Struggling with your driving?
Scottish professional Tom Dingwall, founder of the Tom Dingwall Golf Academy in Bangkok, Thailand, joins us to give us his best tips on how to hit better drives.
- Position your stance slightly wider than your shoulders. This enables a stable base so you can swing hard without losing balance.
- Tee up the ball nice and high, opposite the inside of the left foot. This will automatically tilt your spine back slightly, around 5-10 degrees.
- Don't stand too wide, or you won't be able to turn properly. But also avoid standing too narrow, or you'll lose your balance.
- Avoid having your weight on your left side. This leads to many problems, primarily a steep attack angle.
- Try to turn your hips and shoulders are much as possible, whilst remaining in balance.
- Keep the back of the left wrist level with the forearm. A slightly bowed wrist is also acceptable.
- Avoid the temptation to swing short and steer the ball into the fairway. A full and free turn is the way to go.
- Don't rush the backswing and transition into downswing. This can lead to a loss of power and poor timing.
- SWING HARD. Creating power and speed is crucial to good driving. Don't hold back here, but stay in balance.
- Turn the hips fast and hard in the downswing through to impact. The hips should be aiming well left at this point, ideally at least 30-45 degrees.
- While it's important to swing hard, be careful not to lose your balance. Once the swing is out of balance, mis-hits are inevitable.
- Avoid striking down on the ball. This lowers the launch, increases spin, and dramatically reduces distance.
- At the finish, your entire upper body should be facing towards, or even left of the target.
- Achieve a nice, balanced finish by having almost all your weight over your left foot.
- Don't lean back too much with the upper body at the finish. This causes a "Reverse-C" shape which is bad for your back.
- Don't lose control of the club and have it wrap round your head. The club is moving fast, so try to stabilize it with your arms and core to stay in balance.
