The sweet sound of hitting the sweet spot of the clubhead. Compliments from the players in your foursome as the ball sails down the fairway. You can hear it now.
A long bomb off the tee is beautiful. A perfect drive sets the tone for any hole or round. Style points are great. Cutting strokes is the goal.
Drive length is an essential component of your golf game. A longer drive is the difference between a birdie and a bogey.
Read on for essential tips on how to drive a golf ball.
It’s Mechanical
When you watch PGA Tour pros on any Saturday or Sunday afternoon crush 325 yard drives right down the pike, it all looks so simple. You think if you swing as hard and fast as you can, the ball will go further.
Far too many amateur golfers simply try to “grip it and rip” it in the tee box. If this is your strategy for how to hit a golf ball, you know the results are mixed at best.
What you may fail to see while watching players like Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy on Sunday afternoons, is the way they harness the power of their body through correct technique and mechanics.
Proper swing mechanics are the foundation of how to increase your drive.
Check Your Stance
Your golf driving stance must contain precise ball placement and weight distribution.
The ball must be placed in your stance to ensure the clubhead makes upward contact. Golfers who often have problems with length and accuracy tee the ball too far back in their stance.
Weight distribution maximizes your body’s power through your swing. To solve improper distribution, tee the ball forward in your stance and keep the majority of your body’s weight on your back foot.
Get Jacked
The days of the out of shape professional golfer like John Daly are over. If you want an easy answer for how to improve your golf drive, hit the weights.
A physical fitness revolution was televised on the PGA Tour, and professional players realized they can hit the ball further and with greater consistency if they are in peak physical condition. You are not any different.
If the improvement of your drive is important, join a gym or start a home fitness routine. This is a guaranteed way to increase your drive, and the benefits of physical fitness will bear fruit in your personal life.
We’re Talking About Practice
Proper swing mechanics are important yet meaningless if you cannot repeat them consistently.
A professional baseball player doesn’t walk into the batter’s box off the street and smash home runs. A PGA Tour professional doesn’t show up cold to Pebble Beach and shoot under par. Why should you expect to hit long, perfect drives on your Saturday morning round without any extra work?
It’s not a matter of hitting a bucket of balls at your local driving range once a week. Anyone can do that.
The right practice involves professionally devised drills that force you to learn, repeat, and feel the correct mechanics of how to drive a golf ball. Once you train your body to feel the proper swing methods, your drives will consistently travel further.
The Power of Modern Technology
With all the technology available in your pocket, why wouldn’t you use your smartphone to improve your golf drive?
One on one lessons can be a valuable component to increase the length of your drive. While a set of professional eyes will no doubt help cure swing flaws and provide you with a solid strategy, they can be expensive.
A convenient, cost-effective workaround is a swing analyzer app available for Android and iOS.
These apps provide a 3-D analysis of your swing. They are so unobtrusive you can use them during your round and receive a real-time picture of your shots, and are a cost-effective method for how to improve your golf drive.
The Right Driver for the Right Golfer
Once you’ve developed proper technique, a holistic practice regimen, and incorporated the technological advancements of modern society, the next tip to improve your golf drive is to find the right driver.
The major brands, while pricey, are worth it. The superior materials and craftsmanship of these drivers will help improve your drive length and slash strokes. There is a reason why Tiger doesn’t play with K-Mart clubs.
The Proper Fit
While an investment in excellent equipment will help your drives, golfers often overlook the importance of club fitting. It is one of the easily achievable golf driving tips.
Stock clubs are too long, too short, too heavy, or too light for the average golfer. Improper clubs will hinder your length with improper launch angles and slower clubhead speeds.
Even worse, without fitted clubs, you can inadvertently develop poor swing habits that could wreck your game for years.
If you are serious about your game and want to hit a golf ball as far as possible, do not hesitate to get a professional fitting.
Be the Ball, Danny
An educated choice in the pro shop before your round will lead to added distance from the tee.
With so many brands available, the search for your correct ball is complicated. The price of quality golf balls makes the trial and error method less than cost-effective.
Luckily, many serious golf enthusiasts and professionals do the work for you. To lengthen your drive, make sure you research what the top golf ball brands offer your game.
How to Drive a Golf Ball
Every hacker has their own methods they are more than happy to share at the 19th hole. Though everyone has tricks to improve drive length, the fundamentals of mechanics, practice, physical fitness, and proper equipment are the surest methods.
Along with tips for how to drive a golf ball, Golf Gear Geeks offers many other tips and technological reviews. Make sure to read through all of our blog posts.