How To Hit Your Driver Out The Middle... Using Foot Spray

In this video, Dan Grieve shows you how to find the centre of the clubface and improve both accuracy and distance

Strike location golf
(Image credit: Howard Boylan)
Dan Grieve
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We all want to strike the ball out of the centre of the clubface to get the most out of our driver – but how can you do that time after time? In the video and article below, PGA pro Dan Grieve shares some brilliant drills to help you improve the consistency of your strike location so that you can avoid creating too much spin with your driver and lower your scores. 

Quite simply, the strike location is where you connect with the ball on the clubface. There are some simple driver drills for golf that can help ensure that you are hitting the ball out of the middle of the clubface on a more consistent basis. If you do, you’re going to find more fairways and hit the ball long and straight.

All you need to get started is some foot spray, which you should be able to pick up from a pharmacy (Daktarin rubs off easily with a towel). Give your clubface a spray, wait 30 seconds or so to give it chance to dry, and then hit some drives.

Clubface spray golf strike location

(Image credit: Howard Boylan)

With a heel strike, I’d suggest popping a headcover down just outside the ball (see below). From there, if you were to hit out of the heel, then the toe of the club is going to catch the headcover. Maybe you’re coming over the top, but at least you’ll start to get a feel with what the issue is. After a time, your strike will improve and you should start to see that imprint move more into the middle.

Strike location drill

If you're struggling with heel strikes, I’d suggest popping a headcover down just outside the ball 

(Image credit: Howard Boylan)

With toe strikes, lay a scrunched up towel down low to the ground (see below). Should you be coming from too far on the inside as you approach the ball, you’re likely to catch that towel (something soft like a towel avoids getting an injury). As a result, you’ll start to get your arms out in front of you for a more centred strike.

Strike location drills golf

With toe strikes, lay a scrunched up towel down low to the ground

(Image credit: Howard Boylan)

This is another super drill to help you find the centre of the clubface more often and get more distance. Simply lay two rods down to create tramlines (see below) – a gateway for your driver to travel through. If you give that yellow rod a nudge on the way down, you’re going to strike the ball out of the heel. Hit the white rod as you come into the ball, and that’s going to produce a strike out of the toe. It’s a super visual drill that gives you some instant feedback.  

Gate drill golf

To really work on that strike, this gateway drill is always a good one to take to the range 

(Image credit: Howard Boylan)

When you do use the spray on your clubface, I’d suggest hitting a good number of balls and making a note of your impact location to establish what your pattern is. Then, you can work on the appropriate drill to find that sweetspot more often.

Dan Grieve
Dan Grieve
Top 50 Coach

Location: Woburn GC  

Dan is one of the leading coaches in the UK, a Fellow of the PGA and a short-game virtuoso. He has had considerable success with a collection of tour pros, helping them to Order of Merit titles and major victories, and his Short Game School is the most attended in the UK. His students, past and present, include Charley Hull, Georgia Hall, Inci Mehmet and Iona Stephen.

Most common problem:

Swing – over the top , help by getting the basics correct at address and making them aware how to get the club online coming down.

Short game – creating spin and feel around the greens, help by educating on what the short game actually is (weak on purpose) and understand bounce and how they can apply it to different lies/situations.

Greatest success story:

Helping Georgia Hall from World No. 450 to No. 6 and winning a Major, two Order of Merits and Solheim Cup appearances.

Greatest teacher:

Alex Hay was a great influence during my first few years at Woburn. In sport more generally Sir Clive Woodward has taught me how to deliver at the highest level.

Most common fault:

Flipped right hand (hands behind the ball). Understand a correct coil/load going back and how to sequence better coming down so the chest opens up and gives the arms space to deliver a stronger impact. Lots of body action drills to enhance the feel, with and without the ball.

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