Driving is one of the most important parts of golf in the mind of a player. If you ask them what they prefer in the game, it’s usually driving or putting. If you ask them what they practice the most, again, it’s driving and putting. If you question a player on what gives them the most trouble, you will find them struggling with the driver.

Hour after hour, a player will attempt to correct their drive to achieve that perfect swing. However, they are not only attempting to better their swing but replicate it. A feat not easily achieved. Players tend to struggle with the driver for many reasons: creating a consistent but fixable set of driving mistakes.

I Need More Power: Not Really

One of the most common issues a golfer will have is trying to extend their drive. Everyone wants to reach the 200-yard mark or land perfectly on the green. However, this isn’t always possible. Yet, players will continuously add as much power or speed into there swing as they can manage.

In reality, as the golfer tries to hit the ball into the far distances of the green, they will move laterally. The golfer will swing back with such force that they become unbalanced. Instead of hitting the ball square and propelling it forward, their movement has caused them to hit downwards. This causes the ball to slice. A dreaded result for any player. By attempting to add more power, the player has unwittingly decreased their speed: the true propeller of the ball.

What to Use Instead

The key is to generate speed without losing control. Again, a golf club does not work in the same way as a baseball bat. More power does not mean more speed. Instead, it comes down to your base. It comes down to your stance. Next time you are strengthening your drive:

• Ensure you have a wide base with the ball at the inside of your left heel. Your toes should be turned out slightly to assist with the full hip rotation that is needed
• Sit behind the ball and remain centered. Turning the toes is like adjusting the wheels on your car prior to reversing. It assists with the process of turning.

The key to more speed is more rotation. By following these trick’s, you should increase your rotation, make a full turn with your swing, and therefore generate more speed. More importantly, you should be able to do so with control.

To help visualize: think of releasing a rubber band. You don’t release it with as much power as you can. You take it back as far as it can go and then release to have the impact derive from speed.

I have the Speed but I’m Slicing

Once a player has the ability to generate speed with control, they may begin to see issues with their balls slicing or hooking. A slice or a hook is usually the result of the driver catching the ball off center. It’s an issue that can be exacerbated when attempting to gain longer drives. Yet, it is fixable. It all comes down to your grip.

Get a Grip

There are many various causes to a hook and a slice. However, the running theory is that these lack luster performances are caused by the grip. If the grip is off, the club can turn, and thus cause the driver to hit the ball incorrectly. Seems simple. Yet, many a golfer is now asking what could possibly be wrong with their grip. There are usually two culprits: a strong grip and a weak grip. Golf is unique in that it relies on a very neutral positioning of the body and the grip to allow the club to work properly. By having the grip be either too weak or too strong, the club will no longer be in a neutral position. Thus, your grip can throw off your entire swing.

Weak Grip Slice

A weak grip is when you have the weight of the club in the palm of your left hand. This grip will have you automatically leaning towards the target. Again, the goal is to remain in the most neutral position possible. A weak grip can cause the clubface to open further than originally intended. As you swing, you are now being pulled across the ball. This is what can cause the slice.

Strong Grip Hook

Golfers with a strong grip don’t always have a tight grip on the club. They’re not holding always holding it in a white-knuckle grip. Instead, their grip has their left hand over the top of the club: all four knuckles of the hand will show at address. This grip will tend to close the club face. Due to the club being closed, the downswing will start to lean backwards: causing the ball to hook.

True Neutral

Whether you are hooking or slicing the ball, your new task it to right the club back to center. This can be done with a more neutral grip. To achieve a neutral grip:

• Place your left hand on the club.
• Check that it is in a neutral position and that the club is not settled to much into your palm.
• Add your right hand and make sure your grip is firmer in your fingers. You should see two knuckles as you look down to address the ball.

The club is now in a neutral grip. Once this occurs, the next step it to combine this with a controlled swing. True neutral, in all aspects of the drive is the best way to achieve success. It is so easy to want to force your will upon the ball. Yet, there is an old golf saying: an emotional player is a weak player. It means, a player who is attempting to exsert their emotions onto the club will see more hooks and slices. This is due to them no longer remaining in neutral.

Golf is primarily about two things: fundamentals and control. If your fundamentals are off, then your game will suffer. If you do not have control of your swing or your own will, your own desire to overcorrect, then your game will suffer. So, take a breath, fix your grip, settle your stance, swing back, and swing through.