Despite all the talk about the short game, the perfect drive is what we all really aspire to, isn't it? But how to describe it? Here are a few ideas...
There’s probably no better feeling in golf than a perfect drive – that moment when the ball comes right out of the middle of the clubface, speeding off like a bullet before returning to earth slap bang in the centre of the fairway almost 300 yards away. So perhaps it’s no great surprise that we golfers have devised a whole lexicon of phrases to describe that wonder feeling…
Killed it
This is how Darren Clarke described his emotion-charged 320-yarder on the 1st tee at the K Club in the 2006 Ryder Cup en route to an opening birdie on his return to the game following the death of his wife, Heather.
Ripped it
John Daly, who famously “grips it and rips it”, bagged two Majors, 17 other wins worldwide… and a bit of reputation adopting this gung-ho philosophy.
John Daly doing what he does best – “gripping it and ripping it”
Nailed it
A satisfyingly descriptive term bringing to mind a hammer striking the perfect blow.
Flushed it
Dictionary definitions of “flush” include “so as to be even, in one plane” hence its overwhelming desirability in a golf swing.
Boomed it
This phrase could have been created for Freddie Couples, whose mighty hitting earned him the nickname “Boom-Boom”, which Lynx in turn then used as a name for one of its drivers.
Freddie Couples nickname spawned this Lynx driver in the 1990s
Creamed it
This is apparently what Jack Nicklaus said to playing partner Sandy Lyle after a perfect back nine drive en route to his epic 1986 Masters victory.
Middled it
Finding the dead centre of the clubface invariably yields exceptional results, at least in terms of distance.
Right out of the screws
A blast from the past, courtesy of the screws that attached the faceplate to the body on old persimmon woods. Younger readers, accustomed only to supersized titanium heads, may not know what we are talking about here!
The faceplate on persimmon woods was attached by screws
Striped it
A slightly more niche and less common term, probably derived from the stripe that is a “stroke from a whip, rod or cane”.
Crushed it
Photos of a golf clubhead and ball at the precise moment of impact reveal just how fitting a phrase this really is.