Instruction
Controlling the driver: Accept reality to find more fairways
In my nine years as a teaching professional, I can honestly say there is one common complaint that I hear above all others from my students, friends or any person I meet who finds out I teach golf for a living:
“I can’t hit my driver.”
The first thing I immediately ask is “Where are you aiming?” which is promptly answered by either “I don’t know” or “down the fairway.” Not only are these answers vague, but they show that there is little clarity about where a golfer is aiming and the shot that they’re trying to hit.
A good illustration of the importance of being able to hit fairways with more regularity can be seen in evaluating Tiger Woods’ performance in the last few years on the PGA Tour. In 2011, he was the 183rd most accurate driver on Tour and had only one victory (he won his own 30-player field Chevron World Challenge). However, in 2012 he improved his ranking to 55th in driving accuracy, and is currently ranked 67th this year. As a result of this better accuracy off the tee, he has earned multiple wins in both seasons.
So what has Tiger done to help him hit the ball in the fairway more? He has taken a more realistic approach to where he aims and his shot shape off the tee.
The driver is the longest club in the bag and it has the least amount of loft. It also is the club that is swung the fastest and travels the farthest, which means it has the ability to travel the farthest offline as well. All these factors together make the driver harder to hit straight. A much better plan of attack is to be realistic and understand that when we hit a driver, the golf ball is most likely going to curve a consistent direction.
Instead of trying to fix the fact that your golf ball curves one way, you should try and embrace your ball flight. When you watch Tiger on television now, you will notice that when he has driver in his hands (and most of his longer clubs), the majority of the time he is aiming well left of his intended target, and then the ball curves back toward the target. Very rarely will you see Tiger try to hit a draw with the driver; if he needs to curve the ball right to left, he will generally just take a shorter club.
Tiger has always been the type of player to pride himself on being able to hit every shot, but with his driver he has accepted the reality that he has an easier time hitting the driver one direction.
Realizing all of these factors, when I work with my students who are having trouble controlling their driver, I have them play a hole using the Foresight CG2 launch monitor. That way, we can analyze where the ball is starting in relation to the target line and also where it is finishing. We can also analyze the dispersion of the shots. This allows us to make an accurate determination of where the student should be aiming off the tee to have the greatest success to hit the fairway.
It would be great to be able to aim down both sides of the fairways or dead straight and hit a booming tee shot every time. However, there are numerous factors working against golfers with the driver that make that difficult to achieve consistently. If you want to improve your driving, take a note from Tiger and become realistic about what you are able to achieve to become more accurate.
The LPGA Tour is kicking off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and the pros are dealing with something most Florida golfers rarely face: freezing temperatures.
“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said England’s Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Even Lydia Ko, who lives at Lake Nona, seemed surprised by the cold snap. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise,” she said.
If the world’s best players are adjusting their games for cold weather, recreational golfers should, too. Here’s how to play smart when the mercury drops.
Understand What Cold Does to Your Game
Before you change anything, you need to know what you’re fighting against. Cold air is denser than warm air, which means your ball won’t fly as far. Period.
Hull noticed this immediately during practice rounds at Lake Nona. She mentioned hitting a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needing a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. That’s a difference of four or five clubs for the same shot.
Action item: Expect to lose 5-10 yards on every club in your bag when temperatures dip below 50 degrees. Plan accordingly and don’t be stubborn about club selection.
Layer Up Without Restricting Your Swing
Hull admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice. While that might be extreme for most of us, staying warm is critical to playing well in cold conditions.
Your muscles need warmth to function properly. When you’re cold, your body tightens up and your swing gets shorter and faster. Neither of those things help you hit good golf shots.
Action item: Wear multiple thin layers instead of one bulky jacket. Look for golf-specific cold weather gear that stretches with your swing. Keep hand warmers in your pockets between shots. And don’t forget a good hat because you lose significant body heat through your head.
Take More Club Than You Think You Need
This is where ego gets in the way of good scores. When it’s cold, the ball doesn’t compress as well off the clubface. Combined with denser air, you’re looking at serious distance loss.
