How To Increase Your Swing Speed Off The Tee Without Losing Control

The new XXIO 14 driver is engineered for effortless distance, but you’ve got to be ready to let it do the work for you. Preparation is everything. Step foot on the tee box without setting up correctly and all the magic in this piece of kit will be wasted. Here are some simple tips and drills to help you deliver soaring drives.

Routine Is Queen

Firstly, what is your intention? Where is this ball going? Often golfers think about what can go wrong with tee shots and focus on all the trouble spots on a hole. Instead, turn your mental approach into a powerful piece of visualisation.

Use your mind as well as the driver to slowly dial up confidence. Keep your chin up and breathe out. Search for a spot in the distance, and with feeling, point the clubhead to a spot on the horizon beyond the fairway.

Tell yourself where you are going to hit it. This will empower you to commit to your gameplan. You should have a sharp image in your mind of the ball soaring towards the distant target. Next you need to get into the correct setup position to sweep the ball off the tee.

Set-Up Supreme

Too many golfers set up incorrectly with a driver and as a result they use their arms to swing the club, often hitting down on the ball as though they’re hitting an iron.

The ball should be teed up with half the ball above the top of your clubhead. Ball position should be set forward, opposite the inside of your front heel.

You must set up to sweep up, as if you are about to take off from a launch pad, collecting the ball off the tee on the way through, so ensure your trail shoulder is lower.

Do this by bumping your lead hip towards the target, settling the line of your shoulders away from the target. This will give you a gently rising runway to swing (or even sweep) the club along.

Release Tension

Tension levels can run high when it comes to hitting a driver, so take your trail hand off and let it hang down. Then swing it back onto the club. This will ensure you’re not only very zen in your setup, but you’re also the right distance from the ball.

Keep your grip soft, don’t strangle it. This is easy to do because the grips on the XXIO 14 clubs are tacky. Then remind yourself, this perfectly weighted driver is going to do so much of the work for you, just relax and let it happen.

Turn Baby Turn

It’s so important to wind up the power, and to do this you need to use your bigger muscles. If you really want to reap the benefits of the XXIO 14 driver and generate maximum speed, turn your back to the target. This is easy to achieve if you’ve followed the set-up guidelines. Back to the target, then click the tee through to a finish facing the target.

I suggest ‘turn’and ‘turn’ as a rhythm. By focusing on one simple swing thought, this will stop you from trying to do too much as you swing. This will also take your mind off any thoughts of impending doom or distractions.

Drills For Demon Drives

To encourage the correct body movement, set up in an athletic position, as though you're ready to run somewhere. Without a club in hand, hang your arms down.

Leave your lead hand where it is hanging and turn your shoulders opening up your chest and taking your trail hand wide behind you, as though you’re opening up a book. Unwind using your lower body and bring your hand back together clapping hard, allowing the clap to collect your whole body and turn through.

Open And Close The Book: There’s a wonderful rotational quality to this drill and it’s loaded with power. If done incorrectly, just using your arms, you’ll find it hard to consistently return your hands back together and the clap will feel a bit lacklustre and floppy.

Once you’ve done this a few times, maybe in front of a mirror, you’ll see the movement better. Repeat the feeling with a driver and remember to keep the club moving. Open the book, close the book. Turn and turn.

Whoosh For Power: To help add speed and ultimately gain distance, turn your driver upside and hold in your trail hand. Keep the pressure light and your wrist loose. Swing the club back and swish it like you’re cracking a whip.

Listen for the power, the whoosh noise needs to happen through impact. If the whoosh is more of a drone and lacking volume, then you’re throwing away the power from the top of your swing.

Driving through to a finish using your legs will make a sharper sound and really dial that power up, as well as the volume of the whoosh. The XXIO 14 clubs make a great sound at impact, but so can the lightweight shaft, so turn up the volume and dial up some extra power in your drives.