I'm Hitting My Driver Over 240 Yards (As A 22-Handicapper) Thanks To This Golf Improvement Plan

My winter golf rebuild is really starting to take shape and I am already feeling more confident about my swing, my game and my fitness.

After deciding to spend the off-season period between December and April working on my golf, I have invested plenty of time on the driving range and working on 5 fitness exercises that have already made me a better golfer.

These golf-specific gym exercises have led to a boost in clubhead speed and the technical swing work has helped to iron out some of the common faults that plague many high-handicap golfers.

I'll be going through a period of testing in the next week or so to gain some hard data on improvements so far, but after hitting a 246-yard drive recently, among other similar efforts, I can already tell that things are moving in the right direction...

How I Hit My Driver Over 240 Yards (As A High-Handicapper)

Hitting a 246-yard drive might not be a hugely significant milestone for most amateur golfers, but as someone who has wallowed in high-handicap hell for a long time - it was a big deal to me.

The latest Shot Scope data tells us that the average driving distance for a 20-handicapper is 225 yards, which is a number I have rarely seen in my own performances, so my recent efforts are a marked improvement.

In fact, the driving distance average for a 15-handicapper is only 234 yards - so the chances of a big handicap cut are good if I can increase consistency with the big stick and tidy up the other areas of my game.

Naturally, with any progress journey, there are always hurdles to navigate along the way.

The danger of completing a winter golf rebuild is that there are elements out of your control. The weather hasn't been kind to me recently, but I haven't let that halt my pursuit of progress.

Proactively, I booked in at a local Trackman studio for a little fine tuning, and it was within this fantastic facility that I managed to produce said 'longest ever drive'.

As I arrived at Ilkley Golf Club, I caught up with head professional Glen Ient and I asked him to join me in a little challenge as a mid-project temperature check and to feel out the state of my golf game.

We decided to see if we could break par around the back-nine at the famous Old Head Golf Links in a virtual Texas Scramble - and I must admit I was worried about letting him down with my erratic play.

Seeing as Glen is a pro and I only received a small percentage of my handicap, we actually only received one shot on the course - so there really was no room for error.

As you can see in the video below, things went much better than I had first thought. We stormed to a three-under-par score for nine-holes and I actually contributed more than I imagined I would - including my longest drive ever.

The horrendous shank made one appearance towards the end, but the pressure was sort of off by that point thanks to some strong early play.

Off the yellow tees on the 15th hole at Old Head Golf Links, I was presented with a drivable par-4 which measured 244 yards.

I pointed out to Glen that it was only really drivable for him, but after he took the pressure off and put us greenside with his effort I decided to give my tee shot everything I had.

A 244-yard carry led to a 246-yard total and a very unfortunate bounce saw the ball kick left into the greenside bunker. At that point, despite my often unpredictable bunker play, I was elated just to have had enough to get the ball pin-high.

For someone who was typically hitting the golf ball south of 200 yards off the tee prior to this winter golf rebuild, I was astonished by the improvement in speed, power and distance.

The entirety of that success lies with the tireless work of Mark Wilson and Alex James, the experts who have been helping me to supercharge my game.

The programme consists of three fitness sessions per week, focusing on aspects like strength, power, mobility and flexibility, as well as one golf lesson with a PGA professional working on my golf swing, short game and putting improvement.

Around this, I have committed to at least one hour of practice per week and endeavour to avoid the 7 things you should never do at the driving range.

While the fitness sessions will look slightly different for every golfer, and the golf lesson focus will shift depending on your faults, it's the combination of fitness work, swing development and targeted practice that I believe is the winning formula.

What Does A Winter Golf Rebuild Look Like?

The video above breaks down exactly what goes into a winter golf rebuild, with two clear pillars helping to raise up my game from the pit of despair.

Mark's expertly curated fitness programme has addressed some of the limitations I had in my golf swing, identified through an in-depth TPI screening and baseline testing process, while the swing changes implemented by PGA pro Alex James have helped to get me in much better positions in the golf swing and finally quell my problematic head-movement.

In just eight weeks, Mark has put me through my paces with a number of fitness sessions and plans shortly to retest my baselines to ascertain where progress has been made and where further focus is needed.

Alex, through a series of studio and on-course lessons, has helped me to not only understand my game in a better way but also built my confidence to go and play my best golf in 2026.

With more than half of the project still to go, the sky really is the limit. To any amateur golfer out there who is considering investing their time in seriously searching for improvement in golf, this is a winning combination.

Focusing solely on fitness or golf lessons may deliver results in the short term, but if you want serious long-term gains that could help you reach your ideal handicap index, I can't recommend a dual-focus golf improvement plan enough.