HOW TO BOMB YOUR DRIVES
I can hit it pretty far, and when I hit it straight, too, driving is definitely a strength. Some of it is about physique, but angle of attack is something I’m always looking at – trying to hit up on the ball instead of down. Whenever I swing it badly, I start to hit down on it, and that’s very common among regular golfers, too. You lose a lot of distance that way, so don’t be afraid of hitting the ball really high, because that’s what you need to do to drive the ball a long way these days. I’m not really working on trying to hit the ball longer – I’m working on trying to find it more often! For me, accuracy is a lot about path, and hitting up on the ball from the inside – not too much from the inside, but a little more square
for more control of the clubface. I’m trying to time it and keep the spin off, as you need high launch and low spin to really get it out there. Playing the ball too far back in the stance – then coming a little across it and a little down on it – is where a lot of guys lose distance with their drives. Keep the ball forward and make sure your shoulders are tilted a little. From there, just focus on getting the ball up in the air, rather than trying to keep it low, keep it left or steer it. As I say, a lot of guys in Pro-Ams have the ball too far back, and even if it is forward in their stance, they then move their upper bodies too far to the left, which effectively brings the ball back in the stance again. Adjustable drivers are fantastic. There was a point last year when I wasn’t launching the ball high enough – I wasn’t timing it well and I was hitting it quite low with too little spin. To resolve the problem, I just kept the same shaft and added half a degree of loft. Being able to do that when your normal swing has eluded you is really quite useful. My driver is set to neutral now, because I’m swinging it well, but at times I’ll tweak it a little to make it easier for me to hit the ball straight. Why wouldn’t you do that if you have the option? Of course, it’s obviously no substitute for ironing out the underlying swing issues, but if I can straighten things out quickly by just tweaking the club a little bit, I’m more than happy to do that.