As seen on Golf Channel: Start hitting the center of the driver face for straighter tee shots and more distance

[easyazon_infoblock align=”right” identifier=”B01MT5KA7X” locale=”US” tag=”coloradoavidg-20″]Hitting greens in regulation can seem like a pipe dream when you’re constantly having to punch out from the trees, hack a hybrid out of the rough or muscle a wood to the green after a mishit tee shot.

On the flip side, racking up GIRs like Tiger does Ws becomes a lot more realistic with a short iron in your hand from the fairway.

If the former sounds like you, you CAN turn your pipe dream into reality. It all starts with learning how to have solid, center-face contact with your driver.

Off-center hits hurt

Whether you’re a slicer missing the fairway to the right or you barely hit it long enough to reach the short stuff, a common factor contributing to mishits is the upper body staying too bent over, or forward, in the downswing.

This results in the lead arm being forced to retract into the body so the club avoids hitting the ground steeply and well behind the ball. It also results in a loss of clubhead speed, ideal angle of attack and general control over the clubface.

Translation: Center-face contact becomes A LOT more difficult to find consistently.

Straighten up and go long!

GOLFTEC’s Brad Skupaka knows a thing or two about hitting the big stick. In the video below, he offers a drill to help you correct the form that produces mishits.

The idea is to take abbreviated swings by moving the club back with straight arms until it is parallel to the ground, then following through with your arms stretched out toward the target as far as you can get them.

Practicing at slow speeds helps engrain this change, so start slow and smooth and repeat until you can work up to feeling the same thing with a full swing.

After a little time with this drill, the forward bending of your upper body should be reduced in the downswing to effectively help you “straighten up” as you follow through. That will result in generating more clubhead speed, a better angle of attack and more control over the clubhead. Which, if you if ever want to make hitting more greens in regulation a reality, are three very important keys to help you get there.

VIDEO: Stop Mishitting Your Driver

Brad Skupaka demonstrates a drill to help you find the center of your driver face more often. 

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