Every golfer is looking for golf driving tips to improve their game. All golf instructors and professionals will tell you the same thing at the beginning of every lesson. Return to fundamentals. A good background on fundamentals will add consistency to your swing. Consistency in your swing is the key to good golfing on every outing.
Fundamental Keys to Having a Good Drive off the Tee
Start with your stance when you are addressing the ball. Your stance should be the same for every drive. Posture is one of the most common problems with a golfer’s swing. Keeping your back straight will deliver more power to your swing.
Returning to the basics, check your stance. Do you have your knees slightly bent? Continuing, do you have your hips rotated slightly forward? Your feet should be about shoulder-width apart and your shoulders should be straight. Finally, do you have your feet, hips, and shoulders aligned parallel to the target?
Now check your ball position. Do you have your tee set to the proper height for your swing? Is the ball in line with the inside edge of your leading (non-dominant) foot? Check your grip. Can you see two knuckles on each hand? Are your thumbs aligned with the alignment arrows on your golf club grip? The head of your club should be squarely aligned right behind the ball. Does the club feel comfortable in your hands?
Executing a perfect swing.
You have the perfect stance and you’ve reviewed all your fundamentals. Now you’re ready to make a perfect swing, Long golf drive tips begin with the basics, just like everything else in golf.
As you begin your backswing, pull back your dominant shoulder rather than pushing across your body with your non-dominant shoulder. By making sure you achieve a proper shoulder turn during your backswing motion you set up the entire coiling action of your body for the downswing. That works to allow you to really crush the ball at the point of impact.
Maintaining consistency is the key to great golfing.
A perfect backswing with proper shoulder rotation will end with your non-dominant shoulder directly above the midpoint of your stance, right between your feet and behind the ball. At this point, your eyes should still be on the ball. One of the rarely spoken golf tips for driving, but one of the most important, is to keep your eyes on the ball.
The downswing should begin with a hip thrust toward the target. With proper shoulder turn rotation, your hips will be slightly turned away from the target at the top of your backswing. As you thrust your hip slightly, this signals your entire body to uncoil itself in one fluid motion.
Your club should swing down through your stance, to impact the ball squarely to send it flying off the tee and straight down the fairway. The last part of a great swing is having a great follow-through.
This video demonstrates a great set-up, backswing, downswing, and follow-through:
The Neglected Backwards Golfers (also known as Left-Handed Golfers)
Image: Video screen capture Golf TV via YouTube.
A very small percentage of golfers play from the “wrong side of the ball.” Many people who are naturally left-handed were force-fed golf techniques right-handed because they only had access to right-handed equipment when they started. Manufacturers finally realize that there are a lot of players out there that play “backwards.” Most equipment is now available for either-handed golfers.
Left-handed golfer training.
Training, tips, and tricks are a whole different thing though. There are a few professional lefties, but very little in the way of left-handed-specific training material. Most left-handed golfers just reverse everything automatically to accommodate their training.
Start with this video, which discusses the left-handed professionals and uniqueness in their swings:
Being a lefty puts you in a great position on the golf course. You can watch a right-handed golfer and it is like looking in a mirror. It is fairly easy to duplicate their moves, their stance, and their set-up and swing – virtually everything – as if you’re looking in a mirror. You can say the same for most training videos.
There are no super-secret left-handed golf tips for driving or any other part of the game. Lefties do tend to slice the ball more often. There are recommended techniques which help. But if you’re a lefty and you’re looking for the master driving gold tips, you won’t find them specifically designed for you in the lefty section.
The best tip any golfer ever needs is to keep their game basic – stick to the fundamentals of the game and you will do just fine on the course, on the range, or at the practice green. Train your body to maintain a consistent swing and your score will always make you a happy golfer.
Featured image: Video screen capture Golf TV via YouTube.
