How to Hit the Fairway Every Time: 6 Simple Driver Tips

It’s tough to make birdies or even pars when you’re approaching greens from the rough. Bad tee shots are a major contributor to high scores and the leading cause of lost golf balls worldwide.

The good news is that you only have to hit 14 tee shots per round, so as long as you hit at a 60% rate, you’ll be as good as most tour pros.

To get your ball in the short stuff more often, use the tips below and see how they compare to your current driving habits.

Key Takeaways

If you’re on your way to the golf course right now and don’t have time to read all the tips, just focus on these key takeaways to give yourself the best chance at hitting more fairways.

• A shorter backswing is one of the easiest ways to straighten out your tee shots
• Monitor your wrist motion through impact using your Hackmotion or these tips
• Simple adjustments to your ball position and tee height could make a huge difference
• Pocket-to-pocket drill works great if you don’t have a Hackmotion
• You only need a couple of tees to correct your driver ball flight and hit more fairways

Tips on How to How to Hit the Fairway Every Time

A fairway is the largest target we golfers ever get. There is no reason to miss it often unless your swing is off.

While bad swings happen every so often, these tips will help prevent those bad swings from producing bad shots.

Shorter Backswing

If you need emergency accuracy, the first thing you should do is shorten your backswing. This isn’t a long-term fix, and it will shorten your drives, but at least they will find more fairways.

Only use this technique if you find yourself in trouble during a round.

If you want to shorten your backswing, do this:

• Focus on turning your body, not lifting your arms and hands.
• Rotate your shirt buttons and belt buckle together without sliding your hips.
• When your core stops turning, let your arms and hands naturally stop too.
• From that shorter top position, swing down and through the ball without forcing it.

Flatter Left Wrist

A cupped left wrist causes many bad tee shots. This causes severe pulls or vicious slices that happen on all shots but are more noticeable with a driver in hand.

To hit more fairways, your left wrist must be as flat as possible. To get a flat left wrist in your golf swing, you need to focus on the angle it takes at the top of the swing.

The easiest way to keep an eye on this is by using your HackMotion. It will instantly tell you if your wrist is flexing or bending too much the wrong way.

When you’re taking practice swings, make it a habit to stop at the top and actually look at your wrist.

If you’ve got a buddy with you, have them check too. They can quickly tell if your left wrist is flat or if you need to make a small adjustment.

• Video timestamp – 8:15 – 9:30

Have the Right Driver

Missing fairways could be equipment-related if you tend to miss fairways consistently in the same spot.

For example, if you always hit a 25-yard fade and even your good shots are 15-20-yard fades, then that could be caused by a driver that is not right for you.

Many golfers buy their driver off the shelf, which may provide the best deal economically, but is not necessarily the right tool for the job.

To get the correct driver and driver shaft for your swing, always consider these aspects;

• Shaft Flex – If your shaft is too whippy, you’ll likely slice it. Too stiff, and you’ll hit low pushes with no hang time.
• Shaft Kickpoint – A high kickpoint launches the ball higher, which means more spin and more trouble in the wind, especially bad news for your driver.
• Shaft Length – Too long? You’ll probably slice it because the club can’t catch up. Too short? You’ll lose distance and start swinging out of your shoes to make up for it.
• Shaft Torque – This is more for better players, but if you’re a single-digit handicap and missing fairways by just a little, checking the shaft torque could help tighten things up.

Adjust Tee Height

For those missing fairways by a lot of yards, this won’t be the solution to your problems. But if your drives are off by a few yards most of the time, then a simple tee adjustment could be the answer.

Don’t fall into the trap of teeing the ball too low. When you tee it low, your swing gets steeper, which adds spin, and spin is what makes your drives slice or hook all over the place.

It also makes it way easier to top the ball by catching it low on the face.

Instead, tee it up a little higher. You’ll give yourself more room to swing freely, hit the center of the face, and launch the ball without worrying about chopping down on it.

A simple fix that can make a huge difference in your drives.

Optimize Ball Position

Most amateur golfers have heard that they need to line up the ball with their front foot or front heel with the driver. While this is correct, it can also be misleading.

Some players have the ball lined up perfectly with their front foot, but then tilt one way or the other. This changes the ball position in relation to your body, but not with your front foot.

Hackmotion can also help identify a poor ball position based on the bend in your wrist. 

A ball position that is too far forward will cause hooks and pulls. If your ball position is too far behind your front shoulder, then you will most likely hit fades and slices. 

Drills for Fairway Accuracy

Your driver will benefit from these top drill recommendations. These will keep your club in sync with your arms and your arms in sync with your body.

Don’t worry about sacrificing some distance at first; you want to ensure your tee shots are straight first, then work on distance.

Pocket to Pocket Drill

The majority of missed fairways are caused by over-the-top swings. This is when the club head crosses through the impact zone from outside the target line and travels back to the inside through the ball.

The best way to hit a driver consistently for more fairways in regulation is to swing from inside to out. If this is new to you, then start with small motions where your hands only travel from pocket to pocket. 

• Video timestamp – 8:11 – 8:48

Hit Hard, Stop Quick Drill

This is a very niche drill as it requires you to stop right after impact, which is not a natural motion. But it will help you understand what your club is doing through impact, the most important part of the swing.

The focus here is on your top hand wrist (left wrist for righties). Your Hackmotion is the best tool to monitor your wrist’s movement, ensuring it doesn’t flip or rotate the club face.

You can also use a mirror to identify the position of your wrist.

• Video timestamp – 3:10 – 4:18

Tees Under Arms Drill

This is a great drill to do at full speed because it really gives you the feeling of moving your body in unison with your arms.

Many amateurs tend to overuse their arms, which causes errant tee shots and also physically wears them out.

Couple this drill with the following drill, and you’ll be hitting more fairways in no time. 

• Video timestamp – 8:40 – 12:02

Release Not Roll Drill

Rolling promotes too much club face rotation. This may come in handy for lower handicappers, but if you’re struggling to hit fairways consistently, then you want to focus more on releasing the club, not rolling it over.

Releasing keeps the club face more square for longer through the impact zone. So, even if you slightly mis-hit, the ball won’t be too far off your intended line.

• Video timestamp – 0:43 – 2:01

Final Thoughts

Hitting fairways more consistently will take some practice. Your tee shot has the largest margin for error, so even the slightest mistake can cause terrible results.

The good news is that most people face similar issues, and the tips and drills above directly address them. 

For fast results, use the detailed information provided by your Hackmotion.

It identifies the part of your swing that is at fault immediately and saves time by avoiding the need to diagnose a potential small problem.