Are You Tired of Being the Shortest Hitter?
If you’re fed up with slicing your drives, losing distance, or watching your playing partners outdrive you time and again, you’re not alone. For many golfers, the driver becomes more of a frustration than a weapon, especially when the ball barely gets airborne or curves wildly out of bounds. But what if I told you there’s a two second tweak that could genuinely add 20, 30, or even more yards to your drives—and get them flying straighter than ever?
The Common Driver Setup Mistake
Most golfers have heard the classic advice: “Play the ball opposite your lead foot and hit up on it.” While that’s a solid starting point, there’s a subtle mistake I see all the time. When players move the ball forward in their stance, they often bring the club up to the ball and end up with very level shoulders. This sets the shoulders pointing well left of the target. The more left your shoulders point, the more your swing path moves left, pushing the lowest point of your swing further ahead of the ball. That encourages a downward strike and takes the loft off the club—making it almost impossible to launch the ball high or straight.
The Two Second Setup Fix
Here’s the game-changing tip: Once you’ve set up with the ball forward in your stance, move your driver head back by two driver head lengths behind the ball. Instantly, you’ll notice your left shoulder sits higher than your right, and your shoulders square up to the target rather than aiming left. This small adjustment changes everything for your launch and distance.
The clubface might look a little open at address, but don’t worry. As the club moves around its arc, it will naturally square up by impact. With this setup, your low point moves behind the ball, encouraging an upward strike and giving you more time to square the clubface.
Getting the Body in the Right Position
By moving the driver head back, you’re also positioning your body slightly more behind the ball. As you make your backswing and start your downswing, feel that your sternum stays behind the golf ball while your lower body drives forward. This helps the club travel up through impact, squares the face, and delivers those long, accurate tee shots you’ve been craving.
Results You Can Feel Immediately
When you make this two second change, you’ll notice the difference straight away. The low point of your swing will move behind the golf ball, the club will be travelling upwards through impact, and you’ll gain valuable extra distance without feeling like you’re swinging harder. Even slight mishits off the toe or heel will still fly long and straight, making this one of the most forgiving changes you can make to your driver setup.
If you’re hungry for even more distance, keep the same setup but try swinging a little faster. As long as you maintain that upward strike and square face, the ball will just keep going further without sacrificing control. Remember, speed does not mean you lose accuracy—as long as your delivery is solid.
Why This Works
The mistake most golfers make is catching the ball too early in the downswing, when the clubface has less time to square up. With this new setup, you’ll catch the ball later in your swing arc, giving the clubface more time to close and dramatically improving your chances of finding the fairway with a powerful, high launch.
Make the Change and See the Difference
If you’re ready for longer and straighter drives, all it takes is this simple setup adjustment. Move your driver head back two heads behind the ball at address, keep your sternum behind the ball, and enjoy the results. I guarantee you’ll see a big difference in both distance and accuracy off the tee.
If you’d like personal feedback on your swing or more tailored advice, I offer online lessons through Skillest. Whether you’re near or far, I’d love to help you take your driver game to the next level.
Watch the Full YouTube Video
Want to see this tip in action and hear more about how it works? Watch the full lesson on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s77bBaAy1YI
