Q&A for How to Drive a Golf Ball

The most efficient you can be on a driver is high center on the face. If you want to improve on that, take some foot spray and spray the face. Then, when the ball makes impact with the face, we can see where it's made impact and how to improve from there.

You need to assume an athletic position! The idea is to feel your hands hanging a fist away from your thighs when you're tilted over at the waist. This is what will promote the proper spine angle for a good drive.

If you're a righty, you are actually "slicing" your ball. To avoid slicing your ball, avoid swinging your club in an out-to-in motion. During your backswing, you are holding the club too far out and on your downswing, you are bringing your club inwards. That will cause you to slice your ball.

Just be relaxed - that's a KEY tip. If you're only focus is the ball, then you'll have more luck. Also make sure to get enough power behind your swing to ensure more distance.

Set your tee higher, and get just under the ball with the driver's sweet spot. Keep your head down and your eye on the ball during your entire swing. Only look for your ball after you've hit it.

Lay a towel behind the ball about 6" to a foot and try to miss the towel. Also, practice more on downward slopes toward the pin.

While swinging, you don't have to back swing fast. Swing back slowly, and hit with power, as this will improve your concentration.

Line the ball up further from the shafts on the club head. Hitting near the shaft causes the ball to go left.

Close the face of your driver approximately 1/32 of an inch and do not change your swing.

Check your grip. A right handed golfer should be able to see 3 knuckles of his left hand at address.

I'm fairly short-legged. I stand 5 feet 9 inches, but have a 28-inch inseam, putting me closer to the ground than most men. I have found that I can use any club with some work. But yes, get shorter shafts. I was using a Callaway Big Bertha driver and able to crush it. But then I used my wife's shorter custom fit Lady Cobra driver and never hit a drive so straight in my life. Something custom for you is pricey, but the way to go.

You shouldn't under normal circumstances, but if you somehow spike the ground, it is possible.

Drift it left instead of drifting it right.

If your left arm is the arm of a clock, it should not go past 10 o'clock. If you go past this point the third lever, breaking of the elbow, gets introduced. This results in lack of directional control unless you are John Daly.

An easy way would be sacrificing a little distance by using a higher loft face, but the other, 'proper' way requires setting the ball higher. The club will hit the ball on the upward motion, and that means adjusting your swing of the club so that the hands won't "close" the club face at impact (which would cause the ball to draw or hook).

That makes sense. As an earlier post said, it sounds like you're hitting too close to the shaft. You need to return to the original angle you had with your old driver by backing away from the tee about 1 inch (give or take) to compensate.

It is likely because your body is not lined up with the flag or target and is pointing left.

I'm not a pro golfer or anything, but what worked for me is angling the face of the club slightly towards the left. Experiment with this by angling a bit more or less until you are hitting straighter. You could also try moving the whole club to the right of the ball.

Aim more towards the right when you're pitching. Doing so should generate the result you're looking for without any swing adjustments.

Golf shoes can help keep your feet from moving. Get some with good spikes.