Adjust your setup and downswing to avoid the balloon ball
All golfers love to see their tee shots flying high down the fairway, but sometimes high is too high. It’s true that some nice hang time off the tee is a key ingredient in overall driving distance, but if your trajectory balloons, you’re giving up some serious distance. If this is happening to you, I’ve got a few simple checks you need to make: one at address and two as you start the downswing.
- Make sure you don’t tee the ball too high
- Start the downswing from the ground up
- Don’t get stuck on your back foot
When it comes to tee height, a good rule is that half of the ball should be above the top edge of your driver at address. Any higher than that and you can make a great swing and still hit the ball too high. That’s your first spot to check.
Another common mistake I see with average golfers is trying to really goose a drive by making an aggressive move with the trail arm and shoulder to start the downswing. I call it “throwing the club” from the top. It might feel powerful, but you end up releasing your wrists too early, giving up speed and adding loft at impact. Instead, keep your upper body passive for a beat as you lead the downswing with your lower body, letting your trail side and the club whip through last.
A related mistake that often goes with the throw is getting stuck on the back foot. Yes, you want to hit slightly up on the ball with a driver, but if you swing off your back foot, the clubhead is rising too much into the strike. Contact suffers, and you add way too much loft to the shot.
Remember this: your first move as you reach the top of the swing should be a shift from your back foot to your front foot. Make slow-motion swings trying to get a feel for that forward shift. Do that, along with keeping your trail arm and shoulder in check, and you’ll no longer swing your driver under the ball and pop it up.
Butch Harmon heads Golf Digest’s list of the Legends of Golf Instruction.
