Recently, I mentioned that I was attempting to make some minor modifications to my swing when using the driver. I am trying to hit the ball just a bit higher in order to increase my distance off the tee. One of my goals this year is to stretch my average drive from 250 to 260 yards. After doing some research, I felt to achieve that goal, in needed to make minor modifications to my swing without sacrificing my accuracy. I am happy to say, so far so good.

To bring you up to speed, my chances include: dropping my right shoulder to create an upper body tilt, ensuring my left hip presses forward and inch or two, adjusting my club head so I can hit up on the ball, and keeping my head still through contact. All these things might sound as if I have changed a great deal, but in actuality, I have not. My tempo remains the same, my drawback and follow through are the same and my weight shift is the same. So, the minor adjustments are not affecting my actual swing at all…..or so it seems.

My main concern about any adjustments to my driver swing is accuracy. I am pleased to report that I am not experiencing any drop in accuracy off the tee. I find the short grass 75% of the time and that is consistent with my previous swing. However, not everything is all roses and sunshine.

I am not consistently hitting the center of the driver face and that does affect my distance. When I do hit the right spot, I experience the distance and accuracy I am looking for off the tee. I am on to something positive, but like all changes, I need to be patient and let the success come to my game.

Additionally, once in a while I hook the ball. This is a result of poor swing mechanics, but it is something I do not normally experience. So, I will have to ensure that I maintain the proper swing technique to avoid this error. I expect that it will take a few months to groove my new technique to avoid this error. However, I am will to accept the odd hook given my recent successes off the tee.

Making any change to our golf swing is a challenge. Fortunately I am not doing anything drastic, thus my success curve is relatively short. One thing that is needed throughout this entire process is patience. I will make the odd error, but I hope to minimize them as time progresses. Stay tuned for a further update in a few weeks.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!