Long Drive tips

Loire

On a serious note, since we are blessed to have very long drivers amongst us, perhaps us shorter hitters could benefit from any tips that the longer hitters use to get the ball out there further. Looking at my post on the Your Drive thread I mentioned that my average was 240-250 yards, however, sadly this is more likely to be the average of my good drives. Taking all of my drives into account I'm probably at the 230 yard mark. So...any tips for us shorties (and please lets keep this to a technical discussion...the other thread has ample room for debate)?

Thanks,
Loire.

Dr.Silly

Loire wrote: »

On a serious note, since we are blessed to have very long drivers amongst us, perhaps us shorter hitters could benefit from any tips that the longer hitters use to get the ball out there further. Looking at my post on the Your Drive thread I mentioned that my average was 240-250 yards, however, sadly this is more likely to be the average of my good drives. Taking all of my drives into account I'm probably at the 230 yard mark. So...any tips for us shorties (and please lets keep this to a technical discussion...the other thread has ample room for debate)?

Thanks,
Loire.

What shape is your natural shape Loire....it must be a large fade is it ?

MidnightQueen

Build up the strength in the upper body muscles and maintain a good stance. My longest drive was 200 yards.

Webbs

Have a watch of this think this guys video tips are great

http://www.videojug.com/film/golf-how-to-hit-long-and-straight-drives

stringy

I hope this makes sense to you:

1. wide arc on your backswing
2. maintain your height
3. good weight transfer
4. good wrist action at impact
5. you need to keep left arm straight on backswing and get a good wrist hinge

mike12

Hi,
Distance comes from club head speed and quality of strike, if you are making good contact and have a decent ball flight the only way to increase distance is club head speed.
A lighter and longer shaft in your driver will give you more club head speed.
Getting fitter stronger and more flexiable will certianly increase club head speed.
If you are hitting the fairway at 250 just be happy with that.
Mike

Gophur

Once you understand the faster the club-head speed at impact the longer the drive, you will know what to do.

The better players have a wrist-cock which delays the release of the club-head on the down-swing. This creates a whipping action with greatly increased club-head speed. It requires impeccable timing and very strong wrists. It's one of the reasons players like Ian Woosnam (very short stature) and Fred Couples were able to compete.

Dr.Silly

The primary reason people are shorter off the tea is a lot of amateurs tend to cast the club. Casting the club and not having enough lag will reduce club head speed. The more lag you have, and as mentioned above, the stronger your wrists, and if you can perfect that whipping motion at the correct time, the longer your drive will be.

Dr.Silly

Also, if you swing out to in and have a strong fade, rather than in to out with a slight draw, you're looking at at least 20 yards of a difference in length.

foxyboxer

At the range we use (Fota), they have flags which are measured.
One flag is 218 yards away. I hit the ball quite high :mad: and my carry is about 10 yards beyond this with a good swing and strike.

Some things I'm working on at the moment for driving.

I have a football in between my thighs at home when practicing backswing, takeaway and followthrough. Trying to help with stability. This makes me realise I'm not that flexible!

I try to focus on a dimple on the ball to keep my head still before impact.
I try to make sure I can 'see' the ball leaving the tee as this helps open up my hips at impact.
I go to my finish point and my swing thought is to 'get to that position'
I'm fighting a bad habit of hitting at the ball with my hands instead of swinging with my body all the way through.
I try to swing at the same tempo as I would when hitting a 7-iron.

Just an idea of things I'm trying to work through.
I'd love to spend a few hours at the range everyday but work get's in the way

It's all a work in progress but if I can consistently hit the ball 250 yards with better accuracy then I'll be happy.

Let the 300 yard drives belong to the Pros and top players.

stockdam

Forget about trying to hit it longer.......try to eliminate the bad ones and become more consistent.
240 to 250 yards is fairly decent and is sufficient to allow you to score fairly well.

Once you have become more reliable then learn how to draw and fade the ball.

How often do you play........if it's less than once a week on average then your average drive is ok.

irish bloke

Learn to swing with your body, not with your arms and shoulders...

that will give you 30 yards without changing anything else

Tones69

irish bloke wrote: »

Learn to swing with your body, not with your arms and shoulders...

that will give you 30 yards without changing anything else

True story right there

stringy

foxyboxer wrote: »

I try to focus on a dimple on the ball to keep my head still before impact.

