How to Swing a Driver Instruction set for beginning golfers By Mike Buzzell Pictured: John Daly, also known as Long John, was the first PGA Tour player to average 300 yards per drive. He won two Major golf tournaments at the 1991 PGA Championship and the 1995 Open Championship.
Overview of the Golf Swing Addressing the Tee Tee Placement Alignment Gripping the Club Position of the Leading Hand Position of the Trailing Hand Position of the Clubface Swinging the Club Backswing Downswing Follow Through Correcting the Swing to Hit the Ball Straight Correcting a Slice Correcting a Hook
Introduction The purpose of this instruction set is to help beginning level golfers perfect their golf swing in order to achieve maximum distance and accuracy. Golf is a social game that can be played people of all ages. Most people will get offered a chance to play golf a few times in life whether it is for a work function, for leisure time with friends, or for getting to know someone (like bonding with a father-in-law). One can make a solid impression on other people on how he or she plays golf. Even if you are not an elite level golfer, you can still gain respect from people on how you conduct yourself on the golf course. A proper golf swing and knowledge of golf ethics can help you establish positive relationships with playing partners. One can learn the basics of swinging a driver from this instruction set in a matter of minutes, but continuous lifelong practice is required for a consistent swing that always produces an accurate shot. TO PREVENT INJURY, DO NOT SWING A CLUB NEAR ANOTHER PERSON Materials Driver o Grip o Shaft o Head Tee (a platform for the golf ball) Components of the Driver Phase 1: Addressing the Tee Step 1: Tee placement Start with your front foot in line with the tee. Make sure you are in position to hit the golf ball off the tee at an upward angle. Note: if the ball is tee is placed too far in front or behind of your front foot, the trajectory of your shot will not be ideal and the ball will travel less distance. Figure 1
Step 2: Alignment When you look down at the ball, point your feet facing the same direction as your nose. From this point, imagine a line from your front foot s toes to your back foot s toes. Make this line point to your target. Note: A good way to check whether or not you have proper alignment, shown in Figure 2, is to place a club across your toes. If the club points to the target, you have perfect alignment. Figure 2 Phase 2: Gripping the Club Step 3: Position of the leading hand (left hand for right-handed golfers) Lay the grip portion of the club in the fingers of your leading hand in-line with the black dots that are drawn on the glove in the picture below. Then, place your thumb parallel with the shaft of the club. Figure 3 Note: Do not wrap your palm around the grip.
Step 4: Position of the trailing hand (right hand for right-handed golfers) Identify the position of the black dots drawn on the hand in the picture below and place the grip of the club across these three dots. Then, wrap the thumb of the trailing hand over the thumb of the leading hand. Figure 4 Note: The trailing hand should form a V-shape in the crease between the thumb and the hand. The tip of the thumb from the leading hand should be positioned in the middle of the V-shaped crease of the trailing hand. Step 5: Position of the clubface Place the club down by the ball so the face of the club is perpendicular to the path to your target. Figure 5 Note: The clubface should point in the same direction when contact with the ball is made
Phase 3: Swinging the club Step 6: Backswing Lift the club from its position, represented in Figure 5, and bring it over your head in a circular motion. Rotate your torso by shifting weight from your front foot to your back foot. Figure 6 Figure 6 shows the peak of the backswing. At this moment a player stops bringing the club back and is ready to transition to swing the club down at the tee. Your hands should be around your ear, and the club should be parallel to the ground. Also, your chin should touch your shoulder as you keep your eyes on the tee. Note: The backswing is a precision movement with the purpose of correctly positioning the body into a coiled stance with plenty of potential energy. This is the passive part of the swing and should not be rushed.
Step 7: Downswing Swing down aggressively by unwinding your torso and extending your arms right before hitting the ball. Also, shift your body weight from your back leg to your front leg. Figure 7 Note: As long as you keep moving forward and whip all your weight to your front leg, you ll drive the ball long and straight. The most of the power in your swing comes from the rotation of your torso. In Figure 7, the player has rotated his body in a way the ends with his chin touching the opposite shoulder relative to Figure 6. The transfer of your chin from shoulder to shoulder indicates proper rotation necessary for maximum swing power. Step 8: Follow Through Let the momentum of the club bring you to a balanced upright position. Keep the majority of your weight on your front leg and toe the ground with your back foot. Figure 8 shows a golfer following through his swing. The golfer is balanced and his belt is facing towards his target. Figure 8
Troubleshooting The most common problem golfers encounter while driving the ball is a shot that results in a slice or hook. Slice and hook shots occur because the face of the driver is angled the wrong way when it makes contact with the ball. Figure 9 Slice due to open clubface Figure 10 Hook due to closed clubface In Figures 9 and 10, the red arrow represents the path of the club, the black line represents the direction of the clubface, and the white arrow represents the resulting spin on the ball. The ball will always spin away from the target if the path of the club and the face of the club are not perpendicular. In Figure 9, the clubface is open, which causes the slice. In Figure 10, the clubface is closed, which causes a hook. Figure 11 Figure 11 shows the ideal path of the club and direction of the clubface. Note: If you slice the ball consistently in practice, position the clubface in a more closed position. On the other hand, open the clubface if you consistently hook the ball.
Works Cited Figure 1 Draw. Digital image. American Golf. N.p., 05 Aug. 2011. Web. 2 Aug. 2014. Figure 6 and 7 "Rickie Fowler: My Keys To Great Driving." My Keys to Great Driving. Golf Digest, May 2011. Web. 04 Aug. 2014. Figure 9 and 10 "Golf Slice." Cure A Slice. N.p., Mar. 2014. Web. 04 Aug. 2014.