This is in fact very common with players and can be quite frustrating as we are often told that every swing is the same however our iron play seems to be noticeably better. The first aspect is since the driver is longer and lighter, any bad habits will always be exaggerated as more speed is generated with less margin for error. The second aspect is that the driver swing is in fact played slightly different to that of an iron.
Now with an iron we tend to position the ball just left of centre of the stance. The main reason for this is that this is the ideal position for us to hit 'down' on the ball whilst transferring the weight. As we know with irons, we always want to collide into the ground to ensure the ball gets loft. However if we teed up a driver and put the ball position in the same spot and tried to hit 'down' on the ball, the result typically ends up with ball shooting straight up in the air. The main reason why this occurs is that the angle of attack is different for a driver versus an iron.
Now for a driver we want to put the ball position opposite your left heel with the ball teed up that presents roughly half the ball above the top of the head. Now because the ball is teed up we need to feel as though we are hitting more 'up' on the ball versus 'down' with an iron. We also should feel as though our right shoulder is lower at set-up to further feel as though we will hit more 'up' on the ball. As you can see the psychology is different as the more we hit 'up' on the ball, the less likely we will hit a 'sky'.
What I will often have students do when having trouble with 'skying' is feel as though the right shoulder is still low when they hit the ball. This will force them to feel as though they are naturally hitting more 'up'. Another exercise to try is that if you're at a Driving Range with rubber tees, try and practice hitting a half inch above the bottom of the tee at least a half dozen times before you start hitting balls. If you're constantly hitting the ground with the Driver during these swings then this will most likely lead to a 'sky' when hitting the ball.
If you have any further questions about fixing your Driver just book in with myself at David Waters Golf.
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