Picture this: You’re standing on the tee box of a gettable par 5. The wind is slightly at your back. And there’s not a whole lot of trouble on either side of the fairway. This is the ideal spot to step on one — to rip it with all you’ve got.
We’ve all been in this situation. The quintessential “green-light” tee shot. It’s an exciting place to be, because if you execute properly, you’ll find yourself way down the fairway with a chance to hit the green in two.
The problem is, when presented with this kind of opportunity, most recreational players squander the opportunity. They simply don’t know how to attack a shot like this when presented with the opportunity.
Lucky for you, we’re here to make that shot rather simple. All you need to do is remember three simple swing keys. GOLF Top 100 Teacher Mike Malizia has more in the video below.
3 swing keys for bombing driver
When you need to step up and really crank a drive, you just need to focus on three things to make sure you have the best opportunity to give it a ride. Even better, two of them pertain to your setup before you even take the club back, so you don’t even need to think about them during the swing.
1. Tee it high
On a typical tee shot, you should tee the ball up with about half the ball above the crown of the driver. But when you get into a situation when you need to bomb one, tee it up even a little bit higher than that.
“That’s gonna help us hit up [on] the ball and create a higher attack angle,” Malizia says. “[That will create] high launch and low spin.”
2. Pull the trail foot back
If you want to hit it longer, you’ll need to turn back just a little more than usual. An easy way to do this is by pulling back your trail foot by a few inches.
“That’s gonna help me increase my hip turn,” Malizia says.
3. Lift the lead foot
Another way to lengthen your swing a bit is by lifting your lead heel during your turn back. It’s a move used by lots of the longest players in the game — such as Bryson DeChambeau — and can help you, too.
“That’s gonna help lengthen my swing, maximize my power and help me bomb this thing down the fairway,” Malizia says.