Keeping the head still is a myth. If you keep your head still you won't get good movement and weight transfer, e.g. it's almost impossible to get your weight onto your right side on your backswing, if your head doesn't move laterally with your backswing.

Saw this after a video lesson with a pro.

Tones69

stringy wrote: »

Keeping the head still is a myth. If you keep your head still you won't get good movement and weight transfer, e.g. it's almost impossible to get your weight onto your right side on your backswing, if your head doesn't move laterally with your backswing.

Saw this after a video lesson with a pro.

Wouldnt call it a myth now tbh. Technically speaking its impossible to keep your head perfectly still but its said to people who have a lot of movement and lifting up and dipping of their head, also lifting their head at the moment of impact (do this myself at times). Should be minimal movement in your head

not seeing too much head movement here are you? Head down until the follow through

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTsXWfzs0eY&feature=related

foxyboxer

stringy wrote: »

Keeping the head still is a myth. If you keep your head still you won't get good movement and weight transfer, e.g. it's almost impossible to get your weight onto your right side on your backswing, if your head doesn't move laterally with your backswing.

Saw this after a video lesson with a pro.

I don't try to keep my head perfectly still moreso as an attempt to remain focused on the ball, my head still sways a little but my focus in on one dimple and my eyes stay still.

If that makes any sense

stringy

Tones69 wrote: »

Wouldnt call it a myth now tbh. Technically speaking its impossible to keep your head perfectly still but its said to people who have a lot of movement and lifting up and dipping of their head, also lifting their head at the moment of impact (do this myself at times). Should be minimal movement in your head

not seeing too much head movement here are you? Head down until the follow through

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTsXWfzs0eY&feature=related

Oh yeah, no dipping or lifting, but trying to keep your head absolutely still isn't the best lesson.

As for Luke, there is quite a bit of movement, not very noticeable, but try this. Put a pin or the point of your pen on the mizuno logo on his visor, hit play and watch how much the logo or his head moves to his right on his back swing. That's what I mean as lateral movement of the head, if you move your head right on your backswing, it helps get the body and weight onto the right side, and tackles a reverse pivot, which is very common among amateur golfers.

newport2

The best tip I got regarding increasing distance, certainly the easiest one to implement was from my pro a few years ago, and that was to try and hit the driver a specific distance, as opposed to as far as you can.

Can't remember the figures, but say I was hitting a good drive 250y. My pro said to go away for a week and work on trying to hit it exactly 240y. I did, came back and at the end of that lesson he mentioned that I had gained 15 yards on my average drive.

What it really did for me was highlight that I was swinging all my clubs consistantly because I wanted them to go a specific distance, whereas with my driver I was unconciously wellying it. When I took the "as far as I can" out of my head, my swing fitted in with how I swung the rest of my clubs, my timing was better, hence it went further. And the best thing was, it increased in accuracy too.

newport2

stringy wrote: »

Oh yeah, no dipping or lifting, but trying to keep your head absolutely still isn't the best lesson.

True, the base of your neck is what should not move (to any great degree). If it does you've adjusted your spine angle or swayed. Your head will almost inevitably move.

k.p.h

irish bloke wrote: »

Learn to swing with your body, not with your arms and shoulders...

that will give you 30 yards without changing anything else

I think you need to be careful with this tip IB, I'm not saying it's wrong or anything but it's pretty specific, and I reckon it get misinterpreted fairly often.

As in I see just as many people(or even more) swinging with too much body involved rather than too much arms.

The best way to articulate what you are on about is probably to say "stay connected".

It's a pretty good golfing term because it removes the ambiguity of use your body more but still implies it of someone swings too much with the arms.

One the other hand if someone is swinging with too much body involved the idea of staying connected keeps the club out in front, and helps with club head speed and in turn helps with balance(helps prevent swaying etc).

All in all it's a top tip and helps with a multitude of problems.

If I was going to give tips for distance I would say work on your grip,posture and try to stay square and on plane. Basically just go work on fundamentals. I think looking for distance is a sure way of ****ing up a good swing, but looking for a good swing is a sure way of finding some more distance.

stockdam

Tones69 wrote: »

Wouldnt call it a myth now tbh. Technically speaking its impossible to keep your head perfectly still but its said to people who have a lot of movement and lifting up and dipping of their head, also lifting their head at the moment of impact (do this myself at times). Should be minimal movement in your head

Let's not generalise as every good golfer has different idiosyncrasies.

