Do a 'Freddie' pre-swing. He always possessed one of the game's most languid swings, and in his prime Fred Couples (aka 'Boom Boom') was also one of the longest drivers of the ball with his LA-easy style. And Freddie is a great believer in the importance of stretching the shoulders before stepping up to the ball. You can always spot him a mile away on the course, raising his arms high up above his head, really loosening up the rotator muscles in the shoulders, ready to make a full backswing turn. So, as you prepare to drive, do a 'Freddie'. Take hold of your driver and raise your hands high above your head, holding that position for 30 seconds or so. Feel the stretch in your rotator cuffs. Doing this regularly during a round will get your shoulders ready to make a full and athletic turn. It will also give you a sense of standing up nice and tall, which is another plus for maximizing the width of your arc in the swing.
Whatever your standard, you will hit more solid and more consistent shots if you focus on meeting the fundamentals head-on. A good set-up pre-sets the sequence of moves that you need to make in order to maximize your coiling motion and subsequent club head speed. Here are some of the key points you should look for with the driver:
Angle your upper body away from the target slightly. This puts you in the perfect position to turn behind the ball
For a long drive, set the club head a few inches behind the ball. That gives you a nice feeling of width and of hitting through the ball and collecting it on the 'up', which is vital to maximize the performance of modern deep-face, low-spin drivers and low-spin balls.
Check that your head is comfortably positioned behind the ball and maintain a neutral grip, leaving the hands and arms relaxed and free of tension.
Settle your weight evenly between the feet. Standing with too much weight on the right side is a mistake that can lead to a player over-using the hands and arms, and not turning the upper body effectively. With your weight split evenly, you are made more aware of a need to shift and transfer your weight effectively as you turn. Spread your feet to about shoulder width. That's plenty. Too wide a stance and you restrict your ability to turn, and get 'loaded' on to your right side.
From the set-up, focus on exaggerating the backswing moves. Make as full a hip-and-shoulder turn as you can, allowing your head to ease to the right as you turn your back on your target. From the set-up position, where your weight is evenly split, feel it shift across as you use that right knee as a brace, winding and 'loading' into the right side. This exercise is great for players who have a tendency to hang back on the left side with a hint of a reverse-pivot. It forces you to rotate into your right side. The ideal combination is a full shoulder/upper body turn with a compact arm swing. Look at big hitters today like Els or Tiger. Over a stable leg action they combine a fantastic turn with a relatively short arm swing – and that's the key.
The Power Move: Let it all fall 'in sync.' Get into the habit of stretching, checking your set-up position and making this full turn. Then comes the second – and crucial – stage of this exercise: from the top, feel the unit of your hands, arms, shoulders and club fall as one unit to get the downswing underway. No other movement is necessary. The left arm rides down and across the chest, while the wrists retain the full cocking that you achieved in the course of making your backswing. So, from the top, all you do is 're-rotate'. You have maximized your torsion, and you simply drop it all back into this power slot before unwinding your body (i.e. rotating your 'core') through the ball. In so doing you initiate a chain reaction: the left knee pulls away from the right as you squat or sit down into the downswing and the arms fall into the classic delivery position. That's the dynamic of a good swing. You simply rotate your upper body over the stability of the knees, and allow the arms to swing and be driven by the centrifugal forces you create.
Full 'release' maximizes your speed on the ballThe gist is that one good move leads to another, and that improving and maintaining the suppleness in your shoulders massively assists you in making the full turn and 'coil' that maximizes your club head speed. Here's one final thought that I guarantee will further help you to enjoy 'releasing' the club head freely. Always visualize your release as being a few feet beyond the ball, not at the ball. This is especially important with the driver and the long irons. The key is to focus on this long extension of the right arm through the ball, the right hand overtaking the left as you commit yourself to releasing the club head towards your target. As you freewheel, feel that you hit against a strong and positive left side, and that you catch the ball as the club begins its ascent. That will give you a great trajectory off the tee, and maximum distance. Working on these ideas to develop the athletic moves you need to make to drive the ball with confidence. You will appreciate the controlling role played by the shoulders, the timing that is so critical at the start of the downswing, and a sense of building acceleration gradually in time to put the heat on the ball at impact. All of this should lead you to the full and balanced follow-through position – a natural conclusion to a naturally dynamic swing.
