Have you ever stood before a golf ball with your driver and felt utterly uncomfortable?
You try leaning back while stretching your arms, but that doesn’t work. Next, you try leaning forward, but your arms feel too tight, your body is in the way, and you just feel stuck!
This article will cover how far you should stand from a golf ball with a driver, how to get the perfect driver set up, and more!
Table of Contents
How Far to Stand From Golf Ball With Driver
Technically speaking, the butt of the club should be around six inches away from your thigh and should point to your belt buckle. This applies to both iron and driver clubs.
However, it’s not like you’re going to show up to your game with a measuring tape every time. So instead, there’s a simpler way to ensure you maintain a proper distance without getting too technical.
For example, try doing the hand span test. As the name suggests, you simply place your hand between your body and the butt of the club. Your pinky should point to the butt of the club, while your thumb should point to your body.
There should be a hand span between your body and the butt of the club. So now you know you’re standing at the correct distance from your ball.
That said, there isn’t one cardinal rule regarding how far you should be from the golf ball. The distance usually depends on your height, body type, and overall what comes naturally to you.
How to Get the Perfect Driver Set up
Both the driver and the iron have strikingly similar setups. However, drivers are larger and designed for longer swings. Therefore, some steps in the setup might slightly differ.
Below are four steps to help you achieve a perfect driver swing!
Step One: Position Your Club Head
First and foremost, position the club head correctly behind the ball. Then, you’re going to build everything around that position.
So many golfers make the mistake of basing their entire stance on their foot placement. This can lead to issues such as inconsistency in driver swings.
The ideal method is to make your club head position your top priority and the base of your stance.
Step Two: Position Your Feet
The foot position for the driver swing is slightly different from the iron swing.
Just as you would do in an iron set up, put your feet together with the ball directly across from you. The ball should be in the center of your foot position.
Next, slightly split your lead foot and take up the whole width of your stance with your trail foot. This stance width should be at least shoulder width apart, if not wider.
This will allow you to catch the ball as the club is moving slightly upward.
Step Three: Work on Your Grip
The essential thing in your grip is allowing the club’s weight to do the work rather than forcing it with your upper body.
By gripping your club with your palm, you lose your wrist’s natural ability to hinge and rehinge, which produces speed and power.
So instead, it’s best to have your grip along your fingers. It may feel weird at first, but you’ll quickly notice your hold’s much better.
This method gives you additional leverage and control over the club.
Step Four: Work on Your Posture
Pull your hips back until your upper body is tilted forward and you’re looking down on the golf ball.
When using a driver, you don’t have to tilt quite as much. As opposed to the iron posture, your arms will naturally be more extended outwards.
From then, slightly flex your knees. Remember, golf doesn’t require perfection. The most important step is to be as relaxed as possible.
Pro tip: When using a driver, try raising your lead arm and tilting your upper body back slightly. This will help you produce a stronger swing with greater distance.
Difference Between Iron and Driver Swings
The idea behind driver swings is to get maximum speed and distance. Driver swings usually cause the ball to fly up in the air. This is why in driver swings, the ball is teed.
The main difference between driver swings and iron swings is the setup and the way the ball is attacked.
When you hit an iron, you slowly hit down on the ball. However, with a driver, you hit slightly up on the ball. This is done to get your launch up and your spin down.
What Happens if I Stand Too Close to the Ball?
One of the most common mistakes in golf is standing too close to the ball, especially if you’re a beginner and still trying to get the hang of it. Although it may not seem like a big deal, it drastically affects the quality of your swings.
Standing too close can result in several problems, such as:
- Incorrect posture
- Inaccurate hits
- Unpredictable swings
- Slow swings
- Hooks
- Slices
- Shanks
There are, however, advantages to standing closer to the ball. We’re obviously not talking about standing too close, but rather closer than average.
Some of these advantages are:
- Better balance
- More powerful strikes
- Less stress on the lower body
- Fewer sways
What Happens if I Stand Too Far From the Ball?
Another common mistake almost all beginner golfers make is standing too far from the golf ball. This complicates your swing and forces you to add extra movements to keep yourself balanced.
There are many things that can go wrong when you stand too far from the ball, some of which include:
- Bad posture
- Poor balance
- Less distance
- Push shots
- Hooks
- Toe hits
The Takeaway
A common question beginner golfers tend to ask is how far to stand from the golf ball with a driver.
While there are a few tips and tricks to ensure good spacing, there isn’t one rule that applies to everyone. This is because everybody is different and does what works for them.
