Fix Your Driver Swing With These 5 Simple Drills

[@johnmona9164]

These driver practice tips are really appreciated. I and my two best friends are all 62 years old, driver videos like this help us to not lose to much distance. Keep up the good work.

[@TeddyCavachon]

Something I realized rebuilding my swing fifteen years ago using Hogan’s Five Lessons (and 20 years of using a swing like Nicklaus) was that he always established his grip with club in the air not resting on the ground. There are two very good reasons to do this: Bio-mechanics and Balance. Bio-Mechanics: 1) Stand vertically and hold the club vertical with lead hand on grip and elbow down and bent 90° and pressed against front of rib cage. 2) Bend right arm the same way against ribs and put right hand on the grip. 3) Let weight of the club head pull the arms down straight, attempting to pull you towards the ball off balance. Done in that sequence you will observe your two forearms counter-rotate against each other as both hands pronate (rotate palm down) and and extend (bow). That’s the genius of the Vardon grip that locks the two hands together, if forces that counter-torquing of the arms creating a very firm arm triangle without any contraction of muscles, just their stretching via the counter-rotation. It also positions the ulna and radius bones in the forearms mid-range in their range of motion which makes the bending of the trail arm in the take-away and trail arm in the finish occur predictably and the ideal part of the swing. It’s how Hogan achieved his tucked in trail arm position and was able to maintain it during his backswing. Done correctly you will observe the brachioradius muscle on the top of the forearm that runs over the top of elbow bulge as the hands are pressed slightly down towards the ground. Hogan described and illustrated this as feeling like wringing a towel with forearm counter-rotation. It does amazing things to your swing by taking all the slack out of the arms and restricting wrist movement to those ideal suited for a golf swing. I didn’t understand why the Vardon grip works until I gripped in the air with bent elbows pointing down and got that rotational torque when straightening the arms. Martin Hall calls this technique EDPU - Elbows down, Palms up (how he starts before putting club in left hand to start the process). Balance: At the point we are still standing upright with arms hanging straight down and club shaft forward at downward angle \ but hovering off the ground. The cantilevered leverage of arm + shaft will be pulling us on our toes. To find ideal balance for the body mass + arm mass + club head mass unit we’ve just created with the Hogan ‘iron triangle’ counter-rotational grip we: 1) Bend forward AT THE HIP JOINT which will cause the arm+club cantilever to find a point of balance under the connection / pivot point at the shoulders, then 2) sit down and back until the weight come off the toes and is felt on the heels. Hogan described and illustrated this as being like sitting down backwards on an invisible stool but bending at the hips / not bending bowed at waist ( is the critical first step for balancing the body mass + arms + club over the feet. But at this point what is keeping the golfer from falling over backwards is that cantilever leverage of the arm+club unit. At STATIC address the weight needs to be biased toward the heels because the swing force in the downswing will try to pull the arms and body mass toward the toes and ball. The longer shafted clubs, especially Driver, generate the most unbalancing force as they whip around the hands. ACTION -REACTION: If the physics of the swing are analyzed it will be seen that it is actually the slowing down of the hips and hands as the hips feel as if they are locking 45° open that causes the club head to whip past the hands so fast (via forearm rotation pronation/supination, plus changes in extension-flexion and radial-ulnar deviation in wrists and hands) the shaft bows forward ( and will snap the head off a club shaft if the back foot stays stuck on the ground. It is the timing of the lifting of the back foot which controls how much the swing force is allowed to speed past the hands and store the force into the bent shaft! The cause and effect of this stopping of hands and swinging of club is felt, seen and understood intuitively in partial swing shots where both feet are kept flat on the ground. Keeping the feet flat is what bio-mechanically limits the hip rotation in the backswing and downswing to 45° closed and 45° open, respectively. Foot flare angle affects the degree of rotation so consistency of foot placement is important. Hogan squared back foot to load his back leg with torque and flared his front foot 22° (half of 45°) to control the timing of when his hips felt ‘stuck’ at 45° open. It should be noted that what need to trigger the hip rotation in the downswing bio-mechanically is some lateral swaying of the left hip back to toward the target to shift body mass to the front foot. With Driver it is critical to allow the club head enough time to swing around the hand during which the face swings closed. This is accomplished by the timing of lifting the back heel off the ground then turning the foot onto the toe. The more the lifting of the back foot is delayed the the more the hips and hands will slow (if linked together with the grip sequence described above). It is one of the most counter-intuitive aspects of swing physics: the hands slowing down is what triggers the acceleration of the club around them. Hogan also controlled the timing of when the club whipped around his hands with his stance angle; open for short shafted clubs, closed for longer, parallel for mid-iron in combination with always positioning the ball in the same place relative to front heel. Modern teaching says keep stance constant and move ball position. Both are solutions to the problem of longer shafted clubs needing more time during the downswing to swing around the hands. If you try Hogan’s method of closing stance to target line with Driver you will find that bio-mechanically it causes the hips to lock at 45° open sooner (further back from ball) that when parallel or opened. Watch videos of Hogan’s swing for blur of the club shaft and note where his hands are relative to back hip when swinging different clubs. The stance controls when in the swing the club head will start to swing around the hands; sooner with longer clubs, later with shorter. Necessary in Hogan’s swing because he always put ball in the same place relative to front heel. In modern swing orthodox the ball moves relative to front foot to achieve the same result. Which is better? The one which can be executed more consistently. I find hit Driver more consistently with the Hogan closed stance, ball slightly behind front heel method because the closed stance exaggerates the feeling of “hitting the wall” with my lead hip when the hip reach 45° open. That feeling of ‘hitting the wall’ is the trigger for the timing of lifting the back foot, which is what allows the hips to resume turning and hands to catch up with the club head. On a cause and effect level the ability to coordinate those two actions of: 1) first slowing hips and hands to trigger the acceleration and then; 2) releasing the back heel to allow hips and hand to catch up is what separates those with consistent and powerful swings. Those who can do as part of their innate athletic intuition will wind up on the pro tour, those who can’t are well served by understanding the bio-mechanics and physics underlying the technique.

