Driving Lessons For Beginner Golfers: How To Aim Correctly

Beginners who stand on the first tee for the first time cannot help but be nervous. The drive can be the most daunting shot on any hole because it sets down a marker. Hit the fairway and you are definitely in play, miss and your problems are only just beginning. It is tempting to swing as hard as possible thinking that is the secret to a long shot. Even if you produce that long shot it might be a long way into trouble.

Hit the Sweet Spot

The driver is designed to do the work for you; a sweet spot that will project the ball down the fairway if the head is square on impact. A smooth tempo and follow through is the secret. It presupposes that you have aligned yourself correctly so that you are addressing the ball in such a way that the ball has a chance of going in the direction you want.

Soft hands

Your grip should be firm without being too tight; that translates into tension throughout the body. It is important to keep the back elbow, right in a right handed golfer close to the body in the back swing.

Three-quarters

Initially as a beginner you may be well advised to limit your back swing, perhaps just a three-quarter swing with a similar follow through. A good turn and accelerating through the ball transferring your weight as you swing through the ball is a practice that you can perfect on the practice ground.

Visualise

Visualisation is an important factor in every golf shot. The fairway is always wider than it appears from the tee and if you can see the ball soaring forward in your mind then you have a good chance of achieving that as long as you concentrate on the tips you have learnt; they should in time be habits that you and your body will perform automatically.

Baseball Hands

You should concentrate on getting your hands through the ball. If you were holding a baseball and hitting the ball you would find that during your shot your hands will automatically do what you want them to do during the swing.

A high tee helps; it increases the chance that you will be hitting the ball on the ‘up’ rather than coming down on it. That should help reduce any negative spin. Spin is always a problem for a beginner, especially using clubs with minimal loft.