how do you properly drive a golfball?

Question

Ive nerver taken lessons or anything and on a good straight drive i can hit the ball a good 250 yards except i slice it most of the time. I'm just wondering if anyone can teacher me some basics such as proper grip, foot alignment in relation to the position of the ball, things like that. (fundamentals)

Answer 1

It's been said that the driver is the second most important club in your bag-- next to your putter. A good drive sets the tone for the rest of the hole. Will you be scrambling just to get back on the fairway, hoping for pars and bogeys-- or will you be aggressively going for the green and for birdies?

By squeezing a few extra yards out of those drives, the subsequent iron shot will be that much easier, as will your chips, putts, and so on.

1. Body Coil - Tiger Woods, Fred Couples, and other greats generate tremendous power by coiling the upper body with a big shoulder turn. The hips, however, don't turn nearly as much. This creates tension and torque, not unlike a rubber band being stretched before it's let go. How do you accomplish it? Try to keep the right leg and knee solid as you take the club away and fully rotate your shoulders. On the downswing, unwind and rotate through the ball with your hips. Make sure your navel is facing the target at the end of the swing to ensure a full turn.

2. Developing a "Lag" - Successful drivers all have a "lag" in their swing. On the downswing, the wrists must release their energy at some point. When this happens is key. The closer to impact with the ball, the more stored power there will be. Many golfers deliver this source of power near the top of the swing or early on the way down, and end up swinging with just arms at contact. This is commonly called "casting"--the opposite of lag. One drill to improve this is to cock your wrists at the top of the backswing so that there's a right angle between your arm and club. Pull the club down in slow motion, while doing your best to retain this angle. Try to incorporate this into your full swings, and remember to release those wrists through the ball!

3. Swinging with the Whole Body - Some of the biggest muscles in your body are the upper legs and trunk, and you should use them to put power in your swing. On the downswing, your legs should begin the drive and the trunk begins the turn. Also, the bigger muscles have much less chance to twitch under pressure than do the smaller ones. This is why good swingers seem to move effortlessly--the small muscles are being led by the larger ones. This is called "swinging with the whole body." Try it!

4. Left Arm Straight at the Top - Make sure your left arm is kept relatively straight on the backswing to ensure a wide swing arc. Keep some distance between the hands at the top of the swing and your shoulders and head. This produces more club head speed without swinging any harder. Davis Love III and Vijay Singh are great examples of this. Watch them, and internalize what you see!

Answer 2

I have several links on my 360 blog roll for help. the mother load of good information is at www.pga.com improve your game section. They pictures and video. Start with the pre-swing and work your way up to the swing. Then you can hit the chipping, putting and bunkers. Everything is broken down to make is easy.

Answer 3

grip the club in the palms of your hands, the v of you thumb and forfinger pointing towards your right shoulder(right handed) line up the ball with your left instep(i line up my feet forward more) swing back slowly with you left arm straight, turning back with your torso, keep an easy pace of swing(until you get solid contact)... pratice alot and have fun(fun is the most important thing in golf). good luck

Answer 4

It is not easy to fix slice without looking at your swing, because it can be many reasons. You must see teaching pro to fix your problem.

Answer 5

In the downswing keep your right elbow close the right hip.