The short answer: aim for the middle. In the robot tests we found, the longest drives came from strikes just above the center of the face, and low strikes cost the most. In GOLF.com's robot test, a strike 0.3 inch above center carried 244 yards and one 0.6 inch below center carried 219, 22 yards less than the center. Side to side, toe misses cost less than heel misses. Directions here are for a right-handed golfer.
This article goes with episode 8 of HYTON Golf, our video series that cuts golf open in 3D. It also goes with Strike Week, seven short videos that each answer one driver strike question. Every fact below is linked to its source at the end.
Key numbers
| Number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 244 yd | Longest carry, from 0.3 in above center (241 yd from the center), 95 mph robot | GOLF.com (2022) |
| 22 yd | Carry lost on a strike 0.6 in below center | GOLF.com (2022) |
| About 2 mm | How far above the face center ball speed peaked in a robot test | R&A and USGA (2006) |
| 10.68 yd | Distance golfers over 100 mph lost on low strikes vs center | MyGolfSpy (2016) |
| About 5 vs 12 to 15 yd | Carry lost on 3/4 in toe vs heel misses, 2026 drivers, 95 mph robot | Golf Digest (2026) |
| 14.19 yd | Carry lost teeing at 0.5 in instead of 1.5 in | MyGolfSpy (2021) |
More numbers from the series, each with its source: Golf by the Numbers.
Watch the episode: Where Should You Hit Your Driver Face? on YouTube.
The face, mapped
The driver in the R&A and USGA robot study had a face 53 mm deep, about 2 inches from bottom to top. Where you hit on that face matters in two directions. Up and down changes launch and spin. Side to side changes where the ball starts and how it curves, which is gear effect, the subject of episode 5.
The robot ladder
In February 2022, GOLF.com set a swing robot to 95 mph with a 10.5-degree driver and moved the strike up and down the face in steps of 0.3 inch. From the center, the ball carried 241 yards. A strike 0.3 inch high carried 244, the longest of the five, and 0.6 inch high carried 237. Going low cost more: 232 yards at 0.3 inch low and 219 yards at 0.6 inch low, 22 yards short of the center.
Golf's ruling bodies had seen the same shape in 2006. In their robot study, ball speed peaked about 2 mm above the geometric center of the face, and carry was generally greatest just above the center. A second GOLF.com RoboTest in March 2022 tried 95, 100 and 105 mph: strikes on the lower third of the face didn't fly farther even with more speed.
Why higher flies farther
Two things work together. The first is roll, the face's curve from crown to sole: the upper part of the face is tilted up a little more, so a high strike launches higher. The second is gear effect, up and down. A driver's center of gravity sits well behind the face, much farther back than in an iron. A strike above it twists the head in a way that takes backspin off the ball; a strike below it adds backspin. For most golfers, higher launch with less spin means more carry.
Real golfers
Robots swing the same way every time; golfers don't. In 2016, MyGolfSpy had 20 golfers hit 25 drivers, just under 5,700 shots, and sorted every drive by impact height. High strikes launched higher with less spin, low strikes lower with more spin: the same story as the robot.
Swing speed changed the details. For golfers over 100 mph, low strikes went 10.68 yards shorter than center strikes, and high strikes only 1.04 yards shorter. For golfers under 100 mph, high strikes came off the face with nearly 5 mph less ball speed, and low strikes actually went 3.74 yards farther than high ones on average. MyGolfSpy's own conclusion: faster swingers are better off missing high, slower swingers may be better off missing low, and the middle of the face is best for everyone.
Toe or heel
In March 2026, Golf Digest put that year's drivers on a robot at 95 mph and missed 3/4 inch toward the toe and the heel. Toe misses cost about 5 yards of carry. Heel misses cost 12 to 15 yards for most drivers, and low heel misses 25 to 35 yards for a few. The cheap miss is toward the toe; the expensive one is low on the heel.
Tee it up
Tee height moves your strike. In MyGolfSpy's 2021 tee height test, 120 drives per height, teeing the ball at half an inch instead of an inch and a half moved impact more than 4 mm lower on the face. Launch dropped 3.54 degrees, backspin rose 326 rpm, and carry fell 14.19 yards.
