I should start by saying that, at the time of writing, my handicap is 1. Owing to the vacillations of the World Handicap System, I may be off something different by the time you read this!
My game has always started well from the tee and become steadily weaker as I get closer to the green, perking up slightly again when it reaches the putting surface.
But I’ve generally been able to put myself in a position of possibility with decent driving and it has, predominantly, been the reason I’ve been able to maintain a low handicap through my checkered golfing career.
If asked “what is the strength of your game?” I have always answered – ‘driving.’
As I’ve grown older, I’ve lost a little distance. It happens to us all, except Padraig Harrington. But, to use a Rules term, I’m “virtually certain” even he will eventually start to see his ball speed decrease.
But with age and experience, I have also become more consistent with (what should be) the longest club in the bag. I lose fewer balls and find more fairways than I did when I was 20, and I can still shift it out there pretty well when my body allows it.
Tasked with writing this piece, I took a trip to the range to consider what I focus on with regards producing solid, respectable and repeatable driving and I have come up with the following 'top tips'.
If you have any tips of your own for consistent driving, then please do share them in the comments box below.
Tee it at the correct height
Give yourself the best possible chance by teeing your ball at the correct height. If you’re always facing the same prospect when you look down, you’ll feel more confident and produce greater consistency.
Find the right height for you. I prefer not to tee the ball too high. I use a 2 1/8-inch white (always white) wooden tee and put the tip of it just into the ground. Not only does that give me the right height but it also prevents me breaking a tee on every hole (I am Scottish after all).
I know others advocate a higher tee and that may suit you, but I feel I have greater control and more chance of consistently finding the middle of the clubface if the ball isn’t hovering three inches in the air.
The important thing is, find the height that delivers you the best results and stick to it. If you have the chance to do it, a simulator can help with this.
Try different tee heights and see which one gives you the best launch, optimum spin rate, highest total distance and least dispersion.
Focus on the ready position
Unless you’re a speed golfer, driving is generally the most athletic thing you do on the golf course. As such, you must prepare yourself for an athletic action.
I know that when I start to lose control of my driving, it’s often because I’ve become lazy with my stance and posture.
I try to imagine I’m about to receive a serve at tennis or attempt to save a penalty kick on the football pitch.
If you’re doing either of those things you don’t stand with your feet together, with a stooped back and limp arms.
Make sure your back is straight (as straight as it can be), your feet are well planted, slightly wider apart than shoulder width, your chin is up and your arms are well placed – well stretched out but relaxed.
This next bit is tricky, once you have contorted your body into that ready position, you need to relax. I know, easier said than done. But tension in the muscles will not lead to a fluid motion.
Assume the position and take a couple of good breaths – Try to imagine your muscles relaxing. You are readying yourself for a swing, not a wrench.
Take it away slowly
The worst way to start a driver swing, any swing in fact, is with a quick movement away from the ball.
If you do that you immediately put yourself on the back foot, losing your rhythm and quite possibly deviating from the correct swing plane with movement number one.
I can be guilty of doing that, and I focus on imagining there is a ball behind the driver head that I want to gently roll backwards as I take the club away.
There’s no point generating speed before it’s necessary
And that steady rhythm should continue through the swing, with speed building to a maximum at impact. You don’t want to reach your max speed on the way back, nor do you need, or want to do so at the outset of your downswing.
The transition is key. Paul Lawrie, a fine driver of the ball, once told me that when it comes to the transition, he feels he cannot do it slowly enough.
It should be a gentle move from the top of the backswing into the start of the downswing. Do it with too much speed and you’re almost guaranteed to come off the correct plane.
When I snatch from the top, I always come over the top and end up pulling or slicing the drive. When driving at my best, I feel I’m putting no physical energy into starting the move down. The time for power is about to come.
Accelerate through the ball and complete the swing
You want to be accelerating in the very last part of the downswing, to a maximum velocity at impact. I try to imagine my finishing position and how to swing correctly to reach that position. I try (and fail terribly) to emulate Rory McIlroy.
If you finish your swing in balance with a well-completed follow-through, you will invariably find the ball has gone in the direction you want it to with a bit of zip behind it.
Love Your Shape
I’ve been playing for 40 years and there’s not much point in me trying to do a Nick Faldo and totally rebuild my swing.
My natural shot shape is a little fade and, when I’m driving well, I can trust it to happen. I will pick a target line just left of where I would hope my ball to end and commit to hit it on that line.
Having a slight shape to your driving helps you eliminate one side of the course. If you know your ball will either drift slightly right or turn slightly left, you can attack a drive with confidence.
Overarching all these tips is one key thing for successful driving – belief. You must be positive. You must have a clear idea of what you are looking to achieve every time you step up with the driver.
If you know what you want to do, and where you’re trying to get to, you have far more chance of doing so than if you stand up relying on blind hope.
Commit through the swing and be positive through the entire process.
