Why Do I Sky My Driver?


Steepness in your swing is the number one cause!  When a golfer gets too steep in combination with a golf ball that is teed too high, the sky shot is the final result.  There are several steps the golfer can take to avoid this disastrous shot.

The sky shot is disastrous for several different reasons:

  • First, you lose way too much distance as the shot might struggle to even play 20 yards.  If you don’t quite sky it is so bad, you might get 130 yards max.  Whatever the case, the golfer is left with a really long shot on their 2nd shot.
  • Second, you could possibly leave a pretty bad “sky mark” on your driver that you will be reminded of everytime you lose that club.
  • Third, your confidence can take a big hit and lead to other bad shots on that hole or on following tee shots with the driver.

There are several ways to avoid he sky shot with the driver.

Swing up and smooth like Freddie!

How To Avoid The Sky Shot With the Driver?

The golfer will want to tee his or her golf ball lower and also shallow out his or her swing.

Teeing the Golf Ball

If you are skying the ball too high, you will want to lower your tee.  

At max, your driver could be at the equator of the golf ball.  Anymore than this and you bring the sky shot into play.  Some golfers can tee it high if they have an upward launch angle at the ball.  However, if you are skying the ball, you have an angle of attack that is already too steep.  

If you tee the ball too high, you will stand the risk of a sky shot or a shot that spins way too much.

Shallow Your Swing

Without getting into too much detail, the easiest way to fix this problem and shallow your swing is a lot about your intention.

There are several things to focus on:

  • Move the ball slightly forward in your stance (off your front heel).
  • Tilt slightly back at address. (lower your right shoulder)
  • Attempt to hit up on the ball.  We want the club moving up at impact and not down into the ball. (This can completely eliminate the sky shot)

These three moves maximize your setup and your intention to help you hit up on the ball and shallow your approach into the golf ball.

Oftentimes, golfers have the wrong intent and try to hit down on the ball, this is especially dangerous with a driver when the ball is teed up.

Sky Shot vs Spinning Shot

The other shot that golfers with a steep angle of attack have is the shot that spins too much.  This is characterized by the shot that appears to be flying fine, but suddenly balloons and falls 20-40 yards short of a typical drive.

This shot is caused by many of the same characteristics of the sky shot, but the golfer makes better contact.

What we have here is a shot that is more than likely spinning at 4000 RPMs or more.  The ideal spin rate for most golfers is in the 1800-2800 RPM range.  Once we hit 4000 RPMs the distance lost is rather noticeable.

Follow the three steps above to fix the over spinning shot with the driver as well!

A sky shot on a par 5 is devastating! Tee it up and let it fly!

How To Measure Your Spin Rate?

I would recommend using a Skytrak Launch Monitor or Mevo+ to understand your spin rate with the driver.  If you are constantly fighting the high, short driver, then chances are you have a swing fault or an equipment issue causing too high of a spin rate.

Using a launch monitor and tapping into today’s technology can save many months or even several seasons of frustration.  Having instant feedback is helpful in getting better and ensuring you have the right equipment!

Related Posts:

My Secret To Golf Improvement

Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently.  About give 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:

Recent Posts