Why You're Skying Your Driver And How To Fix It

The best drivers are supposed to be a source of joy for golfers. After all, there are few better feelings than a sweetly struck tee shot that sails miles down the fairway. However, it can also cause angst if you're plagued by a tendency to sky the ball. In the video and article below, Golf Monthly Top 50 Coach Alex Elliott discusses why you're skying it and shares some simple tips that will help you fix the fault.

Tee height

One of the most common causes of this dreaded shot is your tee height. If you have the ball teed up too high, it is going to be sitting well above the top of the face at address, making it easier to go under the ball and make contact with the crown.

Get a friend or someone you golf with to check your tee height. If it is you are struggling with how high to tee up a driver and are skying the ball regularly, you need to lower it. I like to use the pink castle tee when I play as it keeps it consistent. You're aiming for roughly half the ball to sit above the face at address but don't be afraid to experiment and set your tee height lower if that works for your swing.

Angle of attack

The second common symptom of this shot is an over-the-top golf swing, where your hands are thrown out towards the golf ball in the downswing. This causes the angle of attack to be very steep and golfers therefore hit down on the ball, which makes it much harder to find the sweetspot and increases the likelihood of ballooning one into the air and leaving that nasty sky mark on the crown.

Here's a simple drill that will help improve your angle of attack. If you are hitting down, it's vital to find a way to start feeling like you're sweeping the ball off the tee and hitting it on the up. Only then will you start to make more consistent contact and hit the ball further.

I always recommend having an external focus when practising. In this scenario and as you can see in the video above, I've ripped off a piece from a golf ball box and placed it roughly a clubhead behind my ball and just inside the target line. 

The objective is simple: I want you feel like you brush it on the way back and, more importantly, as you swing down into impact. It might take a few sessions but you should notice your angle of attack improves and you stop skying the ball. 

It's something you can do easily at the range or even on the course using a bit of grass or a mark that might be noticeable on the tee.