Category Archives: Driver Golf Swing

Golf Swing Tips – The Driver

  By golfer | April 14, 2011 - 10:42 am | Driver Golf Swing
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Unlike the irons, the driver is played differently when it comes to the golf swing that is needed for this club.


The set-up is different and so is the swing. In this article I want to share with you my golf swing tips with the driver. There are many ways of swinging the driver club but the fundamentals are the same. Three of these fundamentals that apply are as follows:

1. Because the driver golf club is longer than all the other clubs in the bag, you are forced to stand further away from the ball at the address position. The beginner at golf can find this quite daunting, and until you get used to standing further away with this golf club you will struggle to hit your drives consistently well.

The problem I believe is that from the golfer’s perspective, as he or she stands to the ball, we tend to think we have to put lots of effort into the swing to get the ball to travel long distances. This is a misconception, as the golfer needs to learn to rely solely on the ability of the steep face of the driver golf club combined with a smooth golf swing to deliver the drive we want.

2. The driver golf swing is meant to be to be made in a wide and smooth arc. My advice is to watch one of the top players and study how they swing the driver. Then try and copy the movement in your own swing. That would mean being conscious of keeping the arms straight as you begin the backswing.

Keep them extended as you take the club back and bend the wrists naturally until they are fully cocked at the top of the backswing, all the time remembering this movement does not have to be hurried. The aim is to have a smooth and wide arc.

3. When playing the driver you will be aware that the weight bias of your body is to your right side, and this gives the golfer an unnatural perspective on the set-up until you get used to it. It takes practice but when you start hitting golf drives consistently down the fairway you will be convinced that it is what you must do to play the driver to the best of your ability. Keep the weight inclined to the right side all the way through the golf swing with the driver.

The length of the shaft together with the steep and unforgiving face of the driver golf club make it a difficult club to play consistently well. By concentrating on the principles laid out above you will be on your way to hitting some decent drives and keeping out of the rough.

2 Keys To Hitting Long Golf Drives

  By golfer | March 11, 2010 - 8:47 pm | Driver Golf Swing
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All of us golfers want to hit long golf drives. Even when we cream one right out of the sweet spot, it isn’t really long enough for us. How often do you find yourself feeling a little disappointed at the outcome of a well hit drive. I think to myself that I have put every ounce of muscle into the drive and it still ends up on the short side.

If this is you, then there are two things you can try, which could make the difference between a long golf drive, and an average length golf drive.

The only way to hit long golf drives is to maximise club head speed as you strike the golf ball at impact. And any practice you have with the driver, should be targeted toward increasing the club head speed. Whether you swing the driver smoothly or if you are a hitter, it is the club head speed at impact which governs how far the golf ball travels.

The two keys to hitting long golf drives follow on from this line of reasoning.

1. The power in the swing comes from the hands and arms. Their are various exercises you can use to build up these muscles, which will help you hit your drives further. Try and work those hands and wrists harder in the impact zone, so as to hit those crunching drives down the fairway.

2. Slightly close the club face at address. This will add yards to your drives, and is a good way of curing a golf slice while you are playing your round of golf. A sticking plaster solution if you like, but it works.

If you are not used to playing your drives with a slightly closed club face, it can seem at bit strange at first. But it is a useful skill to know about in the game of golf, and it can come in handy when playing the iron clubs as well.

These two keys, properly applied will have you hitting long golf drives.

Hit Longer Golf Drives – So What’s Stopping You?

  By golfer | March 5, 2010 - 9:56 pm | Driver Golf Swing
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It’s true, we do all want to hit longer golf drives. Even when you hit a screamer down the middle, you sometimes wonder, could I have hit the ball longer?  Driving the golf ball consistently well off the tee is a skill which few golfers achieve week in week out. We all try and play the driver as well as we can, without getting into too many hazards on the golf course.

Do you sometimes believe, when you hit a golf drive, that you are sure you could have hit it longer? I know that happens to me quite often. What I noticed in my golf game was that, without realizing it at first, my muscles were tensing up when I knew I wanted to hit a longer golf drive. I would stand there on the tee, focused on the one thought, which was of smashing the golf ball as hard as I could. In doing that, my muscles tensed up and the resulting drive was disappointing.

Here are the two things I did to solve the problem. First, I waggled the driver before hitting the drive, and then I did not ground the club before hitting the shot. These two actions together helped me to swing the driver smoothly, and they took away my tendency to smash the ball.

Just by making these two small changes in the setup you too can get rid of pre shot tension and hit longer golf drives.

Driver Golf Swing – What It Should Look Like

  By golfer | February 10, 2010 - 7:05 pm | Driver Golf Swing
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The driver golf swing is different from that of most other clubs in the bag, because the driver is the longest club you carry around with you. Often golfers who have only recently started playing golf, are reluctant to play the driver because it is too difficult to use.

