How To Hit The Golf Ball Straight - Problems & Solutions

Is your golf game in need of some improvement? Have you ever wondered if you're hitting the ball the right way?

Many Golfers say that learning to hit a ball straight is the best way to improve their game. Failing to do so will cause all sorts of problems, from hooks and slices to off-target shots.

In this article, I’ll show you how to hit the golf ball straight and improve your game. We will learn how to correct your swing mistakes and talk about the problems you can solve by doing so.

In a Nutshell

The easiest way to hit a golf ball is to keep your hands relaxed throughout the swing. This keeps tension out of the wrists, allowing your arms to move freely without resistance. Once your arms are free, you can use the natural weight shift in your body, keeping the clubface square to the target during the downswing.

During the game, when you try to hit a golf ball straight, you swing the club face at a high velocity and impart too much spin on the ball. As a result, it causes a curve off course. To fix this problem, you must slow down your swing. For this, you should practice swinging the club head slower than normal.

This helps ensure you don't overswing and strike the ball hard. There are several ways to learn how to control your swing speed, including practicing with a coach, taking lessons, watching videos online, and reading books. So keep reading to learn how to drive a golf ball straight. We've got some great tips for you.

Why Am I Unable to Hit a Straight Shot?

We can safely say that there are two main reasons for a straight shot:

1. The clubface is square at impact relative to the direction of travel.
2. The angle of attack is perpendicular to the ground.

Understanding why a straight shot is possible for some players and impossible for others requires knowledge of the fundamental physics behind the game of golf. In fact, physics plays a critical role in determining whether a player hits a straight shot or not.

So, there's no rule of one-for-all here. It greatly varies among golfers. Some can consistently produce a straight shot while others struggle mightily. Why does it vary so much? Because each golfer has their swing mechanics.

In addition to having a unique swing, each golfer must also learn how to apply the correct amount of force to the club head at the right moment to generate a straight shot.

Other than that, one of the primary reasons is that the clubface does not remain square at impact relative to the intended direction of travel. So again, keeping the face angle perpendicular to the target line at impact is vital.

Tips to Control Your Club Face

If you are having trouble keeping your clubface square at impact, here are three things you can try:

1. Practice Keeping The Clubface Square At Impact. 

You can practice this by swinging a driver around a pole or tree trunk. Swing slowly, focusing on keeping the clubface square to the pole or tree trunk.

2. Try To Keep The Clubface Square At Address.

 When addressing the ball, keep the clubface square to the ground. Again, swing slowly.

3. Keep Your Hands Steady.

 Most people tend to move their hands when they swing. By holding your hands still, you will find that the clubface stays square to the target line much easier.

Problems and Their Solutions While Hitting a Straight Shot

Golfers who want to achieve the straightened shot come across different problems identified by the golf coaches.

You won't see many pro golfers consistently going for a straight shot – it's complicated. No one would try to choose a hard shot to play. 

But, don't you worry, if you want to make straight shots as your style, you should try them for sure. We are listing some of the problems below with their possible solutions.

#1 It's Draw or a Hook every time 

So, you end up hitting a draw or hook every time, and that's frustrating. To overcome the problem, you should opt to hit the ball with a square club face instead of a closed one.

Solutions:

It is not impossible to make the club face square and hit the ball straight, avoiding draws or hooks. Following are the solutions:

ClubFace Position- Open

An Open club face is when a club is tilted (like 1’o’ clock for right handers) and, as a rule of golf ball flight, a ball will most probably fly in the line of the club face. For example, if it is an open club face then the ball will travel toward the right.

Since, our goal is to make the ball travel in the straight line, we should make the club face square. A square club face is straight unlike open or a close club face. Imagine 12 on the clock.

So, a quick fix for the draw or hook problem can only be a keen observation of the open club face at the address and make it square.

Neutral grip- a little Weaker

An essential factor in getting your club face square is the grip. It would help if you mostly gripped the club using fingers– it will be a weaker grip.

You don't have to hold the club with your palms and it's not so strong. This will ultimately help your square club face to hit a straight shot.

Ball Position- Move it Forward.