The pros at Lake Nona are dealing with a course that measures 6,642 yards but plays much longer this week. If they’re adjusting, you should too.
Action item: Take at least one extra club on every approach shot. In temperatures below 40 degrees, consider taking two extra clubs. It’s better to fly the ball to the back of the green than to come up short in a bunker.
Adjust Your Expectations on the Greens
Cold weather affects putting in ways most golfers don’t consider. The ball is harder and doesn’t roll as smoothly. Your hands are cold, making it harder to feel the putter. And if there’s any moisture on the greens, they’ll be slower than normal.
Ko mentioned that she still sometimes reads the greens wrong at Lake Nona despite being a member for years. Cold weather makes that challenge even tougher.
Action item: Hit putts more firmly than usual. The ball needs extra speed to hold its line on cold greens. Take a few extra practice strokes to get a feel for the speed before you putt.
Embrace the Mental Challenge
Hull said something interesting about cold weather golf: “I like the mental toughness of it.”
That’s the right attitude. Everyone on the course is dealing with the same conditions. The player who stays patient and doesn’t get frustrated by the extra difficulty will come out ahead.
Action item: Lower your expectations by a few strokes. If you normally shoot 85, accept that 90 might be a good score in 40-degree weather. Focus on solid contact and smart decisions rather than perfect shots.
Warm Up Longer and Smarter
This might be the most important tip of all. Cold muscles are tight muscles, and tight muscles get injured easily.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season. Cold weather makes those kinds of injuries more likely if you don’t prepare properly.
Action item: Spend at least 20 minutes warming up before your round. Start with stretching, then hit easy wedge shots before working up to your driver. Keep moving between shots on the course to maintain body heat and flexibility.
The pros at Lake Nona this week will adapt and compete at the highest level despite the cold. You can do the same at your local course by following these tips and keeping a positive attitude.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Brooks Koepka is back on the PGA Tour, and whether you love him or hate him, the guy knows how to win when it matters. After his LIV Golf stint, the five-time major champion returns this week at the Farmers Insurance Open.
What makes Koepka fascinating? He doesn’t fit the mold. His swing isn’t textbook. He doesn’t obsess over mechanics. Yet he’s won three PGA Championships and two U.S. Opens, regularly making it look easier than guys with prettier swings.
So, what can average golfers learn from someone who treats the game so differently? Quite a bit.
Stop Overthinking Every Shot
Koepka describes his approach as “reactionary” rather than mechanical. While most tour pros grind over swing thoughts, Brooks sees the target and hits it. No mental checklist.
This might be the most valuable lesson for weekend golfers who’ve watched too many YouTube swing videos.
How to actually do this:
On the range, hit five balls where you stare at the target for three seconds prior to addressing the ball. Don’t think about grip or stance. Just burn that target into your brain. You’ll be shocked at how pure you hit it when your brain focuses on where the ball is going instead of how you’re swinging.
Next time you play, give yourself a rule: Once you pull the club, you’ve got 15 seconds to hit. Koepka is one of the fastest players on tour because he doesn’t give his brain time to sabotage him.
If you feel tension in your hands at address, you’re trying to control too much. Koepka’s grip pressure is famously light. Loosen up until the club almost feels like it might slip, then add just enough pressure to hold on. That’s your swing thought: soft hands, see the target.
This approach works better under pressure. When you’re standing over that shot with water left and OB right, the last thing you need is a mental checklist. See it, feel it, hit it.
Play to Your Strengths (Even If They’re Not Pretty)
Koepka uses a strong grip that wouldn’t pass muster in some teaching circles. But he’s built his game around what works for him, elite driving distance and recovery skills. He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not.
Here’s how to build your game like Brooks:
Look at your last five rounds and figure out where you’re actually gaining strokes. Bombing it off the tee, but can’t hit greens? Lean into it. Play courses where distance matters more than precision. On tight holes, grip down on your 3-wood instead of trying to thread a driver through a keyhole you’ll miss seven times out of ten.