Test it yourself
A light coat of foot powder spray on the face shows where every drive hit. Pick one that doesn't dry clear, and wipe it off with a wet towel afterward. If the marks sit low, try teeing it a little higher. If they drift toward the toe, you're on the cheaper side. To keep a record, the Range Notes practice journal ($21.99) has an impact map page with six driver faces to mark.
Illustrations by HYTON; right-handed driver, face seen from the target; curvature, rotation and flight shapes exaggerated or illustrative. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the USGA, the R&A, GOLF.com, Golf Digest, MyGolfSpy, GolfWRX, Golf Monthly or Titleist.
Strike Week: seven driver strike questions, answered
Strike Week was seven short videos, one driver strike question a day, from October 25 to 31, 2026. Here is each answer with its source, and the short that goes with it.
1. Where's the longest spot on your driver face?
Just above the middle. In GOLF.com's 2022 RoboTest, a 95 mph swing robot with a 10.5-degree driver carried the ball 241 yards from dead center. A strike 0.3 inch higher carried 244, the longest of the five spots tested. The R&A and USGA found the same shape in 2006: ball speed peaked about 2 mm above the center of the face.
Watch Strike Week 1/7 on YouTube (0:17).
2. Why does a low strike come up short?
Below center, the ball launches lower and spins more (GOLF.com). Two things cause it: roll, the face's curve from crown to sole, gives the lower part of the face less loft, and gear effect works up and down too, adding backspin on strikes below the center of gravity (Golf Monthly). In GOLF.com's robot test, a strike 0.6 inch low carried 219 yards, 22 yards less than the center.
Watch Strike Week 2/7 on YouTube (0:17).
3. Why doesn't swinging harder fix a low strike?
The extra speed turns into extra spin. In a second GOLF.com RoboTest in March 2022, the robot swung at 95, 100 and 105 mph. Strikes on the lower third of the face didn't travel any farther as the speed went up: vertical gear effect added backspin, and the spin cost the distance.
Watch Strike Week 3/7 on YouTube (0:17).
4. Should you miss high or low on your driver?
It depends on your speed, but the middle is best. In MyGolfSpy's 2016 study, 20 golfers and just under 5,700 drives, golfers swinging over 100 mph lost 10.68 yards on low strikes and only 1.04 yards on high ones. Golfers under 100 mph lost nearly 5 mph of ball speed when they missed high. MyGolfSpy's conclusion: the center of the face is best for everyone.
Watch Strike Week 4/7 on YouTube (0:17).
5. Toe or heel: which driver miss costs you more?
Usually the heel. In Golf Digest's March 2026 robot test of that year's drivers at 95 mph, misses 3/4 inch toward the toe cost about 5 yards of carry. Heel misses cost 12 to 15 yards for most drivers, and low heel misses 25 to 35 yards for a few.
Watch Strike Week 5/7 on YouTube (0:17).
6. Why does teeing it low cost you 14 yards?
A low tee moves your strike down the face. In MyGolfSpy's 2021 tee height test, 120 drives per height, a half-inch tee hit more than 4 mm lower on the face than an inch-and-a-half tee. Launch dropped 3.54 degrees, backspin rose 326 rpm and carry fell 14.19 yards. Episode 12 looks at tee height in more detail: Does Teeing It Higher Add Distance?
Watch Strike Week 6/7 on YouTube (0:19).
7. How do you see where you're hitting your driver?
Spray foot powder on the face. Tom Stickney's tip in GolfWRX: pick a spray that doesn't dry clear, hit a few drives, read the marks, and wipe it off with a wet towel. If the marks sit low, the tee height test above suggests teeing it a little higher.
Watch Strike Week 7/7 on YouTube (0:15).
The shorts are illustrations by HYTON: angles are exaggerated three times, and where flight paths are compared side by side, only the yardage differences come from the sources. Directions are for a right-handed golfer. Narration voice is AI-generated. HYTON is not affiliated with or endorsed by GOLF.com, the USGA, the R&A, MyGolfSpy, Golf Digest, GolfWRX or Golf Monthly.
