Having control of the golf ball is the only way you are going to score low on any course. Hitting the ball as hard as you can off the tee does not help but sometimes, a hole is begging for you to strike the ball as far as you possibly can.
Perhaps you need to carry a bunker on the fairway and to do this requires a long tee shot. Maybe you are on a par-4 hole and know you can reach the green if you hit a cracking drive. These are two examples of situations where you may want to hit your biggest drive.
One of the most important aspects of crunching a big drive is to keep your adrenaline in check. This is one of the most exciting shots on the golf course but many golfers get carried away and swing the club as hard as they can, with poor results.
You must get the thought of ‘I must swing harder’ out your mind if you are going to hit a big drive.
Adjusting at set-up will help you hit a good, long drive. Start by teeing the ball a little higher and widen your stance. You want to feel as though your whole body is behind the ball when playing this shot.
The backswing is hugely important if you want to hit the ball a long way. This doesn’t mean you need to take the club back as far as you can but you should feel the muscles in your upper back tighten a little at the top of the backswing before you begin the downswing. The key to this is in the turn, not how far back you take the driver.
As you reach the moment you feel the muscles in your upper back tighten, pause for a split second before starting the downswing.
The key on the downswing is not to bring the club through the ball as fast as you can, as this usually leads to a loss of balance and looks like a baseball shot rather than a golf drive.
To achieve more distance on a big drive you must transfer weight onto your front foot, before hitting the ball.
The second thing you must do to achieve maximum distance on your drive is keep your upper body back. You will feel the weight shift to your front foot but your upper body should not lunge forward at the same time. It should stay behind the golf ball, even after the club has made contact.
To achieve this, at the top of the backswing think about swinging your hips only, not your whole body. By doing this, the club will contact the ball faster without having to consciously think about swinging the club harder. That’s the key to crunching a big drive.
Try practicing this technique on the driving range and the next time you come to a short par-4, you could try driving the green.