My advice is, to learn the driver golf swing as soon as possible in your golfing career, because it will give you the distances you need on the golf course to shoot lower scores.

What should the driver golf swing look like?

The reason golfers find it hard to swing the driver in golf is that the swing needed is a sweeping motion, and you have to stand further away from the ball, which takes a bit of getting used to at first.

At the address position, the ball should be in a line just inside the left heel, the reason for this is that you need to strike the ball with the driver on the upswing. The feet should be slightly wider than shoulder width apart, and the upper body inclined to the right, so the head is behind the ball.

Take the club away slowly and low to the ground as you begin the backswing. The body will rotate naturally as your left arm swings the club back. As you make this movement notice how the weight shifts to the inside of the right foot.

At the top of the backswing, your back is facing the target, the shoulders have rotated ninety degrees, and the hips will have turned about forty five degrees. The club shaft should now be pointing at the target.

The downswing begins with a leftward movement of the hips. This will pull the hands and arms into the hitting zone. So many handicap golfers start the downswing with the shoulders instead of the hips, and this results in a golf slice, as the club is swung across the line of flight.

It is beneficial to your golf game to practice the correct downswing movement of the hips until you have memorized it.

As you strike the ball, be sure to stay down on the shot and follow through, with the weight having switched to left foot. The body is still behind the ball, and the left leg straightens as you play through to the finish of the shot.

The driver golf swing, performed correctly, should be smooth and fluid. It takes hard work and practice to master, but I am confident your golf game will benefit if you persevere in learning it.

My book recommendation is authored by the legendary Ben Hogan.

Fred Couples Golf Swing – What You Can Learn

  By golfer | February 10, 2010 - 12:05 pm | Driver Golf Swing
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The Fred Couples golf swing is surely exquisite. There is hardly a finer example of such a smooth, flowing, even tempo golf swing anywhere else on the contemporary golf scene. For the keen student of the golf swing, there is much to learn from the Fred couples golf swing.

The following golf video lesson shows Couples booming a golf drive. You can almost feel the power in the shot as he plays the golf ball. The commentary comes from Fred Couples, as he explains exactly how his swing worked with the driver for this particular golf drive. What it teaches me, is that a strong grip is alright, provided you keep the lower body solid. He comes into the ball on the downswing really late, and the power for the golf shot comes from the tremendous acceleration of the club head through the ball at impact.

The difference between my golf game and that of Fred Couples, is that he makes the golf game look easy, while I do not. And, I do not drive the ball so far of the tee either. Enjoy the golf video.

Longer Golf Drives – How To Hit Those Towering Golf Drives

  By golfer | January 24, 2010 - 5:52 pm | Driver Golf Swing
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Most people who take up the sport of golf want to hit their drives straighter and longer than their playing partners. It is not trendy to play up short, or hit your drives safe off the tee.

The eye catching drives are those which scream straight down the fairway, right on target. I know those are the golf drives I would rather hit. This article will give you some advice on hitting longer golf drives.

It all starts with the golf fundamentals. If the grip, golf stance and swing are incorrect, the shot will be a poor one and you will struggle to hit a decent drive. The driver takes some getting used to, which is why handicap golfers struggle to hit a decent tee shot. The temptation is to leave the driver in the bag and use a more lofted club instead, such as a three wood.

This is ducking the issue. There is no need to fear using the driver, all it takes is practice on the driving range with a bucket of golf balls.

Here is a check list for hitting those towering golf drives off the tee.

1. Find the correct distance to stand from the ball at the address. It is important to give yourself enough room on the swing to build up swing speed and therefore power.

2. There is no one perfect golf grip, rather there are many variations of the golf grip. Just make sure yours is neither too strong or too weak, thus giving yourself the best chance of a straight golf drive.

3. Stand with the feet wide enough apart for your height. This is important as taller people need to have a wider stance than their counterparts. Another important reason, is you need to have a good solid base as the foundation for a good golf drive swing.

4. You need the body to be behind the ball at the address and at impact in order to hit a good golf drive. That means lining up with the ball just inside the right heel. Unlike the golf irons, with the driver you hit the ball on the way up, which is why the ball is teed so high to catch this upswing trajectory.

5. Swing wide and low as you take the club back at the start of the driver backswing. You are trying to sweep the ball away with maximum club head speed at impact.

6. Begin the downswing with the lower body. Some golf instructors say to move the hip to the left, others say the right knee initiates the downswing. Practicing this movement can be a useful golf swing drill on the range, and if you can master the art of delaying the unwinding of the wrists until they are about waist height, you are well on the way to hitting those towering golf drives.

These golf swing tips are the backbone of hitting longer golf drives. As with the driver, so with the rest of the golf clubs in the bag, start with the fundamentals of golf and make sure they are functioning correctly so as to give yourself the best chance of playing good golf shots.