Try Jon Rahm’s Simple Trick to Hit Longer, Straighter Drives
Updated: Sep 4
Transcript summary:
Driver Setup: Try Jon Rahm’s Simple Trick to Hit Longer, Straighter Drives
If you're struggling to hit your driver longer and straighter, you might not need to completely rebuild your golf swing.
You might just need to change where you address the golf ball.
This simple driver setup adjustment was discussed by Jon Rahm, and it's something I've experimented with in my own golf swing.
Instead of placing the driver directly behind the golf ball at address, we're going to move it several inches back.
It sounds incredibly simple.
But it can completely change how you visualise and deliver the golf club through impact.
For golfers who hit down excessively with their driver, leave the face open or struggle with a slice, this is a setup change I'd definitely experiment with.
Here's how it works.
What Is Jon Rahm's Driver Setup?
Most golfers set up to the driver in exactly the same way.
They position the ball towards the front of their stance and then place the driver directly behind it.
Jon Rahm has discussed doing something slightly different.
Rather than addressing the driver immediately behind the golf ball, he has talked about positioning the clubhead around two clubheads behind the ball.
It's an idea that also has similarities to the way Moe Norman addressed the golf ball.
You're not changing where the ball is positioned.
You're changing where the clubhead starts.
That's an important distinction.
The golf ball can still sit towards the inside of your lead heel, but the driver begins several inches behind it.
And that can completely change your perception of where the club needs to travel through the hitting area.
Why Address the Driver Behind the Golf Ball?
One of the biggest problems I see with amateur golfers is that they become obsessed with hitting at the golf ball.
They set the club immediately behind it.
They stare at it.
Then their entire golf swing becomes an attempt to deliver the clubhead to that one point.
With the driver, I want you thinking more about swinging through the golf ball.
Moving the clubhead back at address can encourage you to visualise a longer section of the swing arc through impact rather than seeing the ball as the end destination.
That's particularly interesting with the driver because we're trying to optimise launch conditions rather than simply create the same impact we'd want with an iron.
Driver Setup vs Iron Setup
Your driver setup shouldn't simply be a longer version of your iron setup.
With an iron, we're generally looking to strike the golf ball before the lowest point of the swing arc.
That's why a downward angle of attack is completely normal with an iron.
The driver is different.
The ball is elevated on a tee and positioned much further forward in the stance.
For many golfers, we'd like to create conditions that allow the driver to be travelling more upward through impact.
That can help create a more efficient combination of launch and spin.
So if you're setting up to your driver and producing the same downward delivery you'd use with an iron, you could be leaving distance on the table.
How This Driver Setup Can Help Your Angle of Attack
Imagine the bottom of your golf swing as an arc.
The club travels down.
It reaches its lowest point.
Then it begins travelling upwards.
With the driver, the golf ball is positioned forward because we want to take advantage of that later part of the arc.
Addressing the clubhead slightly behind the ball can give you a clearer visual representation of this.
Instead of feeling:
Clubhead → ball → stop
I want you to feel:
Clubhead → low point → upwards through the ball → target
That's a very different intention.
For golfers who naturally hit down too much with the driver, this simple setup adjustment may help them experience what an upward delivery feels like without consciously trying to lift the golf ball.
How to Try the Jon Rahm Driver Setup
Here's how I'd introduce this into your own golf swing.
Don't immediately go to the golf course and start experimenting during your medal round.
Take it to the driving range first.
Step 1: Get Your Driver Ball Position Right
Start with your normal driver setup.
For a right-handed golfer, position the golf ball approximately towards the inside of your left heel.
For a left-handed golfer, reverse everything.
The ball needs to be forward enough in your stance to give the club an opportunity to travel upwards through impact.
Don't move the ball backwards just because we're moving the clubhead backwards.
Remember:
Ball stays forward. Clubhead moves back.
Step 2: Address the Driver Behind the Golf Ball
Now comes the important part.
Instead of placing the driver directly behind the golf ball, move the clubhead approximately 4–6 inches behind it as a starting point.
You can experiment with this distance.
Jon Rahm has discussed something closer to approximately two clubheads behind the ball, but you don't necessarily need to jump straight to that extreme.
Start small.
The goal is to change your perception of the swing arc.
Step 3: Add the Correct Shoulder Tilt
Now look at your upper body.
For a right-handed golfer, allow your right shoulder to sit lower than your left.
