Driving To Perfection

Studies show that most golfers find the driver the most difficult club in the bag to use after the sandwedge..

Obviously, you know how important driving is to your score or you would not be reading this e-book. There are many ways to improve your golf game, but only one way to improve your score. That is by hitting your drives onto the fairway.

I'm not going to take up much of your time today, but just by reading this book and following the advice you will improve your driving.

That's because I will be giving you some fundamental techniques to help you build a repeatable driving stroke which will hit your ball straight.

The search for the perfect driving stroke is a fallacy, what you need is a repeatable swing that you can produce on any occasion whether playing in a competition or just a friendly round of golf.

Golfers seem willing to spend many hours slamming drives down the practice range and feel they are ready to burn the course once they get a few of their drives flying though the air without slicing or hooking.

What they never appear to do is to go to the range with a plan to build and maintain a repeatable stroke. The aim here is not to have you slamming drives 330 yards out of bounds but to hit a reasonable length drive but keep it in the fairway. That is the key to driving, keeping the ball in play and out of the rough.

A drive is just one shot but if you are playing on a tight course with heavy rough and water hazards, your goal has to be to keep your drive in play.

Even if you need to use a three wood or a five wood the loss in distance will make up for any drives out of bounds or into hazards and the penalty strokes you will incur.

So how do we keep your drives in play?

1/ Course Management

You might find it strange that I have started off with course management but until you practice the drills in this book and get your drives under control then course management is the key to your round.

If you stand on the tee and you are not yet confident with your driver then take the time to visualise an alternative shot. If there is water to the left and out of bounds to the right then your driver is probably not the club to go with.

Look at the layout, work out the distances and then look at your alternatives. Are you confident enough with a three wood to send it down the middle to safety or if not even think of using a five wood.

If it is a par 4 then by using the three wood or the five wood will you still be able to hit the green in two or are you confident enough in your short game that you can get up and down from off the green and make your par.

Before you play any hole weigh up the different strategies you can employ to make or even beat your par, don't just reach for the driver.

Once you have committed to your shot, commit fully. By that I mean that you have closed off all other shots and the only shot in your head is the one you have decided to go with. Know in your mind that you have made the correct decision, step up, swing through the ball and watch it soar into the middle of the fairway.

Once you are completely confident in your driving and you have a repeatable driving stroke, only then do you take the driver for the tight shots.

2/ The Grip – the link between you and the club

Many people will tell you that in golf there is only one grip you can use. I do not believe this, you need to find a grip that is comfortable for you and enable you to retain control of the club from the start of the swing through to the finish. There are three main grips, interlocking, overlapping and what is known as the baseball grip.

These three grips are explained below, try them out and see which one best suits your build and the one that you are completely comfortable with.

Overlapping

This is when you grip the club with the left hand on top. The club rests in the area where the edge of your palm meets the base of your pinky finger.

The shaft will cross close to where your ring and middle fingers connect, and then across the middle of your index finger. Now you must curl your fingers from your left hand around the club.

Your right pinky finger should be snugly placed into the groove between your index finger and and your middle finger of your left hand. The shaft should be resting naturally inside the channel that you have created by curling your fingers from your right hand around the grip.

Your right hand thumb should be practically on top of the shaft, and pointing straight down towards the club head. Your left thumb should be resting right next to the right thumb, which is also pointing down towards the shaft.

Interlocking

The interlocking grip is another variation of the overlapping grip. Basically, you utilise the same steps as you would for the overlapping grip, except that with this grip you will rest the right pinky in the groove between your left index finger and middle finger.

Next you interlock your right pinky with your left index finger. The interlocking grip seem to suit people who have smaller hands and short fingers. Young players and many women tend to find this grip perfect when starting out.

Baseball

The baseball grip is less conventional than the overlapping or interlocking grips. Simply grab the club with your left hand close

to your body. Then, insert your right hand into the grip. Your hands will touch and all eight knuckles will be lined up on the under portion of the shaft.

The baseball grip is excellent for those players who do not have strong hands. It is a little easier to hold the club like this and it makes it less troublesome to move your wrists around when making a shot.

3/ The Driver

You should visit your professional and check that the driver you are using is correctly set up for you. Get your local professional to check the length of the shaft, the flexibility of the shaft, the angle of the lie and the face angle.

