| Every golfer has heard the phrase "Drive for | | | | with just your arms, no matter how hard you try. |
| show, putt for dough", and while that may be | | | | You need to fully rotate your shoulders and hips |
| true, nothing feels more rewarding than launching | | | | to generate torque. You're body can store a lot |
| your ball off the tee box and it appearing like it's | | | | of energy, use it! |
| never going to come down. Of course, dreaming | | | | 3. Club Head Speed - Obviously, the main thing is |
| it easier than doing it, so I'm going to give you the | | | | how hard you swing the club. This is a |
| key points on how to hit a driver straight and | | | | combination of points 1 and 2. You don't need to |
| long. | | | | be a big guy to generate a lot of club head |
| The first basic key point is the driver itself. The | | | | speed, you just need the right technique. |
| loft on the club plays a big role on your ability to | | | | Hitting a Driver Straight: |
| hit it. Loft, measured in degrees, is the angle of | | | | 1. Aim Straight - Easy right? Not really. You've |
| the club face. Essentially how high the ball will go. | | | | seen pros stand behind the ball first? They do |
| Generally, the lower the loft the harder it is to hit | | | | that to line up the shot. You stand behind it |
| properly and the more club head speed you need | | | | looking directly to the pin and pick a spot a few |
| to hit it far, since it doesn't go as high. For most | | | | feet in front of the ball directly between it and |
| people, something in the 11-12 degree range is | | | | the pin to aim at. It's a lot easier to aim a few |
| best for a driver, while those with higher club | | | | feet in front than a few hundred yards away. |
| head speeds can go lower. Lower loft also puts | | | | 2. Barely Closed Club Face - Hitting it straight |
| more side spin on a ball, causing hooks and slices. | | | | doesn't actually mean having the club head square. |
| Now on to the long and straight: | | | | Due to the in-out-in motion of a golf swing, some |
| Hitting a Driver Long: | | | | side spin is always put on the ball. To compensate, |
| 1. Use the "Kick" - Drivers are generally much | | | | at impact the club face should be 2 or 3 degrees |
| lighter and more flexible than other clubs. This is | | | | closed (facing towards you). |
| one thing that helps distance. The flexibility | | | | 3. Controlled Swing - A controlled swing will hit it |
| creates a "kick" that adds to your club head | | | | straighter, and farther, than an all out hard swing. |
| speed to launch the ball. The same as seen in | | | | Reason being is the controlled will hit the club in |
| hockey and using the flex of the stick to launch a | | | | the "sweet spot". That's the spot where a club is |
| puck harder. This kick is controlled by your wrist | | | | engineered to be most "bouncy" for lack of a |
| snap near the bottom of the downswing. If you | | | | better word. This is where it will launch the best. |
| hands are ahead of the ball and your wrists are | | | | Pretty much all drivers have the sweet spots |
| snapping, you won't receive the kick and the club | | | | marked on the club face, generally the center of |
| won't be aligned properly. | | | | the club face. |
| 2. Use Your Body - You can't hit any club long | | | | |