With a great plan in place, you are all set to send the ball down the fairway into perfect position for the second shot. The only thing left to do is, you know, actually make a swing. This is the hardest part of the game, of course, so you can’t relax your focus just yet. To make all of your planning pay off, you need to execute your swing nicely.

We can’t tell you exactly what to focus on during the swing, since that is going to vary from player to player. Some golfers like to think about a specific swing key, while others attempt to clear their mind and think about nothing at all. So, you’ll need to think for yourself and make sure you are in a great frame of mind to perform at a high level.

What we can offer you are some general techniques and pointers that might help you stay out of trouble with this swing. Review the list of tips below and think about how these ideas may apply to your game.

• Stay under control. This is perhaps the biggest swing key to keep in mind while playing to a large fairway. With so much short grass waiting for your ball, you will be tempted to lean back and swing as hard as you can. Don’t fall into that trap. You can hit a long drive without reaching for any extra effort at all. In fact, you will have a better chance at hitting a long drive if you just stay within yourself and swing smoothly from start to finish. The key ingredients to a long drive are solid contact, balance, and a great tempo. Nowhere in that list does it say to swing as hard as possible. Force yourself to calm down and make a swing which is well within your comfort zone.
• Go through your routine. When all of the necessary decisions have been made and you are ready to hit the shot, take a moment to work through your normal pre-shot routine. If you don’t have such a routine, we would recommend installing one in your game as soon as possible. A pre-shot routine is a great way to improve your confidence on the course, as it will make you feel a little more comfortable before each swing.
• Swing all the way through to the finish. There is no reason to give up on your swing before it is complete. Rather than letting up as soon as the club touches the ball, think about swinging the club all the way through to a full, balanced finish position. Doing so is going to help improve your overall rhythm, and it will make it more likely that you’ll hit your targets on a regular basis. Not only is this good advice when hitting a drive toward a big fairway, but it is just good advice for any full swing you make in this game.

You shouldn’t be doing anything drastically different on this swing from what you do on the rest of your swings throughout the day. The more consistency you can find in your game, the better. Once all of the planning is finished and you are over the ball in a solid address position, the only thing left is to make your best swing and watch the ball sail beautifully toward the target.