Smashing Straighter Drives That Soar

The drive - namely, longer and straighter drives - is a fundamental skill in anyone's game. It is also one of the most grueling to understand. Let's examine some ways that can help you reach your goal of better driving distance and accuracy.

Making improvements to this swing should be a primary goal for any golfer. When you can hit straighter drives, the distance will often times take care of itself. The primary goal should be, of course, to make a par. But to take it a step further and think about a possible birdie or better yet, an eagle, the distance you can get on your drives is going to determine the outcome you can expect on the hole. Along with that comes accuracy. If you can keep the ball in play without throwing away strokes due to wayward hooks and slices, the better your score will be.

The combination of mastering both distance and accuracy for longer and straighter drives starts in the address position. When you set up over the ball, you are looking to be in an athletic stance. This means keeping your feet just inside the span of your shoulders while allowing a little flex in your knees.

The reason now is create maximum distance and straighter drives with a controlled but powerful club head speed on contact. The engine that drives this is the muscles uncoiling while coming out of your back swing. As far as the knees are concerned, without the flex this is nearly impossible to accomplish. Making sure the ball is forward in your stance is also an important fundamental to a successful shot. In general, the ball will be left of center when you address it. That means it will be closer to your front foot than the back. This will maximize the loft of your club on contact and put the ball on a straighter line to the target.

The notion that the hands begin the backswing and bring about the power needed to crush longer and straighter drives, is a total misconception. If you already start your swing with the hips, then you are golden! The rest of your body will fall into a perfect rhythm when you allow the hips to take the lead. But its not just to get things started. You need to finish. And at this point again, the hips need to bring the club the the ball at the critical impact point. So remember, the hips are the first to move away in the backswing and forward coming into the downswing. Then the hands and then the rest of the body, in that order. The only place to get good at this is at the driving range. You will not notice improvement in your distance until you perfect the hip rotation.

That's distance. Now, we'll investigate the accuracy issue. The textbook hand position when you meet the ball will nearly guarantee straighter drives. They must not pass through the hitting zone before the club head. Timing your hands so that they are even with the club head or a little behind it when you meet the ball will counteract a potential hook or slice on the ball. If you usually see your ball hooking or slicing, take a good look at your grip. When the grip is too weak or too strong, the club face ordinarily flies open on your downswing. For the best results, your grip should always be neutral; this will prevent the club face wobble into the shot.

In your game plan to hit longer and straighter drives, you must clean-up your stance if it is not square already. There are variations, however. A stance that is a tad open or closed with create different ball flights. But, having your feet on an even line with each other is the most accepted practice. Apply this to your hips and shoulders as well. The improvement in accuracy will be noticed immediately if you can keep your body square with the target line.