[@simmo5071]

As a surfer of youtube golf instruction, you don’t often stumble onto many gems. TADA, you sir have produced some of my favorite tips so much so that I only watch two other teachers. DM & PF.

[@bmc6066]

Love these videos, I’ve watched others but Chris’ style of teaching/speaking about golf is just so much easier to understand.

[@SmileyMaileMei]

My drive has improved immediately! Hovering my club was exactly what I needed. Thank you for this video!!

[@mcaequity]

Tip #2 really helped. I never thought about starting with the driver back a foot for a drill. Helped me improve my timing and swing path alot. Thanks

[@BakersfieldIT]

Thank you for the tips! Hovering the ball prior to my swing has helped quite a bit. Crazy how a small adjustment like this can change your entire driving game!

[@johnpepper1197]

I'm over 75 and just starting to learn the game of golf. I have been watching your videos for 3 or 4 years. I also have gravitated to stack and tilt along the way What you and another seem to use or demonstrate seems very similar to the stack system. Am I wrong to think that way. Looks like great driver tips. Thank you Chris, keep up the great tips. I have been having trouble with consistently getting my iron shots pure. I have been working hard on slowing down my swing, and practicing slower.

[@kennethduffield385]

Great tips Chris, I found i was getting lost with my driver and was starting to slice, hopefully I can get it back with your tips, I get back to you and keep you updated. Thanks

[@gregmcintosh815]

Simple and straightforward tips that everyone can work on so well done Chris.

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks Greg

[@busaisithole8037]

Thanks a lot

[@ernestocampellone851]

Fantastic! I can't wait to try them weekend!

[@CursorNZ]

Thank you, thank you ,thank you. I was struggling to identify where I was going wrong with consistently slicing and your tips managed to resolve this. Really appreciate your vids!

[@bluefishrock]

Thank you, Thank you. I have tried everything to square my shoulders but nothing worked consistently. Your tip of moving the club back along the ground a foot and half and then initiate the swing has saved the day. Bombing drives down the middle instead of the usual high fade to the right!!

[@MichaelJones-ff9gb]

Thank you. Your video was key to helping correct my natural ability to slice when driving. Happy to report that I now launch consistent bombers!

[@erikjanssen4449]

great, a nother information look, to hit the driver. thanks Chris. greatings from the Netherlands.

[@johnlabeta8973]

Great tips thanks plan on using those to work on my driver which is a club that I am totally inconsistent with on a daily basis. Getting in the fairway and giving myself a chance for a better score is key.

[@paulbarnie2514]

I now use the Moe Norman drill on the course as my regular swing and completely changed my game off the tee, now swinging in to out and up and added 25 yards instantly.

[@beckerecomm7508]

Your explanations, drills, tips and advice is spot on. Thank you for sharing!

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

My pleasure, thanks for watching

[@npxmnpxm]

First time I transferred my weight through impact but still stayed behind the ball blew my mind. Was a totally new feeling for me. I'd been hitting the driver like an iron before, with mostly bad results.

[@conorhovland2798]

#2 was a game changer.

