by Mary Chillders
Learning how to drive a golf ball well is a challenging task. It can take time and consistent practice to become effective at hitting this club. The reason why the driver is the toughest club to hit is because it is the longest club in the bag which makes it the most difficult one to control. Also any small flaws in your swing can result in big variations in the end result so the driver will reveal how finely tuned your swing really is.
Do not expect to become perfect at hitting a driver as even the best golfing professionals regularly mishit this club. Instead focus on developing enough consistency to allow you to hit enough fairways with enough distance so that you can then use your short game to make more birdies and shoot low scores. It is important to learn how to hit a driver far and straight because golf courses are getting longer and tougher so you need both distance and accuracy.
The good news is that there is a direct relationship between hitting a golf ball accurately and hitting it farther. If you consistently hit your driver straight then in time you will also hit the ball far. Remember that crooked drives do not go very far so the first step in hitting a driver further is to focus on accuracy first. You need to develop a swing that consistently strikes the golf ball solidly.
In order to develop an accurate golf swing you must have great control over the club. This means that you will need to develop a more relaxed swing where you do not use your muscles to try to force more club head speed in an effort to hit the ball further. Use your muscles and strength to support your golf swing but let the club do most of the work.
Remember that golf clubs are designed to hit the ball far if you make good contact so you do not need massive muscle power. You need to take advantage of leverage which is what will allow you to generate maximum club head speed. The best way to take advantage of leverage is to think of the club as a whip and to feel yourself whipping the club through the hitting zone. However this does not mean you have really force your downswing.
Rather have a swing that is relaxed both on the backswing and downswing. Always aim to finish in a balanced position. If you find yourself regularly losing balance in your finish then you need to back off a little and stop trying so hard. Most amateurs and even many pros are guilty of having a rushed backswing and this can affect your ball striking.
Also if you are deliberate with your swing both on the backswing and downswing you are much more likely to make better contact and if you do make a mistake then you will be more likely to find that mistake quicker. Another useful tip to help you generate more power is to think of your left shoulder exploding up on your downswing. This will help to keep the swing in the right plane where the club comes from the inside to out and will also allow you to create more leverage.
Grip pressure can also make a big difference to your swing and hitting it further. You want to use your left hand to apply pressure to the grip and your right hand should stay passive. If you try to get your right hand involved too much in the swing you will end up casting the club or coming from the outside to in which will result in hitting a lot of slices. Use some of these strategies to help you drive the ball better.
Mary is an online researcher and avid golfer. Visit her site to get more useful golf tips and also be sure to visit the section on putting tips.
