How to Hit it Straigther Than Ever

From the tour's number one ball-striker

By Joe Durant

With Peter Morrice

Photos By J.D. Cuban

May 2007

Tiger's first full year on tour, 1997, was mine, too. He was second to John Daly in driving distance that year, and I finished atop a little-known category called Total Driving, which combines distance and accuracy off the tee. I tell you this because Total Driving is half of a more revealing stat called Ball Striking (the other half is Greens in Regulation), which I've been lucky enough to lead for the 10-year period since Tiger and I were rookies. You might not know me or my game, but Ball Striking is why you're reading this article. It's also your best hope for becoming a better golfer. I'll show you how with the four rules that follow.

In a stretch last September Joe Durant hit 52 straight fairways (longest streak of 2006); last March he hit 29 straight greens in regulation. Here's where he has ranked in accuracy stats since 2003:

Year	Striking	In Reg.	Accuracy
2007*	2nd	T-8th	5th
2006	T-1st	6th	1st
2005	2nd	2nd	13th
2004	1st	1st	4th
2003	3rd	1st	T-10th

1. START IN BALANCE

Focus on two areas in the setup: alignment and posture. I like my alignment to be square to slightly open, because that makes it easier to swing the club on a straighter path away from the ball and through impact. If you set up closed, you'll tend to take the club too far inside and have to re-route it on the way down.

Good posture will make you feel balanced and ready to create motion, like a shortstop in the field. I stand to the ball with enough knee flex so I can just see my kneecaps through my pant legs (right). My chest feels out, not underneath me, and my arms are extended.

2. Let Speed Build Gradually

Your posture plays a big part in your tempo. If you're too bent over, you'll tend to pick the club up quickly. But with good balance and arm extension, you can drag the clubhead away from the ball low and slow. Feel like the club's going straight back. It's tough to create extension if you don't start with it. To develop a good takeaway, try a drill I use all the time. Address a ball with a 5-iron and put another ball against the back of the clubhead. Practice rolling the ball back.

If your tempo is smooth, you'll push the ball for a good foot and a half before it leaves the club. From there, you can build speed gradually to the top of your backswing. Hit balls this way, feeling how a good start sets up a rhythmic swing.

How To Feel It

Swing With Your Feet Together

Using a short iron, practice hitting balls with your insteps touching. This drill is great for grooving tempo, because you won't be able to swing fast without losing your balance. Let your body turn back and through as your arms swing. You'll be amazed how straight—and how far—you hit the ball.

3. Keep the Clubhead Out and Away

My swing is more vertical, or up and down, than a lot of swings on tour. This shape helps me hit the ball on line, because the clubhead stays along the target line longer.

It traces a fairly straight path through impact, as opposed to the more circular arc of swings that wrap around the body.

With an upright swing, you have to make sure you don't just lift the club with your arms, making the swing arc narrow. I remind myself to keep the club as far away from my body as possible. I try to feel as if I swing wide back and wide through, extending my arms on both sides of the ball (above).