Koepka knows he can scramble, so he’s not afraid to miss greens. If you’re deadly from 50 to 75 yards, start leaving yourself those distances on the par 5’s instead of going for them in two every time.
Know when to take your medicine. Koepka in the trees at the PGA? He’s punching out to 100 yards, not trying to bend a 6-iron around three oaks. You’re in the rough with a flyer lie and water short? Hit your 8-iron to the middle and move on. That’s not playing scared, that’s playing smart.
Save Your Best for When It Counts
Here’s a wild stat: Koepka’s putting average in majors is often more than a full stroke better per round than in regular events. He elevates when pressure is highest.
How does an amateur tap into that gear? It’s not about trying harder, it’s about caring differently.
Here’s what actually works:
Decide which rounds matter to you. Club championship? Member-guest? That annual trip with college buddies? Circle those dates and treat them differently. Koepka doesn’t care much about regular tour events, but majors? That’s when he locks in.
Two weeks before your big round, change your practice. Stop beating balls mindlessly. Play nine holes in which every shot has consequences. Miss the fairway? Hit from the rough on the next hole too. Three-putt? Twenty push-ups. Koepka’s practice intensity ramps up before majors because he’s rehearsing pressure, not just swings.
Develop a between-shot routine that resets your brain. Koepka is famous for his blank expression after bad shots. Try this: After any shot, take three deep breaths while walking, then find something specific to notice, a tree, a cloud, someone’s shirt. That’s your reset button. By the time you reach your ball, the last shot is gone.
The Bottom Line
Brooks Koepka’s return reminds us there’s no single path to success in golf. His “substance over style” approach proves that results matter more than looking good.
You don’t need a perfect swing; you need a reliable one that holds up under pressure. You don’t need to hit every shot in the book; you need the shots you can count on. And you don’t need to play great every time; you need to play great when it matters.
Welcome back, Brooks. Thanks for the reminder that golf is ultimately about getting the ball in the hole, not winning style points.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “Playing Through” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
Blades Brown made a big impression last week in the California desert, and not just because he’s only 18. He put up numbers that would catch any weekend golfer’s attention. Most of us won’t hit 317-yard drives or find 86% of our greens in regulation, but there’s a lot to learn from how Brown managed his game at The American Express.
Here are three practical lessons from his performance that you can use on your own course this weekend.
Step 1: Give Priority to Accuracy Over Distance Off The Tee
Brown’s driving stats are impressive. He averaged almost 318 yards off the tee, ranking 12th in the field. More importantly, he hit 76.79% of his fairways, tying for fourth place in the tournament.
Think about that ratio for a second. Brown could have swung harder, chased more distance and tried to overpower the course. Instead, he played smart golf and kept his ball in play.
Your Action Item: Next time you’re on the tee box, ask yourself a simple question before pulling the driver. Do you need maximum distance here, or do you need to be in the fairway? If there’s trouble lurking or the hole doesn’t demand every yard you can muster, take something off your swing. Grip down an inch. Make a three-quarter swing. Do whatever it takes to find the short grass. Brown’s approach illustrates that fairways lead to greens, and greens lead to birdies. He made 22 of them last week, along with an eagle.
The math is simple. When you’re hitting three out of every four fairways like Brown did, you’re giving yourself legitimate looks at the green with your approach shots. That’s when scoring happens.
Step 2: Commit To Hitting More Greens
This is where Brown really separated himself. He hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation, an 86.11% clip that tied for first in the entire field. Read that again. An 18-year-old kid tied for the lead in one of the most important ball-striking statistics in professional golf.
How did he do it? By keeping his ball in the fairway (see Step 1) and giving himself clean looks with mid-irons and wedges.
Your Action Item: Start tracking your greens in regulation. You don’t need a fancy app or a statistics degree. Just mark down whether you hit the green in the regulation number of strokes. Par 3s in one shot. Par 4s in two shots. Par 5s in three shots.
