Driving the ball well is critical to playing well. That’s because good drives leave you in the fairway, which usually offers the best lie from which to hit. Thus, one valuable statistic for serious weekend golfers is number of fairways hit. The higher the number, the better off you are. But now comes word that there’s a new way of measuring driving accuracy—one that some say serves as a better tool for slicing strokes off your golf handicap.
The traditional method of calculating driving accuracy, say critics, is not precise enough. For example, with the traditional calculation method a drive that goes into a clump of trees is rated the same as one that lands in a light rough. Even a new player just starting to take golf lessons knows that’s incorrect. Hitting from light rough is better by far. But since the traditional way of measuring driving accuracy works fairly well, it’s never been updated.
Focus On Costs
The new method of measuring accuracy focuses on what a bad drive costs you in terms of shots. Think of this number as a gauge for how much you spray the ball. With the new method, the cost of inaccurate drives also varies depending on the resulting situation. In other words, the cost changes depending on how much it affects your efforts to hit the next target. That’s the key difference in methods.
Obviously, the obstacles resulting from the errant drive decrease the odds of hitting your target. Common obstacles are a low hanging branch, three-inch thick rough, or a side hill lie. In addition, the cost of bad driving varies fractionally depending on your golf handicap. Simply put, the higher your handicap, the more a bad lie affects your ability to hit a target. A good driving round is one that beats the average of players in your golf handicap.
Five Tips On Accuracy
Peter Sanders, president and a founding partner of Shotbyshot.com, a golf Web site, has devised a formula for figuring out the costs of a bad shot. (Shotbyshot.com helps you analyze your golf game.) You track your driving over a few rounds, use the formula to figure out driving accuracy, and then compare it to a chart on Shotbyshot.com. Doing this gives you a good idea of the number of shots lost because of inaccurate driving.
Sanders’ new formula certainly encourages weekend golfers to hit more fairways. Golfers who hit poor drives should do everything they can to improve, including take golf lessons or view videos of golf instruction sessions. Why? Because driving accuracy is one of the cornerstones of a great golf game. Below are some golf tips on driving we offer in our golf instructions sessions.
Focus on balance: Balance is among the most overlooked of all swing fundamentals. A balanced starting form sets the tone for a good swing. It also promotes feelings of simplicity, freedom, and confidence.
Determine direction: Too often golfers don’t determine a shot’s direction. Determine direction first. Determine other key factors like distance, trajectory, and curvature. All these factors must be considered to hit a target.
Visualize flight path: Develop a mental picture of how the ball will reach its target. Then, let your subconscious take over. Visualizing ball flight includes drawing a target line mentally. Focus on starting the ball on the target line and getting the ball to do what you want.
Focus on striking the ball: Too often a golfer tenses up in an effort to blast a 300-yard drive only to lose focus on hitting the ball. That usually results in a flubbed or an off-target shot. Instead, focus on striking the ball soundly.
Maintain target awareness: Pick out a very specific target. Then go for it. Some argue that this is the most important factor in driving accuracy. That’s debatable. What’s not debatable is that’s it’s one of the keys to accuracy.
You can’t improve something if you can’t measure it. Determine your driving accuracy using whatever formula works for you—modern or traditional. Then work on improving your accuracy. Take golf lessons. Watch videos. Hit shots at the range. Do whatever it takes and your scores will improve. Good driving helps slice strokes from your golf handicap.
