Driver is the club that ruins rounds.

It also has the biggest upside.

That tension is why so many golfers feel stuck. You hit irons fine. You chip and putt well enough. But one bad tee shot turns a good hole into damage control.

I’ve lived this.

I spent years around golf equipment and fittings. I’ve played competitive golf. I’ve seen great swings fall apart with a driver in hand. And I’ve been that guy too.

Here’s the hard truth.

Most golfers don’t have a driver problem.

They have a decision, practice, and mindset problem.

This post is about fixing that.

Not with swing tips.

Not with “just slow down.”

But with simple changes backed by data that you can actually use.

If you care about hitting better tee shots, this is for you.

Why does the driver feel harder than every other club?

The driver is harder to hit. That’s not in your head.

A few reasons:

• It’s the longest club in the bag

• It has very little loft

• You swing it the fastest

• It sits on a tee, not the ground

• You don’t get feedback from turf interaction

With irons, the ground helps you. Even bad swings can survive.

With driver, timing has to be right. And you have less time to square the face.

So when someone says, “I just can’t hit driver,” that’s not weakness. It’s physics.

But difficulty doesn’t mean helpless.

It means you need a better system.

Distance matters more than accuracy (yes, really)

This is where a lot of golfers get defensive.

They’ll say:

“I just want to hit fairways.”

“I’d rather be short and safe.”

“I don’t need distance.”

I get why this feels smart.

But the data proves it is wrong.

According to Professor Mark Broadie’s Strokes Gained analysis, distance is the biggest separator between average golfers and elite players.

His research analyzed millions of shots. The conclusion? Findable and hittable beats short and straight.

If the ball is:

• in play

• not blocked out

• not a penalty

Then distance helps you!

Broadie’s data shows that a longer shot from the rough usually yields a lower score than a shorter shot from the fairway. Being 20 yards closer to the green matters more than the lie.

Where golfers get into trouble is chasing distance without boundaries. But the goal isn’t max speed. The goal is confident speed inside a playable window.

That’s a big difference!

Confidence matters more than mechanics off the tee

This one surprises people. You can play good golf with a bad-looking swing.

You cannot play good golf with doubt.

Driver magnifies fear. When you stand on the tee thinking “Don’t miss right” or “Don’t lose this,” your body listens.

Research by Dr. Gabriele Wulf on Attentional Focus explains why this happens.

She found that when athletes focus internally (on body parts, mechanics, or fear), performance drops. When they focus externally (on the target, the clubhead, or the ball flight), performance improves.

Most driver misses are not technical failures. They’re focus failures. You chose a target you didn’t believe in. You focused on your hands instead of the target. You hesitated.

Confidence is simply commitment. Even when it's hard.

Build a simple pre-shot routine

If your confidence is inconsistent, your routine probably is too.

A good driver routine does three things:

• It gives you structure

• It reduces thinking over the ball

• It anchors confidence

But here’s the key most people miss. It has to be low friction because, if it’s too long, you won’t use it! And if it’s too complex, it will break under pressure.

Here’s a simple framework that works.

Behind the ball

• Pick a real target

• Identify left and right boundaries

• Decide your shot shape

Over the ball

• One look at the target

• Set the face

• Set your feet

• Go

If you’re standing over the ball for 15–20 seconds, something is wrong. (@BrianHarmon)

That’s where fear sneaks in!

Tempo beats effort every time

A lot of golfers think they need to swing faster to hit it farther.

That’s usually backwards.

There’s a difference between:

• tempo (how fast your swing feels)

• speed (how fast the club is actually moving)

When most amateurs try to “swing hard,” their sequence breaks down. But the fix is not to “slow down.” The fix is to keep your natural tempo and let speed happen through the ball. The best drivers of the ball look unbothered!

Why the driving range lies to you

Most ranges are built for irons.

• Flags everywhere

• Flat lies

• No trouble

• No pressure

That’s great for wedge work. It’s terrible for driver practice.

On the course, you don’t aim at flags. You aim between problems. Water left. Trees right. Bunkers. Out of bounds. If you don’t practice that, you won’t perform it.

You need to switch from Blocked Practice to Random Practice.

Blocked practice is hitting the same club to the same target 20 times. It feels good, but studies show it doesn't transfer to the course.

Random practice is changing targets and routines every shot. It feels harder, but it builds skill that actually sticks.

How to practice driver like it’s the course

Here’s a simple way to use Random Practice to fix your driver.

Step 1: Create boundaries

Pick:

• a left limit (tree, flag, range marker)

• a right limit

Treat them as real trouble. If it crosses them, it’s a miss.

Step 2: Pick a real target

Not “somewhere out there.”

Pick a specific spot between those boundaries.

Step 3: Hit in sets

Take 8–10 balls.

Go through your full routine every time. Track how many would be in play.

Then something interesting happens. Pressure shows up. Your heart rate changes. Your tempo wants to change.

That’s good!

You'll quickly learn your tendencies, leading to more comfort when pressure shows up on the golf course.

The “wide fairway” drill that actually works

One of my favorite driver drills is simple.

Set up a 60-yard-wide fairway.

That sounds huge. On a course, it’s not. Many holes have trouble about that wide.

Hit 10 drives and count how many finish inside. Then, do it again next week and track your progress!

You’ll learn:

• Your miss pattern

• What breaks under pressure

• What holds up

Most golfers practice driver wrong (or not at all)

Here’s another uncomfortable truth.

Most golfers either:

• avoid practicing driver

• or hit it mindlessly at the range

Neither helps.

Driver sets up every hole. You use it ALOT.

If you want lower scores, you need:

• Fewer penalty shots off the tee

• Less distance into each green

That starts with driver!

You don’t need to fix your swing to drive it better

This is important.

Most driver problems are not swing problems.

They’re:

• Setup issues

• Equipment mismatches

• Target confusion

• Tempo changes

• Mental lapses

Yes, lessons help.

Yes, fitting matters.

But many golfers could gain shots this week by changing how they think and practice.

If you can:

• Choose a target

• Commit to it

• Swing with your normal tempo

You’re already ahead of most players!

Final thought

Driver doesn’t need to be perfect.

It needs to be predictable.

Findable.

Hittable.

If you stop treating it like a liability and start treating it like a tool, your scores will change.

If you want to go deeper, start by changing how you practice next time you’re at the range.

Same swing.

Better decisions.

That’s how you'll you can turn your driver into a weapon.

—

Luke & Isaak

Co-founders, Play Ready Golf