Driving

Stop Steering Your Driver and Swing It

July 22, 2016
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For a lot of players, that section of the bag at the top reserved for the driver can be radioactive.

When the hole gets the least bit tight, they don't want to go near it, and if they do pull driver, it's obvious they don't want to be touching it.

If you're nervous about where the ball is going to go, you're probably going to make a tentative, steery swing. The result? A shot that is both short and crooked.

Dustin Johnson doesn't have that problem, and if you follow a few of his simple keys, you'll hit more consistent drives.

Generate more speed and produce more solid contact by understanding how and when to turn on the power in your swing, Johnson says. Start by making a slow, controlled backswing. "And before you start down, feel like you can't turn back any farther," says the 2016 U.S. Open champion. "You'll store extra power and give yourself more time on the downswing to square the face."

Once you've made that big backswing, resist the temptation to pour on all the speed right away. "I see a lot of amateurs who use up so much energy to start down that their swing runs out of gas too early," he says. "If you try to swing down from the top at your maximum speed, you're going to be slowing down at the ball. Try to make sure the club is moving its fastest right around impact. You'll know that happened if the swing's momentum carries the club up and around your body."

You know, like this one: