorly fitted new driver may not. Get fitted rather than buying off the rack.
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