New to golf - driver at the range.

[MaxwellNorth]

I just started practicing golf and I've been trying to practice my drivers but don't seem to get better. Here is what's happening.

When I try to hit the ball I seem to get it solid but it usually doesn't go very far, mostly straight and down to like the twenty. My irons go pretty straight and far even when I hook it right. There is no where to put down a tee and when I put the ball on the level part of the mat same thing. Any tips, thanks for your time. Max.

[nick1998bunker]

if you mean 20 yards than you have topped it. You hit the very bottom of the clubface. The less you feel in a golf shot than the better you struck it. If you can get away with it most people walk up or back a couple feet and stick a tee in the grass. If your hitting driver they normally dont care.

[Pretzel]

Hitting a driver from flat ground is something that is hard to do without practice, especially on mats. The reason for it being so difficult is because the driver is designed to hit a ball that is teed up so that around 1/4" of the ball is above the top of the driver at rest. Try to see if you can find a spot to tee up the ball like that and you'll notice a drastic difference.

[Crim]

Wait....you're trying to drive without a tee!? Problem....solved.

[Pretzel]

Originally Posted by Crim

Wait....you're trying to drive without a tee!? Problem....solved.

Yeah. It can be done, but it's hard. I've never done it in tournaments, but I find it useful personally as a quick occasional reminder to stay in my tee shots. It's also fun if you're at a lake driving range (you hit floating golf balls into a lake) to hit driver off the ground and skip the ball across the lake.

[Hardballs]

Wait....you're trying to drive without a tee!? Problem....solved.

He's new to golf! ... Should We also tell him you can buy bags to carry clubs round with instead of resting them on your shoulder? ;-)