This creates some natural spine tilt away from the target.
That tilt can help put you in a much better position to deliver the driver through the ball rather than chopping steeply down into it.
A common mistake is setting up with the shoulders too level.
From there, golfers often find themselves fighting their setup throughout the entire swing.
Get the setup right first.
Step 4: Make a Natural Takeaway
Once you've established the clubhead behind the ball, don't overcomplicate the takeaway.
Allow your trail arm and wrist to move naturally as the club travels away.
We're not trying to manufacture a huge in-to-out golf swing.
We're simply creating a setup that may make it easier for you to deliver the club from a better position.
You should feel as though the club has plenty of space to travel through the hitting area.
Can This Driver Setup Help Fix a Slice?
Potentially — but we need to understand why.
A slice is produced when the relationship between your clubface and club path creates left-to-right curvature for a right-handed golfer.
So moving the driver six inches behind the ball isn't some magic cure for every slice.
However, this setup can be useful for golfers who combine:
A steep driver swing
An excessively downward angle of attack
An out-to-in club path
An open clubface
Poor upper-body tilt at address
Changing the setup may make it easier for that golfer to create a different delivery.
And that's why I like setup changes.
You're addressing the problem before the golf swing has even started.
How This Can Help You Hit Your Driver Longer
If you're trying to hit your driver further, clubhead speed is only part of the equation.
How efficiently you deliver that speed into the golf ball matters enormously.
Launch, spin, strike location and angle of attack all influence how far your drives ultimately travel.
For some golfers, improving the driver setup can help create:
A more upward angle of attack
Higher launch
More efficient strike
Better clubface control
Improved ball flight
More usable distance
That doesn't mean simply hitting upwards as much as possible.
We're looking for better impact conditions for your individual golf swing.
Don't Try to Lift the Driver Into the Air
This is an important warning.
When golfers hear that they should hit upwards with their driver, they often deliberately try to scoop the ball into the air.
That's not what we're doing.
The setup helps create the conditions.
Your job is still to make your golf swing.
Keep rotating.
Keep moving through the shot.
Allow the loft of the driver, forward ball position and your setup to influence the launch.
Don't suddenly throw your hands underneath the golf ball in an attempt to help it upwards.
Try This Simple Driver Drill
Here's a really easy way to practise the feeling.
Place your golf ball on a tee as normal.
Then put a second tee or marker approximately 4–6 inches behind the golf ball.
Set the driver at that second marker.
Now make your normal golf swing.
Your goal is to feel the driver moving from that starting point, through its low point and then through the golf ball.
Start at around 60–70% speed.
Don't immediately try to smash the ball.
Hit a few drives and watch:
Starting direction.
Curvature.
Launch.
Strike location.
Then gradually build the speed.
What Happened When I Tried It?
When I tested this adjustment myself, I hit one of the best drives I'd produced in a long time.
The strike felt fantastic, the ball launched strongly and the resulting flight was exactly what I was looking for.
More importantly, though, the setup changed my intention.
Instead of feeling as though I was trying to hit the golf ball, I felt as though I had much more freedom to swing through it.
And sometimes that's exactly what a golfer needs.
Not another complicated technical thought.
Just a different starting point.
Should Every Golfer Use Jon Rahm's Driver Setup?
Not necessarily.
Jon Rahm is one of the best golfers in the world, but that doesn't mean every golfer should copy every part of his technique.
Golf swings are individual.
What we can do is take ideas from great players, understand why they might work and then test whether they improve our own ball flight.
If addressing your driver several inches behind the golf ball improves your launch, strike and delivery, fantastic.
If it doesn't, you haven't spent three months rebuilding your golf swing.
You've simply tested a setup adjustment.
That's exactly how I want amateur golfers to approach changes like this.
The Driver Setup Change to Try at the Range
So, next time you're practising your driver, try this:
Ball forward towards the lead heel.
Clubhead 4–6 inches behind the ball.
Trail shoulder slightly lower.
Make your normal golf swing and feel yourself swinging through the ball rather than at it.
Start slowly and experiment with how far behind the ball you position the driver.
This Jon Rahm-inspired driver setup won't automatically turn every golfer into a great driver of the ball.
But if you struggle with a steep delivery, poor launch or inconsistent drives, it's an incredibly simple experiment that could help you understand how you want the driver travelling through impact.
And the best part?
You can test it in seconds without changing your entire golf swing.
Comments