CC image courtesy of Nathalie Babineau-Griffiths on Flickr
Do you have problems hitting the ball straight off the tee with your driver? If you do, don’t worry. You’re not alone. More golfers struggle with their driver than with any other club. This is because the driver is longer so it is more difficult to hit. Golfers also swing too hard with the driver, compounding the problem.
If you struggle with your driver, try the following:
1. Unless you have warmed up with your driver on the range and feel pretty good about it, leave it in the bag on the first tee. Most golfers are a little nervous and tight on the first tee, and it’s better to hit a club that you’re more comfortable with when starting a round.
2. Relax. Take a deep breath and loosen your death grip on the club prior to your shot.
3. Develop a pre-shot routine that works for you. This includes where you place the ball in your stance, how you line up your shot, how many practice swings you take, and what your swing keys are. This will require some practice – some time on the range where you experiment with different techniques.
4. Don’t try to kill the ball. Don’t overswing. You probably will want to shorten your backswing. Take the club back slowly, without much body movement.
5. Develop confidence. Once you start hitting straight drives, this will happen and it will feed on itself.
It doesn’t come overnight. Keep working with your driver, and you will develop an impressive shot that is the envy of golfers everywhere.
Good luck out there.