Watch Wood's new swing.....in particular watch the 2nd swing in the clip below. Tell me that his head doesn't dip. Now you could argue that this dipping isn't good for his game but, hey, I'd take his swing any day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxk447eXJBw

carlito57

these look interesting and don't involve any swing or equipment changes:

http://www.golf.com/instruction/tee-it-high-or-low

although I wouldn't test it out with a brand new driver!!

In the same vein, this is useful for anyone who started with the original wooden driver and might not be getting the most out of a 460cc!

http://golf.about.com/od/golftips/a/hitting460cc.htm

Borisss

Head dip

Lateral movement

Weight transfer

Full release and extension

OR,

GRIP IT AND RIP IT.

How some of you manage to swing fluidly with all this mechanical theory going on in your head baffles me.

Gophur

Eamonn Darcy and Jim Furyk are two examples of it doesn't matter a damn what happens between takeaway and follow through once the club head is square through impact.

Dtoffee

I not saying I have the answer, but 15 years ago I couldn't hit a driver at all and was playing a three iron. I tried everything all to no avail .... I would end up duffing every second drive. Then one day, one of my playing partners said I was standing too far away from the ball and over reaching. I moved closer to no avail ..... but the following week I was again struggling and thinking about what was said about moving closer. I decided to grip down the driver which brought me closer naturally. From the very first hit, I never looked back and to my amazement I was hitting my drives further than most of my partners.

I can only put it down to me being a short arse and drivers being that bit longer, but I have told others and they have gained yards as I think we are getting through the ball much easier. It will not suit everyone, but you will gain more control and distance.

Ultimately I would always recommed lessons if you can afford them.

Loire

k.p.h wrote: »

If I was going to give tips for distance I would say work on your grip,posture and try to stay square and on plane. Basically just go work on fundamentals.

Thanks for all the tips so far. This one rings true to me at the moment. If I'm honest, recently, I'm trying to flake every driver off the tee, whereas I usually get complimented everytime I play about how smooth I hit my irons. This is probably due to playing with very low handicappers recently and sub-conciously trying to match them.

Another poster recommended taking the club back lower to develop a wider arc..however when I do this I'm inclined to snap the club back down in a bit to get square...when this happens I tend to come down on the inside and pull up causing a hook. I think it's a valid tip though and just something I need to practice.

irish bloke

k.p.h wrote: »

I think you need to be careful with this tip IB, I'm not saying it's wrong or anything but it's pretty specific, and I reckon it get misinterpreted fairly often.

As in I see just as many people(or even more) swinging with too much body involved rather than too much arms.

The best way to articulate what you are on about is probably to say "stay connected".

It's a pretty good golfing term because it removes the ambiguity of use your body more but still implies it of someone swings too much with the arms.

One the other hand if someone is swinging with too much body involved the idea of staying connected keeps the club out in front, and helps with club head speed and in turn helps with balance(helps prevent swaying etc).

All in all it's a top tip and helps with a multitude of problems.

If I was going to give tips for distance I would say work on your grip,posture and try to stay square and on plane. Basically just go work on fundamentals. I think looking for distance is a sure way of ****ing up a good swing, but looking for a good swing is a sure way of finding some more distance.

Naturally enough, I am going to disagree with you:D, but I do take some of your points.

To say “stay connected” will mean almost nothing to a golfer hitting his best drives 230 yards. It would have meant nothing to me 12 months ago.
To understand what this term means in the golfing world, you would need to be already implementing this in your swing.

When I say swing with your body and not with your arms and shoulders, I am trying to simplify the message of using your body as a single unit.
I have to say I rarely if ever see an 20 handicapper using his body too much in his swing

The OP asked about getting distance. The golf swing is really 2 levers. The big primary lever (the body) and the small secondary lever (the arms). Most of the power is got from turning the big lever first on the downswing and letting the second lever follow.

That would be the message I would be trying to get across for distance and a good swing in general really

foxyboxer

At the Irish Open last year, we were watching McIlroy warming up on the range.

Out of curiosity I was timing his 'hang time' using the driver with a digital watch, i.e. the amount of time the ball spent from impact to landing.

On average it was almost 8 seconds every time so incredibly consistent.
Trying this out subsequently on the range, my own hang time was around 5 to 6 seconds.

