How to Crush Your Drives and hit it straight
By Steve Silverman
Getting great distance and accuracy on your drives is the goal of many golfers. In addition to helping produce lower scores because your next shot is so much closer to the hole, long drivers tend to impress their playing partners with their power and explosiveness. Most golfers like this feeling, and it leads to confidence all over the course.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Take an athletic position as you address the ball. Your feet should be shoulder-length apart, and your knees should be flexed. You are going to transfer your weight throughout the swing process, and to do this easily your knees need to be flexed. Standing straight up will cause you to swing with just your arms and lose power.
Play the ball a bit forward in your stance. When hitting the driver with its three to six degrees of loft, you want to get the ball up in the air. This is much easier when you play the ball about 1 1/2 ball lengths closer to your front foot than your back foot.
Begin your backswing by turning your hips to the right. The hips are the key to your swing, and they are the engine that keys your ability to hit the ball. As you turn your hips, you follow with your arms and upper body.
Turn your hips in the opposite direction once you have gotten to the top of your swing. Your hands will follow. Once your hips have gotten through the hitting zone, you are now ready to attack with your hands. Your left hand will lead the club to the ball, but you must come through the ball with force with your right hand. As you make contact with the ball, snap your right wrist to maximize your power.
Make sure you finish with a high follow-through. Many golfers will stop their swing shortly after impact, and this will limit their ability to get the distance they want. Finish with your club at shoulder height on the follow-through. Keep your head down as long as you can.
Tips & Warnings
Practice with a weighted club if you feel you are not getting the distance you want. This will help you build greater club-head speed at impact.
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.
