Anthony Kim’s 3 tips to hitting your driver straighter than ever

GGolf instruction is always evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s Lifetime Tips series, we’re highlighting some of the greatest tips that teachers and players have shared in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back at our December 2008 issue, when Anthony Kim shared his keys to hitting the straightest drives.

In case you haven’t heard, Anthony Kim is back.

The man who once set the golf world on fire with his birdie volleys and shiny belt buckles is back in the winner’s circle. Sixteen years after his last victory, Kim once again lifted a trophy high above his head, defeating a field that included Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau to complete an amazing comeback story.

Since that win at LIV Adelaide, the golfing world has been pontificating what does it all mean – but we won’t do that here. Instead, we’re looking back at AK’s heyday, when he graced the cover of GOLF magazine and gave our readers his best tips for parting ways.

Here is Kim, in his own words:

Tips for AK driving accuracy

As you can guess, the Ryder Cup was a breakthrough event for me, but I didn’t really do anything special. Regardless of who I was playing against or the format of the match, I focused on the same swing that got me to Valhalla in the first place—the moves I’d hammered into my muscle memory from a young age in Southern California.

I’ve always been a bit smaller than my competitors, so my swing emphasizes squeezing as many yards out of my driver as possible. But that’s only half the story: my main concern is accuracy – it’s not very often you make a bird out of the rough.

Copy my precision keys below (and listen to the advice given by my coach, GOLF Top 100 Teachers Adam Schriber) and you’ll encounter discs that constantly find the freeway.

Advice no. 1: drown

The strangest thing about my technique is that I drown in the handle – about two full centimeters. And I choke with every club in the bag. I started doing this out of necessity: I have a short torso and long arms, and if I got a “normal” grip I’d be way off the ball. Over the years, however, I noticed that the throttle gave me more control – especially with the driver – and I’ve never looked back.

Since the choke automatically makes the club shorter, | sacrifice some distance. But it’s less than you think – 10 yards max (and I still average 300 yards off the tee). So I have to hit the 7-iron on the green instead of an 8-iron. Great work. I’d take a longer iron from the fairway over a shorter iron from the rough any day. You saw the benefits of this strategy during the Ryder Cup. The guys who consistently hit fairways and greens were the ones who earned points for their team. When you’re accurate, your opponent feels it.

Schriber’s take

“When I first started working with Anthony, he already had the choke in his control. And I’ve seen no reason to change it. His hit factor is great. You can try using it for more control on tight driving holes, but it’s also a good way to hit between shots. Take three clubs on a par-3 and set it up nicely to increase distance without changing it. imagine. and add strikes to your arsenal.”

Advice no. 2: Shorten the back bend

Whenever I’m playing in a pro-am, I’m amazed at the length of most amateurs’ swings—it’s like they spent three months at John Daly Driving School. Over swinging is a killer move for me. I can get away with swinging the club parallel and wider now and then, but on Tour, every now and then it means a string of missed cuts.

I’m most comfortable doing a three-quarter backhand, with my hand stopping at shoulder height and my club slightly parallel. I knew from a young age that I wouldn’t be able to generate power with just my arms because of my size, so I don’t swing them back that far. Instead, I focus on turning my upper body as much as possible and keeping my legs stable, as if I’m holding my hips back. So even though my arm swing is short, I’ve created resistance between my upper and lower body, and that’s where my swing power comes from.

Schriber’s take

“The best backswing for you is the one that creates your best landing. Anthony has tremendous rotational flexibility, and he takes advantage of that by resisting with his legs and turning his shoulders more than his hips. This stretches the core muscles, a move that can be a big spruce to anyone’s swing.”

Advice no. 3: Sit down

When you move down from above using only your wings, it’s easy to get off the plane. The secret to swinging on plane and with power is in your feet. I initiate my fall with my lower body, which pulls my arms into action. I feel like I’m pushing my body into the ground, creating a strong connection between my feet and the ground. As I do this, my arms naturally fall, with my left arm hanging close to my chest.

After I land, I come back as fast as I can through the kick, using the ground as leverage and shifting my weight over my left leg. It’s a burst of energy at the end of my swing, so when I lift weights I only do “burst” exercises, not high-rep sets. You just have to be quick through impact.

Schriber’s take

“Anthony does a great job of ‘using the deck,’ or interacting with the ground, to create leverage in his landing. It’s a hard concept to learn, but a good way to get a feel for it is to do your back and down swing while standing on an unstable surface, like two balance discs. You’ll learn very quickly how to train your lower body strength like a stony, to use your leg.”