How to Drive a Golf Ball Longer

Be patient. Most desires to slam the drive come from anger and frustration caused by poor play. If your swing is off that day, it is not the time to be pounding the driver. In fact, you should do just the opposite; take a hybrid, swing easily and get the ball in play so you can build back your confidence and adopt a nice, easy swing again. There is not a need to crush the driver on every hole. The lack of accuracy from swinging hard more than offsets any gains in distance.

Take a wider stance. When your swing is grooved and there's more to be gained in distance than can be lost in accuracy, here's how to smoke it. Broaden your stance an inch or two. Not only does this give a more stable base, it allows for a wider takeaway.

Make a wide arc. Concentrate on keeping the club head moving low and back away from the ball on the backswing as much as your arms and shoulders naturally allow. Keep this in mind on the downswing as well, following through with a swing that maintains closeness to the ground for as long as possible after the ball is struck.

Think power not speed. When you think about hitting the long ball, your tendency is to swing faster. And this usually begins with your arms initiating the downswing in a rush to make contact. This upsets your timing in a number of ways, resulting in exactly the opposite of what you intend. But if you think about power, your mind goes to the big muscles of the legs, hip and shoulders, which is not only the correct sequence of events, but is also where the power comes from to hit the ball farther.

Swing at 80 percent. This may seem counterintuitive, but some of the longest and most consistent drivers of the golf ball claim that this actually encourages a more accurate swing path that meets the ball squarely on the sweet spot, resulting in additional yardage.