I’ve heard a variation of this comment about 5 times already this week:
“Cameron, loving the book and it makes so much sense. I have never hit my irons so well. But, I am still not hitting my driver as well as I’d like, what am I doing wrong?”
First up, you are not doing anything “wrong”.
I dislike how golfers think like this…
In terms of right and wrong. If I can stress something to you that will have a huge POSITIVE impact it’s this…
You are learning.
You are always learning
So there’s really no right or wrong.
Right and wrong thinking tends to place you in a pigeon-hole. There’s less exploring and creativity…
And definitely puts a stop on learning.
But I get it.
You are hitting the ball well but your driver isn’t behaving. And you want to hit the BigDog better because this makes golf fun.
So, with all that in mind, here are some of my natural learning ideas with respects to enhanced driving of the golf ball.
1. The swing doesn’t change – it’s all the same stuff really. There’s not any huge difference between a 7 iron swing and your driver. So stop thinking you need to do anything differently.
Yes, the driver is longer so you’ll NATURALLY need to stand further from the ball.
And yes, the ball is teed up with the driver (if you’re able to smash the driver from the deck then the chances are none of this applies to you) so you are applying force at the top of the tee (and not the ground) but this also happens naturally (if you don’t overcomplicate things)
If you want to make golf impossibly hard then keep thinking you need a different swing for each club.
2. There’s more force applied – but this is a function of the longer club. There’s a longer lever so there’s naturally more speed and power. You really don’t need to do anything differently…
… and I think this is where the saying “let the club do the work” comes from.
Same swing. Different levels of speed because of the length of club.
3. No fear – too many golfers are scared of hitting a poor shot from the tee so they swing with a straitjacket on.
A mental and physical one.
They are so worried about missing a fairway that their minds are riddled with fear.
From here their body is stiff, tight and unable to function properly.
You need to take a deep breath and swing for the fences. You have to hit the ball first and worry about where it goes later.
There is no other way.
Rory McIlroy is able to hit 350 yard bombs because he is NOT worried about where the ball is going.
This can be hard when you’re on the first tee and everyone is watching you (or you think they’re watching you – but they really aren’t – most peeps are too worried about their own game to care about what you’re doing) but herein lies one of golf’s greatest learning opportunities.
Swinging For The Fences When You Are Feeling Nervous
4. Pick a shot shape – once you get past first base with golf driving, this is perhaps the most important thing you’ll do.
Pick a shot shape from the tee – YOUR shot – and then stick with it.
If my life depended on getting a tee ball in play I’d hit the fade…
I’d aim right (I’m a lefty) and swing like there’s no tomorrow. 99 times out of 100 the ball starts out to the right and drifts (fades) back towards the fairway.
Do I hit every fairway?
Nope.
Sometimes the ball stays straight and I’m in the right rough.
Other-times the ball slices too much and it finishes in the left rough.
But rarely do I hit this shot out of play. I’m almost always between the trees and in position to be,
Good Enough To Be Dangerous (GETBD)
GETBD is all you need to transform your golf game. The more you do it, the better you’ll get. Hitting every fairway is a myth…
… so forget about fairways and think GETBD
And like so much of this natural learning stuff…
… you’ll hit more fairways BY NOT worrying about hitting fairways. Go figure.
So, pick a shot. Own it. Trust it. And keep doing it.
Over and over.
You can thank me later.
If you’d like the complete picture on enhancing your ability to golf your ball from the tee, including,
How to practice this from home.
How to find YOUR shot.
How to increase distance the natural way.
Losing the insipid slice ball (the one that finds water, trees or OOB)
Plus much more.
Then you should check this video course out now. I pretty much spill the beans on 25+ years of coaching, natural learning and peak performance.
Have a good one,
Cameron
P.S. I was playing golf with a world class coach (in another sport) who commented on the fact I had missed a few fairways that day.
I spoke about GETBD and he loved it! I do believe he pinched the idea and is now using it in his sport. You can pinch it for yourself by tapping here.