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To hit the ball long and straight like the pros on tour, it is important that the mechanics of the swing are the best that you can physically manage. For example, are you rotating the shoulders fully with the hips rotated half as much and the wrists hinged?

During the down swing, are you leading with your hips and pulling your upper body towards the ball to create as much power as possible whilst swinging on a straight swing path to the target?

If the answer to these questions are no, you need to find out why and the general answer comes back to the set up.

A good set up provides stability and flexibility and therefore is the only way you can swing with the maximum rotation and power towards the ball. The set up should consist of:

• A good neutral grip
• A strong athletic posture with a straight back and hip flex
• Slight knee flex
• Ball position inside the left heel with the hands pushed over the ball
• The body weight 55%-45% favouring the right foot with the shoulders angled to the sky
• The stance with wider than shoulders for added stability but be aware not to be too wide as this can cause poor rotation and weight transfer

The basic driver fundamentals encourage the golf swings rotation to work around the spine axis so the posture can be maintained throughout the swing, the 45 degree resistance between the hips and shoulders creates energy and power for the hips to lead and pull the shoulders back towards the ball.

The weight starting on the back foot prevents any lateral movement due to the swing being bigger than usual but also encourages a good, high launch angle due to the shoulders tilting towards the sky. More importantly, using the wide stance to ensure stability will encourage the weight transition from the top of the swing to drive towards the target for maximum power.

To hit the ball long and straight, the set up must be conducive to creating height and minimizing spin. A centred ball position can cause low ball flights due to the weight being on the left side and the body ahead of the ball at impact decreasing the launch angle. It can also create added spin with a potentially open club face caused by the centred ball position and poor timing of the release.

A weak grip can cause the club face to stay open at impact, and depending on the swing path, can cause sliced shots. Closing the stance to counteract the weak grip will not help the impact face angle.

Having a stance that is too wide for the driver will cause the rotation to be difficult during the back swing but also it will cause the weight transition and hip rotation during the down swing to be slower causing poor timing and striking.