We are entering the last week of waiting until everyone descends upon the recently vacated golf courses over the past few months.

A high percentage our first tee shot back will undoubtedly be taken with the driver so with lack of practice, possibly reduced swing speed along with stiff muscles for most it will be a daunting prospect with mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension.

So why not take a few moments to read improve your tee shot which I hope will help you to enjoy your long-awaited round of golf.

I touched upon the feeling of tension when faced with a pressurised shot in my previous article but here are a few points, in my opinion many successful drivers possess.

• Reduced Tension in hands, arms and body
• Great set up position with ideal body tilt
• Flowing movement
• Timing and tempo

There are certainly other attributes but let’s concentrate on a couple of bullet points which you can implement right away on the course.

The misconception is if the club is held “firmly” the result will be increased club head speed therefore distance…This increased pressure within the hands actually inhibits feel and the ability for the wrists to work effectively prior to impact affecting distance and clubface face position. The Increased distance and more consistent direction is a blend of a central strike with the club approaching the ball at the correct launch angle in the ideal position coupled with controlled speed.

So feel as if your hands and arms are like “cooked spaghetti” not straight from the packet. The use of this simple visual tip will help free up any unwanted tension actually aiding distance.

Soft Spaghetti feeling arms

The next area is driver set up it is important to ensure your body and spine angle are tilted correctly at address. This is key to assist with the upwards strike on the ball when using your driver. The image shows the right shoulder lower than the left aided by a forward ball position with the spine tilted away from the target. This will by virtue produce a hip “bump” so the right hip again sits slightly lower than the left. The weight will feel marginally towards the right foot at address (right handed golfer)

This is a powerful anatomical body position allowing for natural rotation during the backswing, then just trust your movement and as the great Coach and friend Jim Hardy advocates the golf swing is comprised of  “Timing, Tempo, Rhythm and balance”

I hope you have enjoyed this article and I wish you all a very happy return to golf, I really look forward to watching and hearing about your first tee shots.