Becoming a better golfer

Question
Hey, my name is Caleb and I am just looking for a little advice on practice routines and a few swing questions.  
I am a left handed golfer, 17 years old, and about 6 ft 2 inches tall.  I feel like I should be able to hit my drives pretty far.  I have a Taylor Made Burner Driver and hit it consistently straight, but not as far as I would like.  I know its probably hard to give advice without actually seeing my swing, but how can I add power to my swing?  
I am about an 8 handicap, I have worked very hard to be proficient in my short game, the ability to get up and down is what has allowed me to shoot low, but I know I can get better at that as well.  
I was wondering if you have any tips or suggestions at creating some sort of practice schedule.  I have full access to a very nice golf course and have the ability to practice 3+ hours a day.  
Again, probably hard to give advice without seeing my swing or my game, but any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Caleb

Answer
Hi there and thank you for asking.

As far as power, yes it is near impossible to tell you how YOU can precisely add more, but I can give you some generics on the most important factors for club head speed:

1. Wrist lag on the down swing, the more the better (indisputable)
2. Maintain spine angle and solid core
3. Clear the hips aggressively creating a greater elasticity from lower body to upper on the downswing
4. Rotate and release the wrists/forearms whether you hit a draw or not
5. Solid contact (indisputable)
6. Customized /fitted equipment - If proper, can add up to 5-10% distance

A quick practice synopsis for 3 hrs/day, 6 days per week:

M - 1hr putting, 1hr chipping, 1hr range hits
Tu - 3hr range work from 50yards-Driver
W - Practice Round (play with 2-3 balls, play different shots)
Th - 1hr chipping/putting, 2 hr range work (ball manipulation drills, all 9 shots, i.e., high/mid/low draw, high/mid/low fade, high/mid/low straight which includes stingers, hooks, and slices)
F - 1.5hr putting (include 50-70+ft putts and putts from off green), 1.5hr specialty short game (flop shots, bunker shots, nasty rough, etc...)
Sa - Scoring Round (play straight 18 holes with one ball, or play 2 ball best ball with yourself and check your potential, or play from the red tees and see if you can break 70 consistently

This should get you started. Good luck!

If you have any followups and further questions in the future,
please ask me in my more commonly used web site,
Answerway.com.  You can go to my direct link at

http://answerway.com/profile.php?expid=Dathaeus

and check out all my public FAQ's as well as ask me a direct
question.  Thank you and good luck.

Jay