Skied Drive
Also known as: sky ball, pop-up off the tee
A skied drive is struck high on the driver face, launching the ball almost straight up with a distinctive scuff mark near the crown, and traveling a fraction of the expected distance.
A skied drive happens when the ball contacts the upper portion of the driver face — sometimes high enough to leave a visible scuff mark near the crown of the club — rather than the sweet spot near the center. Because the driver's center of gravity is engineered for contact low-to-center on the face, a high strike adds enormous, uncontrolled spin and launch angle. The result is a towering, weak shot that goes almost straight up and comes down a fraction of the normal driving distance, sometimes barely past the tee box.
The mechanical cause is a steep, descending angle of attack combined with the low point of the swing arriving before the driver reaches the ball, so the club is already moving upward and contacting the ball high on the face — or the ball is positioned too far forward and too high on the tee relative to the swing's natural arc. Ironically, a skied drive is frequently caused by a golfer trying too hard to "help" the ball up, swinging with an exaggerated upward scoop that actually moves the low point and strike location in the wrong direction.
Because the driver face is the largest, most forgiving face in the bag horizontally but has real vertical gear-effect consequences, a skied drive also tends to add heavy backspin (from the high-face vertical gear effect) on top of the poor launch conditions, compounding the distance loss. The most direct fix is addressing setup — ball position and tee height relative to the swing's natural low point — before making any swing changes, since many skied drives are a setup mismatch rather than a swing flaw.
Example
A player launches a "helicopter ball" almost straight up off the tee that lands only 60 yards away, with a visible white scuff mark near the top of the driver face confirming a high strike.
Why it matters
A skied drive is one of the most demoralizing misses because it looks dramatic and costs enormous distance on a single swing, but it is frequently a setup issue (tee height, ball position, low-point location) rather than a fundamental swing problem. SwingVantage flagging a very high launch angle paired with strike-location context helps separate a one-off mis-hit from a repeating setup mismatch.
How it shows up on video
From down-the-line, the ball launches at a visibly steep, almost vertical angle immediately off the clubface. If the crown of the driver is visible after the shot, a scuff mark near the top edge of the face confirms high-face contact.
Common mistakes
- Teeing the ball too high relative to where the swing's low point naturally arrives — this is the single most common cause and the easiest to correct.
- Trying to "scoop" or help the ball into the air with an exaggerated upward swing — this often moves the strike higher on the face rather than improving launch.
- Assuming it is a random mis-hit rather than checking tee height and ball position — a recurring skied-drive pattern almost always has a setup explanation worth ruling out first.
Related terms
- Tee HeightTee height is how high the ball sits on the tee peg. For a driver, half the ball should sit above the top of the club at address to promote a positive attack angle and high launch.
- Ball PositionBall position is where the ball sits in your stance — from the front foot for a driver to the center for short irons. It directly controls the low point and attack angle.
- Vertical Gear EffectVertical gear effect is the change in spin rate and launch angle caused by contact above or below the clubface's center of gravity — high strikes add backspin and launch, low strikes reduce spin and can flatten trajectory.
- Attack AngleAttack angle is the vertical direction the clubhead is moving at impact. Negative means hitting down on the ball; positive means hitting up.
- Popped-Up DriveA popped-up drive launches unusually high and short with excessive backspin, the result of face contact above center combined with added dynamic loft at impact — a milder, broader relative of the skied drive.
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