It might be worth checking it out in your own time out of curiosity.
Perhaps a custom fitting would be an idea for a driver which gives you a longer hang time and therefore more distance?

alxmorgan

carlito57 wrote: »

these look interesting and don't involve any swing or equipment changes:

http://www.golf.com/instruction/tee-it-high-or-low

although I wouldn't test it out with a brand new driver!!

In the same vein, this is useful for anyone who started with the original wooden driver and might not be getting the most out of a 460cc!

http://golf.about.com/od/golftips/a/hitting460cc.htm

Interesting links. I'm wondering what people here do as regards tee height ?
I find if I lower it I get more consistent but my real long ones come with a higher tee height.
All the long drivers (Remax type thing I mean) go with as high as they can legally tee it

link_2007

alxmorgan wrote: »

All the long drivers (Remax type thing I mean) go with as high as they can legally tee it

I assume that's because of the lower loft on the driver?

I was watching Sky's golf coverage recently and Joe Miller said the driver he uses for competitions has a loft of 4.5 degrees

alxmorgan

link_2007 wrote: »

I assume that's because of the lower loft on the driver?

I was watching Sky's golf coverage recently and Joe Miller said the driver he uses for competitions has a loft of 4.5 degrees

:eek:

My putter has about that

I just measured the tees I normally use and my low driver tee height is around 1.1 inches with my high tee height being just shy of 1.75 inches. (close enough to Bubba)
Vijays tee height is damn high !!

charlieIRL

irish bloke wrote: »

Learn to swing with your body, not with your arms and shoulders...

that will give you 30 yards without changing anything else

that was one of the things i was told when i was getting my lessons, swing your body and let your arms follow. Have a drill here to help with it too.

alxmorgan

charlieIRL wrote: »

that was one of the things i was told when i was getting my lessons, swing your body and let your arms follow. Have a drill here to help with it too.

Care to share ?

Loire

carlito57 wrote: »

these look interesting and don't involve any swing or equipment changes:

http://www.golf.com/instruction/tee-it-high-or-low

I tend to tee it on the lower side as I'm afraid of a big high slice or hook, so this could definately be something to work on..thanks!

Loire.

charlieIRL

alxmorgan wrote: »

Care to share ?

i will indeed, i'll grab the drill cards out of the car later and scan them in and post them for you.

alxmorgan

charlieIRL wrote: »

i will indeed, i'll grab the drill cards out of the car later and scan them in and post them for you.

Appreciate it

My golf swing is like my dancing - all arms and no body movement

kagni

I used to watch a lot of golf tips on youtube, but there are so many conflicts of opinion about how to swing the club that it gets confusing.
I find it best to stick with one or two who have similar ideas.

Monte Scheinblum - former World Long Drive champion has some good videos on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/hititlong

His Blog is a good read too http://montescheinblum.wordpress.com/

irish bloke

kagni wrote: »

I used to watch a lot of golf tips on youtube, but there are so many conflicts of opinion about how to swing the club that it gets confusing.

Totally agree, points back to a question I raised amongst the Boards golfing community about the best instructional video out there, but it drew a blank, unfortunately.:(:(

alxmorgan

Anyone got any thoughts on connection with the ground when it comes to distance ?
I've read a few things that talk about getting power from resistance against the turf

golfnut1

alxmorgan wrote: »

Anyone got any thoughts on connection with the ground when it comes to distance ?
I've read a few things that talk about getting power from resistance against the turf

Never heard of that used for a driver but for an iron or wedge yeah. Trapping the ball between the face and turf allows you to compress the ball really well. Great for a shot into the wind as it gives you a low flight.

newport2

One key factor in distance is wrist lag and avoiding casting (something most amateurs do). Good article on it here.

http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/casting.htm

alxmorgan

golfnut1 wrote: »

Never heard of that used for a driver but for an iron or wedge yeah. Trapping the ball between the face and turf allows you to compress the ball really well. Great for a shot into the wind as it gives you a low flight.

Not ground resistance in terms of club more in terms of your feet

nompere

Ted Ray, a golf pro from a long time back, had a very simple philosophy, which he passed on to a pupil one time:

"“Hit it a bloody sight harder, mate.”

http://www.gantongolfclub.com/Championship-Course/Heritage/Ted-Ray.aspx

golfnut1

alxmorgan wrote: »

golfnut1 wrote: »

Never heard of that used for a driver but for an iron or wedge yeah. Trapping the ball between the face and turf allows you to compress the ball really well. Great for a shot into the wind as it gives you a low flight.

