Taking the Driver to the Course with Confidence
There are 4 major points I want to share when it comes to getting off the tee with confidence
1. Swing at a pace that you can hold your finish
For some reason, the driver brings out the “crazy” in people. This is the club that they swing the hardest, miss the most, and fall out of balance with. The club will fly further just because it is a longer club with less loft on the face not because you swing ferociously.
The more you can swing and keep your balance, the more consistent your drives will be.
2. Aim for your curve
If you have a curve on your driver aim so it ends in the fairway. While this may be simple advice, so many golfers aim down the middle of the fairway and then slice their ball into the rough…on every hole. It should take you just a few holes to realize that you are curving your ball to the left (a hook) or the right (a slice). If you are curving your ball to the right, aim down the left side of the fairway or in the left rough so the ball lands in the fairway. Special note: NEVER aim your ball into trouble planning for it to curve out of trouble. For instance, do not aim over a pond and hope that it curves back into the fairway. These are times that the shot doesn’t curve and now you have a penalty.
3. Know when to put your driver in time out.
I have played plenty of rounds where my driver was not coming out to play – no way. If you hit several bad drives in a row and they are costing you distance and shots, leave it in the bag and tee off with the next longest club. This is usually a 3 wood or fairway wood. If that stinks too, go to a hybrid or long iron. I have played in tournaments teeing off with a 5 iron especially on narrow holes with trouble on either side. This is just smart golf.
4. Your self-talk will produce your results
If you are saying things to yourself like this:
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- I hate my driver
- I haven’t hit a good drive in 5 rounds
- I am going to hit it in the water
- I don’t know what I am doing with this club
- Everyone hits this club so I guess I should
- I am going to slice, hook, top, pop-up this ball
- I suck
Well guess what, you are not likely going to make a smooth swing that produces a desired result.
Say something that is going to give you a result that you want but is also believable:
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- I have hit this club well before
- If I keep my balance, I have a chance
- Just sweep the tee
- Just hold your finish
Pick anything that is believable to you and has a good outcome because this I can tell you for sure, if you think you are going to hit it in the water…you probably will. At least with a nicer thought you have a chance of hitting a good golf shot.
If you cannot create a decent thought with your driver during a given round, then try with another club.
Confidence is a skill that you need to practice and there is no better club than the driver.
Aiming on the Tee Box
Tee boxes and tee markers do not always point where you want to or need to aim. In fact, for the forward tees, they are often very off line. It is SUPER important that you look to see where the tee box and markers are pointing because we have a subconscious tendency to aim with them. Watch this video for more.
Play Smart off the Tee Box
Playing smart off the tee box is about being deliberate about where you want your drive to end up. Now I know that you cannot always predict where it is going to go but picking that perfect spot increases the chance that you land there. This is also important for thinking about where you want to hit into the green from – i.e. the left side of the fairway may give you an open shot to the pin while the right side forces you to carry a bunker to get to the green.