Why am I driving the ball too high?
Emily Ross
Published Jan 23, 2026
Hitting the ball extra high with the driver is generally a sign of too much backspin. This can often be chalked up to your equipment, other times to your swing, and sometimes traced to a simple flaw in your setup.
Why do I drive the ball so high?
Teeing the golf ball too high…
Swing path is too steep to the ball, causing the club head to pass under the ball and hit down vs up and in the sweet spot. Incorrect ball position at setup – too far back and you're likely to hit down on the ball and catch it too high on the face.
How do you hit higher on a driver's face?
To create more speed, here's a great swing thought: Rotate your forearms counter-clockwise as you start down, turning the face of your driver to the ground (above). Another good feel is to get the back of your glove pointing down, as if you were going to drag your knuckles along the turf.
How do I stop hitting my driver so high?
How to Reduce Backspin on My Drive
- Tee the ball high enough so a small portion of the ball sits above the top of the driver. Grip the club and take a shoulder-width stance. ...
- Swing the club back with your shoulders and rotate your hips. ...
- Start the downswing by turning your hips toward the target.
Can you Deloft a driver?
Have the ball further up in your stance, off your lead toe is fine. Also, deloft the driver a bit. This may seem counter intuitive, but delofting the club will help you make better, more solid contact with the ball when you swing with a positive angle of attack.
43 related questions foundHow do I get launch angle down?
One of the ways you can lower your launch angle with your irons is to move the ball back in the stance a bit. When you move the ball back, you technically make contact with the ball a bit sooner, and the clubface will still be a bit shut down.
How do you fix a high launch angle?
How to Reduce Driver Launch Angle
- Use a less lofted driver. ...
- Tee the ball back farther in your stance. ...
- Set up with your right shoulder higher -- if you play right-handed -- and your weight a bit more on your left side. ...
- Use a more rigid shaft with a higher kick point. ...
- Use a driver with a shallow face.
Why are my irons launching so high?
The answer is to get the club more behind your body on the downswing, rather than casting it out across the line. This will create an inside-to-outside swing path, eliminating those high, weak cut shots. Work on starting the downswing with your hips, rather than the shoulders.
How do I make my iron launch angle higher?
Tilt your spine slightly away from the target so that your head is behind the ball. All tour players tilt slightly behind the ball from approximately 2 degrees with short irons to a full 10 degrees or more for driving. This "up-hill lie" position should help you launch the ball higher.
What degree driver hits the farthest?
The low loft of a golf driver is very surprising from the perspective of physics. Everyone in freshman physics learns that the optimal launch angle for a projectile - the angle that makes a ball fly the farthest - is 45 degrees.
Do I want a 9.5 or 10.5 driver?
Decide whether you need help getting the ball in the air. If your tee shot trajectory is too low, then choose a 10.5-degree driver rather than its 9.5-degree counterpart. All else being equal, you'll hit the ball higher with a greater-lofted club.
Why do I keep popping up my driver?
So what's the problem? The biggest problem that you pop up drivers or fairway woods is because you're too steep. The key is to change the bottom point of your arc and create a shallow path. This will allow you to hit up on the golf ball and not hit the ball high on the face (aka the crown).
Why is my spin rate so high?
Your angle of attack could be too high.
This is the most common reason that golfers have too much spin on their drivers. As you swing your club, pay attention to the angle you're making before you hit the ball. The higher the angle is, the higher your spin rate will be.
Does a stiffer shaft reduce spin?
So the stiffer the shaft and/or more tip stiff the shaft in relation to your clubhead speed and point of release, the less the shaft bends forward at impact and the more that shaft becomes a lower launch and lower spin shaft.
How does tee height affect driving distance?
Does Tee Height Effect Driver Distance? The height of your tee effects your swing path into impact, especially with the driver. This, in turn, will have an influence on the spin that the ball will have on it. Teeing the ball up can help vastly reduce the spin on your drives and so increase distance.