Not ground resistance in terms of club more in terms of your feet

Oh I see, yeah I was wondering.
In relation to feet I have had it explained to me by a pro that if you imagine your feet are like roots of a tree going deep into the ground this thought supposedly helps balance which in turn promotes greater distance.
Take from this what you will.
Personally I think this is crap.
Good balance fine. Thinking your a tree not fine.

Dr.Silly

newport2 wrote: »

One key factor in distance is wrist lag and avoiding casting (something most amateurs do). Good article on it here.

http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/casting.htm

I've said it so many times..
folks..this is 99% of your problem in the distance dept.
I guarantee you

irish bloke

newport2 wrote: »

One key factor in distance is wrist lag and avoiding casting (something most amateurs do). Good article on it here.

http://perfectgolfswingreview.net/casting.htm

Dr.Silly wrote: »

I've said it so many times..
folks..this is 99% of your problem in the distance dept.
I guarantee you

True lads, but lag is not something you can actively create, its a passive phenomenon.

As, Ive also mentioned before, good distance is created from using your body in your swing.

Lag will happen when you turn your body first on the downswing. This will trigger the hands to automatically drop as the shoulders and arms follow the body, thus maintaining good lag.

If ye don't believe me, read the very article referenced above posted by newport2.

newport2

irish bloke wrote: »

True lads, but lag is not something you can actively create, its a passive phenomenon.

As, Ive also mentioned before, good distance is created from using your body in your swing.

Lag will happen when you turn your body first on the downswing. This will trigger the hands to automatically drop as the shoulders and arms follow the body, thus maintaining good lag.

If ye don't believe me, read the very article referenced above posted by newport2.

Eh, that's why I posted the article, it covers lag and how the body creates it!

Su Campu

Timing and technique is the key to a good drive (or any other shot for that matter). Forget all the rest, just concentrate on your timing. Okay, don't forget about the rest, but just shift your focus to the below.

Do this. At the range, take your driver and with your feet together start to hit 20 yard shots. Then try 50. The fact that your feet are together means that you will have to swing slowly to remain balanced. Concentrate on getting the club to release just at the right point. As there is little body movement with these short shots this will make it easier. If your shots are going left or right then this timing is out. Keep at it until you're hitting them straight. This means your release is right.

Now try progressively longer shots, each time widening your stance just enough so that you remain nicely balanced and no more. Keep focused on maintaining that same release despite the increased body turn. You will find that as you approach your old driving distance, you will be swinging slower and with better timing, and will still have some left in the tank to gain those extra yards. But you will most likely also be hitting straighter too.

Tones69

Im surprised none of the lower hcappers have mentioned this, but id be inclined to Learn how to draw the ball first, if you're main shot is a fade or you are unable to crack drives straight or with a little draw you are going to lose distance so id worry about that first before trying to wallop 300 yd drives

Redzah

Tones69 wrote: »

Im surprised none of the lower hcappers have mentioned this, but id be inclined to Learn how to draw the ball first, if you're main shot is a fade or you are unable to crack drives straight or with a little draw you are going to lose distance so id worry about that first before trying to wallop 300 yd drives

A fade isn't a gamebreaker when it comes to distance. A well stuck fade will not materially affect distance unless it is a banana or unless a lot of backspin is generated. The reason most fades lose distance is due to fades are often caused from swinging over the top and often times in a steep angle of attack, both of which can contribute to lack of distance at times.

David Duval in his prime was one of the longest hitters on tour and he hit a fade and there are plenty of others.

Realistically your best bet is probably to concentrate on striking the ball consistently by concentrating on the fundamentals such most importantly proper weight transfer and a good shoulder turn.

Furthermore, the main reason i see for people losing distance off the tee is because they are too tight in all aspects but in particular with a tight grip and a stiff swing. Just try and loosen everything grip, swing etc. Try and imagine ur swing collapsing like Sergio's (this is the other extreme) at the transition as a method of reducing the tension.

irish bloke

newport2 wrote: »

Eh, that's why I posted the article, it covers lag and how the body creates it!

EH!! Then why are you talking about lag creating distance in your posts and not the body. Like I said, you cant create lag on its own.

Point im trying to make is it only happens because you are completing something else.