Posted by Seth Zipay on Aug 18, 2022
How To Lower Backspin With Your Driver
HOW TO LOWER BACKSPIN WITH YOUR DRIVER
Posted by Seth Zipay, May 31st, 2017
Last Updated: August 5th, 2022
Follow these simple steps to help you lower backspin with your driver. Hitting a driver off the tee requires a slightly different swing than hitting an iron from the fairway. When you hit an iron you swing down at the ball trying to trap it against the fairway to create optimal spin and a crisp shot. However, this is not the type of swing you should take with your driver. If your drives start out low then rise or balloon quickly up in the air and come straight down with very little roll that is a sure sign you are getting way too much backspin with your driver. While an equipment change with an experienced custom fitter and a launch monitor can also help as well, try these simple techniques first to see if it makes a difference. It may feel a bit awkward at first and it will take some practice but these simple changes can make a difference in lowering your backspin off the tee and ultimately hitting it further.
If you have been fit on a launch monitor before, some of these things will make more sense to you. The key to hitting it far off the tee is having optimal backspin and launch angle. So to start off, make sure you’re teeing the ball up high enough and play it up in your stance right around the instep of your left foot. You want to hit your drives on the upswing and these two easy steps at setup will help with that.
Optimal Stance
You should also take a slightly wider stance, about should width apart. You should also set up with your right shoulder tiled slightly lower than your left shoulder. You can also setup with your weight about 60% on your right foot and 40% on your left foot. You want to feel like you’re sweeping the ball of the tee and not hitting down on the ball. Both of these moves again will help create the optimal swing path so that you’re hitting your drives on the upswing.
Swing Plane And Grip Technique
It’s also important to take the club back low and slow with your shoulders and hips. If you have too much wrist action you will not get your weight back correctly. You’ll want to feel like your weight is on the inside of your right foot during your backswing. If you don’t get your weight back properly during your backswing, it will be very difficult to hit your drives on the upswing.
During your downswing you should feel like your head remains behind the golf ball as you move through impact. Keep a loose grip throughout your entire swing so that your hands and wrists rotate correctly through impact. If you don’t, you may find that some of these tips will cause you to block the ball to the right. After impact, you should feel the momentum of your swing pull your weight to your left foot so that you finish with your chest and hips facing the target.
Take It To The Range
Follow these simple techniques and you’ll immediately notice that you have lowered the amount of backspin off the tee with your driver. By lowering your backspin by just 500-1000 RPM’s can easily add 10-15 yards to your drives off the tee. Having too much backspin can be deadly off the tee. Even if you swing over 100 mph, without an optimal backspin rate and launch angle you could be losing a ton of distance off the tee. So go to the driving range with a bucket or two of balls and try to implement these tips. With practice you’ll quickly notice a big difference in distance and realize that by lowering your backspin with your driver is very important.
Use A Launch Monitor To Track Metrics
Once you’ve mastered these tips, take it a step further and go get fit by an experience custom fitter with a launch monitor. Bring the driver you’re currently playing and compare it against 2-3 other drivers. Some newer driver heads and shafts will also help you to lower your backspin. With all of these combined you’ll soon be hitting it further off the tee than you ever have.