Golfdirt

Get More Distance With Your Driver

April 26, 2008 – 3:39 pm | by Golfdirt

By Lawrence Bredenkamp

I am about to spoil some of the things you may believe about getting more distance with your driver. And then I am going to tell you how you can quite easily get more distance using your existing driver.

So many golfers think that by going out and spending $800 on the latest driver, all their problems will be solved and that miraculously they will be able to hit the ball the proverbial mile — and straight to boot!

It’s a fascinating fact that with the huge advancement in golf technology the past 50 years, the average club member’s handicap has not improved by as much as even a half a stroke. These are facts borne out by statistics, not some BS that I am making up to get you to give up the game of golf.

You see golf equipment manufacturers have to make a living, and they do so by preying on us — you and me. Telling us that this or that latest driver or golf ball is the key that will unlock the power within and send our shots sailing straight as an arrow for never before achieved distances and control. Bollocks.

If we were to wake some of the old timers (Sam Snead and his mates) up and hand them the equipment we have today, they would most certainly be impressed, and after a short period of adjustment would no doubt be playing better than they used to. But these are exceptions to the rule. These are professional golf players not weekend hackers (no offense meant) or even low handicap club golfers who play twice a week.

Let’s reverse the technique and give our current crop of top professionals (Tiger, Phil, Ernie, Jim and those boys) the same equipment that the old timers used. Again after a short period of adjustment, they would all be able to play a pretty mean game with all that old stuff. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to hit it as far as they do with the new technology, but they would still play good golf.

And that my friend brings me around to telling you how to get more distance with your driver.

If you are like me, you probably don’t spend much time doing golf-related exercises nor much time practicing. Instead you go out on the course and, with a limited warm up routine, hope to hit the ball long and straight from the first tee. That’s all OK, but don’t try to hit it far. Just look at some of the long hitters on tour as an example (Tiger excluded because he lashes the ball and is quite simply almost a freak!). Men like Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Adam Scott and the like. They hit the ball phenomenal distances with what appears to be no effort. And they could do it with the very driver you want to replace with that new $800 job the pro shop is trying to sell you.

So what is their secret? Well there is none. It really is all about getting everything correct before during and after impact. That means your grip, your alignment, your takeaway, your weight transfer, your follow through and everything else associated with the swing. If you got all that right why would you need new equipment?

What you need my friend is to understand that clubhead speed is generated not by the clubhead shape, color or brand name, but by you. You are the driving force behind the ball and the clubhead speed is all about tempo — utilizing your big muscles to maximum efficiency to generate maximum clubhead speed through impact. And that is what makes a drive (or any shot) go further. It’s that simple.

I bet you have had a drive where the ball hurtled off your club face further than any other drive you’ve ever hit and all without much effort, and you just don’t know what you did right. Well, that is the secret — that is the key. Effortless execution producing maximum clubhead speed.

If you really want to get more distance with your driver, you need to put a bit of effort into training and stretching your golf muscles, which are distinctly different to, say, your bench pressing muscles. And also put a bit of time into practicing to get your tempo just right. There is no point buying a new club and then standing on the tee repeating your old problems, lashing at the ball with your arms. It just won’t work, and buying a new driver every day will not solve the problem.

Get more distance off the tee with your driver and enjoy the game more. Learn to swing through the ball with maximum clubhead speed and see how far you really can drive a golf ball.

Lawrence Bredenkamp is a qualified EGTF golf coach and takes great pleasure in helping people improve their game. Visit his site, Play The Lie, for more information on how to improve your golf swing and lower your scores.