[@gerrylawrence660]

Love the reference to Moe Norman, a Canadian folk hero. He could hit so straight he was often called "pipeline".

[@adisonlee9514]

Your Mo Norman drill is working on me surprisingly, I did not practice whatsoever but putting concentration on my takeaway according to the swing path. Bombed and pulled a fews, but no slice instead a little fade. Hopefully it won’t fail me once I start practicing it at the driving range 😂

[@maddiesdaddy666]

These tips are fantastic.

[@Eqnotalent]

BEST driver video on YT hands down. covered all the important part of hitting a driver, simple and easy to understand.

[@onesipwonder]

Tip 1 works great when the tee is really high. The range I go, it has those 3 inch rubber tee. I tried the hover method, I was hitting it better and faster! Ball speed went from 120 up to 145! Had one drive went up to 277 yard with total 305 yards. Never hit ball that far lol. Can’t wait to try at the course tomorrow.

[@myragaskins2646]

Thank you I'm a beginner golfer my really downfall is driving off the tee so this video was very educational and helpful thank you

[@busaisithole8037]

This is a great video. I struggle with the driver but with your tips I think I will improve significantly.

[@bentontaylor3267]

Mate the 2nd tip what a simple ripper. Changed everything in an instant 🎉🎉🎉 On the take away club moving inwards instead of outwards for me changed everything. Loving these milestones. Thanks Bud. Interesting how even regular coaching this simple thing isn’t picked up. Changed everything . Ripper ❤

[@joetroupe893]

Great driver tips, Chris. Thanx 4 Sharing.

[@jonlowdon1584]

Excellent advise,will work on next time at range

[@georgiamay4045]

Hovering causes my forearms to tense up a bit (but I've done that with a single hand, my forwards one).. Can't wait to try the slightly closed clubhead back drill. Also, I am waiting for my new driver .. supposedly will carry the ball about 25 to 30 yds further on my average drive ,, unless they juiced the trackman results.. I have to admit, I almost never try to hit my drives straight. I try to get the ball to run with the contours of the fairway. Fades with left to righters and draws with right to lefters. I really like the idea of the of the headcover drill. Got to add a version of it into my practice.

[@hitenrandhawa2196]

Just awesome, as usual. (BTW during the 5th tip the video shows Tip Number 2)

[@jeffstreelman1330]

Great vid Chris, thanks for sharing the tips. My driver always needs work. Hope to see you in the US this year.

[@tfok100]

Chris, thanks so much on the great 5 tips…. Very detailed and clear instructions. 🙏 😊

[@Mic33399]

Quite enjoy watching your coaching video .... brilliant

[@tepp32]

You're very good. Hit me up next time you're in So Cal. You're the best. --Nick 12.2

[@waynelloyd5375]

Great simple drills that are easy to put into practice, thanks Chris (from New Zealand).

[@veetsec23]

thanks Chris

[@MavHntr]

birdies...Pheasants! Aside, great video, simple drills.

[@bassbugleblower]

tried the pulling the club back to my right foot to try combat my slice, actually reduced it significantly! it's a nice fade now rather than a slice.

[@paulandsueroberts4121]

Nice swing Chris and good tips.......the cheques in the post!

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks Paul, I’ll look out for that 🤣

[@johnfoley9031]

Very good, very helpful.

[@michaelchen6191]

Sure helped Chris. Thanks

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks Michael

[@graemefyffe5295]

thanks for a great class

[@christopherduff5329]

Great video Chris, huge fan of yours, keep it up!

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks appreciate that

[@kennethvandonkelaar2135]

Will try tip 1, 2 and 3 fore sure!

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks Kenneth hope they help

[@ManuelGarciaLaRosa]

Thank you, Chris. Very simple but powerful explanation

[@fredglass6377]

Really appreciate you making these tips relatively simple and easy to understand.

[@lawrencesargant1669]

Amazing this has made a massive difference to me, thanks Chris 👍

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks Lawrence

[@docsbmw525i]

Quality tips & drills Chris 👍👍👍👍

[@dwaynecooper974]

Great tips - looking forward to taking them to the range for a try. I have a question about number 2: is the club meant to come straight back or should it arc inside a bit?

[@peterk9961]

Excellent advises

[@nathanvanrooyen3927]

Great video Chris! Thanks for always putting out good content.

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks Nathan

[@atxbowlingcoach]

Very good stuff

[@paternoborlagdan8586]

Very nice practical tips...Will try to adapt this tips to improve my drive @69 y.o. Hoping to increase my distance. Thanks a lot Chris...Cheers!!!

