The journey from being a handicap player to a pro is packed with some huge obstacles. You need to pick the right clubs, find the perfect fit, practice swinging techniques, learn to read the green, and even ensure that you have the right guidance on the course. These are just some of the things you need to have in order to ensure that you can play at the course. Once you step on the tee zone, the first thing you will need to worry about is your driving. A combination of speed, distance, and accuracy ensures that you have the maximum strokes gained from the tee spot.

Only through practice can one be consistent at swinging. You need to follow the right drills to ensure that driving long and accurate balls becomes second nature to you. So let’s take a look at the best driving drills of professional golfers you can imitate to try to get the same result as them.

Tommy Fleetwood’s drill to hit the ball straighter

In a video collaborating with Meandmygolf on YouTube, Tommy Fleetwood explained how he’s able to hit the ball with the center of the driver’s face. Being one of the better drivers of the ball on the PGA Tour, his swing is something you can definitely practice to get better at driving. The 34-year-old’s goal is to ensure that the body is positioned perfectly for the swing to come down at a comfortable height and make it easier to hit precise drives. As Fleetwood explains in the video, you can dig another pin about six inches behind the pin with the ball. The idea is to position yourself at a distance where your full swing doesn’t flick off the secondary pin while still hitting the ball clean.

While trying to maintain your natural swing, try to hit the ball without touching the pin behind it. You might need to reposition yourself at the right spot to ensure neither your swing is restricted nor do you hit the spare pin. Once you find the spot, keep practicing from it until it comes naturally to you. After a few slow drills, you can pick up the pace and continue hitting from the same spot until you don’t need the other pin anymore. This is a great way to get a routine of your position on the tee zone where you can drive consistently.

Rory McIlroy’s split-handed driver drill

Rory McIlroy is widely regarded as one of the best drivers of the ball. Apart from accuracy, he is known to generate incredible power despite his short stature. There is one drill that McIlroy always practices when working on his drive to ensure he can hit longer strokes. While swinging at 125 miles per hour might not be everyone’s cup of tea, the Irishman uses one technique that everyone can imitate to get most of the swing speed you possess.

It has to do with the way your hands are positioned on the grip. As described by Remec Carlson, you need to use the entire length of the grip to grab the club with both hands while keeping some distance between them. Keep on swinging the club in this position and get used to it. You don’t need to be hitting the golf ball during this drill. The position of the hand allows you to use the complete stretch of your arms on the backswing while also making sure you have complete control over your elbow. Which means the club gets more time to travel from the backswing to the point of contact, which adds more power to your swing. Secondly, this drill also ensures that when you are coming down close to hitting the ball, your primary arm’s elbow is in front of your body. This allows you to lean a bit ahead in motion, and that also helps add more power to your drive. Practicing this drill a few times will certainly help you gain more distance off the tee.

Belt loop hip rotation drill

What many fail to understand is that it’s not just the arms that need to be positioned correctly when you’re swinging the club. The secret to a great swing is to ensure your entire body is in sync and projected towards hitting the ball efficiently. The motion of your hips is one of the vital aspects of your swing that ensures consistency and helps you avoid injuries.

A video by HackMotion perfectly explains how the body should behave when swinging. After swinging your club back, your hips should be closed in the direction of where the club is. If you’re a right-handed golfer, then your right hip should naturally rotate back. When you are bringing down the club, you should wait for it to reach your waist before you rotate your hips around to open them. If you rotate them too soon, then you will mis-hit the ball, which will affect your accuracy. However, it’s worth noting that while your club reaches your waist, opening your hips will also allow you to generate power. Just make sure that just before rotating them, your left hip is pushed a bit ahead to get the most out of the drive.

There are many other drills you can follow to improve your driving. But following these three techniques will ensure you hit accurate and long-distance drives without injuring yourself. Once you have mastered them, you will be able to modify your swing based on your comfort to get better results.