Words to describe a perfect drive
Here are our top 10 ways to describe a perfect drive


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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.
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.
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!
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.
Jeremy Ellwood has worked in the golf industry since 1993 and for Golf Monthly since 2002 when he started out as equipment editor. He is now a freelance journalist writing mainly for Golf Monthly across the whole spectrum from courses and Rules to equipment and even instruction despite his own somewhat iffy swing (he knows how to do it, but just can't do it himself). He also edits The Golf Club Secretary Newsletter, has authored or co-authored three books and written for a number of national papers including The Telegraph and The Independent. He is a senior panelist for Golf Monthly's Top 100 UK & Ireland Course Rankings and has played all of the Top 100 plus 89 of the Next 100. He has played well over 900 courses worldwide in 35 countries, but put him on a links course anywhere and he will be blissfully content. On his first trip to Abu Dhabi a decade ago he foolishly asked Paul Casey what sort of a record he had around the course there. "Well, I've won it twice if that's what you mean!" came the reply...
Jezz can be contacted via Twitter - @JezzEllwoodGolf
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