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A month before our big golf tournament this summer my partner made me go out and buy a modern 460cc driver. He said it would help my game and help the team. Being a team player, I bought the new driver and took it to the driving range and quickly learned a few things. I had a hard time consistently hitting the ball, but when I got a solid hit, the ball went farther and I had more control. I made a few calls, got some advise, came back to the range, practiced what I learned an…

A month before our big golf tournament this summer my partner made me go out and buy a modern 460cc driver. He said it would help my game and help the team. Being a team player, I bought the new driver and took it to the driving range and quickly learned a few things. I had a hard time consistently hitting the ball, but when I got a solid hit, the ball went farther and I had more control. I made a few calls, got some advise, came back to the range, practiced what I learned and then thoroughly enjoyed the club all summer. Here are the three things I learned that helped me hit the ball and increased my distance off the tee.

1) Tee the ball up higher.
With the larger head modern driver you need to tee the ball much higher than you are used to with your old driver. Use three inch tees and set the ball up so the top of the driver is about one third of the way up the ball. Halfway up the ball for the old driver and one third up for the modern driver. Because the ball is higher off the ground you will need to move back from the ball an inch or two to keep from hitting the heel side of the club face. In your normal position the ball will be at the heel of the club. Experiment moving away from the ball an inch, hit the ball, look at the ball mark on your club face. Continue to adjust until the ball marks are generally centered on the club face.

2) Hit the ball on the upswing.
With every other club in the bag, except your putter, you hit the ball on the down swing. At least you should. With the modern driver you hit the ball on the upswing.

3) Move the ball farther forward.
Move the ball forward, toward the target, in your stance to insure hitting the ball on the upswing. I used to play the ball off my left heel and now I play it just left of my left big toe. Depending on your stance, you may need to move the ball even farther left of your left foot. You need to move the ball up so the club hits the ball on the upswing.

If you want an enjoyable driving experience, get one of these modern golf drivers, use these tips and drive the ball farther with more control.

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