Being able to hit longer drives as a lady golfer really gives you an advantage in that it allows you to get your first shot much closer to the green and it makes playing the hole much easier.

If you are playing a par 4, hitting a long drive gets you so much closer to the green that you are able to hit a very short club into the green with your second shot and the shorter the club is that you are playing, combined with the closer that you are to the target, the easier it is to hit extremely accurately and set up an achievable birdie opportunity. If you are playing a par 5, following a long drive from the tee, you may even be able to hit the green in 2 shots and set up an eagle opportunity, helping you to shoot a really low score.

To achieve the longest drive possible, you need to create the highest club head speed possible. Initially, you need to address the golf ball in the optimum way to promote a great swing that maximizes club head speed. As you are going to swing this club with the highest club head speed of all of your golf clubs, you need a wider stance than usual. You can swing your driver faster than any of your other clubs because it has the longest shaft and this means that the club head’s swing arc is the biggest of all of your golf clubs and results in you having more time to build up club head speed. Set up with your feet shoulder width apart so that you have a solid, balanced base to swing from and to accommodate the higher swing speed.

To make an effective, powerful swing with your driver, you need to make a slightly lower more rounded swing with the club head as it travels around you. This will then allow you to swing the club head with more of a U shape to your golf swing and this shape has a gentler and shallower bottom to its arc. The club head will approach the golf ball at a shallower angle and this will allow you to make a sweeping action with the club head through impact so that you catch the golf ball slightly on your upswing at full club head speed, because the club head has not lost any of its speed by hitting the ground.

To achieve this flatter, more rounded swing, set up with your weight evenly distributed between your feet. Place the club head next to the golf ball, then place your hands over the crown of the club head and then position your head just to the right of your hands (for right handed golfers). This will allow you to keep your shoulders parallel to your hips, knees and toes but will also place slightly more weight on your right side, which will encourage you to make a flatter swing.

As you are making a more rounded, flatter swing with your driver, you will be approaching the golf ball more from the inside of the target line than usual and because of this, you need to give the club head slightly longer to square the face to the target. Play the golf ball from the inside of your left heel and therefore further down the target line than usual and this will allow you to hit straighter shots.

Work on making a good upper body rotation to the right so that your shoulders turn 90 degrees right of their start position. As you do this, swing the club back with a straight left arm and hinge your wrists to create a 90 degree angle between your left arm and the club shaft. Maintain your head position, posture and balance throughout your backswing and then return the club head back down to the golf ball by rotating your lower body towards the shot, first with your knees, hips, torso and then your shoulders turning towards the target. At impact, create a straight line down your left side, with your left shoulder vertically over your left hip and left foot. Your hips should be rotated towards the target and your right foot also rotated this way, with your heel lifting from the ground. Your left arm should be straight and down the front of your left side so that your hands are in front of your left thigh. Your right arm should explode as a lever, extending through the golf ball as your body continues to rotate left, finishing with the club wrapped around your left side and around the back of your neck.

Maintain your balance throughout the swing and you will be hitting your longest drives in no time.