I came across an article in the April 2001 Issue of Golf Magazine (Australian Edition) addressed for the ‘Straight Hitter’:

The straight hitter is someone who keeps the ball in play during most of the round however a shortage of distance prevents better scoring and adds pressure to his / her game. I can relate to this as I used to be a fairly straight hitter myself apart from the occasional slice or hook depending on the way of the wind. I never really found out the cause of my slices (to be explored on another post). Over time and as I constantly played every weekend, I would gain more consistency in my swing. However my lack of distance used to bug me and I would always want to find out ways to hit further – especially after watching the lady professionals play at tournaments such as the Australian Women’s Open.

For example, my drives during the period where I was most consistent in my game, used to average approximately 165 to 175 metres. On a good day or if it is windy, I would be able to hit it between 180 and 190 metres. Anytime I hit a 200 metre drive I would be overjoyed and so excited!

The article goes on to state that without some serious strength and flexibility training, one will not be able to add 20 or more metres to the distance of the drive. This is why it is important to ‘squeeze every last drop out of your current ability’. I wonder if this also applies to the irons and woods or is it applicable mainly to the driver – something to test out at my next driving range session.

The main things to do to squeeze every drop out of my current ability is:

1. Go hard – pick a target and take a good rip at the shot as accuracy will mostly not be a problem;
2. Attack even when I’m off – its better to smash a 3 wood down the middle of the fairway than trying to steer a driver into the fairway; and
3. Don’t worry about the draw – without going to extremes, focus on hitting your drives very straight

So in summary, using my natural swing, just muscle it a little bit more while maintaining the rhythm.

Happy golfing!