F-O-R-E Minute Friday – Help My Driver Isn't Working Today!

Help! My Driver Isn't Working Today!

Welcome back to the tee box! I'm your host, Daniel Guest, and today we're tackling a problem every golfer knows: that feeling on the first tee when your driver just doesn't want to cooperate. You're slicing, you're hooking, you're hitting the dreaded pop-up, and you're thinking, "Why bother?

The Quick Fix: Tee It Down!

When the big stick is misbehaving, most of us try to swing harder or fix some imaginary flaw in our backswing. Stop! The easiest, fastest fix is often right under your nose... or, more accurately, under the ball.

If you’re struggling with your driver, you are likely teeing the ball too high.

Think about the modern driver. It's designed to hit the ball on the upswing—that's how you launch it high with low spin for maximum distance. But if you have the tee jacked up too high, two bad things happen:

1. The Pop-Up (Sky Mark): You catch the ball on the top of the clubface, near the crown. It flies high with no distance, and you leave a stupid white mark on your beautiful driver.
2. The Slice or Block: When the tee is too high, you instinctively try to swing underneath the ball, which can lead to your swing path moving too far to the left (for a right-hander), causing an ugly slice or a weak push-block to the right.

The Better Setup

Here is the simple adjustment you need to make right now:

1. Lower the Tee: The general rule of thumb for a perfect driver contact is to have half of the ball sitting above the crown of your driver when you sole the club on the ground.
2. The "Better Miss": When you lower the tee, you force yourself to hit the ball more in the center of the clubface. A lower tee encourages a slightly more level, descending, or shallower angle of attack. This creates more solid, center-face contact.
3. The Result: Your bad shots won't be catastrophic pop-ups. They'll be lower, penetrating line drives that still keep you in play. You might lose five yards of potential distance, but you'll gain 50 yards of confidence because you're actually hitting the fairway!

So, next time you step up and your driver feels like a foreign object, don't try to change your grip, your stance, or your swing thought. Just bend down, tee the ball about a quarter to half-inch lower, and trust the simple, solid contact.

It’s the quickest path to turning that bad driving day into a playable one.