Once you know your baseline, set a goal to improve it by 10%. If you’re currently hitting five greens per round, aim for six. The beauty of this approach is that it forces you to think strategically about club selection and shot shape. Brown’s strokes gained approach number was positive (0.179), meaning he was better than the field average. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be on the dance floor more often.
When you hit more greens, you eliminate the need for heroic short game shots. Brown only had to scramble 10 times all week, and he got up and down 70% of the time. That’s solid, but the real story is that he rarely put himself in scrambling situations to begin with.
Step 3: Minimize Mistakes And Stay Patient
Here’s the stat that jumps off the page: Brown made only three bogeys all week. Three. In four rounds of professional golf against the best players in the world.
He also made just one double bogey. That kind of clean card doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you play within yourself, avoid the big miss and trust that pars are never bad scores.
Your Action Item: Before your next round, decide that you’re going to play boring golf. No hero shots over water. No driver on tight holes just because you can. No aggressive pins when there’s a safe side of the green.
Brown’s performance shows us that consistency beats flash every single time. He didn’t lead the field in any single strokes gained category, but he was solid across the board. That’s how you post numbers and cash checks.
Give these three steps a try. Your scorecard will thank you.
PGA Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer. You can check out his writing work and learn more about him by visiting BEAGOLFER.golf and OneMoreRollGolf.com. Also, check out “The Starter” now on R.org, RG.org’s partner site, each Monday.
Editor’s note: Brendon shares his nearly 30 years of experience in the game with GolfWRX readers through his ongoing tip series. He looks forward to providing valuable insights and advice to help golfers improve their game. Stay tuned for more tips!
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Alex
Oct 10, 2013 at 8:27 am
I’ve always struggled off the tee, I’ve only been playing two and a half years so to be expected really, however I’m always working hard with my coach to improve my swing and have got down to 18 from 20 since May.
My usual shot shape was a slice which has gradually gone to a high fade, however since a recent lesson/new driver I’ve got the ball flight lower and slice it far less often, however I do occasionally hit a hook I know why I hit it but obviously just knowing doesn’t always stop you from doing it! Anyway now that I can potentially miss both ways I think that it’s important to aim where you want the ball to go and just be aware of where the trouble is so if there’s heavy rough right but the best line in is from right centre then obviously you need to bare that in mind.
Whilst I agree with the article I think it’s just as much course management as it is trusting your ball flight.
Golfer X
Sep 6, 2013 at 8:19 pm
Worked for years to get rid of a slice, developed a nice draw; now, with the bigger club heads on woods, the slice has returned. All the hard work down the drain, nope, hit a fade that if aimed correctly goes right down the middle. Adjust your game, brother, you’ll be a happier person…
KK
Sep 6, 2013 at 9:34 am
Seems like very few golfers in the world can work the ball both ways with the driver with any degree of accuracy. I say focus on hitting it straight AND your natural shape and spend the rest of the time improving with the other 13 clubs in your bag.
Ian Bainbridge
Sep 5, 2013 at 11:38 am
Surely Tiger just improved his stats by not hitting his driver – taking irons, 5 woods, and 3 woods off the tee. He is still wild with driver and will never be 100% hitting a cut. He should just go with baby draw and live with it.
As he is getting older and injuries start to impact on his athletic ability, easing off and keeping ball in play is the only way he will get back on major trail again. (IMO).
Martin
Sep 4, 2013 at 7:54 pm
My natural ball flight with a driver is a 15-20 yard fade. For years I tried to master a draw with the driver ans struggled.
I play it now, aim down the left side of the fairway and it generally ends up in the middle, if it goes straight I end up on the left side or left rough.
If that shot isn’t available off the tee I hit a 3 wood.
Since I changed my thought process on this my handicap has dropped and I have become much more consistent.
Reasonable advice for 95%+ of the players in the game.
naflack
Sep 4, 2013 at 4:25 pm
I have noticed my best rounds involve me playing a draw with the driver and resisting the urge to “work the ball the other way”.
