Golf Driving Tips - John Hoskison
Ten golf tips for longer and straighter golf ball driving. Drive the golf ball longer and hit more greens. Maximise length off the tee with good golf driving technique.
Driving straight and long enables a golfer to hit more greens in regulation and consequently shoot lower scores. Try to incorporate the following ten tips into your driving game.
Tips for Golf Driving Stance
- Make sure you have the right driver for your swing. The ball should take off with about 3000 revolutions of backspin a minute for maximum length off the tee. Find a range that can measure the backspin your driver imparts on a shot. The most expensive drivers are not necessarily the best.
- Tee the ball up high enough to be able to hit the ball on the upswing. The sweet spot on modern drivers are much higher up the face than on older clubs.
- Tilt your upper body slightly away from the hole to encourage a swing path that hits the ball on the up swing. The head should be slightly set to the right and behind with your left cheek looking at the ball.
- Have a wide enough stance to create a stable base to resist the turn on the backswing, but not so wide it inhibits a good turn. Experiment with different widths, everyone is different.
- Make sure your right foot is firmly planted into the ground before you swing. During the backswing the body weight must remain on the inside of the foot. This gives you a good foothold from which you can drive the weight forward.
Tips for Driver Swing
- Sweep the driver back smooth, slow and low. Imagine there are leaves behind the ball and your job on the takeaway is to sweep them out of the way. Everything should move together in a coordinated one-piece takeaway. Do not let the hands become active in the early part of the swing.
- As the turn winds up resist with the lower body. To hit the driver powerfully resistance is key. If you let the your weight slide onto the outside of the right foot, necessary tension is lost.
- Anchor the head at the beginning of the downswing. There is no need to shift the weight forward the same as on an iron shot where you have to hit down onto the ball. Keep the head back to hit the ball on the upswing.
- Brace the left leg as you come into impact. Hitting against the left side creates the most powerful release. Brace the left leg and feel the hands whip the clubhead past the body. Imagine someone using a whip. To get it to crack loudly the hand has to come to an abrupt stop to release the whip. With the head anchored and the left leg braced centrifugal force will be at its maximum and will square up the club accurately for longer straighter drives.
Copyright John Hoskison. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
John Hoskison - John is a class 'A' member of the British PGA and author of the acclaimed book 'Inside - One Man's Experience of Prison'.