Your professional will be able to check these out for you and recommend changes that will improve your driving. It may be you are in the market for a new driver. Again check with your professional he will be able to recommend the best club suited to your build and swing plane.

Once you find a club or clubs then borrow them, go out onto the practice range, play a few rounds with them and then decide which is best suited to you. Do not get taken in by all the hype and buy the most expensive clubs.

I have played with guys who are using a driver they have had for over 5 years and they can still smack the ball long and down the middle.

4/ Practice

When you go out to the practice range you should always have a plan as to what you are going to do. You can warm up with some short irons, followed by medium irons before moving onto long irons and your woods.

As we are trying to get you to build a repeatable driving swing then I will concentrate on this section of driving practice only. You now have your grip sorted so now its time to bring this altogether on the practice range.

Never hit a drive on the range just for the sake of hitting a drive, this is not good practice and will not help you. Every time you go to drive have a specific shot in mind. Pick a point before every drive that you want to hit, set up to hit that point, then review what happened and why.

A practice range can be too easy, you put a ball down, blast it into the distance then smash another one. These may look good on the practice range but they bear no resemblance to what you will face on the golf course. Remember there are no bunkers, trees or water hazards on the range.

That is why you need to pick different points in front of you, straight ahead and to left and right so that each drive you hit is as meaningful as each drive you hit during your round. Once you are able to hit these selected points without trying then you are starting to master driving.

You should be so confident in your swing that you should be able to just address the ball and hit it. The reason you need to do this is for situations when you are under pressure. It may be a good score in a competition or a tight drive with out of bounds and heavy rough either side of the fairway.

You need to be able to stand up to the ball and have complete confidence in your swing, if you do not have this confidence then that is when you will start to let drives drift right and left. That is where the time spent on the range playing each individual drive to a specific target will let you reap the benefits on the course.

When a drive goes straight and long there is no greater shot to watch or play in golf. When it goes wrong it can spell tragedy and set you up for some extremely difficult shots. Get you grip right, get your driver selected properly, put in the practice and enjoy watching your drives split the fairways.

When a drive goes straight and long there is no greater shot to watch or play in golf. When it goes wrong it can spell tragedy and set you up for some extremely difficult shots. Get you grip right, get your driver selected properly, put in the practice and enjoy watching your drives split the fairways.
You need to be able to stand up to the ball and have complete confidence in your swing, if you do not have this confidence then that is when you will start to let drives drift right and left. That is where the time spent on the range playing each individual drive to a specific target will let you reap the benefits on the course.
You should be so confident in your swing that you should be able to just address the ball and hit it. The reason you need to do this is for situations when you are under pressure. It may be a good score in a competition or a tight drive with out of bounds and heavy rough either side of the fairway. 
That is why you need to pick different points in front of you, straight ahead and to left and right so that each drive you hit is as meaningful as each drive you hit during your round. Once you are able to hit these selected points without trying then you are starting to master driving. 
A practice range can be too easy, you put a ball down, blast it into the distance then smash another one. These may look good on the practice range but they bear no resemblance to what you will face on the golf course. Remember there are no bunkers, trees or water hazards on the range. 
Never hit a drive on the range just for the sake of hitting a drive, this is not good practice and will not help you. Every time you go to drive have a specific shot in mind. Pick a point before every drive that you want to hit, set up to hit that point, then review what happened and why. 
As we are trying to get you to build a repeatable driving swing then I will concentrate on this section of driving practice only.  You now have your grip sorted so now its time to bring this altogether on the practice range.
When you go out to the practice range you should always have a plan as to what you are going to do. You can warm up with some short irons, followed by medium irons before moving onto long irons and your woods. 
4/ Practice

I have played with guys who are using a driver they have had for over 5 years and they can still smack the ball long and down the middle.
Once you find a club or clubs then borrow them, go out onto the practice range, play a few rounds with them and then decide which is best suited to you. Do not get taken in by all the hype and buy the most expensive clubs. 
Your professional will be able to check these out for you and recommend changes that will improve your driving. It may be you are in the market for a new driver. Again check with your professional he will be able to recommend the best club suited to your build and swing plane. 
You should visit your professional and check that the driver you are using is correctly set up for you. Get your local professional to check the length of the shaft, the flexibility of the shaft, the angle of the lie and the face angle. 
3/ The Driver


