Did you know that missing the fairway can cost you a half stroke, or maybe even more? Yes, it’s that important to get your drive to end up in the center of the fairway.
However, a straight tee shot does not come naturally to most golfers. Here are a few of the best drills we have found to get your drive to end up in the center of the fairway.
Alignment Sticks- Use Them The Right Way!
Golf alignment sticks can be a great help. They can help you become more aware of where your feet are, how you should position your body, and even your swing plane to hit a great driver shot.
However, most amateur golfers are not sure where to place the alignment sticks to improve accuracy and consistency.
Use alignment sticks on the ground for setup. Put them in a T shape so you can work on ball position and feet position at the same time.
In addition, put one on the ground at the angle of your driver shaft. Use this as a guide to shallow your swing plane, provide more distance, and improve ball flight.
Here’s a great video that shows you the best alignment stick drills in golf.
Slow Motion Swings
If your drives aren’t getting to the center of the fairway, chances are there is a reason behind it. If you don’t know much about how the golf swing works, it can be hard to pinpoint where the issues are.
Take some video of yourself hitting drives.
Then, take a few slow motion swings of what you think you are doing in your golf swing.
Now play these back side by side. There is usually much more movement (not good movement) when you make the full swings. You may also notice issues with the swing plane or even the setup.
Slow motion swings are beneficial and will teach you a lot about your golf game.
Driver Across The Shoulders Drill
This video from Mark Crossfield provides a great checkpoint for determining whether your shoulders are turning properly in your golf swing. You hold your driver out in front of you, make a turn back, and check to see where the grip end is pointing.
If your pivot has a significant problem, you’ll pick it up right away. You can use this when you are in the middle of a golf round and start to struggle with a slice or a hook.
Point The Grip To The Thigh
One of the things that amateur golfers struggle with the most is the ability to square the driver’s face through impact. Chris Ryan demonstrates a simple action you can make by moving the driver grip closer to the thigh as you swing through.
This action of pointing the grip to the thigh will make it easier to square the clubface naturally. You won’t feel as though it’s so mechanical to square the club and hit a straight shot.
We love how Ryan practices this drill with little short shots with the driver. If you can hit these straight, it’s certainly going to help you hit the big ones straight.
Club Path Drill
Your club path for the driver will be just a little different than it is for the irons. With this drill from Eric COgorno, you’ll be able to use a combination of alignment sticks and golf clubs on the ground to perfect your golf club path.
With the club on the proper path, good lead arm rotation, and keeping the head behind the ball, you can find the center of the fairway. Keep working on this type of golf drill, and you’ll also gain distance.
What Training Aids Are Necessary To Work On The Driver?
Alignment sticks are the best training aids for getting your driver straight. In the end, you will want to feel where the club is traveling and be able to repeat it on the course without much help. Therefore, something simple like the alignment stick is your best bet.
Final Thoughts
Don’t get us started on how important the short game is vs. the driver.
However, if you don’t eventually learn to hit a driver in the center of the fairway, you’ll never give yourself a shot at an easy par or birdie.
Straighten your drive out with these drills, and then start tackling the next areas of your game.
