PowerPoint describing how to hit a driver.

1. How to Hit a Driver

2. Introduction
• Attempting to play golf without understanding the basics of a golf
swing, such as the correct posture, swing plane, addressing the ball,
and the correct golf grip, can cause major issues in learning how to
play golf. Having the correct swing plane and posture can make it
easier for a golfer to have a consistent tempo with his or her swing,
but it also helps reduce injuries caused by bad posture and form.
Continuous use of terrible posture and a bad swing plane during
hours of playing and practicing can cause injuries to different parts
of the body, such as the back, the wrists, and the knees. In order to
avoid these issues, the following instructions were designed to help
illustrate how to correctly swing a golf club. With the help of
professional golfer Jason Day, the following pictures will help
understand one of the many ways to correctly swing a golf club, in
this case, the driver.

3. Golf has many different way to grip a club now-
a-days. The most basic and consistent form is
Overview called “interlocking.” As it can be seen in Figure
1, the golfer places the left hand on the club,
holding it like you were giving it a handshake,
then place the right hand above the left hand
on the grip. Then you can also see that with
your right hand’s pinkie finger, you then place it
in between the index and middle finger of the
left hand. With the completion of this part, you
would have successfully mastered the
“interlocking” grip.
Note – The grip described above is for right-
handed golfers. If you are a left handed golfer,
Figure 1: “Interlocking” Grip switch everything opposite of what was stated.

4. Equipment Needed
• A driver
• Golf glove (recommended)
• A tee
• Golf balls
• A mat or driving range

5. Instructions – Step 1
• First, tee up a golf ball and address it (go up to the
ball like you are getting ready to hit it) by laying your
club head flat on the ground, as if you were ready to
hit the ball. The clubface should be directly behind
the ball and facing the direction to which you would
be hitting the ball (Figure 2).
• Note: When addressing the ball, make sure your feet
are spread “shoulder distance” apart and align your
spine in an upright position (should make a 45
degree angle with ground and spine).

6. Instructions – Figure 2
Figure 2: Posture and Setup

7. Instructions – Step 2
• When addressed, the club should be slightly
extended from your body. Your grip should be
located directly under your eyes (Figure 2).
And visually, the ball should be placed slightly
inside of your left heel.
• Note: You can test this by holding a golf ball
next to your eye and letting it go. Wherever it
falls is where your hands should be located.

8. Instructions – Step 3
• After setting up your shot, start by slowly
taking the club backwards while twisting your
torso with the club. When taking the club
back, the butt end of the club and the middle
of your torso should be facing each other.

9. Instructions - Step 4
• As you are taking the club back as far as you
can extend your arms, start by bending your
wrists so that the club starts to go over your
body.
• Note: Make sure your left hand (or right hand
for lefties) is facing straight ahead of where
you are standing when you start to hinge your
wrists.

10. Instructions – Step 5
• When making the wrist
hinge, make sure your
thumbs are pointing
upward (Figure 3). This
is sometimes referred
to as giving “two
thumbs up.”
Figure 3: Take Back and Wrist Hinge

11. Instructions – Step 6
• When taking your club back, remember to
keep your left arm straight at all times;
bending it will cause loss of distance to your
shots.

12. Instructions – Step 7
• Continue these motions
until your body can’t turn or
your wrists can’t handle
anymore. This step may
vary for different ages of
people. The correct way to
finish the backswing is to
get the whole club at the
top of your body and have it
parallel to the ground. If
you can’t make it
completely parallel, just get
it as far as you can then
move on to the next step Figure 4: End of Backswing
(Figure 4).

13. Instructions – Step 8
• When beginning the
down swing, make sure to
start moving your hands
and the club downward
before starting to move
your hips or lower body,
as this will cause your ball
to fly significantly further
left or right of your
intended target (Figure 5).
Figure 5: Start of Downswing

14. Instructions – Step 9
• Continue dropping your hands as well as
turning your body. Remember to face the butt
of the club and your torso towards each other
on the downswing as you did on the
backswing.

15. Instructions – Step 10
• When you come closer to making contact with
the ball, keep your head down and eyes on
the ball at all times.

16. Instructions – Step 11
• When making contact with the ball, your body
should be shifting slightly forward due to
momentum of your swing, and powering
through the ball. This will cause your back foot
to turn and pivot on the ground, while the
momentum will shift the weight to the
outside of your left foot (Figure 6).

17. Instructions – Figure 6
Figure 6: Making Contact

18. Instructions – Step 12
• Also, your hands should pass through their
original position after contact is made with
the ball (Figure 6).

19. Instructions – Step 13
• After contact is made,
follow your swing arc
through to your target line,
extending your arms out
fully like the backswing
(Figure 7). Make sure to
pivot the back foot and turn
it so the top of your shoe
will be facing the target line
as well.
• Note: Keep your head down
at all times to stay focused
and to make pure contact
with the ball. Figure 7: Follow Through

20. Instructions – Step 14
• After following through
towards the target,
continue the swing path
up and around your
body. The finish of your
swing should look
something like Jason
Day’s finish in Figure 8.
Figure 8: Finish

21. Instructions - Conclusion
• In the completion of these instructions, you
should be able to understand the basic swing
motion, with assistance from pictures of a
professional golfer. Likewise, having the correct
posture, tempo and swing plane will also get your
golf game ready and keep you pain free.
• NOTE: Keep in mind that these instructions are
for the right-handed golfer. If you are a left-
handed golfer, use the opposite arm or foot then
the ones stated above.

22. Sources
• The pictures that are for the swing above were
from the November 2011 edition of Golf Digest.
The link to the pictures can be found below:
• http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-
instruction/swing-sequences/2011-11/photos-
jason-day#slide=1
• The picture of the grip came from “Discover the 7
Steps to a Perfect Golf Swing.” The link of the
website can be found below.
• http://www.perfectgolfswingtips.net