Sources
- Jonathan Wall, GOLF.com (February 16, 2022), RoboTest: How to gain 25 yards from one simple tee adjustment: 10.5-degree driver, 95 mph swing robot; carry 241 yd from the center, 232 yd 0.3 in low, 219 yd 0.6 in low, 244 yd 0.3 in high, 237 yd 0.6 in high
- R&A Rules Ltd. and USGA (November 2006), R22-07: The effect of impact position on driving distance: swing robot, driver face 53 mm deep; maximum ball speed about 2 mm above the geometric center of the face; carry generally greatest just above the center
- Jonathan Wall, GOLF.com (March 17, 2022), RoboTest: Does speed or better impact lead to more distance?: swing speeds of 95, 100 and 105 mph; strikes on the lower third of the face did not travel farther with more speed
- MyGolfSpy Labs (October 10, 2016), The Vertical Impact Location Study: 20 golfers, 25 drivers, just under 5,700 shots; over 100 mph, low strikes 10.68 yd shorter than center and high strikes 1.04 yd shorter; under 100 mph, high strikes nearly 5 mph slower ball speed and low strikes 3.74 yd longer than high strikes
- Jonathan Wall, Golf Digest (March 6, 2026), This is the best spot to miss on the driver face for minimal distance loss: 2026 drivers on a swing robot at 95 mph, misses 3/4 in toward the toe and heel: toe about 5 yd of carry lost, heel 12 to 15 yd for most drivers, low heel 25 to 35 yd for a few
- MyGolfSpy Labs (February 19, 2021), Tee Height Test: 120 drives per tee height; 0.5 in tee vs 1.5 in tee: impact more than 4 mm lower, launch 3.54 degrees lower, backspin 326 rpm higher, carry 14.19 yd shorter
- Tom Stickney II, GolfWRX (July 28, 2014), How a cure for athlete’s foot can lead to longer drives: spray foot powder on the face to see impact location; choose one that does not dry clear
- Golf Monthly (August 9, 2024), What Is Gear Effect In Golf?: gear effect also works up and down; roll is the vertical curvature of the face
- Kris McCormack, GOLF.com (May 10, 2025), Bulge and Roll: Why that curved driver face isn’t just for looks: high strikes launch higher with less spin, low strikes lower with more spin
- Titleist Learning Lab, Gear Effect: the center of gravity sits much closer to the face in irons and wedges than in drivers
Sources last checked October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Where should you hit the ball on a driver face?
Aim for the middle. In robot tests the longest drives came from just above the center: in GOLF.com's 2022 robot test at 95 mph, a strike 0.3 inch above center carried 244 yards, the longest of five spots, and in a 2006 R&A and USGA robot test ball speed peaked about 2 mm above the face's center.
How much distance do you lose hitting low on the driver face?
In GOLF.com's robot test, a strike 0.6 inch below center carried 219 yards, 22 yards less than the center. In MyGolfSpy's 2016 study of golfers swinging over 100 mph, low strikes went 10.68 yards shorter than center strikes.
Is a toe or heel miss worse with a driver?
Usually the heel. In Golf Digest's 2026 robot test of new drivers at 95 mph, misses 3/4 inch toward the toe cost about 5 yards of carry, heel misses 12 to 15 yards for most drivers, and low heel misses 25 to 35 yards for a few.
Does tee height change where you hit the driver face?
Yes. In MyGolfSpy's 2021 tee height test, a 0.5 inch tee moved impact more than 4 mm lower on the face than a 1.5 inch tee, with 3.54 degrees lower launch, 326 rpm more backspin and 14.19 yards less carry.
How can I see where I hit the driver face?
Spray a light coat of foot powder on the face and hit a few drives. Each strike leaves a mark. Pick a powder that doesn't dry clear, and wipe it off with a wet towel afterward.
From this episode
The robot ladder from this episode is also a shirt and a towel. The Where the Yards Are T-Shirt ($24.99, 2XL $26.99) prints the five strike points and their carry, and the Carry by Impact Height Golf Towel ($20.99) puts the same numbers on a yardage-book page. Both are printed to order with free US shipping. From Strike Week, the longest spot (0.3 inch above center, 244 yards) is on The Longest Spot on a Driver Face golf towel, No. 2 and the Longest Spot golf mug, No. 2, and the tee height test is on How High to Tee Your Driver golf towel, No. 3 and the Tee Height golf mug, No. 3 ($20.99 each, also printed to order with free US shipping). Every number from the series, with its source, is on Golf by the Numbers, and every episode is on the HYTON Golf Videos blog.