How to Increase the Accuracy of Your Drives
By Steve Silverman
As golfers learn to play the game, few things inspire them more than the majesty of a well-struck drive. Watching a ball soar over the fairway and land 250 to 275 yards from the tee is a great feeling. But, for every drive that stays in the fairway, three or four may go into the rough or veer off line. Most golfers quickly realize that accuracy off the tee is an even bigger factor than distance.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Square your body to the target. If you want to hit the ball accurately, make sure your left shoulder is facing the green or the part of the fairway that you want the ball to go. Many golfers open up their shoulders, and that leads to a shot that goes off course.
Play your ball about one ball length closer to your front foot than your back foot. This will help you make square contact. You want to hit the ball with your driver just as you begin your upswing in order to get the ball in the air and to keep it straight.
Stand about 18 to 24 inches from the ball when you tee off. The driver is the longest club in your bag and you don't want to jam your swing by not giving yourself enough space between your body and the ball. You don't want to have to lunge to make contact, but you need to be able to extend your arms when you make contact.
Grip the club firmly but do not choke it. Many golfers want to take a big swing with their drivers and they try to add distance by squeezing the club as hard as they can. This approach will actually lessen the yardage they get off the tee and it will make it difficult to keep the ball on course. Grip the club at about a "5" on a scale of 1 to 10.
Use your driver whenever you go to the practice range. This is longest-hitting club in your bag, and it can be difficult to control. You want to develop a signature swing when you have the driver in your hand and the easiest way to do this is to practice a smooth swing at the range.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
