At some point just about every golfer figures there has to be some secret on how to hit a driver! So naturally golf driving tips are a dime a dozen.
People spend hours and hours on the driving range focussed on just one thing – driving that little white ball as far as possible. If you are new to the game of golf the well worn expression is “drive for show – putt for dough”. What does this mean? Well basically while it can be fun to hit long drives and no doubt good for the ego, the majority of shots during a round of golf are taken on or close to the green so it makes sense to spend the most time practicing these shots.
Assuming though that you are still interested in tips on driving we’ll continue!
Let’s take a closer look at the driving range scenario mentioned above.
Say you hit a nice drive. What next? Well you might take a minute to enjoy the experience and then tee-up another ball and repeat but more than likely you quickly “reload” and try to hit the next one a little further.
Now what if you hit a bad drive? A few different things can happen in this situation. You may shrug it off and continue with your normal routine. You may take a minute or more and start examining your grip, stance, alignment or any number of other things and then try again. Another possibility is you get upset, grip the club a little tighter and swing a little harder at the next ball.
So what is the underlying theme here? There is actually more than one but we will focus on tempo for now.
Probably the best golf driving tip that almost everyone can benefit from is to maintain a nice smooth tempo. The driver is the longest club in the bag and is therefore capable of travelling the fastest at impact, and sending the ball a long way, if you let it. The key is to gradually build-up speed on your downswing. Most people reach their maximum swing speed a foot or two before the club reaches the ball and the club is actually slowing down by the time it reaches impact.
The easiest way to see if this is you is to turn your driver upside-down and take some practice swings. The grip-end of your club will make a whooshing sound as you swing. You want the whooshing to be the loudest (indicating the fastest swing speed) at or just after the impact position not before impact.
One other thought on tempo. When on the driving range try not to rush through your golf balls as this rushing will transfer to your swing tempo as well. You want to hit balls at a relaxed, consistent pace. The next time you go take a minute to watch people. Chances are you will notice that the better players tend to take their time.