If you’re looking to improve your golf technique, you’re in the right place. Golf pro Jimmy Martin shares his expertise, giving you three tips on how to align yourself in relation to the ball and thus improve your drive.
Before we go into the details, let’s take a look at what a drive is. Also called a tee shot, the drive is the shot that gets the ball in play, moving the ball as far as possible along the fairway to reduce the length of the next shot. The drive is executed with the club named after it: the driver. Of all the golf clubs in your set, this is the longest and has the lowest face angle or loft. Starting the hole with a good drive gets the hole off to a great start. If you are a regular at the golf courses in the Costa del Sol, you’ll know what we’re talking about. It is therefore vital that you learn how to hit a good drive as the execution of this shot will influence how you play the rest of the hole. If you manage to achieve a good distance with your drive, you will reduce the number of shots you need to reach the green and thus the hole.
Drive tips from pro player Jimmy Martin
1. Alignment of the shoulders
Jimmy Martin’s first tip is to pay attention to the alignment of your shoulders. Most players, due to the position of the ball, align their shoulder with the ball, thus crossing their upper body with the lower body. To achieve a good drive, it is important that, independent of the position of the ball, you keep your shoulders aligned with the lower body.
2. Ball position in relation to the sternum
The second tip concerns the position of the ball in relation to the sternum. Jimmy Martin’s advice is to make sure the ball is left of spine centre, thus ensuring the shot approaches on an ascending angle.
3. Maintain spine angle behind the ball throughout the shot
And last, but by no means least, Jimmy Martin stresses the importance of maintaining the spine angle behind the ball throughout the shot and until after impact.
To sum up, to ensure a successful drive, you need to remember to keep your shoulders aligned with the lower body, ensure the ball is to the left of the sternum and maintain this position until after impact. What are you waiting for? Get down to the course and start putting these three tips into practice.
If you’re struggling with this shot (or any other), it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take some golf classes. You’ll see the improvement in no time. In addition to impressive courses where you can practise your drive, the Costa del Golf also has a large selection of golf academies for all levels and ages of player. Learn from the very best! Discover the Costa del Sol, a truly unique destination for a golf getaway.