Ball position is another crucial factor in deciding the shape of the shot. Moving the ball a bit forward in your stance will more likely solve the problem of your draws and hooks.

#2 I End up Slicing or Hitting a Fade!

You should read our guide on fixing the slice in your golf game to see your wish for consistent straight shots come true. 

There are numerous tips that can give you outstanding results. You can cure your slicing or fading problem with consistent practice. 

Solutions: 

Making your club face square will be attained once you practice your game by keeping the following tips in mind. 

Neutral grip- a little Stronger

The club head will address the ball in a square position if you hold it with a neutral grip.

A neutral grip is simply having your hands around the top of the clubface without a closed hand position. It is important because this will make the ball travel straighter and farther than any other grip.

ClubFace Position- Closed

The open club face is a big no to solve the fading or slicing problem. Instead, try to make it square. If the square face can still not help you, try closing the face a little. 

You may have to practice this several times before you can achieve success.

Ball Position- a Little Closer

Placing the ball close to the center and not so far that your posture is compromised and getting unnecessarily bent can help you avoid the out-to-in swing.

This ball position will also help your club face to be square at impact.

Problem #3 Ball Doesn't Start on My Intended Line 

This is a problem with your alignment. Unfortunately, it is one of the common problems while opting for a straight shot.

The ball travels in the direction of the club head, so our aim here is to correct the posture, which ultimately will help us achieve a straight shot.

Solution: Posture Correctness

Jack Nicklaus once said,

If you set up correctly, there's a good chance you'll hit a reasonable shot, even with a mediocre swing.

~ Jack Nicklaus

So, posture correctness is the apparent solution to this problem. 

An ideal posture should come naturally. You should slightly bend your body in the direction of the ball.

The total body weight should be equally distributed on both feet. For this, your feet must be aligned with the shoulders. In addition, your back must be straight and your knees a little bent. In this way, your whole body will be parallel to the target.

A check on the club's distance from your body is necessary for a straight drive. It (the grip end) should be around 5-6 inches away from your body.

Here's a cut from a video (5:59-6:39) hinting at the perfect posture for a straight shot. 

What's Best? A Wood or a Driver?

The drivers and woods in your bag are the friends of those curvy shots (hook and slice). These clubs must be open to playing with the lofts and weight, especially near the clubhead's heel.

The choice of altering the weight decides the clubhead's performance on getting closed or open, which, you know, is the reason for a straighter shot. 

We'll be needing a driver which has variable lofts. It ultimately increases backspin on the ball to make the shot as straight as possible.

3 Best Clubs For To Hit The Ball Straight

Big brands have come up with various drivers and woods with excellent quality. We have many drivers in the market with

• Draw-bias
• Increased offset
• More weights toward the heel of the club head.

Here we are with the list: 

#1 Ping- G425 SFT Driver

This driver tops the list since it has a remarkable 'straight flight technology,' which makes it an anti-slice club. You can make your purchase here. 

#2 Callaway- Rogue ST Max D Driver

Callaway gets the 2nd position with their efficient variable lofted driver to deliver straight shots.  The Rogue ST Max D is the hero. Get it from here.

#3 TaylorMade- Stealth HD Driver

No, HD doesn't mean High Definition here but 'high draw.' This feature makes it a correction of the draw shots.  Taylormade has remarkably well used the carbon face to distribute the weight across the head in its Stealth HD Driver. That's why it is placed in the top three best drivers for straight shots. You may get hold of your driver here. 

Conclusion

Driving straight consistently is not child's play- it is hard, as endorsed by pro players. So many of them, in fact, don't practice it often.

While driving the ball straight may seem like an easy feat, it takes years of practice and consistency to truly become skilled at it. If you’ve struggled with draws and hooks, take advantage of the helpful hints offered in this article to help get your game back on track. Practice and patience are key ingredients to achieving your ultimate goal of hitting the ball straight. Don’t be discouraged when you hit a draw or hook; keep your chin up and continue to learn, grow, and improve!

If not completely eradicating the problem of draws and hooks, these drivers will definitely help in restricting the ugly slices. So, whether you are a beginner or you have been playing for years, these useful tips will help you make sure you stay focused, improve your performance, and ultimately play better golf.