Knowing how to hit a driver properly makes this game a lot easier. Hitting the ball from further down the fairway is also a lot more enjoyable than continually hacking your ball (your third one, a lot of the time) out of the long rough.
There are loads of driver tips out there on how to drive a long ball and improve your accuracy, but these tips below from Peter Finch are probably some of the most straightforward to implement.
HOW TO HIT YOUR LONGEST DRIVE
1 Power from the ground
Look to your main power sources first – the legs and the ground. Try to feel as though you’re pushing down more into your left side with your body as you start down from the top, as Rory McIlroy does, then move back up again as you actually hit through to draw power up from the ground.
The best players in the world move upwards and back a little bit through the ball, staying behind it with the sternum. You could try this without a club first to get a feel for the movements.
2 Faster torso turn
Think of the golf swing as an inner wheel (the hips and torso) turning an outer wheel (the arms and club). Moving the inner wheel quicker will generate more power if everything turns in the correct sequence of hips, torso, chest, shoulders, arms and club.
This is a timing thing, and again, practicing it slowly without a club will highlight if anything is out of sequence. I’ll be honest, it’s not easy re-aligning the sequence, but it’s not easy hitting it hard! But if you can get the sequencing right, more yards will follow.
3 Time your release
Your wrists and the shaft form a lever, and releasing this lever well will add power. As you come back down to the ball, your wrists should remain fully cocked until your arms are about parallel to the ground. They then need to go from this position into extension as you come through the ball.
Hold on to the angle for too long or release it too early and you’ll be robbing yourself of power and distance. Practice this by starting with your arms parallel to the ground and the wrists fully cocked. Then focus on making sure that angle is gone around impact. Extend and stretch down the line post-impact, rather than re-cocking the wrists again too early in the follow-through.
4 Bend the left elbow
This may go against what you’ve heard, and yes, keeping the left arm straight might add consistency. But a slightly bent left elbow adds in another lever that can also generate more power as you extend it back out.
Quite a few golf long-drive champions do this, and there’s an element of it in Jordan Spieth’s swing too. This could be something to consider if you’re struggling to generate power in other ways, and might particularly help older golfers who find it hard to keep the left arm straight at the top.