The baseball grip is excellent for those players who do not have strong hands. It is a little easier to hold the club like this and it makes it less troublesome to move your wrists around when making a shot. 
to your body. Then, insert your right hand into the grip. Your hands will touch and all eight knuckles will be lined up on the under portion of the shaft. The baseball grip is less conventional than the overlapping or interlocking grips. Simply grab the club with your left hand close 
Baseball
Next you interlock your right pinky with your left index finger. The interlocking grip seem to suit people who have smaller hands and short fingers. Young players and many women tend to find this grip perfect when starting out. 
The interlocking grip is another variation of the overlapping grip. Basically, you utilise the same steps as you would for the overlapping grip, except that with this grip you will rest the right pinky in the groove between your left index finger and middle finger. 
Interlocking
Your right hand thumb should be practically on top of the shaft, and pointing straight down towards the club head. Your left thumb should be resting right next to the right thumb, which is also pointing down towards the shaft. 
Your right pinky finger should be snugly placed into the groove between your index finger and and your middle finger of your left hand. The shaft should be resting naturally inside the channel that you have created by curling your fingers from your right hand around the grip. 
The shaft will cross close to where your ring and middle fingers connect, and then across the middle of your index finger. Now you must curl your fingers from your left hand around the club. 
This is when you grip the club with the left hand on top. The club rests in the area where the edge of your palm meets the base of your pinky finger. 
Overlapping
These three grips are explained below, try them out and see which one best suits your build and the one that you are completely comfortable with.
Many people will tell you that in golf there is only one grip you can use. I do not believe this, you need to find a grip that is comfortable for you and enable you to retain control of the club from the start of the swing through to the finish. There are three main grips, interlocking, overlapping and what is known as the baseball grip.
2/ The Grip – the link between you and the club

Once you are completely confident in your driving and you have a repeatable driving stroke, only then do you take the driver for the tight shots.
Once you have committed to your shot, commit fully. By that I mean that you have closed off all other shots and the only shot in your head is the one you have decided to go with. Know in your mind that you have made the correct decision, step up, swing through the ball and watch it soar into the middle of the fairway.
Before you play any hole weigh up the different strategies you can employ to make or even beat your par, don't just reach for the driver.
If it is a par 4 then by using the three wood or the five wood will you still be able to hit the green in two or are you confident enough in your short game that you can get up and down from off the green and make your par. 
Look at the layout, work out the distances and then look at your alternatives. Are you confident enough with a three wood to send it down the middle to safety or if not even think of using a five wood. 
If you stand on the tee and you are not yet confident with your driver then take the time to visualise an alternative shot. If there is water to the left and out of bounds to the right then your driver is probably not the club to go with. 
You might find it strange that I have started off with course management but until you practice the drills in this book and get your drives under control then course management is the key to your round.
1/Course Management
So how do we keep your drives in play?
Even if you need to use a three wood or a five wood the loss in distance will make up for any drives out of bounds or into hazards and the penalty strokes you will incur.
A drive is just one shot but if you are playing on a tight course with heavy rough and water hazards, your goal has to be to keep your drive in play. 
What they never appear to do is to go to the range with a plan to build and maintain a repeatable stroke. The aim here is not to have you slamming drives 330 yards out of bounds but to hit a reasonable length drive but keep it in the fairway. That is the key to driving, keeping the ball in play and out of the rough.
Golfers seem willing to spend many hours slamming drives down the practice range and feel they are ready to burn the course once they get a few of their drives flying though the air without slicing or hooking.
The search for the perfect driving stroke is a fallacy, what you need is a repeatable swing that you can produce on any occasion whether playing in a competition or just a friendly round of golf.
That's because I will be giving you some fundamental techniques to help you build a repeatable driving stroke which will hit your ball straight. 
I'm not going to take up much of your time today, but just by reading this book and following the advice you will improve your driving. 
Obviously, you know how important driving is to your score or you would not be reading this e-book. There are many ways to improve your golf game, but only one way to improve your score. That is by hitting your drives onto the fairway.
Studies show that most golfers find the driver the most difficult club in the bag to use after the sandwedge..