How to Hit Long Drives: 5 Keys for Power and Consistency

Can you ever really hit the ball far enough off the tee?

Most golfers would say no. The more distance you get, the easier it is to approach a green and shoot a low number.

If you want a few more yards off the tee and want to keep yourself in the fairway, here are some of the things you should know about how to hit long drives.

Key Takeaways

If you don’t have time to head to the driving range and work on your drives right now, here are some of the most important tips to remember right now.

• A relaxed grip and soft arms let the club accelerate naturally; tension kills speed.
• Square, flat lead wrist at the top = lower spin loft and faster ball speed.
• Centered weight at address that shifts forward in the downswing ensures you transfer the most energy to the golf ball at impact.
• A simple trail-foot-back setup unlocks a bigger turn and effortless draw bias yardage.
• Building a wider “flat spot” or impact zone through the impact area keeps the face stable and your longest drives in play.

How to Hit Long Drives

If you are struggling with power in your drives, here are the steps you should take when you want to hit long drives.

While some of these are mechanical changes to the swing, some are just feelings and adjustments.

Lose the Tension

Tension in the golf swing is never a good thing.

When you have tension, you lose the ability to swing freely and translate any of your lag and power into your golf swing.

One of the best ways to work on releasing some of the tension in your swing is to swing an alignment stick and listen for a loud whoosh at the bottom.

When you put your driver back in your hand, duplicate that loose, free wrist feel with your driver

Square the Wrist at the Top of the Backswing

If your lead wrist is extended or cupped at impact, the face is open.

That open face costs you yards and likely cost you some speed as you were swinging through and trying to square it.

Most golfers lose distance with an extended (cupped) lead wrist that leaves the face open.

If you can flatten or even slightly flex the lead wrist at the top, you can increase your power and accuracy at impact.

HackMotion’s real-time graph shows the exact degrees of flex/extension so you can adjust accordingly.

The diagnostics will also help you learn exactly where the wrist extension becomes an issue and the best drills to work on your wrist mechanics.

Master Weight Transfer and Body Rotation

Once you have less tension in your arms and your wrist in a better place, start to get the body in the correct position as well.

With the driver your weight will start evenly distributed between your feet but sometimes you’ll find that you are moving too far behind the ball on the backswing.

Work on simplifying the swing, even if it makes you feel more centered. You’ll have an easier time making contact with the center of the face if you can pivot more and slide less.

Proper body rotation is much easier to manage when your wrists are in the correct position to start.

Create a Longer Hand Path

Don’t try to swing longer to gain more distance in your golf game. The goal is to create a longer hand path so that you have a better swing plane and a wider arc to create additional power.

This is really a simple adjustment: at setup, you just pull your trail foot a few inches back.

The preset hip closure frees the trail hip, lengthens the backswing, and encourages a powerful push-draw release.

Here’s what a good driver swing sequence looks like. Feel free to pause the video below anytime to check out each key position in the swing.

Build a Flat Spot Through Impact

Finally, to hit longer drives, ensure you have a flat spot through impact. A driver swings fastest when the club travels level, with minimal face roll, for a few inches.

Stability drills (impact bag or “freeze” swings) teach the arms to extend late while the torso keeps rotating, stretching that flat spot and boosting smash factor.

You’ll need a square face and the proper wrist angles to build this flat spot but it will help you get lower and more consistent drives.

Drills to Add Distance

If you want to work on drills to add distance to your drives, here are a few of the best. Each one is

Motorcycle Drill 

The Motorcycle drill is one of the best wrist action drills in golf.

You can use this when working on both the short game and long game. The idea here is to eliminate some of the wrist extension you have at the top of your backswing.

The Motorcycle drill is located in the HackMotion app, so you can work on it in real time.

The Motorcycle drill is one of the most popular wrist action drills in golf and is available in the HackMotion app, so you can work on it in real time.

Trail-Foot-Back “Bowler” Drill 

The Trail Foot Back drill is a simple setup change that can help if you fade the ball or just feel like you don’t transfer enough power to your drives.

• Video timestamp – 2:15

Skipping Stone Flat Spot Drill

Skipping stones is a good concept or picture to have in your head if you are working on your rotation and body movement through the golf ball.

This video will show you how to get this skip motion and ensure your torso tilts correctly and your arms stay on the proper path.

• Video timestamp – 3:35

HackMotion Casting Drill

Another drill in the HackMotion app that can be helpful when you want to hit long drives is the HackMotion Casting drill.

This drill is best for those working on the proper downswing path and ensuring correct sequencing on the big drives.

Final Thoughts

Long drives aren’t about brute force.

You’ll have to work on several different aspects of your swing, including body rotation, setup, and wrist action, to hit longer drives.

If you find the wrist action is the main issue in your game, dive into more wrist-specific drills inside the HackMotion Drills Library.