Charlie
Sep 4, 2013 at 3:10 pm
This is all well and good, but people need to learn how to play shots, first. I know how to hit a draw, and a cut with my driver. I don’t have a “natural” ball flight anymore. Neither does Tiger. None of these guys are stepping up to the tee and making a “natural stock” swing and hoping it does what it does 80% of the time. Tiger has learned that playing cuts is something he can control the best. I play cuts and draws off of the tee. I still miss fairways, but when I do, I know where i’ll miss. When I hit draws, the ball is GOING to draw. Period. Sometimes it over draws, and i’m a little further left then I would have liked, but I took the right side out of play. The same with cuts. When I setup to hit cuts, the ball IS NOT going to draw. So I’ve taken the left side out of play in hitting a cut. I may miss hard right by over cutting it, but at least I know where I’m going to be missing, if I do. This whole idea of making a swing and hoping something happens is terrible advice.
Lyle
Sep 7, 2013 at 11:04 pm
I couldn’t have said it better but I’m simply gonna say the same thing within the confines of my thought process. When you plan to draw it, it better never go right and when you plan to fade it, it better never go left. Something is going to happen so you might as well dictate what will happen and what won’t. Go a little overboard to make up for any margin of error you may have and yes, you may over draw it or over fade it but at least you know which way it is going. You have chosen your general landing area and what lies there. NEVER leave it up to chance!
Jack
Sep 4, 2013 at 12:03 am
That’s all fine and all, but no matter how well we plan the hole, things could still go wrong. Say if I play a fade like Tiger (I normally don’t play a fade and my game looks nothing like Tiger’s), and aim left (really just aligned left for the curvature correction), there is still a chance that I close the club face too much, and actually end up hitting the ball left instead of curving back it goes straight into the woods. That happened to him as well. Everyone hits bad shots, but you just have to take into account the good ones as well.
Peyton Martin
Sep 3, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Scott, couldn’t disagree with you more about Tiger. His natural shot is not a cut, it’s a draw and always has been. With all the work he’s done, he still doesn’t have a natural cut swing. All those attempts are manipulated, hold-off moves. He swings much better when setting up for the draw. I’m glad he can’t figure this out and hope he keeps hitting it left of left off the tee though.
Damon Brossard
Sep 3, 2013 at 8:34 pm
I think it’s important for golfers to learn to manage their way around courses, but it’s even more important to understand ball flight law. Terms like ‘slice, fade, draw, hook’ are too vague to ‘fix’. Understanding why the ball started where it started and curved from there is all relative to understanding ball flight law, which should be taught IMO first to golfers so they can learn to accurately self-diagnosis what’s going wrong and where the the problem in the swing lies.
Dan K
Sep 3, 2013 at 3:58 pm
While the advice makes sense, some holes require a draw or fade. I switched clubs this year and have struggled mightily as there is no room to play my draw on most of the driver holes. I have spent the last 6 months working on hitting a fade with the driver, including tinkering with my driver’s setup. I also hit a lot more 3 wood or 3 hybrid off the tee.
David N. Simms
Sep 3, 2013 at 3:37 pm
I think he’s referring to a natural draw or fade, not to a slice or hook. If you play your driver with a fade, then let it fade…if you have a draw, play the draw…if you hook or slice, then he’d tell you to fix the swing itself.
Will o'the Glen
Sep 3, 2013 at 3:03 pm
SO, if you slice, just aim left and live with it? I expect better from a teaching pro…
Nick
Sep 3, 2013 at 3:24 pm
Nowhere in the article did the author mention slicing or hooking the ball. Draws and fades are natural ball flights, where as the slice/hook are tendencies based on flaws in technique. If more golfers tracked their stats, they would identify patterns that would aid in picking a strategy, either for what to work on or how to play a hole.
Roger
Sep 5, 2013 at 3:30 pm
Will, it’s Course Management.
How can a Pro best assist his Student without giving you 5 options and baffling you at a Critical Time on course.
Same swing but minor foot placement /weight shift etc changes /narrower stance/smoother tempo/reap huge rewards.