Golf drives are the most rewarding yet the most intimidating shots in a game of golf. While there are lots of things that count towards posting good scores, the ability to perfectly drive the golf ball is a huge first step. This post will help you achieve straighter, longer and consistent drives.
1. Work on your strength and flexibility
As far as improving your drive is concerned, your fitness and flexibility are critical. While driving, you need to be strong enough to coordinate and control the drive swings. Poor flexibility implies that you will struggle with techniques such as making a full shoulder turn and compensating it with such movements as an extreme hip turn. This will result in inconsistent drives or loss of power. Participating in golf-specific exercises has the potential to:
- Improve the consistency and accuracy of your strikes
- Increase the driver distance
- Improve your average swing speed and consequently, the shot distance with any club
2. Work on your posture and alignment
Every shot you take on the green requires an appropriate posture and alignments. One of the biggest mistakes that golfers make when it comes to their posture is adopting a ‘c’- shaped spine. This makes it difficult to achieve a powerful swing. Instead, straighten your spine and stick out your backside. This will not only help you make a more dynamic swing but also enables you to make a perfect turn while keeping the driver in a good swing plane.
3. Modify your ball’s placement depending on your stance
When taking driver shots, place the ball further forward. For the right-handed golfers, proper placement corresponds to your left heel’s position. This will enable you to make contact with the golf ball further along in the swing and gives the ball an extra lift to ensure it covers a considerable distance.
4. The loft on your clubhead should be appropriate for your power and skill level
Using a club head with loft results in higher drives which curve less. Non-competitive golfers will normally find lofts closer to 10-12 degrees appropriate as they result in hits that carry well over long distances. More professional golfers are also making use of loft for more efficient golf ball launches.
5. Tee the ball higher
Position your tee in a way that the middle of the ball is in line with the top of your driver during impact. This is because drivers normally have a low club-face angle. Therefore, if you want to achieve the right ball flight, you should hit the ball upwards. Teeing the ball higher also minimizes the chances of a miss-hit. To establish what tee height works for you, practice on the driving range as well as on the course.
If you have been hitting less than perfect drives, think of them as shots rather than a performance. Thinking of your drives as a performance is likely to create performance anxiety, which shifts your focus from accuracy and control to the distance of your shots. However, achieving the perfect drive requires lots of practice on the driving range—and patience.