Golf instruction is always evolving, but the best tips stand the test of time. In GOLF.com’s Lifetime Tips series, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice that teachers and players have shared in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back to our September 1981 issue for tips on precision driving from Ben Crenshaw.
Driving the ball is a skill that has lost some of its luster over the years, but remains incredibly important. While it’s true that distance is a higher skill than accuracy when it comes to the driver, that doesn’t mean you can ignore it. As a legendary instructor Harvey Penick once said, “The woods are full of long shots.”
Ben Crenshaw was a disciple of Penick, and he took this advice of precision to heart. Although he was known for his shooting skills, his ability to keep the ball in the fairway cannot be overlooked.
Back to a 1981 issue of GOLF magazineCrenshaw shared some of his best tips for finding more routes, which you can check out below.
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Crenshaw’s Driving Accuracy Tips
Over the last four years or so, I’ve learned to drive the ball better. I had to do this to survive the tournament. It was clear to me that if I continued to drive the ball the old way, my future was more than a little uncertain. In late 1976, I was likely to miss as many as 10 fairways during a single round. This forced me to look carefully at my driving and analyze what I could do to improve it.
Comparing myself to the great ball drivers, it was immediately clear that, unlike me, they hit the ball on a lower trajectory. My ball was flying too high, and as a result, I had a lot of trouble playing into the wind.
There were technical reasons why I hit the ball too high and tended to spray it. I’ll get into those on the next page, but I should mention here that my equipment was also hurting me. My solid (S) shaft driver was too flexible for me. By switching to an extra stiff (X) shaft with a tip, I not only got a lower trajectory, but also more precise drives. I’ve given up about 15 yards to make this change, but if I had to choose between my old 280 yards and my new 265 yards on the fairway, I’ll take the short grass any day, and so should you.
So although your first item of study should be the trajectory of your swing, if you’re hitting the ball too high or low or are inaccurate, you should also look at your equipment. You need to find a playable driver that you can hit the ball with and still get it to the fairway. Your pro can help you find the driver with the right shaft and other specs to suit your game.
I’ll also suggest what to aim for when driving the ball, give some technical tricks and explain the art of aiming. So let’s go.
My problems and yours
GOLF magazine
I used to set up with the ball well forward in my position, roughly by the left post and with my head behind the ball. I also had a giant swing as well as a huge side swing from the ball. As a result, I hit the ball too high, even though I could hit it a mile. Now I play the ball off my left heel and put more on the ball, with my right knee slightly inward. I control my right leg better, as you can see above. This has also reduced the length of my backswing and the amount of side swing. Everyone needs a little sideways movement with a tip shot, but not as much as I had.
In my own play I found that the most important principle of good driving is to trust your movement. A fuller, freer swing allows you to release the club correctly and hit straight. If you’re hitting wildly, you’re probably trying to drive the ball. The club isn’t traveling as much through impact, and that messes up your timing. This is when you hit off target.
Another good rule of thumb is to avoid giving technical advice when you’re actually on the course; reminders like “Keep your left arm straight” only add to your problems. Key to simple concepts, the feel or rhythm of the club. If you find a swing key during the warm-up that seems to help, use it, but don’t use two or three keys at once. One is enough.
The only technical point that can ever help you is grip pressure. When you are driving poorly and as a result are tense, ease the pressure to the point where you can feel the club head. Then go ahead and rock it.
Technical tricks
The roof pitch is defined by the outer edges of the peak markers and is two to two feet deep. This is important to remember. Normally, you get up from a flat spot because then you can put your best swing on the ball. However, some tees have a slight slope. If you are forced to go up a slope with the ball on your feet, you will tend to draw the ball and fade when the ball is under your feet. So allow these when aiming. You can use these swords creatively. Say you need a draw or fade to work the ball around a foot. Try to find the right slope. If you want to avoid a hook or slice, choose the slope that will have the opposite effect.
Tee height also affects ball flight. Place the ball below in narrow holes. You’ll get a ball with a lower trajectory that hits the ground faster and stays out of trouble better than a high ball. A low tee also encourages a fade, which will stop the ball quickly. The opposite of this is also true: In general, a higher than normal top encourages a high draw.
You should also understand that steering choke stiffens the shaft a bit as well as reduces the size of your bow. This is a useful technique to use in tight holes. On long holes, grip more at the end of the grip. This gives you a bigger arc and you can really feel the club head.
In addition, the golf course architect usually has a few tricks up his sleeve. The worst is the wrong T-shirt. For example, on the sixth drive at Merion, if you lay yourself parallel to the sides of the tee, you’ll hit straight out of bounds. Don’t fall for this.
The aim
There are two basic steps to aim for. First, analyze how wide or narrow the target area is and where the problem is. Second, picture in your mind the ideal swing for you on that hole – see yourself rising, swinging and see the ball landing in your target area. The mind leads the body, and without thinking and visualizing well, the impulse can go anywhere.
When aiming, it’s important to recognize and compensate for how you’re hitting the ball. I’ve played golf with amateurs who slice, and all day long they aim for the middle of the fairway and end up in the fairway. Had they aimed more to the left, they could have played their second shots from the fairway.
It is also vital to choose a goal that you can realistically achieve. If you’re a 220-yard hitter, aim for a spot 220 yards away. Aim farther than that, and you’ll tend to swing too hard and mess up the shot.
When there’s trouble on one side of the hole, people say you have to get on the same side as the trouble and get away from it. This is great advice for people with disabilities. For the more skilled player, there is a second option. My teacher, Harvey Penick, would tell me to line up in foul trouble and then pull or fade the ball away from him. It still works for me.
In open holes, you have to work hard on your aim. It’s very easy to miss a target and then you’ll often hit your wildest drives. Force yourself to find a focal point, even if it’s the difference in color between the edge of the fairway and the rough. In lining, work outside this point. With no focal point in the landing zone or with a blind shot, find a distant object, such as a tree or a distinctive colored rock, a chimney or a church spire, and line up on it. I should add that in wide holes there is a great temptation to swing too hard. Resist them. Choose your seat and swing smoothly.
Narrow apertures, on the other hand, literally force you to aim accurately and focus better. The temptation here is to direct. You should make an effort to swing freely.
Finally, never be too proud to drive a 3-wood on tight holes. Think of it as an amateur single iron.
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