During my career l was renowned for being a consistently long driver. l used the following five keys to help get me there and be powerful off the tee:
1. Grip
Great driving comes from having a sound grip. My models for driving growing up were Greg Norman, Fred Couples and David Duval to name a few. Their common trait was what many consider a strong left hand grip To achieve this you want to get the grip running down diagonally from the base of the palm on the left hand and into the crook of the left forefinger, please see picture. When done correctly you will see that the line formed between the left thumb and forefinger points between the right ear and right shoulder. Three knuckles are visible on the left hand. The right hand grip sits almost exclusively in the fingers and the line formed between the thumb and the right forefinger points to the chin.
2. Ball position
You want to position the ball opposite the left heel (for right handers) to promote an ascending strike on the ball for a more powerful launch. Remember to keep your stance shoulder-width apart with the right foot a touch flared out, this will help your stability in the swing.
3. Spine tilt
This is a key aspect to driving the ball more powerfully. We want to get our spine tilted away from the target so as to get our left shoulder higher than our right at address. We also want to get our head positioned behind the ball and swiveled a touch to the right. This will really help create a good pivot and powerful coil in your backswing.
4. Backswing
We want to get our back turned to the target, feel our chest is over our right knee and all the pressure is loaded in our right glute. From here we are ready to make a smooth transition to our downswing where we can deliver a powerful upward strike on the ball.
5. Tee height
For me, the tee height is crucial to promoting an upward strike. All too often l see the ball teed far too low which causes players to swing down on the ball and robbing them of any chance of making a powerful launch. I like to see the ball teed up where half of it is above the top edge of the driver thus making it easier to launch the ball better and deliver an upward strike.
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