Why Can I Only Hit My Golf Ball 200 Yards? (5 Solutions)

The single greatest impact on a golfer’s ability to hit a golf ball a certain distance is the swing speed. While other factors such as spin rate, launch angle, center face contact and swing path have an impact, the most significant factor is the overall swing speed. If you are struggling to hit the golf ball only 200 yards, we have a potential solution for you!

We all want to hit the 250-300 yard drive and the good news for many golfers is there are methods to improve your overall distance. Distance is not a static thing and you can increase it. We attempt to give you the top 5 solutions with the 1st solution having the greatest impact.

Let’s dive right into the 5 possible solutions.

Why Can I Only Hit My Golf Ball 200 Yards?

You lack swing speed
You have too high of a spin rate
Your launch angle is too low

You don’t hit the center of the club face often enough
Your swing path is too extreme in one direction

Hit your driver further and have more wedge shots into greens instead of hybrids or fairway woods!

Solution #1: Increase Your Swing Speed

Ready to finally solve the distance and swing speed puzzle?

I spent many years wondering how I can increase my swing speed.

When I was playing junior golf, we weren’t fortunate enough to have some of the training aids and knowledge that is now available. Smart people have studied the golf swing and have created training aids and protocols to help all golfers increase their distance!

At around the same time, the statistics from the PGA Tour have become more clear and the importance of speed is acknowledged by many to be a key to being the best on the PGA Tour.

Within the past several years, there have been several products hit the market to make speed gains possible. While many people for many years waited for the latest driver to come out to gain an additional 5-10 yards, you can now do this even with your current clubs.

Did you know that with the SuperSpeed Training System you can gain 5-8% increase in swing speed as early as the first training session? This would allow you to gain somewhere between 10 and 30 yards depending on your current swing speed.

SuperSpeed Golf – Use Discount Code Golfjourney365 for some savings!

The SuperSpeed Training System is based on three different swing speed sticks all weighing at different weights. There is a green club that is 10% lighter than the average driver, the blue club which is 5% lighter and the red club which is actually 5% heavier!

Following their prescribed protocols the golfer completes the training every other day. The total time to complete most of their protocols is between 10-15 minutes. Most people can find the time to make this happen. The golfer will also need a swing radar to measure their progress.

The science behind the SuperSpeed Training System is based on overspeed training. Overspeed training has been around for several decades now and has been used by olympic athletics in the sport of Track and Field.

The science behind this overspeed training is based on the premise that your brain will only allow your body to move as fast as it feels it can stop safely! So, you get to work and swing the clubs as fast as possible, retraining your brain to allow you to swing your driver faster.

For more permanent results, the golfer should continue these training protocols for several months. The initial 5-8% is great and can become more permanent with the right length of training. The golfer can expect to continue to break down barriers every several months at a 1-2% increase.

My own experience has been an increase of 7-10 miles per hour on average from between 98-101 all the way up to 106-109. My goal is to hit the PGA Tour average of 113 mph in the coming months. I will continue to train every other day and watch in amazement as I am hitting drivers longer now than ever before!

Phil Mickelson (a senior golfer now) has been known to increase his swing speed in the past year or so and is close to 120 miles per hour in his swing speed. There are potential results for golfers of all ability levels and age!

Check the current price on SuperSpeed Golf System, here!

Original Swing Speed	After 4-6 Weeks	New Carry Distance	Total Distance
95	102	245	265
100	108	259	279
105	113	271	291
110	118	283	303

Solution #2: Lower Your Spin Rate

Did you know that if you swing your driver 105 miles per hour and one time have a spin rate of 2200 RPM and the next time a spin rate of 4500 RPM that the difference in total distance is between 20 and 30 yards.

Spin rate is often overlooked by many. I was finally able to dive into spin rate and the impact it has on total distance, especially with the driver, when I started using a Skytrak Launch Monitor.

Check current price of Skytrak Launch Monitor here!

Having a clear understanding how spin rate impacts your carry and total distance is made rather clear when hitting with a launch monitor. I was able to experiment with different clubs, different swings and different launch angles to maximize my launch angle for my swing speed!

I would highly recommend checking out 1 of the 3 launch monitors below and using it to improve your game!

Here are the top 3 options to check out:

Mevo Launch Monitor

If this hole looks intimidating, could you imagine how much less intimidating it could look when you are hitting your driver 230-250 yards!

Solution #3: Tee it High and Let It Fly

When you can combine an increased swing speed, with the right spin rate and launch angle you’ll be amazed at the distance you can gain.

Too many amateurs tee their driver too low and swing down into the ball, causing an increased spin rate and an improve launch angle.

Our recommendation is to tee it high and let it fly. When you can measure your launch angle and spin rate together on a launch monitor you now have data that you can act on. Golf is a game where science has now entered the equation. Use the science and the analytics to your advantage.

Get that ball by your front foot, tee it high and launch it at a 3-7 degree upward angle of attack which will increase your launch angle.

Solution #4: Dial In Your Swing

Too often a golfer can gain additional swing speed, but can lose distance because he or she struggles to hit the center of the clubface. The best golfers hit the sweet spot over and over again. The best way to practice this is to hit plenty of golf shots and it doesn’t have to be with the driver. Work on center face contact and hitting the ball clean. I have two great drills below to help you dial in your swing and hit the center of the face more frequently.

The Low Point Control Drill

Take some yard paint and paint a 1-2 yard long line.
Setup with 55% of your weight on your front side.
Try to hit the target side of the line and see how many times out of 10 you can do this successfully!

Repeat this drill every day for a month, tracking your progress and your ability to to this successfully in trials of ten.
You may need to start with half swing and progress to full swings.

If you are struggling, put more weight forward and work on keep your head still to help control the low point in the swing. Work on this drill consistently and you will become a better wedge player!

The Stock Shot Drill

At the driving range, set up an alignment stick about 6-8 yards in front of you, straight down your target line.
If you have a second alignment stick, set the stick 3-4 feet right of the first stick (for a draw) or left of the first stick (for a fade).
Complete your initial assessment see how many times out of 10 you can start the ball to the right or left of your target. Pick one side and measure your game at this point.

The goal is to eventually get 7 out of 10 shots to start to the correct side and draw back towards the target.

Solution #5: Neutralize Your Swing Path

Too many amateurs swipe across the ball and flight the slice. This robs the golfer of any quality distance and produces an ugly looking sliced shot that is hard to keep in the fairway. We would point you back up to the stock shot drill described above to neutralize your swing path. We prefer a swing path that is 1-4 degrees in to out.

This can help produce the slight push draw to maximize distance and create a shot pattern that is repeatable.

Playing golf 365 days a year and having instant data and feedback is a game changer!

My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About four years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.

This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.

It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.

Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:

Rain or Shine Golf Packages

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions: