How to Get More Distance from Your Driver Without Sacrificing Control

Believe it or not, it actually isn’t all that difficult to squeeze some additional yardage out of your driver.

Even if you already hit the ball a decent distance from the tee, making a few mechanical adjustments to your swing should permit you to hit the ball a bit farther.  However, those adjustments often come at a price.

While the ball does go farther, it also becomes harder to control, which is obviously a big problem.  If you are going to continue to move your game in the right direction over the long run, you want to find those added yards without giving up any of the control you currently have over your drives.

So, the goal then is simple – hit the ball both long and straight.  How hard could it be?

Well, very hard, as it turns out, and as most of you are already painfully aware.

Every golfer would like to have the combination of long and straight from the tee, yet few every actually reach that goal.  While we can’t guarantee that you are going to be able to meet your distance and control goals by using the advice below, we do hope that these tips help to keep you moving toward a better game from the tee.

Start with Your Gear

This might seem like a bit of a cop out, but the first place to look for a little bit of added distance is in your golf bag.

Is the driver you are using offering you the best possible return on your swing?  Are you using the right golf ball?

By optimizing your equipment, you may be able to add a few yards without actually having to change anything about your technique.  It would be a mistake to overlook this avenue, as not having to change your swing at all would be the best way to ensure that you can keep your control while still gaining distance.

Play a Draw

Now that your equipment has been sorted out, the next place to look for added yards is in your ball flight.  Generally speaking, a draw is going to travel farther than a fade, all other things being equal.

Turning the ball over is going to help it travel on a penetrating trajectory, and it is likely to roll out more after it lands as well.  If you are currently hitting a fade which climbs up into the air and lands softly, you may be wasting yardage on each and every drive.

Of course, it isn’t necessarily going to be easy to switch to a draw if you are currently playing a fade.  However, there is plenty of motivation to do so.  If you can make the switch, not only are you likely to gain yardage, but you are likely to gain added control over your tee shots as well.

Hitting a draw will help you control the ball in windy conditions, you will be able to take advantage of firm fairways, and your driving performance overall is likely to be improved.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUnc_tFlb98&start=14&end=223&width=742&height=419[/embedyt]

Improve Your Tempo

Most golfers think of improving swing tempo as something that is done to gain control in the swing, but a better tempo can actually lead to significant power gains as well.  When you swing with a great rhythm, you will be able to hit the sweet spot of your driver on a more-consistent basis – and you have to hit the sweet spot if you are going to hit long drives.

To work on your tempo, spend some time on the driving range working on half swings with your driver.  You might not normally think to hit half shots with your driver, but this is a great way to work your way into a nice rhythm.

Make some half swings while trying to still contact the ball on the sweet spot.  Then, gradually work your way up to a full swing while maintaining the tempo that you used on your shorter swings.  As long as you don’t get out of your rhythm as the swings get longer, you should be left with an end result that is both powerful and reliable.

Widen Your Stance

One of the reasons you may start to lose balance as you try to hit the ball harder is the fact that it is easy to fall off balance while swinging hard.  You need balance in order to hit great drives, but that balance can be compromised as you swing farther and farther back with the driver.  By widening your stance, however, you can make it easier to stay on balance without giving up the control you need to keep the ball in the short grass.

This is not a change that should be made on the fly, however.  If you are going to try using a wider stance in order to achieve the combination of distance and control, you will want to test the new stance out on the range before you head to the course.  Specifically, make sure the wider stance that you are using doesn’t do anything unexpected to your ball flight.

You may have to make some adjustments to your technique in order to accommodate the wider stance, and all of those points should be worked out on the range before you attempt to put this tip into play on the course itself.

One Final Word on Distance and Control

Hitting long and straight drives is a dream of most amateur players.  With plenty of power off the tee, and control to go with it, the goal of shooting lower scores will be well within reach.  Of course, it isn’t going to be easy to reach that point, as there is nothing simple about hitting the ball hard while still controlling it nicely.

With any luck, you will be able to move closer to that goal through the use of some of the tips listed above.  Remember, however, that nothing in golf ever comes easy.  You are going to have to invest some practice time in your driver swing if you wish to see improvement in the long run.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to hearing about your long drives flying right down the middle so leave us some of your own comments below!

Cover Photo Credit