Strength
Backswing
Downswing
Making Impact
Introduction
The driver shot is one of the most sought after shots in all of golf. Who doesn't like to see a ball travel some 200 - 300 yard and then land right in the center of the fairway? (I know I would!) But before I start discussing the driver shots, let me reemphasize that the game can not be won with out all of the short iron shots to get to the green and the putting on the green. You have to be a well rounded player to play the game well.
Strength
Many beginners (I being one of them) figured that the harder you swing at the ball, the further it will go ... WRONG! Actually, there is a lot of skill behind your drives. This is the case with two of the best drivers in the world ... Greg Norman and John Daly. But their power does not come from increased club speed, but actually from increased clubhead speed and finess. So much of the drive has to do with hitting the ball squarely. For instance, if you hit a shot that is 10 degrees off with a nine iron and 10 degrees off with a driver, the difference could mean being in the trees or not. Also, if you top the ball, or scrape the ground with your driver, the momentum of the club could and will be lost so you lose distance. This all can happen when you swing too hard and you lose control of your swing. These should be enough reasons not to try and SMASH the ball.
Backswing
Before ball, make sure you check a few things. First, make sure your posture is right. Then make sure that the ball is located in the right spot. For a driver, the ball should be right inside the left foot (right foot for left-handed hitters.) Finally check to make sure the tee is the right height. Many people get this wrong, so let me explain the correct height to tee up the ball.
You set the tee up with the ball on it so that the middle of the ball (or the equator of the ball) is the same height as the top of the club. So if you tee up a ball with a 1-wood and then you tee up a ball with a 7-wood, the 7 wood is obviously going to be teed up lower.
In the the beginning of the backswing, your wrists should not be used. They should be locked in the position that they are in during the setup. We will use them later. The arms should be the only part of your body in motion. So, using your arms sweep the club backwards slowly in a wide arc. When your arms are about 45 degrees backwards from where you started, it is now that your wrists should bend. They should bend to a 90 degree angle and this should occur while further bringing your arms backwards. When your arms are parallel to the ground, your wrists should be at a 90 degree angle.
Downswing
Although, the setup for the downswing (the backswing) is important, the final impact with the ball must be equally as good. Without the momentum transfer between the clubhead and the ball, the ball will literally go nowhere.
So our discussion continues with the downswing. The downswing officially starts when the club is in the slot. The slot is a term commonly used to describe when the club is practically parallel to the ground and is set up for the downswing. In the slot positition, your shoulders have rotated as far as possible (normally close to 90 degrees). Your hips have pivoted (normally 45 degrees) and you are ready to swing at the ball.
Now that you have started to swing downwards, let me emphasize a problem that many golfers face. They feel that they should SQUASH the ball and it will fly many yards, but by forcing the downward motion, your pull the golf club straight downward at the ball and the ball is not hit squarely. Also remember that by not letting the club head go through it's normal arc, you lose club head speed ... which is the key to hitting a good shot.
Another big aspect of the downswing and another big power generator is the weight shift of your body. When you are in the slot position, most of your weight should be on your back leg (right for a right handed hitter and left for a left handed hitter.) To maximize your shot, your weight must be transfered from your back leg to your front leg fluidly. Again, don't force it, or else there will be big problems as a result.
Naturally, if you don't force the shot, as you unwind from the slot position, your weight should shift forward. Just make sure that you do it smoothely because any jerkiness could mean having a ball in the trees.
Making Impact
This is probably one of the easiest parts of the swing, so I will only briefly discuss is so that you will just enjoy it. Basically, the impact of the ball, is when the momentum of the clubhead is transfered to the ball. You have worked very hard in the backswing and downswing to make sure the impact is square. The only comment that I have about the impact is that like hitting a baseball, swing through it. Don't stop at the ball. Many golfers have said that the impact is "not a position to swing to, but a position to swing through." Just make sure that you remain on balance.
