Many of my students tell me they are afraid of their driver, so they keep it in their bag and hit their 3 wood instead. I hate hearing that because I think the driver is one of the easiest clubs in the bag to hit. It can truly be a great club for everyone when players learn what is different about the driver.
The swing isn’t any different from the other clubs in the bag but the set up certainly is different. If you are having problems with the driver, don’t give up on it. 99% of the time the driver is hard to hit because the player is not set up properly. Set up is everything with the driver.
The first thing you need to check is your ball position. Most golfers play the ball too far back in their stance, causing them to slice the ball. The ball position should be forward in your stance, looking like it is lined up with the inside of your front foot (front foot being the foot closest to the target)
Because the driver is the longest club in the bag with the least amount of loft on the face of the club, we are actually trying to hit the ball on the upswing, not the downswing like we do with every other club in the bag. Moving the ball forward helps get players in a better position to achieve this and also helps the player handle the length of the club.
Next, you need to check your alignment, making sure you are square to the target line. Your feet, hips, and shoulders should be parallel to the target line. When teaching alignment I like to have students think of a railroad track. Your ball should be on the target line which represents one track and your body should be on a parallel line to the target line, which represents the other track. Alignment can be a problem with all your clubs but because the driver is the longest club in your bag, the alignment issues are magnified.
Last, I would check your hand position. Just because the ball position is more forward, does not mean you should move the hands forward in your setup. Your hands should still be centered in the middle of your body. To achieve this you will need to add more side bend to your back shoulder. Again, because the driver is the longest club in the bag, dropping your back shoulder will make it easier to set up behind the ball and keep your hands in better position.
Try this at the range first before trying it on the course. Once you get comfortable with this, you will never leave your driver in the bag again.