[@tonyling9837]

Chris - great tips....I'm a big fan of your content. My problem is that I can go weeks hitting half decent drives and then suddenly "pop-ups" start slowly appearing and I cannot stop them.....I usually panic and then the "pop-ups" come with increasing frequency and I reach the point i don't touch a driver for weeks. A video with tips on how to prevent driver pop-ups would be great

[@OverleaGamingProject]

Great tips. Easy to understand. Subbed!

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks and appreciate the sub

[@DonAl9114]

Great video. Thank you. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🇩🇪👍🏻

[@jasonbergren9613]

I love the SIM2! Got the same driver!

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Boom! Great driver! Love mine

[@daddyharry6065]

Tip No. 2, The Slicer. Try this out too - Grip the club in just a little bit stronger position which closes the face. Worked for me yesterday so I was hitting greens in 3 or 4 shots on par four/fives with the longer straighter drives. Second time so far I scored under 100.

[@jackhart8168]

Long term you don’t want to make quick fixes

[@jackhart8168]

I would suggest work on getting at a more neutral position in your backswing that way you don’t have to manipulate you hands as much at impact

[@philzazzera7322]

Hi Chris just an FYI tip 5 is labeled as tip 2. You may want to make that change. Keep up the great videos you definitely have improved my game.

[@ianhunter1114]

Nice one Chris ...

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks Ian

[@timchamberlain5858]

You have an uncanny ability to put out videos on precisely what I plan to work on next! Straightening out the driver and consistently getting off the tee is the priority in my "workshop" right now.

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Haha, thanks Tim, just a coincidence, I’m not hiding in the trees watching your game 😂

[@anomie1040]

Chris, thank you for all the tips I really enjoy watching your videos. What about the tee, I "heard" that a good strike you will break your tee, is that correct ? I watched you hit several balls and never broke the tee. So what about the tee ?

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

No definitely not true I’m afraid. There is one sign of a good tee shot….. the ball ends up in the fairway! 🤣

[@kentbmcpherson1]

Chris, love your videos. I am a slicer with my driver. I tried the Mo Norman drill yesterday on the course, moved my club back 1.5 feet from the ball at address, and then hit my drive. Almost without exception the ball went straight! So what is my next step to get the ball going straight without moving my driver back from the ball at address? Thanks!

[@CorekBleedingHollow]

My driver is a mess. I hit it left and right.

[@joelsinsheimer]

What tips do you have for not just a very severe slicer, but grazing the turf before hitting the ball? It's been a struggle for me the past year and a half or so. I've taken your tips on striking my irons better and it's made a world of difference for me so I thank you for that, but lately, where iron game has improved, my driving has suffered. If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say I'm probably leaving to much of my weight on the front leg, causing a steeper downswing

[@snbailes1]

very good

[@netsecpro]

Hiopes for hook correction

[@matthewcritchley1214]

First time seeing the head cover drill. Great video. 👍

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks

[@sqworldtraveller]

Thanks Chris, excellent tips as always👍 Question - Will hovering any club be advisable, as I tend to be too quick and rushed in back swing under “pressure” 🙄

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

I like the hover as an option for those who do get a little quick, doesn’t always fix it but worth a try as can help

[@XeMoSOoF]

Personally, I don't think hovering your club is a great idea for any other club other than driver due to the ball being in the air, doing this with any club might result in thins and tops. The trigger move that I use that works well under pressure is simply sliding my hip slightly to the left and then starting my shot as it ensures my stance is perfect and keeps me in position, you could use other trigger moves such as a couple breathes or looking at the target and back to the ball, there are many trigger moves out there and if none of them fit you create your own! So whichever you choose make sure it works for you, Hope this helped!

[@mattmundy779]

Beautiful Course. Looks like if you keep finding the woods you could do some upland game hunting instead. Where is this?

[@tonyblackwood5524]

Brilliant Chris. I have notice I am more high towards the toe. I do feel I am more on the heels at strike rather being more over the ball. However when I strike is towards the middle it’s a bit low. Is there a drill to rectify this. Cheers

[@jeffreydauterman]

Just curious what is your distance off the tee? I have to much wrist action in my swing. What are your thoughts??

[@dnguyen787]

Great tips, thank you! :-)

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Thanks, hope they help

[@Dinga631]

Great exercises thanks Chris. I feel I am starting to turn the corner and get better results with the driver so tip 2 & 3 is something I want to try, just to dial in some consistency, 👍

[@jiml9062]

Tip #6 - Use a soft sponge and not a £25 new head cover and the same sponge 2 inch beyond the ball to stop coming across the ball with irons

[@tigermoosearmy]

Tip #4 is the key “gear effect “ changed golf for me. Years of swing changes and different grips. Fixed by hitting the ball slightly higher and a little tee off the toe .

[@paulgutermann8413]

Chris, as always, great tips. With respect to tip 2, I have a swing thought of “low and slow” on the backswing for essentially all my clubs. If doing that moves the low point of the swing away from the ball, does that contribute to fat shots with my irons on shots from the deck?

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Hey Paul, it could if the club is moved away too low, the speed shouldn’t make much of a difference, but too low could yes

[@paulgutermann8413]

@@ChrisRyanGolf Thanks Chris. It had never occurred to until you described the effect on a driver swing. I’m going to try not to move the club head back to low on irons , hybrids and woods and see if it has any impact.

[@desano1975]

I see it’s already fall there? Lord your summer was short! It’s 7/8/2021 and we are just half way into summer here in the USA

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

This was actually filmed around April time, thankfully not quite past summer yet

[@hirepimike]

Variable I have is maybe not releasing club or varying degree of maintaining strong grip at impact. Get some ugly high pop ups to left (right handed).

[@bobwatson8052]

i like hows there a pheasant?

[@RaainNinety3]

I hit the ball fairly square everytime. The problem I have is my swing rotation. I still have that high fade even though I’m hitting the ball dead cantered everytime. Hopefully this helps.

[@JuanSanchez-pq7xn]

I stop playing for six months and I lost my swing, I’ve been working on it for a week now and I got back the swing for my wedges and irons, however the Woods and the driver no success, any ideas ? Thank you Chris.

[@Ifishmo]

Chris, what brand/model golf shoe are you wearing? Thanks, as always great vid!

[@wrmhlmusic631]

nice pheasants out there ahah

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Always plenty of wildlife around

[@wrmhlmusic631]

@@ChrisRyanGolf by the way the alignement sticks drill is insane!! So underrated!

[@barrymason3821]

You say set the tee/ball height, with so many variations in tees what’s the best way to know your tee height for someone who drives down on the ball which these exercises you are demonstrating?

[@judithdoran2042]

I find I’m not following through. What can I do ?

[@TheGolfHackr]

A new breed of hacker is coming

[@Campbell_Sup]

I heel it almost every time I drive the ball. Doesn't happen much with my irons, but pretty common with 3w as well. Drives me insane. No idea how to fix.

[@andy66l97]

Nice tips, be great if you suggested an environmentally friendly alternative to an aerosol👍

[@martinpicker1773]

Really?

[@andy66l97]

@@martinpicker1773 why not? He’s a great reviewer & very influential as a consequence, no harm adding an eco angle

[@andy66l97]

@Ross Edward water spray achieves the same result with no harm to the environment

[@mossbergshockwave9629]

I'm done with golf I just never get better. Doesn't matter what I do. Plus I don't have the time to practice everyday and play 3 or 4 times a week. Seems like a take one step forward and 5 steps back. I just stay in the 80s or 90s so done.

[@kevinsnelgrove4078]

Straighter, longer, more consistent. Yep, but you didn’t qualify these tips, which apply primarily to the outside in swing. And while most amateurs hit weak slices, some of us have the opposite swing flaw … inside out, snap hooks or blocks right. These tips negated that major flaw altogether.

[@PokeWub]

I can literally do everything you say, swing in to out, setup perfectly, etc, driver still goes right. I’ve never seen a driver draw in my life, and almost all my iron shots have a slight draw. It drives me insane.

[@PremusRed]

A KZbinr you might want to watch is Marty scheinblum, he has a video on backswing alignment "golf swing takeaway" that helped me with a slice that was actually a push. Everyone hypes inside to out, inside to out to fix slice but too far inside to out and you get a push out to the right. That was my problem. After listening to every KZbin golf guy about being more inside to out to solve a slice I was pushing it outside with an enormous inside to out swing that looked like a slice but was all backswing alignment. Now swinging what I thought felt like coming over the top and I'm hitting them much straighter Good luck!

[@ChrisRyanGolf]

Sounds like it’s just face control then if all the other things are in place. I’d look to see how the club face is positioned through the swing

[@lewismceacharn3241]

Try a more neutral grip?

[@lawrencebogar6136]

Before you step to your tee shot hold up your driver eye hight and be sure that your driver face is straight in your hands. Make this your first check before you take other steps.

[@HiddenLeaf821]

is say try a stronger grip.

[@danejones2851]

just a pheasant strolling across the fairway like no big deal...don't see that too much at the golf course.

[@tylersexton9838]

Driver used to be the best club I used but now it’s all my irons and wedges 😭